Too much food is where most aquarium issues originate. You see your fish hovering near the surface. I wanted to feed them so they would feel good. It is naturaly to want to do this for your fish. But when you stuff them with food, you get sick fish and cloudy water. Fish don’t need a lot of food because their stomach are small compared to their body size. They digest what they eat very well, so it’s more about precision than quantity.
The beauty with this is that you can figure out your feeds by a percentage of the fish’s total body weight (i.e., don’t treat a big koi like a little goldfish). The way this works is you multiply weight of the fish by the rate divided by one hundred to get the daily amount. So there is no more guesswork about how much to feed. It gives you a good guideline to follow in feeding.
How to Feed Your Fish Correctly
The percentage of what they need varies greatly with life stage. Fry must be fed constantly small meals that make up a significant proportion of their body weight as rapid growth depends on the fuel supplied by these food items. As they get older, this percentage decline because adult fish do not need building material but just energy to stay alive. Feed an adult like a juvenile and you will only stress its liver and pollute its home.
Because these animals are cold blooded, temperature plays a role in this process. When the water is cool, their metabolism decrease and thus they can survive on less food. Eating too much in the winter result in waste because there is nowhere for all that energy to go. There is a chart that explains the reason why a cichlid has different requirements than a betta, and what their respective rates are. In general, carnivorous diets will be higher in protein and they may consumes a little less (by volume) then herbivores and omnivores. If you don’t own precision scales, there’s also a visual portion guide to help get started. For example, use a pinch for small nano fish, a teaspoon for medium community fish, and a tablespoon for large bottom feeders. It closes the gap between theory and practice.
There’s nothing subtle about overfeeding. Ammonia test results will spike, there’ll be algae growing on tank walls, etc. Underfeeding is another matter. The fish will appear lean. Some will even begin nipping at each other for leftovers. In both cases, you’re out of sync with what is realy happening; the gap between their biological needs and the food you provide.
Fasting one day a week clears undigested material from digestive tract. It’s not starving, but maintaining the system. Outdoor ponds in particular need seasonal adjustments. You’re increasing slowly as the weather warms, feeding more each spring. By high summer, feed twice daily during the cooler parts of the day. Reducing again fall, and frequently ceasing all together once it dips into ten degrees Celsius range or less in winter. Why? It simply doesn’t make biological sense to do otherwise; making them eat more then their bodies can use.
You could of chosen live, frozen, flake, or pellet food. That’s a decision based off what your fish actualy eat in the wild. Variety is also key to avoid nutrition deficiencies and will make feeding a fun experience for you and them. Uneaten food should be promptly removed. There’s no point in allowing it to rot at the bottom of the tank.
Successful feeding is as much about watching as it is about calculating. Observe their eating habits, test your water frequently and respond accordingly. Get the balance correct and you’ll see clear water. That means you’re doing it right and the fish are thriving. They aren’t just full; they are perfectly fueled.
