How much, really, do you feed your fish??

[lanman]

I probably overfeed mine; despite the fact that they never stop eating, or lose interest. In fact, that Blue Tang would like it all.

 

I have 1 6-7" Pacific Blue Tang (Dorie), 4" purple tang, 4" yellow tang, 4 BIG Pajama Cardinals, 6 assorted size chromis, a leopard wrasse, a copper-banded butterflyfish, and a 5" gold-headed sleeper goby in my 240 gallon tank. (and a 1.5" Yasha goby w/shrimp. he doesn't eat much) I feed them about what would amount to two level tablespoons of mysis every night (if you drain it well). I have nitrate problems, constantly - have to do a lot more water changes than I would like to keep it down.

 

Does that seem excessive? About right? Yes - 1.5 years later, still trying to figure out where my nitrates come from.

 

bob

[Boret]

Maybe the RDSB went bad and instead of removing it is adding Ni?

[Sikryd]

Wow Bob - that seems like a pretty light stocking list for a 240. I would be wondering the same thing. I feed my fish 3x a day and target feed once a week and my nitrates are ~3-5

I have been dosing Brightwells for the last couple months though.

[zygote2k]

I feed heavily and my N03 is less than 15ppm.

[Boret]

Maybe try to add more chaeto to the fuge...

I really don't think you are overfeeding. Maybe try something besides mysis... like Rod's food or make your own. Mysis are pretty oily and they might lower the performance of your skimmer.

Or maybe you are due for a revamp in cleaning crew?

I don't know... just throwing some ideas your way.

[treesprite]

I have a 65 (appx 100g sys vol) with 2 firefish, a royal gramma, and a cherub angel (gramma & angel aquired a few weeks ago... I skipped QT because I was frustrated). I also have a 52 hex with a pair of tomato clowns (female is very big) and a damsel.

 

Both tanks are fed about "every other day", usually pellets and flakes, sometimes either frozen mysis or homemade stuff - I use a lot more frozen stuff for the clownfish hex than I would dare put in the 65. I always worry that my fish are hungry because they act that way, but they look well fed.

 

In spite of tending to have a low fish load in the 65, and the limited feeding, and excessive water changes, and a refugium (DSB not yet mature), I STILL have nitrate problems and did so even IMMEDIATELY after a 100% water change that included washing the SSB (1"-2") (half of it in fresh water, half rinsed in tank water to remove detritus). It was like, as soon as the rock went in the tank the nitrate showed up. There is no detectable ntirate in my new water and I am not dozing nitrate, therefore I have to conclude that the nitrate is scomming from the liverock with nothing to do with any of the other factors.

[Origami]

I have a yellow tang (4"), scopas tang (2.5"), sailfin tang (2.5"), 3 kupang damsels (1"), 2 false percs (2" & 2.5"), roland's damsel (1"), sargassum trigger (5"), royal gramma (3.5"), blue green chromis (1.5"), 3.5" coral beauty, and 2 six line wrasses (1.25") in a 180 g display (320+ g in system). Nitrates typically measure at zero. I feed once a day using mostly spirulina flake. It's a good sized pinch, but not a lot in my estimation - a wad about 1" in diameter and 1/8" thick. I'll add a second pinch again if things disappear really quickly but, again, this happens only once or twice a week. Sometimes I'll add a 6" x 1.5" strip of nori as a grazing treat for the group, but it's not like I do it every day or even every other day. Sometimes they get thawed and rinsed frozen (mysis, brine shrimp, home made frozen), but, again, it's not with regular frequency.

[lanman]

This 240 has had nitrate issues pretty much from the very beginning. I have a 20-gallon refugium with macro growing in it as fast as i can prune it. I have a reasonably consistent (where the goby hasn't dug it up) 4-5" of sand in the bottom. I added a small (too small to do MUCH) remote deep sand bed with about 10" of sand in it. The refugium also has 5-6" of sand in the bottom. The only way I can keep nitrates down is to do almost a 10% water change twice a week. I got lax on the water changes the last couple months (new frag tank, etc.) - only maybe hitting it every week to 10 days. Nitrates have jumped up high again - I can always tell before I test; the orange monti caps start to lose their color and vitality. It just doesn't seem like I should have that much nitrates. Thought maybe what I thought was a reasonable amount of food was way too much. Doesn't appear so.

 

Thanks!

bob

[Sikryd]

I'm pretty happy with my 2-3" sand bed - I wonder if yours is in between the stage where it can be beneficial, and where it can just harbor more detritus?

[paul b]

That sounds like a lot of food to me. I have about 25 or 30 fish in a 100 gallon tank and I don't feed half of that. Most of my fish are smaller than yours but 5 or 6 are large. I have a hippo, a pair of Bangai Cardinals, and 3 -4" watchman gobies, a pair of fireclowns and an assortment of many other gobies and pipefish.

Many of the fish are spawning including the cardinals, pipefish, firefish, watchman gobies and clown gobies along with a large, old pair of hermit crabs. My nitrates are under five. I only change 20% of the water five or six times a year and I use a reverse UG filter. The tank has been running since 1971.

[Sikryd]

That sounds like a lot of food to me. I have about 25 or 30 fish in a 100 gallon tank and I don't feed half of that. Most of my fish are smaller than yours but 5 or 6 are large. I have a hippo, a pair of Bangai Cardinals, and 3 -4" watchman gobies, a pair of fireclowns and an assortment of many other gobies and pipefish.

Many of the fish are spawning including the cardinals, pipefish, firefish, watchman gobies and clown gobies along with a large, old pair of hermit crabs. My nitrates are under five. I only change 20% of the water five or six times a year and I use a reverse UG filter. The tank has been running since 1971.

 

Your fish are older than me! If you got them in 71'

Thats a crazy old tank!

[Origami]

That sounds like a lot of food to me. I have about 25 or 30 fish in a 100 gallon tank and I don't feed half of that. Most of my fish are smaller than yours but 5 or 6 are large. I have a hippo, a pair of Bangai Cardinals, and 3 -4" watchman gobies, a pair of fireclowns and an assortment of many other gobies and pipefish.

Many of the fish are spawning including the cardinals, pipefish, firefish, watchman gobies and clown gobies along with a large, old pair of hermit crabs. My nitrates are under five. I only change 20% of the water five or six times a year and I use a reverse UG filter. The tank has been running since 1971.

 

Paul, this is on your system that uses the algal turf scrubber, I assume?

[paul b]

Your fish are older than me! If you got them in 71'

Thats a crazy old tank!

 

Sikrid, I don't have any fish from 1971, the tank was started then. The oldest fish was only 18, the oldest one in there now is a fireclown which is about 16. She is also spawning.

 

Origami, Yes this is the tank with the algae trough.

[dano]

I have a 72 with a 20 gallon sump with ecosystem miracle mud and chaeto. Livestock is a large clarkii, 4 false peculas/osceallaris, a medium hippo, a medium yellow tang, a big three stripe damsel, a 6 line wrasse, a GBTA and two large RBTA, and various corals and inverts. I feed maybe twice a week a cube of frozen food, infrequently a piece of algae for the tangs and clowns. I feed the anemones a silverbrite twice a week. 10 to 15 gallon water changes generally about 8 - 10 times a year. I have no idea what my nitrates are. Have no spawning. alot of sponges growing. Some cyano bacteria growth. Fish and corals on the whole look good though my yellow tang is definitely on the thin side.

[davelin315]

Bob, that's a lot of greasy mysis to add to your system every night, at least in my opinion. I feed a lot more than that and have a comparably sized tank, but a much higher fish volume than you. When I'm paying attention to the tank, as I am now as I try and get it back into shape, I dump in a handful (and I mean a handful) of pelleted food almost every day, a few sheets of nori every couple of days, and intermittently feed mysis and other frozen concoctions as well.

 

One thing with your sand bed in your tank - with the goby, it won't go anaerobic anywhere and will simply be aerobic. It also won't harbor much detritus in it because of the goby, so I'm thinking that your problem probably lies with the mysis. Have you tried to feed a different type of food?

[lanman]

The main staple is PE mysis. I thaw and rinse it before I feed it. I sometimes add a little cube of Marine Cuisine, occasionally throw in 10-20 pellets, occasionally put in some nori. Frequently, until I run out, then maybe not for weeks at a time, I add a VERY small amount of Rod's food; just in case there are filter feeders wanting something to eat. I often save out some of the mysis, chop it up, and feed it to the sun coral, which opens up while I am feeding the fish.

 

Will fish eat more than they need?? Most feeding instuctions say to feed no more than they will eat in 5 minutes. It rarely takes my fish more than one minute to make all of that food disappear. The Hippo Tang is the most efficient eater I've ever seen; barely slows down as it races around the tank eating everything it can get in its mouth. I can't feed TOO much less, or only the Hippo will get any food. But I sure would like to get rid of those nitrates! My frag system, which has only one small fish, has very low to zero nitrates. I feed about 4-5 pieces of mysis to the system; for the fish, crabs, hermits, corals, etc.

 

bob

Edited July 2, 2009 by lanman

[lanman]

That sounds like a lot of food to me. I have about 25 or 30 fish in a 100 gallon tank and I don't feed half of that. Most of my fish are smaller than yours but 5 or 6 are large. I have a hippo, a pair of Bangai Cardinals, and 3 -4" watchman gobies, a pair of fireclowns and an assortment of many other gobies and pipefish.

Many of the fish are spawning including the cardinals, pipefish, firefish, watchman gobies and clown gobies along with a large, old pair of hermit crabs. My nitrates are under five. I only change 20% of the water five or six times a year and I use a reverse UG filter. The tank has been running since 1971.

 

Bleah... that makes me sick!

 

I'll try starvation rations for a while... if you feed half of what I do, with 30 fish - that isn't even enough for everyone to get a piece! I'll start chopping the mysis up, so it SEEMs like more food to the fish...

 

bob

[paul b]

If I feed mysis, I feed one cube to the entire tank once a day. You can target feed the larger fish if you don't feel they will get a couple of mysis with each meal. I also target feed some salmon eggs to the larger breeding gobies. One egg is a large meal.

[mchippo]

I need to weigh in here too...looking for advice / reccos.

 

I have a 350 with about a 60 gallon sump and a 10 gallon fuge with Chaeto. I have about 350 pounds of Alor Live rock (most in tank, some in sump). There is a total of about 40 fish in the tank to include one Diamond / Gold spot Goby that constantly works the sand bed. I do 10% water changes every week. The tank has been up about 14 months and until recently had 0 nitrates. They are now creeping up (within last 2 months). Tested last night and I am at 10 - 15 ppm.

 

What has changed recently?

 

1) I used to vac / siphone my sand bed every week when I did the water change. I stopped that when I got the diamond goby (about 3 months ago).

2) I have recently added about 15 of the 40 fish

 

I feed (probably overfeed) once a day and alternate between Mysis, Rods, and Ocean Nutrition cubes. Example portion size would be 4 O.N. cubes with a 2" x 2" chunk of Rod's or Mysis. I also mix Reef Snow or Tropic Marin SPS food (powder mixed in water) to the food mixture and let it thaw in the fridge over night. The solid food is usualy gone within 5 minutes...the powder SPS food lightly particulates the water column a bit longer.

 

So...what do you think? Too much food...Too many fish...Start vacuuming the sand bed again. Thanks for your help! Dave

[lanman]

Bob, that's a lot of greasy mysis to add to your system every night, at least in my opinion. I feed a lot more than that and have a comparably sized tank, but a much higher fish volume than you. When I'm paying attention to the tank, as I am now as I try and get it back into shape, I dump in a handful (and I mean a handful) of pelleted food almost every day, a few sheets of nori every couple of days, and intermittently feed mysis and other frozen concoctions as well.

 

One thing with your sand bed in your tank - with the goby, it won't go anaerobic anywhere and will simply be aerobic. It also won't harbor much detritus in it because of the goby, so I'm thinking that your problem probably lies with the mysis. Have you tried to feed a different type of food?

 

What different kinds of food?? Open to suggestions.

 

bob

[Origami]

I need to weigh in here too...looking for advice / reccos.

 

I have a 350 with about a 60 gallon sump and a 10 gallon fuge with Chaeto. I have about 350 pounds of Alor Live rock (most in tank, some in sump). There is a total of about 40 fish in the tank to include one Diamond / Gold spot Goby that constantly works the sand bed. I do 10% water changes every week. The tank has been up about 14 months and until recently had 0 nitrates. They are now creeping up (within last 2 months). Tested last night and I am at 10 - 15 ppm.

 

What has changed recently?

 

1) I used to vac / siphone my sand bed every week when I did the water change. I stopped that when I got the diamond goby (about 3 months ago).

2) I have recently added about 15 of the 40 fish

 

I feed (probably overfeed) once a day and alternate between Mysis, Rods, and Ocean Nutrition cubes. Example portion size would be 4 O.N. cubes with a 2" x 2" chunk of Rod's or Mysis. I also mix Reef Snow or Tropic Marin SPS food (powder mixed in water) to the food mixture and let it thaw in the fridge over night. The solid food is usualy gone within 5 minutes...the powder SPS food lightly particulates the water column a bit longer.

 

So...what do you think? Too much food...Too many fish...Start vacuuming the sand bed again. Thanks for your help! Dave

 

With that many fish, is there a reason that you're adding an SPS food? I would think that there's plenty of detritus from the fish available to feed your corals. I'd drop that first. Second, it seems like you're feeding an awfully large amount of food - and frozen at that. Consider cutting back on the frozen (for what you do use, make sure that you rinse it first so you get rid of the high-phosphate liquid stuff that does no good for your fish) and maybe alternating it with a decent flake.

 

What different kinds of food?? Open to suggestions.

 

bob

 

Spirulina flake has worked well for me.

[trockafella]

Hoes does detritus feed corals..? sorry if thats a stupid question..

[paul b]

I also mix Reef Snow or Tropic Marin SPS food (powder mixed in water) to the food mixture and let it thaw in the fridge over night. The solid food is usualy gone within 5 minutes...the powder SPS food lightly particulates the water column a bit longer.

 

I would not add reef snow or any other "powder". I also do not like any blender made foods. I do sometimes chop foods but anything in a blender will be too small and slimy which will go no where except into bacteria to emerge as nitrates.

If you really want to feed that type of food I would rinse it to get out the smaller particles that will be wasted.

I personally hatch brine shrimp every day and also feel live whole blackworms, salmon eggs some pellets, maybe some "chopped" clams and whole mysis.

If a fish the size of a 1" clownfish gets two or three mysis a day, thats plenty. A fishes stomach is about as large as it's eye and like us, it does not have to be filled to capacity at each meal. Fish in the sea never get full as they eat a little amount all day. Two small feedings are much better than one large one. A fish will eat all day even if it is full, the undijested food just gets pushed out to become nitrate. Fish in a tank are not using much energy sitting there watching us through the glass.

[Origami]

Hoes does detritus feed corals..? sorry if thats a stupid question..

 

Fish poop is a great source of (coral) nutrition. It's part of the food chain on the reef and in our aquariums. So, the food you feed your fish comes out of your fish, partially consumed, to feed your corals (among other things). Waste from your corals go to feed their resident zooxanthallae. And their waste to feed bacteria and algae. Circle of life.

[zygote2k]

Here's a good blend of food for you and yours-

 

Every other day:

Cyclopeeze for the planktivores, clams, and some corals. A decent pinchful.

ESV spray dried phytoplankton for planktivores, clams, and corals. 1 spoonful.

Flake food of your choice. 1 pinchful.

Sinking pellets of your choice. 1 pinchful.

 

Alternate days:

1 sheet of Nori.

 

Once a week:

1 cube of frozen food.

1 cube of Rods Food.