How much to feed fish?

[zxcs]

I recently got a domino damsel, clarkii clown, yellow tang and another large damsel (forgot what it was when I bought it, can't seem to identify it clearly as of yet).
I have some flakes I bought at my LFS and also some dried seaweed for my tang. I feed my tang every 2 days with a small strip of seaweed but I do not know how much to feed my other fish.
How many flakes do I have to feed them and also how often do I have to feed them? Are the flakes sufficient or do I need some other feed?
Thanks

 

[murph145]

u should feed more than just feeding flakes....
its always good to feed a variety of foods to your fish...
first off let me just give u a word of advice.... damsels are no good! they get very mean especialy dominos.... that being said lol i would get some frozen foods also and vary the feedings.... one day do some flakes the next feed some frozen brine/mysid shrimp then back and forth.... u can also get frozen bloodworms and formula 1 and 2

 

[thegrog]

Agree with ^^^^^ on all but one point. Not all damsels are bad. I have had very good luck with blue devil and yellow tail damsels.
Domino damsels on the other hand really have earned the nickname "holy terrors of the reef". They get mean, large, and have an even larger ego. They have been known to attack their keepers hand and draw blood at cleaning time. I know of one that is 4" long that killed a 8" Volitain Lion and a Niger (sp?) Trigger fish around 9" long!!!!!! That particular fish has been in and out of my LFS several times. Killed off over $500 in fish by their count!! Personally, I'd put it into a mantis tank and see who wins!!

 

[murph145]

lol yup i agree i had one that grew to abut 3" and it was so mean he could beat up anything.... that was a while back and i ended up getting him outta my tank....
now im left with one 3 striped damsel about 3 inches.... hes so so hit and miss i think it depends on his mood of that day lol....
i have one electric blue damsil.... that one is very peaceful and never bothers anyone....
then i have a mated pair of yellow tail damsils the male can be a terror he will go after any new fish i try to put in the tank no matter what the fish....
sucks now i can add any new fish in the tank because the yellow tails will chase it to death... and i cant catch the buggers i have way too much rock work with corals placed all over so im just leaving them and not trying any more fish... they all have there own domain and get very territorial and will bite my hand if i get too close to there area

 

[mikeyjer]

I would love to put one of you guy's mean damsels in with my trigger if you don't want it. It'll be her dinner. She eats any small fish that goes into her tank. She'll chase it until she gets ahold of any parts on the fish and tear it in pieces.

 

[zxcs]

Thanks for the advice, I'll pick up some varied food for my fish.
About the damsel... I think I'm beginning to see what you mean. It seems loads braver than the rest (they all tend to hide behind rocks when I go near the tank since I only got them 2 days ago), the domino just swims anywhere it likes and doesn't get scared off by me. Should I take it back to my LFS or keep it and see how it goes?
Thanks, Zxcs.

 

[danedodger]

That all depends on what you want to put in your tank down the line, Zxcs. As others have already said damsels do have a rep for turning into nasty little guys and dominos especially so. If you want to keep adding fish down the line you can consider doing an aggressives tank and see how the damsel reacts to them or, if you were planning on more peaceful fish, I'd personally take him out.
As far as how much to feed (and yes, I agree wholeheartedly with the variety already suggested), feed only as much as the fish will eat entirely in about one or two minutes or so. It's always better to feed tiny bits two or three times a day than a bunch once a day where the extra will just rot on the bottom driving your nitrates and such up.

 

[zxcs]

If I were to get more aggressive fish and turn my tank into an agressive fish tank, would I be able to get corals, snails and anemones (I know I couldnt get shrimps)? I live the idea of aggressive fish in the tank but I also like to have corals and anemones. Also, other than snails, is there a way to get rid of the huge algea buildup im getting on the sides of my tanks?
Sorry for all the questions but I have a last one; how can I get rid of nitrates in my tank? (ammonia and nitrite are both zero but nitrate isnt)
Thanks again, Zxcs.

 

[danedodger]

1. I guess that would depend on exactly what you put in the tank. I've learned more about less aggressives so far so can't tell you exactly. I'd suggest looking up any fish, corals, etc. you might want to have and seeing if they might be likely to get along together.
2. Sounds like if you could bring your nitrates down you may see less algae. If this is a newer tank it's pretty normal for it to go through a "OMG I think I have more algae than water in there!!!!!" frustrating period. Conquer your nitrates and check what else might be feeding the algae like phosphates.
3. To lower nitrates figure out where it's coming from. Is it time to do a water change? Do you need to change out more water or change more often? Are you overfeeding? Could there be "dead pockets" somewhere where crud is building up like behind rocks, in the power filter, etc?

 

[huntoaks]

I'm with you Mikeyjer!! I have a big female Undulated Triger in my tank that will kill anything I put in with her. She tore a big grouper to shreds while I was at work. Her only equal might be a Titan Triger...a Domino would be no match!!!

 

[drea]

cool, it would probably do great w. an undulated trigger!

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by HuntOaks
I'm with you Mikeyjer!! I have a big female Undulated Triger in my tank that will kill anything I put in with her. She tore a big grouper to shreds while I was at work. Her only equal might be a Titan Triger...a Domino would be no match!!!