multiple feedings a day

[morepower16]

I have a couple of fish that the books say to feed 2-3times a day. How important is that or is it alright to only feed once a day?

[bennerkla]

Once a day is fine, usually, but it depends on your bioload. Give us some details on your tank.

[morepower16]

The tank is a 75 gal with a 2 inch live sand bed and 150lbs of Live Rock. I'm using a Remora Pro w/Mag 3 and skimmer box. For flow I have 2 MJ900's and a Seio 820. I'm using a Jebo 250 Heater and have 4-55W 10,000K PCs and one 40W Actinic blue. Tank has been setup for over 6 months and is loaded with Coraline and doing great. It is currently stocked with a Butterfly fish, Coral Beauty, Firefish, Yellow wrasse, Lawnmower blenny and an emerald crap and a couple of cleaner shrimp. It is also stocked with a sand sifting star fish and numerous snails and blue leg crabs.

[bertoni]

One point to consider is that if you feed phytoplankton, etc, the tank might produce a lot of food in the form of copepods, etc.

[romunov]

With feeding, we don't come even close. In their home environment, they eat throughout the day food that is very low on nutrition.

Feeding the reef aquarium (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-02/rs/feature/index.htm)
If you're not interested in reading the article for some reason, just read the conclusion (suggestions).

[Putawaywet]

One need only look at fish in their natural setting for a few minutes to figure out that they don't just eat one big meal during the course of their day. As a result, they have evolved and adapted to take advantage of smaller concentrations of food on a near continual basis. From the moment they start their day to the time that it ends they are literally on the hunt for food.

Keeping with this evolution their digestive tracts have also evolved to make the most of this feeding behavior and giving them one large feed isn't really benefitting them as much as one might think. In truth, a large part of the food goes undigested and is passed out the other end without being utilized by the fish.

Also, there are many species of fish that until their dietary requirements were understood, did not fair very well in home aquaria. Speciifcally, Anthias who once were considered an "advanced" fish by those in the hobby now do particularily well when provided with an adequate habitat and several small feeds throughout the course of the day.

So, if you can find a way to feed smaller amounts, say 2 or even 3 times a day you definately won't be doing any disservice to your fish.

Brett

[Gawain1974]

Once a day is fine, I suppose...I can eat only once a day, but I prefer to eat at least twice. I feed my tank 2-3 times a day, smaller amounts. I personally feel guilty if I only feed my fish once a day. Also, it depends if you have other food in your tank for your fish to constantly graze upon. If your tank is established and your skimmer, etc. are running well, you shouldn't have a problem if you feed 2-3 times a day.

[MiddletonMark]

I've moved a few months ago to feeding very small amounts, a couple times of day [if possible, more if just once].

As stated above - it likely suits the fish well to eat small amounts all day long - and means you get to feed your fish more often [though less quantity] :)

Provided you control the amount you feed - IMO feeding more often, less food seems to get more of the food in fish-mouths than when I tried to feed every /every-other day.

[ribs]

I've been trying to come up with an appropriate feeding regimen on my new (4 mo.) tank, have even posted a recent thread about this same subject, with some funky responses, like:
"Never feed", "Once a week", "Once a day", etc.

I've got some fish, inverts, critters (chromis, fire shrimp, refugium inhabitants) that seem to me to desire eating more than once a day (can't really tell with the 'fuge' inverts :D), any less and I have VERY spastic animals at feeding time followed by what appears to be lull and listless (over-satiated) behavior. Feeding less at a time, but up to 2-3 times a day doesn't cause this type of behavior, but I am concerned about the nutrient levels being added.

With feeding, we don't come even close. In their home environment, they eat throughout the day food that is very low on nutrition. Feeding the reef aquarium (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-02/rs/feature/index.htm)
Quote from that article:
"Such food need not be specifically formulated to be highly nutritious: rather it should be of low to moderate nutritional value. If aquarium fish are able to eat more continuously and slowly, they will get much more nutrition out of each food item than they do now. Feeding a low quality food should result in significantly less nutrient accumulation than is now commonly seen in tanks."

This sounds like a reasonable target as I set up my tank regimen, has anyone come close to this type of feeding? What foods are being used? Introduced manually? How much/how often?
Thanks for the input.

[ribs]

Figure 2 in that article looks like a doomsday meteor shower hurtling towards some unknown destination.....my eye is on the sky :)