If they eat it, can you feed too much?

[malibupam]

Hi!
I have a new 250 Gallon fish only tank that was installed in my house as part of a TV show 6 weeks ago, and it is mine to keep now. I have a fish service visiting weekly, keeping watch over it right now because I am totally new to marine aquariums, but the feeding, in the meantime, is up to me.
I feed them probably 5 times a day, because I work at home, and they all rush over to the feeding ring whenever I walk by the tank. But I always stand and watch, adding it a little at a time, until they lose interest. Virtually nothing ever goes to the bottom of the tank, so as much as I feed, they eat. I give a daily buffet of frozen blood worms, frozen brine shrimp, romaine lettuce, spirulina flakes, dry krill, and I have two other flake mixes the fish guy gave me. I'm going out to an aquarium supply to see what other frozen things I can get later today. I'm working on learning to take responsibilty for this tank myself, because in LA, fish guys charge $75 a visit!
So, I'm told that all my fish are in great shape and growing really fast, but here's my question: My clown trigger is fat! He literally bulges out--big!--round the lower middle. My fish guy says it looks like I feed him ice cream. I've started to put in more than one frozen ball at a time, so that the trigger (his name is Goober) doesn't hog them all. But can he be eating too much? Can fish get fat?
Right now I have (these may not be their official names but I'm new at this):
8 blue damsels
5 yellow tangs
1 large purple tang (w/yellow tail)
1 panther grouper who only eats krill and gives me puppy dog eyes if I don't feed it at every meal
1 clown trigger who will eat anything
1 yellow/white/black guy with a really long nose (butterfly or angel, I forget)
2 clowns
2 other little fish I can't name

 

[janelle]

what youre doing sounds good, feeding a little at a time until they lose interest. as long as you dont notice a lot of food flying around the tank and sinking to the bottom uneaten, thats good. do you have any cleanup crew (crabs, shrimp, snails)? Your triggerfish will probably see them as a snack, but it would help clean up any extra.
Fish are pretty active but i guess anythings possible (fat fish). If you have good water flow/current in your tank, they should get enough 'exercise.' do you have any pictures of your tank?? we'd love to see them.

 

[malibupam]

You can see them build it, including shoring up the floor under the house to support the thing (along with its 60 gal sump), on the Nov 17 episode of Monster House on the Discovery Channel.
I have tons more to say but I think I'm supposed to wait until after it airs! We are the "Under the Sea" house.

 

[bang guy]

Very cool.
Do you thaw your frozen food first? Just checking.
You could back off the amount you feed, if they lose interest then you've overfed them. They should always be hungry. I also agree that 5 times a day is fine but not very much at each feeding. The variety is great!
If you overfeed it will only indirectly affect the fish. When overfed fish tend to not completely digest the previous meal and eliminate it before extracting the nutrients. This can mean a buildup of nutrients in your tank in the form of Nitrate.
Do you have a set of water testing kits? This would be a good investment. An even better investment would be the book The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. I believe this site still sells this book. It will inform you of things you might not think to ask us about.
Good luck and I hope to see your show on the 17th.
Guy

 

[malibupam]

Bang Guy, I don't thaw the food first. Should I? I am using those blister packs. For the blood worms, the fish nibble at it and pull them off as the ball thaws in the water. For the brine shrimp, the balls start to thaw and the shrimp fall off, then everyone dives in. I don't have any fish who eat the ball whole now. I had a wrasse who would steal the whole ball frozen, but he has been our only casualty (is this why?) aside from many of the damsels we think he was also eating. My panther grouper will claim half a ball from time to time, but he really only likes krill. Thanks for the book recommendation.

 

[bang guy]

I would suggest thawing the food first. Just plop it into a small cup with some tank water.