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I know this sounds like a boring subject and everyone knows how to feed their fish. You open the can and pinch some in, but I like to address this issue as it relates to planted aquaria and algae issues.

Many algae issues in planted aquaria are blamed on the ferts, but when we overfeed the breakdown of uneaten food into waste is probably a large contributor.

From a food manufacturer's standpoint, you should feed your fish twice a day if not three times. I didn't realize fish were humans and need breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sorry it doesn't work that way. Fish need a minimal amount of food and they don't need it everyday.
So much of the waste on the bottom of your tank is simply from feeding to much. It's either uneaten food or food that has been digested unnecessarily.

Because of higher lighting and other conditions in planted aquaria that make plants grow, this extra food makes good conditions for algae to grow as well.

Just like when a laundry detergent says a cup, next time try a 1/4 cup and see if there's any difference in your clothes. A manufacturer of consumables will always direct you to use more then is necessary. Sorry for anyone that owns stock in a fish food company, but fish don't need food two or three times a day. I feed my fish once a day 5 or 6 times a week.

I'm not trying to say that overfeeding is the cause or the main cause of algae in all tanks, but it can be depending upon your conditions.

Hopefully I'll reduce your algae or save you some more on your laundry cleaning.

Feel free to chime in.


My Scapes

This is very true and I like your metaphors. Feeding too much leaves a coating on the floor of the fish tank which leads to an overflow of nitrate and a hazard to Plecos...

Chris

Well tetratech,

While your statement is probably true for my and your tank, it may not be applicable for other tanks and their fish.

I am no expert, but doesn't the feeding schedule depend on the species?

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

There could be exception to every rule and I put this in the planted tank forum so that it pretains to the type of fish you would probably have in a planted tank. I'm not talking about an 8" oscar swimming around in a barren tank.

That said, I would welcome anyone to tell me that it is "necessary" to feed their fish swimming around their planted tank two or three times a day every day.

EDIT: LF not sure you read my opening statement:

I know this sounds like a boring subject and everyone knows how to feed their fish. You open the can and pinch some in, but I like to address this issue as it relates to planted aquaria and algae issues.

My Scapes

Oh, I did read it

I was not talking about an Oscar either, they actually need food less than every day (when grown).

But let us take the example of Ram fry (like you had in your tank). You will need to feed them more than once a day if you would like them to survive in the planted tank (granted, you could also try to put them in a separate tank, but some people prefer to leave them within the environment or don't have a second tank). On top of the multiple feedings, you need to overfeed to assure they get enough.

Another example would be if you wish to bring a pair into breeding mood.

And, although I can't think of one, I believe to have read that certain smaller species need food more than once a day.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

But let us take the example of Ram fry (like you had in your tank). You will need to feed them more than once a day if you would like them to survive in the planted tank

LF, are you being serious or are you playing with me. I'm not talking about fry. Most people who are serious about raising fry will have them in a separate tank and they can "spoon feed" them in there.

O.K. just to be clear I'm not talking about fry, elderly, injured, mutated and yet to be discovered species of fish that need to be feed 3 times a day.

I think your grasping, but I enjoy your analysis so keep it coming

My Scapes

Tetra, you should know by now that LF's nit-picking skills are matched only by his intense propensity to err on the side of caution. I don't know what he does for a living, but the smart money is on "lawyer"

For what it's worth I totally agree. It's like the instructions on a bottle of shampoo - "squeeze half the bottle into your hand and apply to head - rinse and repeat".

Not over-feeding is especially important in planted tanks because we tend to create tons and tons of nooks and crannies with rock work, wood and plants that are impossible to get into with a gravel vac. Should any food slip into there it's guaranteed to sit and rot. Some may reply that this is a good reason for a large clean-up crew, but then you still need to factor in the waste produced by the clean up crew (shrimp, corys etc) on their own through respiration plus the waste created by eating the extra food. Probably creates more than it saves. In my old shellie tank I saw pieces of NLS fall behind some rock work and when I tried to get them a day later they were covered in fungus

I guess for some it's hard to fight the urge to make sure everyone in the tank gets somethign to eat every time, but in a mature tank the fish should be able to nibble on things here and there in the tank to keep themselves from starving to death. Besides, odds are that every fish WILL egt something over the course of a few feeding periods, so there's no need to go nuts every time.

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Back in the saddle!

I guess for some it's hard to fight the urge to make sure everyone in the tank gets somethign to eat every time, but in a mature tank the fish should be able to nipple on things here and there in the tank to keep themselves from starving to death. Besides, odds are that every fish WILL egt something over the course of a few feeding periods, so there's no need to go nuts every time.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Your right I should know LF by now. Yes your right he's probably a blood sucking attorney

My Scapes

you should know by now that LF's nit-picking skills are matched only by his intense propensity to err on the side of caution. I don't know what he does for a living, but the smart money is on "lawyer"

AND

Yes your right he's probably a blood sucking attorney

Well, no

NowherMan6, your description of some of my trades is right on, I am flattered

I am actually an employee in a company and work in IT. The world in programming is even less gray as it would be in legal, as all burns down to 0 and 1. Any situation is either true or false, a computer does not understand a "maybe".

But in all fairness, I hope you can also come up with a few "good" trades when thinking of me.

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

Well, I'd have to say that the manufacturers can be right, in a way.

If you apply the 2 to 3 times rule a day, your only feeding very small quantities, not a "full meal". Fish in the nature do not (usually) receive their full day's meal in one feeding, it's spread out throughout the day. So that when they tell you to feed two to three times a day (and ignore the however much they can eat in 3-5 minutes, thats BS), feed small quantities. This allows fish to properly digest their food and prevents leftover fish floating around and on the bottom of your tank.

Of course, this can be a little troublesome when you have a giant school of tetras and your trying to make sure each one gets a share of food.

Just my two cents.

If you apply the 2 to 3 times rule a day, your only feeding very small quantities, not a "full meal".

I could see where your going and in principal I agree with you, but what is a small amount. You said yourself with alot of fish you try to give them all some. That is what most aquarist do and that is a mistake because you end up giving more than a little.

Yes that 3 to 5 minute thing is too funny. If I did that in my tank I would have new forms of life working around.

Like Nowher said small fish pick here and there and usually find enough to fill their small bellies.


My Scapes

Once a day is plenty.

As we are speaking about planted tanks specifically, the fish do fine on light feedings of commercial food for the simple reason there is an abundance of food around them.

Most fish will snack on algae , not just the so called algae eaters. My rummys are constantly picking away at stuff (yes we all have algae, thankfully if the tanks is well run it's microscopic and not visisble). Those of you who have kept Rams or Gouramies will have seen them pick at plants and roots constantly. Well they ain't kissing them, they're foraging for snail eggs, hydra etc.Livebearers are always having a plant clean up/search going on.

In this context it's best to feed lightly, it keeps the fish active and behaving in antural way, foraging and searching. Helps keep the plant clean too.

Another reason for not overfeeding in a planted tank is that it's darn near impossible to remove excess food if the plant mass is high. It ends up down at the roots where you can't see or get at it.

And yes I agree with tetra , in the same way that a light fish load will help keep algae at bay, so will going easy on the feeding. It's all about waste.

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Some days you're the pigeon and some days you're the statue.

Remember that age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Bensaf,
Yes, as it relates to planted aquaria.

in the same way that a light fish load will help keep algae at bay, so will going easy on the feeding. It's all about waste.

That was pretty much my purpose for this post and thanks for adding more detail. Many of these fish find things to eat anyway around the tank.

I believe excess feeding is a bigger factor than most people thing in terms of algae control. Like your said, it's all about waste.

My Scapes

Besides my constant nit-picking, of course I agree with the statement "I believe excess feeding is a bigger factor".

No doubt - and this is exactly why I took your advice and don't feed on Fridays, the day before water change.

My nit-picking was only meant to state that there are exceptions to the rule, but I will not further elaborate as I have done so already .

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

and this is exactly why I took your advice and don't feed on Fridays, the day before water change.

Why is this a good thing to do? Can you please explain what the benefit is, as I feed my fish every day.

Thanks & Cheers - Crusha

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Those who say they cant, Never will !!!

Just want to add - LF, it's just a little light hearted jesting - no offense intended

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Back in the saddle!

NowherMan6 - none taken I thought you gave me a compliment

crusha - Why don't I feed one day a week? - because of the reasons tetratech and the others mentioned, mainly too much uneaten food creates algae. Why don't I feed on a Friday? - because I also don't feed plant food on Fridays and as such it is easy to remember when to have a break

Ingo

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Proud Member of the New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club

A little off topic, but my teacher told me about a current research going on about how eating less calories could mean more years. Wonder if this might be true towards fish.