Feeding fish

[polarbear]

So I'm going to be taking my 14 gallon biocube to my work and was wondering if the fish will be ok not eating over the weekend since I live in a different town then I work and won't be able to go by and feed them. I'll feed Friday before I leave and then again on Monday morning when I get to work.

[allan]

I'm thinking that there are a lot of fish that can handle two day fasting...

But why? Get one of them auto feeders and train the fish to eat dry food. I don't like going any more than a single day without feeding... An there's a potential for three day weekends, right?

[Kristy]

Yep. Exactly what Allan said.

[polarbear]

Ya I know I could get one of the auto feeders but I have heard bad things about them over feeding. I guess I could put just a little bit of food in there in case that happens. All of my fish eat dry food. What's a good auto feeder brand to buy?

[KING]

IV HEARD OF SOME PPL FEED THERE FISH EVER OVER DAY..I WOULD 2 TIMES A DAY..BUT LIKE ALLAN SAID IF U CAN GET THEM TO EAT DRY FOOD AN JUST SET AN AUTO FEEDER UP ON FRIDAY SO IT CAN FEED THE DAYS UR NOT THERE..THEN TAKE IT DOWN WHEN YOU GET BACK..CUZ IM SURE U DONT WANT THIS BIG FEEDER ON THAT 14 GALLON.. WHEN UR THERE IF THERE AINT NO WERE TO HID IT..LOL.. JUST SAYING..:D

[allan]

I don't know, but if you find out let me know.

I understand the overfeeding, but I think your approach is sound. if it dumps a load you're still five by five.

I wish I could set up a little tank at work. But my absences are frequent.

[hobogato]

i use the digital eheim feeder on my tank. at one time, i had it feeding four times a day without issue.

[FireWater]

I used this one for the tank at work when it was set up and have had pretty good luck with it. We used it for the big tank about 2 months ago when we went out of town.
Only thing I didn't like it about it was the limited mounting options. I had to use my limited imagination to build a bracket.

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=4460&cmpid=03csepg&ref=3475&subref=AA

[alton]

I feed twice on Friday and then they don't get anything until Monday morning. If it is a 3 day weekend I will pick a day to come in and feed. I have been doing this since around 1998 with differant tanks and fish with no problems.

[kkiel02]

I feel fine leaving my tank without feeding for three days maybe four at the most. After that I get worried about the anthias and my leopard wrasse.

[350gt]

Would you all not feed your kids for a few days? Sure they will make it, but it doesn't make it right..........


Get a auto feeder, the eheim unit ace mentioned is a very good unit. I have it for mine, I bought it when I left town for a couple of days and it worked flawlessly.

[350gt]

One problem I did have was with the food not sinking fast enough and going into the overflow......

So I bought this http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=6280 and it keeps the food in place till it sinks.

[LuckySingh]

every other day feeding is fine even with anthias...I did that for years with no ill effect....right now i am feeding once a day bc last month i added a blotchy anthias and i wanted her to get settle in my tank....since she is settle now i am gne start feeding my tank less for about a week from today and than feed every other day....:)

[polarbear]

I dought that anyone here is saying that its right to not feed the fish for a couple of days. I only wanted to get others opinion on this since the tank will be in my office and i will not be able to drive in on the weekends to feed the fish. I to have let my fresh water fish go the weekend without eating when i had the tank at my old job. Im going to try to find an auto feeder.

[kkiel02]

Would you all not feed your kids for a few days? Sure they will make it, but it doesn't make it right..........


Get a auto feeder, the eheim unit ace mentioned is a very good unit. I have it for mine, I bought it when I left town for a couple of days and it worked flawlessly.

I doubt fish eat everyday in the ocean. So to answer your question if my kids were as big as my fish it might not be a bad idea. Lol
Just because I don't feed everyday doesn't mean they aren't fat and happy. I rarely go three or four days unless we are on vacation for the weekend. That's why I was implying that he should be fine leaving them over the weekend.

[350gt]

I was kidding..........

But IMO fish in the ocean can pick when they want to eat, and in my tank they are fed as good as I am. Sometimes my wrasse doesn't even come out to eat. To me the auto feeder is a piece of mind when I'm away....... I couldn't imagine being not able to eat when I'm hungry......

[Kristy]

Sure healthy fish will be fine not eating for a couple days once in a while. What kkiel is talking about (not feeding while out of town three days) prob only happens 3-4 times per year. EVERY weekend constitutes a much greater frequency and would mean going hungry 28% of the time. That's a big difference in my opinion.

Also, from what I've read fish DO eat every day in the ocean, many, many times per day in fact. In captivity we feed bigger meals and much less often, which is not as well suited to their digestive systems as what they get in nature.

[bfoleyiii]

Also, from what I've read fish DO eat every day in the ocean, many, many times per day in fact. In captivity we feed bigger meals and much less often, which is not as well suited to their digestive systems as what they get in nature.

This is how I understand it as well, the ocean feeds all day every day to the animals can pretty much each when ever they want.

[alton]

Some fish eat once a month, some once a week, some once a day. If it is a tang it grazes all day long, unless they have become lazy like my two and stare at me from the corner of the tank with that goofy look like they are wanting to say" Hey stupid! Yes you, get off that couch, reach into the box and get us some food we are tired of working for it, this grazing is for the birds!
Quick story I traded a 6" Clown Trigger back into a fish store once and after a couple of days someone bought it along with several other large fish. The person came back a few weeks later and told them that all the fish died, one of the questions was how much did you feed them? As much as they wanted to eat, sometimes 6 times a day. I fed them untill they where full. I know with having triggers for many years a trigger is always hungry. I know my boss had a long nose hawk that loved bristle worms, and ate and ate till he reached a length of 10" and died after only a couple of years.