Basic Tips for Feeding Your Fish 

Overfeeding is a leading cause of aquarium problems. It can pollute a tank so rapidly that the aquarium will appear dirty a week after being cleaned. One day of overfeeding can pollute the tank more than an entire month of normal fish waste accumulation.

In their natural habitat, most marine fishes are in a constant search for food. In fact, on the reef, much of a fish’s energy is expended either searching for food or trying not to become a meal for something else. Many fish like to graze or nibble throughout the day. As a result, dumping a large quantity of food into the tank once a day is not particularly conducive to the fishes’ long-term health. Not only do they tend to gorge themselves during this feeding, but also some of the food will always remain uneaten, adding to the nitrogenous waste load that your filtration system must handle.

A better method of feeding the tank residents is to provide a number of smaller feedings over the course of the day. This would amount to the portion of food that the fish can consume within 1 to 2 minutes only. Many of the hardier species of marine fishes can be maintained on a properly sized single meal per day, especially with some live rock to provide opportunities for grazing. However, two feedings per day is a much better schedule, perhaps one quick feeding with a high-quality flake food and then one meal from the freezer.

Some aquarists are known to give their livestock four meals each day. This may seem like a difficult schedule to maintain, but with a little planning, it can be made quite simple. The feeding times would be at approximately 8 am, 6 pm, 8 pm, and 10 pm, and would consist of a light feeding in the morning, with an increased variety of foods later in the day.

Whatever your schedule is, your fish should never be overfed, and a single feeding should not leave them stuffed with food. Also, if your fishes are to go unfed for a couple of days, they should not be overfed in advance. A large feast will not keep them full for a large length of time and will inevitably be followed by an increase in waste production. Going a few days without food should not harm your fish to any measurable extent.

Also, remember that the tank does not have to be fed every time you pass by and the fishes follow you “looking hungry.” This behavior does not indicate hunger as much as it shows that the fish have trained their owner to respond to their “begging.” Overfed fish can become “bulky” and often suffer a shortened lifespan. In the long run, if you feed your fish on a regular schedule, both the fish and the water quality will benefit.