Are your fish always hungry?

[YHSublime]

So I feed two times a day. Once in the morning (pellets) and then once at night, with a mix of rogers, jans, and nori. I feed quite a bit at night, especially for my tank, and I always feed with a turkey baster. The fish all get to grab a mix of whatever they like, and there is more than enough food to go around. However, it seems like in the frenzy, and even after, they are still always hungry. With the pellets, the fish actually will stop eating, but with the frozen at night, it seems like there is never enough.

 

I guess what I'm asking is, do fish stop when they are full? The obviously have smaller stomachs, so feeding less more often would be a good way to go, although at the moment, not practical. Jenn mentioned putting rogers in a mesh bag and letting the fish have at it, and I may try that method down the road when I have more. 

 

Maybe a silly question, but I want to make sure I'm feeding enough, maybe what I think is lots isn't? 

[paul b]

Fish don't have a stomach like ours and they don't ever feel full.   If you disect a fish and look at it's intestines you will see a simple short tube.  it gets full and then if the fish finds more food and that partially digested food gets pushed out to make room for new food.  We can't do that because of our 24' of small intestine and a shorter large intestine.  Our food takes many hours to make it through.

You are feeding enough

[Coral Hind]

Mostly they do seem to eat and eat. I have seen them so full that they take food in and then later spit it out, only to eat more, then spit it out again. Some fish like groupers, sharks, and eels once full will just ignore the food and go find a place to chill for a few days to digest it.

 

Which fish are you asking about as they show starvation in different ways? For thin or flat fish like tangs you will see the belly pinched in first. Some fish like anthias, wrasses, and angels when losing weight show it first on top right behind the head.

[YHSublime]

Fish don't have a stomach like ours and they don't ever feel full.   If you disect a fish and look at it's intestines you will see a simple short tube.  it gets full and then if the fish finds more food and that partially digested food gets pushed out to make room for new food.  We can't do that because of our 24' of small intestine and a shorter large intestine.  Our food takes many hours to make it through.

You are feeding enough

 

Thanks, Paul. It's my favorite part watching the tank feast. 

 

Mostly they do seem to eat and eat. I have seen them so full that they take food in and then later spit it out, only to eat more, then spit it out again. Some fish like groupers, sharks, and eels once full will just ignore the food and go find a place to chill for a few days to digest it.

 

Which fish are you asking about as they show starvation in different ways? For thin or flat fish like tangs you will see the belly pinched in first. Some fish like anthias, wrasses, and angels when losing weight show it first on top right behind the head.

 

Well, my chromis always get theirs. There is a certain picking order, you can actually line up the chromis I have from big fish to little fish. The clowns are quick to get theirs as well (as a matter of fact, they are getting ready to spawn I think!) The Mandarin only eats pods, and is nice and fat, but I guess I'm asking about the baby hippo tang. I see that it's getting enough food, but it more so seems hungry all the time (the rest of the tank seems this way, but especially the HT) In fact, it's doing just that, eating, spitting it out, eating, spitting it out, after I just fed very heavy. It is eating, and is healthy, but like you mentioned the belly was slightly pinched a few weeks ago, when I started trying to feed more. It's also remarkably small to start with. It's still very colorful, and very active. 

[YHSublime]

I withdraw my previous comment, I just took a look at it, and it's actually rather fat, it tapers off in the back, like a full grown hippo tang, I think the fact that it's so small makes its fins look even larger than they are

[YHSublime]

Sorry to just explode this thread, but it seems like my clownfish are totally getting ready to spawn. They are both clearing the rock violently right by one of my RBTA's, and certainly courting each other hard. I'll have to do a little research on what comes next! They are going to town on that rock though... this is VERY cool for me! 

[Joshifer]

Aren't fish opportunistic feeders they'll pretty much eat whatever you toss in there (going by my expirience with FW)

[pizzaguy]

I feed once every two days and a piece of algae on the odd days.

[hawkfish01]

As long as u offer it they will attempt to eat it...even if already full to the "gills"(pun not intended 8)

[sachabballi reef]

Sorry to just explode this thread, but it seems like my clownfish are totally getting ready to spawn. They are both clearing the rock violently right by one of my RBTA's, and certainly courting each other hard. I'll have to do a little research on what comes next! They are going to town on that rock though... this is VERY cool for me!

Congrats Isaac!!!! That's very exciting! Video it

Great job on keeping them so healthy to enable them to spawn (lol its the roggers )

You've done a fantastic job as keeper of your reef...feel good about it

 

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[gmerek2]

I catch smallmouth in the potomac all the time that have fish/minnow tails hanging out of their esophagus. Greedy little stinkers. Have to show off this bad boy

[sachabballi reef]

Lol great pic!

 

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[YHSublime]

Congrats Isaac!!!! That's very exciting! Video it

Great job on keeping them so healthy to enable them to spawn (lol its the roggers )

You've done a fantastic job as keeper of your reef...feel good about it

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

Thanks jenn! Really excited to see this!

[YHSublime]

I catch smallmouth in the potomac all the time that have fish/minnow tails hanging out of their esophagus. Greedy little stinkers. Have to show off this bad boy{style_image_url}/attachicon.gif 17158_329394784427_5670961_n.jpg

That's a big small!

[gmerek2]

I was new to smallie fishing at the time. Knew it was big even for a bucketmouth. Was probably just a pound shy of a state record and I didn't know it till I looked it up online later.

[angel not fish]

I feed once every two days and a piece of algae on the odd days.

OMG. poor little guys.

[londonloco]

OMG. poor little guys.

I feed 6 days a week, one day I skip, which many do in the fw hobby, but also have done this with sw fish in the past.   Is this not good to do with sw fish? 

[smallreef]

I miss a day every now and then, mainly when I have to work nights,lol

Edited September 5, 2013 by smallreef

[londonloco]

and do most feed twice a day, I only feed once a day.....

Edited September 5, 2013 by londonloco

[smallreef]

Depends on how soon I'm found a water change...I'll feed 2 times the day before and the day of...just so they can get all fat and happy, and then I usually don't feed the day after a change ..

[Coral Hind]

I feed twice a day normally. Even three times a day on the weekends if I'm home. First feeding is as soon as I get home with smaller stuff like frozen brine, mysis, angelfish blend, and two medium size table shrimp cut up into large chunks. About two hours later I feed again with some of the smaller foods minus the chunks of shrimp. I also throw in two rocks with one full sheet of Nori rubberbanded to each at the second feeding. The feed cycle has the pumps off for five minutes during this time.