How Much and How Often Do I Feed My Tropical Fish

[Jutney]

Hi All

I have a lovely tank of plattys, gollies, gourami, neons, angels, etc. Its my first ever tank. I hear so many different stories about how much and how often I should feed my fish; everything from once every 3 days to 3 times a day. They always seem to be hungry. My tendency is to overfeed. What should I stick to?

Thanks!

[Sophia]

There are many different routines. People with fry tend to feed more often to build them up.

You could try a tiny sprinkling of something first thing so the little fish get some fuel, and then another feed the same in the evening. If your tendency is to overfeed (like me) you could try just a fingertip sized pinch (if it's flake food), it's supposed to be only what they can eat in a couple of minutes. With a mixed tank sometimes you need to add a bit more to make sure everyone eats but if you stick around to watch what happens you will soon know if you need to do that. I think that little and often is better for them than a big feed once a day.

[ryanjury]

I usually feed my fish as often as I can but make sure they eat all the food that I stick in within a minute or 2, obviously if you are feeding more often then you feed less each feeding. As long as there is no uneaten food then you can't really go wrong. If you feed more often your fish will grow faster and produce more waste so that might be a consideration.

As much as what fish NEED they probably only need 1 feed every day or 2, I would be inclined to feed your tank relatively often to try and save your smaller fish from getting eaten by your angels. Might be a bit futile but is worth a shot..

[suphew]

It's not a question that is easy to answer particularly when you consider some fish like algae eaters may not need feeding at all, and platty's on the other hand tend to need a lot of feeding because of the high energy use. What you need to do is observe your fish, with most fish it isn't hard to tell if they are under or over weight