Am I overfeeding?

[zari]

Reading all these posts in this forum and the reef forum, it has me wondering if I am overfeeding.
I have 7 fish in my 50 gal tank. 2 Maroon clowns, 1 Coral Beauty, 1 yellow tail Damsel, 2 Green Chromis, and 1 Bi-color Blenny. I feed one cube of frozen Spirulina Enriched Brine Shrimp or one cube of frozen Mysis Shrimp daily. On occasion, I will replace a few Formula One flakes instead of the frozen cubes. I direct feed some of my corals and my anemones once or twice a week with silversides. My cleaner shrimp also enjoys feeding time. He gets his share of the cubes. Is this too much?
Feeding every other day doesn't seem like enough to me. They act like they are starving as it is.
Zari

 

[jsolomon]

The feeding seems fine. You might even want to break the cube in half and feed half in the morning and then half and night. I feed twice daily. However, personally speaking I think you have too much in your tank, and I think other people would agree with me on that. I have a 92 gallon tank and I only have 5 fish. Rule of thumb is 5 gallons for every 1 inch of fish. Some say you can push this and get 1 inch for every 2 gallons. Its up to you.

 

[twoods71]

If your water quality can be maintained at good levels then IMO you are not over feeding.
The amount to feed and how often is a matter of opinion for many.
I feed about 5 times a week skipping a day every now and then.

 

[joerdie]

I think I have always overfed my tanks but I am so parinoid about makeing sure all of the little guys get food that i dont mind the extra hassle. Is this the wrong mentality?

 

[nm reef]

If your system can handle the load you should be fine. The food needs to be consumed in a fairly short time....and the bio-load should not exceed your filtration.
I have less fish...plus a bunch of coral in a 55 reef. I feed 2 cubes with Zoe and DT's phytoplankton every other day(type of food changes...but amount remains close)...my filtraion and creatures can handle these feedings with no ill effects.PLus at least once a week I target feed several corals additional foods.
For some it may seem as though I am over feeding...and possibly for their system I would be...but my system can deal with my feedings and it is no problem.Water tests remain stable with no fluctuations.
Best advice is to establish a schedule/amount that works for your particular system.Do every thing possible to maintain stable water conditions...and if your feeding causes problems in your system...modify your feedings.

 

[zari]

Thanks for your replies. My nitrates have always tested between 5-10, even before I got all the fish. So that is normal for "my" tank. However, I am having some phosphate problems that I'm working on with Kent phosphate sponge and water changes. I can't get DT's in my area, so I use Phytoplex in addition to my other feedings.
Zari (Kathy)

 

[bluefish]

Something else I do when I feed them is turn off my powerheads while I'm feeding them, I have a lot of circulation and this way when the food hits the water, they have a chance to eat the food and I can watch to make sure they are getting most of it. I have been told, they should eat the food within 3-5 min. You just want to be careful with the extra food getting into your filtration system.