How often do you feed?

[YourPalCM]

I recently set up a small tank with two Malawi Cichlids (one Yellow Lab and ...uh, oh, mental block...one blue and black stripey one...can't remember the technical name.)

I've read MANY conflicting recommendations for feeding. I'm gathering that it's not an exact science, and somewhat of a personal preference, but...how often is everyone feeding?

One book I read said 2-3 times per day, another said 2 or 3 times per day but if you're home feed them a very small amount many times a day, most places say just TWICE per day, others have said once a day, one poster said they only feed their Cichlids 3 times a week.

I know to err on the side of NOT overfeeding, and you only feed as much as they can eat in a few minutes.

So what is the general concensus for actual # of times per day? Please vote...

[Overawed]

I feed the big fish twice a day except for the one day a week that I feed them nothing.

I feed fries three times a day.

[Matt V]

i also feed 2x per day unless:
1. it's the one random day they don't eat, or
2. they get a treat.
i'm on an every 8 days water change regime and they don't get fed two days after the change and they usually get the treat a couple of hours after the change as a reward for putting up with my hand in the tank.
don't know why i have that schedule, just seems to work.:cool:

[ticman]

feed twice a day and fast one day a week. I do weekly water changes of about 30%.

Mike

oh yes algae wafers after lights out

[Cypherman]

My fish are youngsters so I feed 2-3x daily, no fasting. Once they get to be adults I will be assuming the same feeding regimen as everybody else.

[ander]

i feed up to a million times a day, no seriously i have gone for 20 b4 as long as its a little bit, and they eat it its ok. fish in the wild are grazers, they eat constantly all day and its best to get as close to that as possible.
just make sure food isnt hitting the bottom

[fermi]

I feed when ever I am around; some times they eat 3 x's a day, some times once a day, and some times they don't eat at all, but usually it works out to be twice a day.

[usafschue]

I feed twice a day and one day fast a week after the water change to let it settle, treats every week sporadically (ick spelling lol)

[jennigypsy]

you know, I agree with Ander...fish would be eating a little tiny bit ALL DAY LONG...so, I feed quite often....just not very much at all. My fish are juv's too, so I don't fast. But, at they rate they're growing, they won't be little very long!!! My yellow labs doubled in size since early Dec! No kidding!
I was also told that some breeders when they're conditioning their stock to breed, they feed this way. Some feed every hour!
I do 25-30% water changes every 5-7 days ..I check ammonia regularly..undetectable so far.
I think as long as the fish are healthy, growing and the water quality is OK, feed 'em! :)

[jinxie]

I feed 2-3 times a day and have occasional Fasts on a roughly 2 week schedule. But only because I have Mbuna in a heavily planted Tank and it keeps down on the Grazing of the live plants.

And on a Kind of Weird Odd Side note, I have found that my Rusty's Would rather claim a patch of Plant Work than a Rock work as their little homes.

[christophero]

i feed often especially when the fish are young . if their bellies are always full i'm happy

[DSORWIG]

i feed mine 2-3 times a day pellets and flakes in the morning and afternoon and then bloodworms at night. They seem to like that and they always appear hungry so that is a good sign right? This is pretty much my routine.

[punman]

I do a once a week fast with everything but fry. Feed moderately three times a day the rest of the time.

[Photorah]

my fish eat better than i do

They get fed 3-4times a day the first meal is usualy spirurilina(sp?) And a few pellets for the pickey eater (one eye). for the next they get flake food and again a few pellets for the picky eater. for late evening they get some type of treat food, shrip pellets, plankton, bloodworms,brine shrimp, peas, zuchinni, somthing fun.

And if im up long enough for a 4th meal they usualy get sinking pellet food. if i dont they usualy get it with the second meal the next day.

The fry get fed very small amounts every 2 hours during awake hours

[highplainsdrifter]

My fish eat well, but their feeding times are chaotic. Usually twice daily.

[Vip]

i feed mine 3-4 times a day sometimes but most of the times its 2-3, i go through a pack of bloodworms every 3days and the large OSI Flake every week, and i also buy them somthing differnt as well everyweek like tetrabits and stuff.

[P-Did]

With only two fish in a tank. once of them will eat the other soon anyway. You need to overcrowd to prevent aggression.

[Matt V]

Originally posted by P-Did
With only two fish in a tank. once of them will eat the other soon anyway. You need to overcrowd to prevent aggression.


Um.... Sometimes that's true...

And, um, what does that have to do with how many times a day you feed your fish?

I'm just a bit confused, that's all.

[P-Did]

The point:

Why worry about how many times you're going to feed them when they will most likely eat eachother under their current stocking situation?

Less confused?

[CichlidLover33]

Originally posted by P-Did
The point:

Why worry about how many times you're going to feed them when they will most likely eat eachother under their current stocking situation?

Less confused?

Are you serious?

You're saying you just let them eat each other? Did the thought of feeding them enough food to keep them full (without overfeeding obviously) might help to make them less aggressive never enter your mind?

:rolleyes:

[P-Did]

"You're saying you just let them eat each other? Did the thought of feeding them enough food to keep them full (without overfeeding obviously) might help to make them less aggressive never enter your mind?"

You can feed them until they get bloat, but if you are keeping mbunas together in small number like that, somebody's going to die. 20 plus years of experience in the field of these fish guarentees that.

[Matt V]

Originally posted by P-Did


You can feed them until they get bloat, but if you are keeping mbunas together in small number like that, somebody's going to die. 20 plus years of experience in the field of these fish guarentees that.

20 years of experience killing fish, I guess. Wow. That's valuable.

Moderators - If I get out of line in the next few sentences, please PM me, apologize to P-Did on my behalf and delete this post. I don't mean to go to far, but sometimes the bile climbs upward and those of us of the Italian persuasion have a penchant for hyberbole that sometimes gets us in trouble. That said, here goes:

Reading this post and others you've made, you don't seem like someone who has had fish for a purported 20 years. Nor do you seem like someone who is interested in being a sincere hobbyist. Nor do any of your comments seem helpful. "Just overstock" is lousy, horrible, hideous advice. What happened to stocking an appropriate number of fish of an appropriate number of compatible, carefully researched species? I mean, if the answer is as simple as cramming as many mbuna as you can into a given volume of water, then why are we here?

<sarcasm>Wow. I wish I realized it was that easy 6 years ago when I started keeping mbuna 6 years ago. Then I wouldn't have bothered with all those annoying books and websites and conversations and discussions with people at club meetings...</sarcasm>

and no where have I ever encountered anything akin to the suggestions and the intimated hostility that I encountered in your suggestions both here and elsewhere.

I'm willing to discuss things openly and honestly. If you have had success with the mixes that you have attempted in severely overcrowded tanks, congratulations and more power to you. But to espouse such a stocking as a solution or viable option for the myriad of visitors new new to cichlid keeping on this forum without caveat is borderline inappropriate.

If you want to provide your experience as counter example, I think it would be nice to have some evidence - like the species you've kept together, the numbers and the results. I'd love to hear what you've kept in such large numbers in such a small space with such success. To make a statement like you have and then not back it up is a bit odd.

[SGypsyMermaid]

excellent response, matt v.

[P-Did]

Relax Matt. I'm getting this information from a friend who has 40 cichlid tanks and ove 20 years experience. If he's wrong, than sorry on his behalf. But he has more successful tanks than anyone I know or anyone on this board, so I think this advice should be taken seriously. When it comes to mbunas, as long as they are about the same size, then yes, in most cases, overstocking (15+) will work great. In fact, it almost never fails from the many tanks I've seen. And if you'd just start listening to me, you wouldn't have lost all those fish to your "evil blue fish". Your lack of information has costed you fish, and I'm trying to help ya. Don't get mad, I'm not into drama^_^

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by P-Did
Relax Matt. I'm getting this information from a friend who has 40 cichlid tanks and ove 20 years experience. If he's wrong, than sorry on his behalf. But he has more successful tanks than anyone I know or anyone on this board, so I think this advice should be taken seriously.

you can't expect us to disregard our own experiences and accept your second-hand ones as gospel. as i said in the other threads, state your case and allow everyone else to do the same.

[P-Did]

Well, Matt was losing fish, and I hoped my new info would help. Sorry to offend. I realize this must be an older crowd so I must be polite and watch my language. I'm still in my mid-20's, so forgive me please ^_^

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by P-Did
I realize this must be an older crowd so I must be polite and watch my language.

that would be greatly appreciated by this particular old sea hag. we are happy to have you here to share your info with us. we also have a lot of fun with each other and RESPECT one another's opinions. if you can get with that, then welcome to the forums! :dance:

[jennigypsy]

have a cold one p-did and RELAX....:)....

[Matt V]

Originally posted by P-Did
Well, Matt was losing fish, and I hoped my new info would help. Sorry to offend. I realize this must be an older crowd so I must be polite and watch my language. I'm still in my mid-20's, so forgive me please ^_^


No problem! Keep posting, we like new people. Really... Join us... resistance is futile...

Matt

Hey... wait.... I'm only (recently) 28...

That's still mid-20s... right?


Right?

:nervous:

[P-Did]

LOL...it's all good, my bad for being an a-hole about it, I post on political message boards too much and I get in aggressive mode, lol.

[Matt V]

yeah, i try to avoid posting after staff meetings.

sometimes my staff really really ticks me off and i have to avoid posting, emailing, talking on the phone, and pretty much all human contact or else some one may get emotionally decapitated...

[jennigypsy]

heh heh...makes me feel better to know I'm not the only one like that...

[P-Did]

Since they spend the day eating algae, I think once a day feeding is enough. They're still getting more nutrients than they would in the wild.

Rotating foods seems to provide superior results in most cases.

[jlvfish]

Rift Lake Cichlids are used to live in a crowded environment with limited food sources. They can live days without food so little feeding up to 3 times a day seems to be just fine. Their digestive system is also very complex and overfeeding can easily cause bloat. Less food will also keep the water quality better.

[Superman]

I feed my fish once a day, right before I turn the lights off. I kinda want to feed them twice a day, for various reasons. One, I want them to grow to their max, and there isn't any algae in my tank, so if I feed them once then it's kinda like they're barely getting enough. Any opinions?

[CichlidLover33]

Originally posted by Superman
I feed my fish once a day, right before I turn the lights off. I kinda want to feed them twice a day, for various reasons. One, I want them to grow to their max, and there isn't any algae in my tank, so if I feed them once then it's kinda like they're barely getting enough. Any opinions?

Two or three small feedings are always better than one big one. I feed my guys anywhere from 2-4 times a day but it's only what they eat in about 20 - 30 seconds.

Also, try not to feed within 30-45 minutes of the tank light coming on, or going off. :)

[chrissy]

Why fast for one day a week?

[punkypuffer]

it helps clear out their systems a little. i have to do that with my puffers as well

[Matt V]

just be careful. a hungry cichlid is an agressive cichlid.

i don't fast mine, just only feed them once. they're really aggressive when they're well fed and when i don't feed them, they tend to go after other fish.

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by Matt V
just be careful. a hungry cichlid is an agressive cichlid.

i don't fast mine, just only feed them once. they're really aggressive when they're well fed and when i don't feed them, they tend to go after other fish.

that is definitely true of very young fish, but i've never had problems fasting my adults...even for multiple days.

[Woot]

I usually feed them 2-3 times a day, but every once and awhile I don't feed them for a day. Fry get food abit more often.

[jf2381]

I try to feed them 2 to 3 small feedings but with my crazy schedule that I've had lately I have been feeding once a day. That's no biggy because I have (had) alot of algea on the rocks and they spend all day munching on it.

[Boilermaker]

I feed once a day on the adults and twice on the fry, Sunday is Fast day.

[mokermania]

i feed once a day n fast them on sat ( after d 20% water change)

[skuobiee]

I used to feed 3x a day, until I realized my fish were getting fat, now they get fed when their hungry. Some mornings I sit in front of the tank and they come out to say hi, but casually. Sometimes they come out all together excited at the glass, running up and down the glass, so I feed them good. Every other night an algae tablet for the plecs. On water change days, if I sit in front of the tank, and their going about their business, I proceed with water change. If their excited, I feed and wait about half hour then do water change (otherwise they might be hungry, I stress them out with water change, and they won`t show their face for a few hours even if their hungry). SO..., in the morning most of the time, and usually in the evening, no fasting unless they tell me on both meals that their not hungry.

[nap83]

i feed three times a day with a variety. the first meal is spirulina based super-soft food (for greens). the second is tetracichlid mini-granules (for conditioning). & third is spirulina based flakes. i fast once a week, sundays, i give them brine shrimp instead of the flakes & i change 30% of the water twice a week. temp's at 78-80 F for faster metabolism too.

[Ray]

ok serious question...
am I supposed to not feed my fish one day a week?? or is that a personal tank thing?
cuz I have been feeding all my fish twice a day since they came home.
but if I am supposed to nbot feed them on one day a week then I need to know???

[StructureGuy]

I feed my fry and juveniles small amounts several times a day. I feed the adults once a day in a fairly large quantity so that everyone gets some food. (I've found that feeding adults several times a day makes the dominant fish very fat since he gets more than his share of food.) Most people overfeed their fish and that's not a healthy thing to do.

I'm not totally convinced that this whole fasting thing isn't one of those internet ideas, but who knows? If I'm busy and miss a day or two it just doesn't matter. (After all, a brooding female eats nothing or next to nothing for around 21 days.)

Kevin

[snox]

my fish usually get feed twice a day,,,,, sometimes i dont feed for the whole day and sometimes 3 to 4 times a day

[pepper23]

I feed much more than I used to feed. I found that young fish reach breeding age much quicker if they are well fed. It also usually results in larger and more regular spawns. Well fed fish are hardier for me and I seem to very few problems.
I like fat fish, but I change alot of water too.

[dmiles7]

About 4 times a day.....takes them about 20 seconds to eat it...so it is not alot

[rondi]

Usually I do a cleaning of the glass and a water change on Saturday. I like the "polished" look of the water afterwards and it's good for them to fast for a day.

The rest of the week it's twice a day. For breakfast they usually get some spirulina flakes and Cichlid Gold pellets and at dinner they get Krill, Bloodworms or Shrimp.

[hiliner68]

We feed twice a day on the average, but sometimes I skip one meal per day. "Fasting" for a day is recommended in most of the literature I've read about mbuna/haps, apparently they eat a LOT better in captivity than they do in the wild....but it's hard to walk by a crowded mbuna tank and NOT feed 'em al least once a day, as everyone knows...

[Theo]

Twice a day (Morning, Afternoon) and once LATE at night (2am) with the lights off, so that nocturnal fish/eels can eat.

Take a break once or twice every two weeks before I do a water change.

[StructureGuy]

Originally posted by hiliner68
"Fasting" for a day is recommended in most of the literature I've read about mbuna/haps

I'm not doubting you, but could you point out some place I could find this in writing besides the internet?

Kevin

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by StructureGuy
I'm not doubting you, but could you point out some place I could find this in writing besides the internet?

Kevin

ad konigs recommends it on pg. 32 of Cichlids and All the Other Fishes of Lake Malawi .

[ercnan]

Once a day works for me.

[bluerusty]

2 times...fish seem to like it

[DarrenMnaples]

rondia any pics of your tank??

[DarrenMnaples]

i usally feed twice a day and i good feeding be for i vacum which is once a month then fast for a day .... i do a water change evry 2 weeks but only vacum once a month but mabey i will up that to once a week now i guess around 30% is good huh

[Vert]

Originally posted by StructureGuy
I feed my fry and juveniles small amounts several times a day. I feed the adults once a day in a fairly large quantity so that everyone gets some food. (I've found that feeding adults several times a day makes the dominant fish very fat since he gets more than his share of food.) Most people overfeed their fish and that's not a healthy thing to do.

Kevin

This is also what I do to feed my fish, once a day. UNLESS there is an agression problem. That can force you to feed up to 2x a day to keep aggression down. I prefer not to house fish that are too aggressive because dead fish tend to make me want to quit the hobby.

[Kyle-n-Michelle]

We feed ours once a day and if they miss a day then its ok. It is healthier for animals to be hungry then to be full. When they are hungry they fight off health problems while if they are full they are more prone to them. Not to mention over feeding is not good for the water quality.
We also dont do regular water changes. When the water evaperates we add more, thats about it. Maybe once every few months they might get a 20% change. Our water conditions are great and crystal clear and our fish are very healthy and happy.

[seano]

how does the nitrate get removed without regular water changes? sounds like trouble to me

[DarrenMnaples]

kyle n michell do you guys have any pics of your fish

[Kyle-n-Michelle]

Seano our nitrate/nitrites are low (when they do even register they are well in the safe zone). Couldnt tell you how or why thats just the way it is for us. I know people that only do a 30% change like once a year if that.

Darren we have some pics posted of 2 of our tanks in the african cichlids gallery. I will be posting some new pics soon. I am not to happy with the ones of our 55gal. For some reason those dont come out too good. I think its the lighting. We have the 29gal and 2 other 20gal I am going to post and then we have a few new tanks on the way and when those are up and running we will post those ones.

[P-Did]

We also dont do regular water changes. When the water evaperates we add more, thats about it. Maybe once every few months they might get a 20% change.

It's only a matter of time before habits like that lead to high nitrates and disease.


Seano our nitrate/nitrites are low (when they do even register they are well in the safe zone). Couldnt tell you how or why thats just the way it is for us. I know people that only do a 30% change like once a year if that.

If you aren't registering nitrates, I would be worried. A healthy tank will create some nitrates even with regular water changes. Maybe you need to get some new tests. The test strips, while slightly less accurate, tend to be much more reliable than the liquid tests, which go bad over time.

Unless the tank has only a couple of fish, not doing at least bi-weekly water changes is simply begging for disaster.

[Kyle-n-Michelle]

Yea we use test strips. let me clarify... nitrites dont show and the nitrates are always low. I dont remember off hand but I think like .2 or .02 some thing like that. I dont have one of the strips around atm for I am at work.
The only time one of our tanks had higher nitrate/nitrites was because we moved one tank to another one , which of course put every thing out of wack for a week or so.

[P-Did]

Well, the 75G looked pretty understocked, so I can see why you might be getting away with few water changes. But I don't see any point in risking the fish's lives since water changes take so little time.

[shagtag]

Why do the fish need to fast 1 day a week??

[shagtag]

disregard my last question....found my own answers...

[compressor]

hey, something to try. local habitat changes during the year, although most fish are not locally caught they have been living for hundreds of years, a good idea might be to change it up a bit.

feeding patterns could vary during the year. i feed twice a day during summer months with longer natural light and only once during winter. i am away alot so my fish often dont get fed for a few days at a time.

i also sometimes dont feed on a sunday. it really is up to you.

i also try to do 10 % water change every week, it is alot of water to change but i got it down to a fine art now. i get around 100 litres evaporation a month.

[Jacque Costeau]

i feed twice a day 7 days a week why do fish need to fast 1 dya a week?

[yanyon_29]

Originally posted by Jacque Costeau
why do fish need to fast 1 dya a week?

according to fish hobbyist rules or more on personal rules, you want your fishes to digest the foods youve been giving them propperly since they have a long digestive track (4x their body length). by doing this method of skipping for 1 day wont hurt your fish and it would be beneficial in the long run.. it may seem weird for you but its all about what you think you should do best for your fish.



ohh before i forget, i feed my fishes 2x a day. nls in the morning and spirulina flakes at night.. 10% water change every week.

[RustyNut]

10% waterchanges are rarely enough to control nitrates in a heavily stocked tank.... I would keep a close watch on your nitrates and start increasing the amount if you can't maintain nitrate under 20PPM after doing a W/C....

As for fasting, Yanyon got it right, the fasting day helps prevent bloat by giving the fish a day where it needs to draw upon its reserves and time to process any extra protein building up in its gullet.

[cichlidfreak]

i feed every other day bacause they wont eat everyday the food just floats on the top and it gets dirty

[RustyNut]

Chances are if your fish are not eating daily you are over feeding or you have a problem of some kind.

Healthy mbuna will beg for food and eat until their bellies are gorged to twice thier width!

It may be the food your offering too

[Maria]

I feed twice ..early morning and then at night...if i am off from work sometimes in the middle of the day..i feed a few pinches of algae pellets and a pinch of flake..errybody stays happy

[patch2361]

I feed 3 times daily frozen veggie mix in the morning, attack pellets mid day color bits and flake evening. Brine shrimp twice a week for a treat. I feed my frons constantly they are beggers so I toss in a little all day of differnt foods. I wouldnt even talk about how many times a day or what I feed my oscars cause people would yell at me.

[king cichlid]

whats with the fasting day. Can someone give the exact science behind that.

[RustyNut]

Fasting is designed to give the fish time to clean out its intestinal tract. Often rich foods break down slower and take longer to travel through the herbivous species gut. I don't practice it myself, although I do have an all veggie day instead.

[jombi21]

hey RustyNut, I really like your all veggie day technique, what kind of veggie food(s) do u use/suggest?

thanks! :ok:

[RustyNut]

I use Ken's Premium Veggie Flake and various vegetables, such as spinach, lettuce leaves, zuchini, etc. I feed very lightly.

[jombi21]

thanks a lot!

jom

[Kyle-n-Michelle]

hmm I read some where that you should use spinach very seldomly....... Dont remember exactly why but it can harm your fish if given frequently..

[SGypsyMermaid]

Originally posted by Kyle-n-Michelle
hmm I read some where that you should use spinach very seldomly....... Dont remember exactly why but it can harm your fish if given frequently..

it has a high acid content which is probably not good for fish.

[Glaive]

Spinach contains oxalic acid (the same acid that gives rhubarb its tart taste.) Spinach also contains an enzyme that breaks down oxalic acid, however the enzyme is inhibited by nitrate which is introduced via fertilizer. (nasa tech brief (http://nasa.techbriefs.com:8888/content/view/498/11/))

Further reading reveals that higher concentrations of oxalic acid reduce fish egg mortality to fungus and the acid also helps reduce a fishes intake of copper.(google (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=Oxalic+Acid+fish&btnG=Search))

[bashingben]

I feed two to three times daily. Once in the morning once at night and sometimes later in the evening after the lights have been off for a bit. The fish scarf the nls pellets in about 15-30 seconds.

[Darrenmmiami]

i feed twice a day , one day fast maby every two weeks or so i feed tetra crisps NLF sinking pellets sera veggie and frozen mysis fresh zucchini once in a while too

[daniel505480]

New Life Spectrum exclusively to all tanks. Adults: Frontosa 6 times a week once a day, most malawis 2 times a day, mbuna 3 times. Most other tanganyikans get twice a day except cyprichromis get 3-4 times. Got on New Life about 6 months ago and never looked back. Fry get NLS grow formula 3-4 times a day, and small fry get crushed NLS grow. No frozen, no freeze dried. NLS wafers is the only thing my fish get other than pellets.

Fish don't really need to be fed in such different manners like this but it will yield optimum results. I could get away with feeding my fry once a day on NLS grow and they'd be healthy still but I don't know about any flakes or frozen stuff once a day. Fry will grow faster when they are constantly resupplied with nutrients, therefore the extra feedings. The Frontosa only get one feeding a day and the NLS is all they need to bring them into breeding condition. All other fish from lake Malawi and Tanganyika that I keep are easily brought into condition with the pellets as well.

Its true that fish 'graze' all day long in the wild. Most of them, even if classified as a strict herbivore, are actually omnivores. And, while they graze all day long in the wild these conditions cannot be recreated in the home aquarium. A tropheus may spend a whole day scraping aufwuchs from the rocks and that would mean its passing copious amounts of feces all day long as well. If this were to be recreated in the home aquarium your water parameters would be out of control in less than a day from just one fish!

The bottom line is you need to observe your fish while feeding them and observe them in subsequent weeks as well to make sure they are getting enough food and staying healthy. You can feed once a day or a 20 times a day. As long as you feed the appropriate amount spread out over those 20 feedings it will be fine. That being said, your fry and juvenile fish will grow faster with smaller more frequent feedings as opposed to one large feeding.

[ESAVVY1]

Mine eat twice a day. Flake in the mornning and pellets at night. A day of fasting every 7 days. If a friend wants to see them then it's treat time to get everyone out of the caves...

[punk*princess!]

i feed twice a day, pellets and flakes in the morning, and again at night. no fasting for my lil fishies.:mrgreen:

[cichlid-guy]

I feed 2-3x per day.

But, I voted for 3 :)

[Silentone]

I feed my big Cichlids in the morning when i get up and before bed,

Ive been doing the same with my Babies but now i feed them Morning, Lunch, Tea

But no more than that

[Redeye75]

i feed my africans and sa/ca's 2x a day except the africans get no food on friday!!!

[lkemja]

1 x

[Noob]

what is with the fasting. Should my fish get an off day a week? why?

[RustyNut]

Fasting gives herbivorous cichlids a little time to process out the animal proteins and other hard to digest foods.... its not necessary but many people swear by it.

[Seedy]

but many people swear by it.

...and many fish swear at it! :pop:

[simonw]

Not much routine just when I am near the tank some days 2 x some 3 x some 1 x new tank with 6 juvaniles for re-establishment of cycle water changes every week of 20 - 30 gal all good so far water clear fish healthy and happy alternate flake and crushed pellets for a change have gone away from bloodworm as read it can contain bacteria even when frozen and no brine shrimp as read it can cause bloat!!

[nick a]

For many years, I followed a pretty steady routine of 2-a-day feedings. Morning & evening. Pellets & flakes. Relatively heavy feedings. After discussing this topic at length with one of my favorite cichlid gurus, Anton Lamboj, I decided to experiment with some varied methodologies. I switched to a single moderate feeding a day about 18 months ago for all my tanks housing juveniles & adults. I sometimes skip a day now and then, but don't have a set 'fasting' day. Even if I sometimes miss two days of feeding, the fish have yet to appear bothered. Fry are fed on a once a day/twice a day/once a day...... schedule.

The basic results of this experiment so far:

Lot's less 'waste' in my tanks. Water quality much easier to maintain.

Fish are just as healthy, colorful and breed regularly.

Fish appear to be holding truer to wild adult size. I DON"T have any 6" demasoni or afras etc....

Fry/juvies mature slower. The one unexpected benefit was that fish are sexually maturing later.

I realize that many people get their fry/juvies and can't wait 'til they breed. The trend is to do everything possible to make that happen in the shortest amount of time. This has some negative long-term repercussions based on what I've noted so far with this experiment. The 'slower developers' have females which are much closer to mature size before they breed the first time. In general, the size ratio between adult males/females is much smaller. Long-term, these more equally-sized females are much better able to deal with horny males (and other tank mates) without sustaining significant damage. Their generally more fully grown, more robust physiques also appear to lessen the 'strain' of brooding. I've had females from my former feeding methods that looked exhausted at the end of the 2-3weeks--sunken bellys, lethargic etc...requiring a week or two of recoup time before returning to the main tank. Usually now, I give a postpartum female one day of individual care before her return to the main tank.

Sorry for the long soap-boxer :yikes:

[Jeff F.]

It would seem that I've been doing something terribly wrong. Somewhere along the line I was told to feed my fry/juvies a small amount 3-4 times daily when possible. They seem to be growing really well and my water perimeters are always right on.

[Glaive]

I feed small and medium pellets once a day and veggies once a week.
They do not eat pellets again until the veggies are gone.

This schedules keeps my bio-load ridiculously low and yet I too have healthy fish. I do no feed my fry anything special because Julie parents take care of that for me.

[nick a]

It's not 'wrong' per se, Jeff. That's exactly what I used to do. Had very quick grow-out rates and often ended up with early breeding. Also often ended up with huge males and dwarfed females.

[Jeff F.]

It's not 'wrong' per se, Jeff. That's exactly what I used to do. Had very quick grow-out rates and often ended up with early breeding. Also often ended up with huge males and dwarfed females.
Perhaps I'll try something a little bit different after I get some of my Victorian breeders grown out a little bit! So Nick, NLS or Dainichi?

[nick a]

BOTH :nyah:

Really, that is what I use--as well as some other pellets thrown in for good measure. I get 2-3 types of Dainichi, some NLS, some Hikari, some of other stuff I pick up at auctions etc.... and throw it all in a big tupperware jug in the freezer. I keep a smaller container in the fishroom and refill as needed. I really like having a variety and having sinking+floating. So far Chef Ramsey hasn't thrown me out of the kitchen :m: :hehe:

[Jeff F.]

So, food should be frozen. Never knew that.

[why_spyder]

The basic results of this experiment so far:

Lot's less 'waste' in my tanks. Water quality much easier to maintain.

Fish are just as healthy, colorful and breed regularly.

Fish appear to be holding truer to wild adult size. I DON"T have any 6" demasoni or afras etc....

Fry/juvies mature slower. The one unexpected benefit was that fish are sexually maturing later.

I'm a bit late to this discussion but I have had similar results with cutting my feeding to once a day for Malawians (fry will get twice a day sometimes). I see no real benefit to feeding the adults more unless I want to try to get some spawns (boost feeding for a couple days for the girls to fatten up a tad - but not gluttenously large).

More feedings increase the risk for obesity and making the water quality go downhill faster (more work involved then) - I prefer fish with a slight skinniness to them.

Sidenote: All my excess food that isn't in use is at least vacuum packed and stored in a dark cool place. If the wife didn't like my fish food taking up freezer space it would be in there. ;)

[RustyNut]

1 or two feedings... well if the amount is the same, then two feedings is preferred.

[Jeff F.]

I've cut back to one feeding a day and my fry/juvies get twice a day. Seems to be working out well!

[geotlyrae]

I have been feeding my Africans twice a day, and still have some reservations. Nitrates seems to get higher before every water change.. Not sure if feeding is the cause.. My Eheim 2080 seems to be working properly, and I also have an Emperor 400 helping.. The only thought on this I have, is, if the fish seem healthy, and you keep the water in good condition, feeding once or twice a day should not matter too much. But, I'm also thinking to changing to once a day. Perhaps, nitrates will go down a bit. The problem with me, is, I'm out of town every weekend, and the fish miss 2 days of feeding already, so not sure if it's a good idea.

Geo

[why_spyder]

I don't think the 2 days of no food will hurt your fish, nor will cutting back to once-a-day feeds. The less feeding should cut down on any wasted/missed food as well as cut down on waste from each fish.

[geotlyrae]

Thanks... Why spyder... I totally agree.. I'll be cutting down to once a day. Besides, I usually give them treats, aka lettuce, zuchini, even broccoli. They love it..

Geo

[nick a]

A possible experiment could be to feed twice the day before & the day after your two days away; once daily on the other three days & see if that causes any change in your fish or in your nitrate readings.

[Jeff F.]

Loaches and botias are also great additions for clean up duty and do pretty well with most cichlids in my experience.

[AmayaOkami]

I feed twice a day but I cut those feeding to half of what I would feed if I fed once a day and so far have not had much waste and I normally fast once a week, though I feel I might want to feed them a little more, but have been told they will always beg even if you throw a handful in ^.^ so I might just leaving my feedings to two small feedings a day

[deptchief]

:point:way to keep the thread going meg :hehe:......2 times a day and fast 1 day a week.....:xmas5:

[PhishNFilly]

LOL Ho Ho Ho, twice a day and one starvation day eeeeeeeeck:jaw:. Julia:g:

[Peeps]

I feed three times a day but light feedings. They get their staple in the morning, afternoon is a treat like krill, cichlid crisps, brine shrimp, night is more staple food. I just fine their is less waster that way.

[belxavier420]

I only feed them once a day and keep it at the same time. I think they look a bit healthier now then when I fed twice a day, plus it keeps them coming to the tank when I go near it.