How do you feed your fish? :-)

qfrisco · #1 12/14/2007, 08:39 AM

Sorry for what sounds like a really simple question, but I started feeding some flakes to the two damsels I have in my newly filled 90 gallon reef, and noticed that the flakes floated on the surface (expected), and got quickly sucked into the overflow, not giving much of a chance for the damsels to swim up to the surface and grab them.

I've started turning the return pump off when feeding the flakes. I'm curious does anyone else do this? Or should I get sinking food?

landlord · #2 12/14/2007, 09:02 AM

Grind the flakes in your fingers under the surface of the water. It should cause them to sink.

I was turning off my pump for years...

I found that by aiming my return line towards the water surface I accomplished several things. One of which was causing enough turbulence to make floating food sink.

FWIW --landlord

purplereef · #3 12/14/2007, 09:04 AM

Don't turn your return pump off. I just put it down into the water not the surface of the water. Some of the food escaping into the overflow is inevitable.

jcpatella · #4 12/14/2007, 09:18 AM

I feed my tank a thawed mix of frozen raw seafood. Most nights I turn just my return pump off and let the powerheads throw the food around the tank until it's all eaten. Some nights I turn all the pumps off and target-feed certain corals (and the fish eat the remains). Other nights I'll just feed pellets by putting them under the surface and letting them sink.

bj32482 · #5 12/14/2007, 09:22 AM

I keep a small cup with my food, at feeding time, I scoop up some tank water, put the food in the cup and swirl around. Then just dump the contents into the tank, none of it floats...

King-Kong · #6 12/14/2007, 09:42 AM

I feed mostly rinsed frozen Hikari mysis (PE Mysis is too oily and also doesnt contain as much protein, or isnt enriched like Hikari).

I rinse about 3 cubes in a fine mesh brine net, then shut off my return pumps, and dump it in. Then when it's all eaten i turn everything back on.

I do this 2x a day.

tedmc2 · #7 12/14/2007, 11:28 AM

Similar to bj32482, I thaw a cube of mysis in a cup of spring water from the bubbler, throw in a good pinch of flake, swirl it around, then add it in the tank a little at a time.

dwd5813 · #8 12/14/2007, 11:32 AM

i used to feed my cichlids flake food by pinching a bit of it between my thumb and forefinger and holding it under the surface for a couple seconds until it was soaked through, then releasing it so that it spread through the tank underneath the surface.

calkrog · #9 12/14/2007, 12:33 PM

i aswell swirl the food around in a cup prior to putting in tank to make it sink, but i have been thinking about an autofeeder to make it easier for someone to take care of my tank while im away. anyone have any suggestions for this as the food would get swept into the overflow almost immediately when using the autofeeder.

pammy · #10 12/14/2007, 12:51 PM

When I use my auto-feeder, I use the "Ocean Nutrition Feeding Frenzy Feeding Station". They have it at marinedepot.com for less than $3.

cristhiam · #11 12/14/2007, 01:13 PM

I been feeding flake throug my return pump

it's fun to watch the fish get ready near the outputs waiting for the food to come out

zhenjw · #12 12/14/2007, 01:17 PM

I let the cube dissolve in my fuge, and the return sucks the rest of it into the display tank. That way I'm able to feed both the fuge and the display tank at once.

sw1tched · #13 12/14/2007, 02:09 PM

when I feed flakes, I put them below the surface in front of a jet. they shoot around my tank & the fish start a frenzy. I do the same for frozen mysis. let it thaw & dump it in front of a jet.

-Joe

newb · #14 12/14/2007, 02:42 PM

be it flake or frozen or home made i always have it in a cup and target feed in the same place with a turkey baster. fish learn fast, food does not float away and i use much less of it. so when feeding flake this way you are automatically lowering your phosphate input and i end up useing less than half the food.