Feeding, is everyday too much?

[sandymya]

I have a 55 gallon
running for 2 months almost
I have
FISH:
1 regal tang
1 flame angel
2 small damsels
1 lawnmower blenny
1 pseudochromis
2 false perculas
cleaning crew
button polyps
roc. mushrooms
and rasta leathers
Should I feed everyday or every other day? My ammonia, NO2 and NO3 went up to .25 so i did a water change, I guess I am overfeeding, I know this weekend someone decided to "help" feed and basically i had to siphon out alot of food.
So i want to know how often you all feed. Thanks :help:

 

[michaeltx]

I fed 2-3 times a week most of the animals on your list are grazers also so they are getting extra nutrients off the rocks and glass so the best thing you can do is watch the animals and onlyl feed what they will eat and no more.
this way the excess foods doesnt go in the tank to start with.
Mike

 

[1knight164]

Originally Posted by MichaelTX
I fed 2-3 times a week most of the animals on your list are grazers also so they are getting extra nutrients off the rocks and glass so the best thing you can do is watch the animals and onlyl feed what they will eat and no more.
this way the excess foods doesnt go in the tank to start with.
Mike
I'm with sandymya and not sure how much to feed. It seems like the fish are ALWAYS hungry and want to eat 2-3 times a day and they eat it ALL. Everytime we walk by the glass they start swimming to the top like they're starving. When I went to once a day, the wife and kid accused me of being brutal. But you only feed 2-3 times a week? Should I be disciplining myself and ignore their "pleas"? :help:

 

[michaeltx]

think of it this way the are naturally in open waters with little to no food at times so when they get it and find they will gorge themselves on the food that is there. after while they will start to have problems from to much food. now just because your not feeding everyday doesnt mean they arent eating. things like tangs, LMB, angels and other herbavoirs and omnivores will eat algae and other stuff on the rocks so they are eating just not what you put in the tank on a daily basis. this will cause them to help control the algae aswell from one not overfeeding and 2 they are grazing in the tank.
There are some exceptions to this fish like seahorses that wont live by this feeding schedule there are more that are like this but the common fish that is offered will graze the tank on a daily basis.
mike

 

[1knight164]

Got it! Makes a lot of sense. Thanks Mike.

I'll put blinders on my wife and kid when they walk by the tank

Maybe i'll put it where they never go...the kitchen

(Don't tell her I said that

)

 

[1journeyman]

I do the opposite of Mike. I feed almost every day, throughout the evening.
I just feed small amounts, directly into the current.
Some fish, imho, need more food. I'm convinced that schooling fish, Chromis for instance get more aggressive towards each other between feedings.
Fish can definitely be overfed. I think you can feed every day as long as you are feeding in relation to the very small stomachs your reef fish probably have.

 

[sandymya]

Thanks. your help is appreciated
Hey 1knight164, I think you had my problem, but watch out and your water paramaters can spike like mine did ooops.

 

[1knight164]

Originally Posted by sandymya
Thanks. your help is appreciated
Hey 1knight164, I think you had my problem, but watch out and your water paramaters can spike like mine did ooops.

Been monitoring the 'trates almost daily for that very reason. Can't quite get it down to zero, but i'm somewhere between 5 and 15. Thanks for the thread. Really helped me.

 

[geridoc]

I'm with 1journeyman about feeding small amounts frequently. Grazing animals graze all day, but they do so in a range that may extend for many yards in the ocean. The few square feet of lr that you provide in their glass cage is too small to really support them for the long term, so you have to supplement. Just don't overdo it.

 

[lion_crazz]

I usually feed every day but I feed small amounts and make sure to keep up on 10% weekly water changes.

 

[xdave]

At the risk of sounding like a flamer, every book I've ever read in the past 40 years has said the same thing. Fish should be fed at least 2 to 3 times a day, and not more than they can finish eating in 2 to 5 minutes per feeding.
What did the books that you've read say?

 

[fbm]

I would probably be in better shape if I only ate 2 to 3 times a week....

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by fbm
I would probably be in better shape if I only ate 2 to 3 times a week....

No, LOL, if you were as active as a reef fish you'd die...
That's my reasoning: how active my fish are. I've got a strong current going. My fish, while well designed for it, have to use a lot of energy. That's why I try to feed um a bit every day.

 

[chipmaker]

I have been feeding every other day or two for years now and my fish show no signs of being underfed or mal nourished.

 

[fishrule]

Originally Posted by chipmaker
I have been feeding every other day or two for years now and my fish show no signs of being underfed or mal nourished.

I have been doing the same... My fish are just fine... :happyfish