# feeding question



## fishcatcher&keeper (Sep 5, 2008)

Hi all,
I was wondering if anyone had any advice on feeding flake food. I have always crumbled it between my fingers as I am feeding my fish and I was wondering if this is a common practice. on one hand if it is crumbled it is a more managable size for the fish but more food sinks to the botom.
too crumble or not to crumble that is the question.
so what do you all think?
Peter


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

You are less likely to overfeed if you crumble the food. Flake food can expand up to three or four times the amount offered when wet. If food is still falling to the bottom you could be feeding too much. If you feed no more than you SEE them eat in one min. You will be doing yourself and your fish a big favor. after they eat what you have offered they will then go to the bottom and forage for waht they can find there. If they know that you will feed them as long as they remain at the surface then overfeeding is more likely . baby fish sometimes need to be fed more often but for the most part fish can thrive on once per day feedings with a variety of foods as opposed to just one .No one ever lost fish by feeding once per day but many have lost fish by overfeeding due to uneaten food fouling the water thus causing ammonia levels to rise which in turn kills the fish.


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## jeaninel (Aug 24, 2007)

I do crumble it up for the fish. It's easier for the fish to eat, especially if you have small fish. I feed a small pinch and most of the flake is eaten before it hits the bottom. Eventually you get a feel for how big of a pinch is enough for everybody to eat and yet not have too much left over. I usually feed some pellet food in addition to the flake at each feeding (mainly for the larger fish). I watch the fish eat to make sure everybody gets something. A little bit falling to the bottom is ok and will get eaten later but you don't want an excessive amount.


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## fishcatcher&keeper (Sep 5, 2008)

here is another question then: 1077 says feed once a day, as much as can be eaten in one minute. I have read as well that twice, even three times a day is best. I have as well read that you should feed as much as can be eaten in three, even five minutes. I have been feeding twice a day, as much as can be eaten in three minutes. I figured that that was a sort of common ground.
what say you all?
Peter


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## katfish (Sep 16, 2008)

I feed mine once a day for however much they can eat for a minute. And sometimes I'll give them some bloodworms before I go to bed.


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## iamntbatman (Jan 3, 2008)

Mine get fed twice per day (except for young fish, who get three squares a day), and honestly I don't pay a whole lot of attention to the "as much as they can eat in x minutes" rule. Once you've had the fish a while, you generally get used to their eating habits. In most of my tanks, plenty of flake hits the floor anyway just because of the water flow in the tank, but I've got plenty of bottom feeders who clean up anything that gets to the bottom. Beware of overeating fish, though. Bettas will keep begging for food and will eat themselves to death. I'm pretty sure my Jack Dempsey would keep eating until he popped, if I let him.


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

normally i feed only once a day,and that's in the morning.
flake then pellets for the bottom dwellers.
twice a week they get two feeds,because i give the
defrosted frozen food.
guppys only have small stomaches so really they could do with a couple of
times a day,they can't eat as much as the others in one go,
so it's nice for them.


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## aunt kymmie (Jun 2, 2008)

My preference is to tailor my feeding routines around my fish. Like iamntbatman, I don't pay attention to any one minute, two minute rule.
In the am I focus more on the top dwellers food preferences. Presoaked flake, assorted frozen Hikari foods. The loaches pick off the bottom anything the barbs didn't finish. In the evening I tend to focus more on the feeding habits of the loaches & my pitus. That's when I put in the sinking type foods. The barbs will pick at that food and I know that my nighttime clean up crew will have it gone come morning.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

Try counting backwards from one hundred and twenty. If you are offering enough food for fish to feed for this period of time twice each day, It will become clear as to why Many only feed once a day. Even with a shoal of eight corys you would need a considerable number of fish to consume that much food. Those with much experience can judge how much food their particular fish need based on numbers and species but I will repeat ,No one ever lost fish by feeding once daily. Many labels on fish food suggest feeding three to four times per day. That way they can sell more of their product. :wink:


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

1077 said:


> Those with much experience can judge how much food their particular fish need based on numbers and species but I will repeat ,No one ever lost fish by feeding once daily. Many labels on fish food suggest feeding three to four times per day. That way they can sell more of their product. :wink:


 aint that the truth.


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