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fishforlife
Sun, 15th Feb 2009, 07:26 PM
How do you know when your fish have been fed the proper amount of food? It seems that no matter how much food I chunk in the tank, the eat like crazy and neve seem to get full.

I have in a 125 gallon:

1 yellow belly blue tang
1 yellow tang
6 green chromis
2 anthias
3 PJ cardinals
2 O. Clowns
1 yellow head golby
1 blenny

We feed 2 times a day some home made fish food equivilant to a few cubes. Small pinches of flake several times a day. We also put out seaweed 3 times a week. All food is conssumed wiht in 3-4 minutes.

Is this enough? What are the signs that I am under feeding?

Oh...evey one looks bright and healthy...

thanks!

jrsatx20
Sun, 15th Feb 2009, 07:52 PM
you will notice your tangs will have a pinched belly if your under feeding.

Jonthefishguy
Sun, 15th Feb 2009, 07:56 PM
Small frequent feedings are best. Personally I recommend feeding your fish every other day rather than everyday. Of course, this also depends on the feeding requirements of your inhabitants. Examples would be Anthias and Tangs as they tend to have a higher metabolism and require continuous feeding. Feed a small amount and when it is quickly consumed by your fish, leaving nothing to fall to the bottom of the aquarium, you may feed more. Now, as a Rule of Thumb I recommend not feeding your fish any more food than the size of its eyeball as they are generally the same size. Now of course, this rule does not apply for every fish. However, it is a way of controlling the amount of food that is fed and the amount of excess waste that they will produce. A variety of food is very important for the health and well-being of your aquarium inhabitants. Overfeeding will pollute your system!
Feed the fish (not the tank) !

fishforlife
Sun, 15th Feb 2009, 10:03 PM
the "eye ball" amount is probably what I am doing. I have not seen much if any food on the floor and most is consumed in just a few minutes. Everyones bellies appear to be normal... I just do not want to under feed and cause stress or disease. Conversely I do not want to over feed and pollute. It seems like there is just some trial and error.

I feed a DIY of shrimp, oysters, octopus, and squid. once a day I add a cube of brine shrimp and every few days restock the veggie clip.

Any other thoughts on what to look for?