# Am I UNDER-feeding?



## pyewacketsid (Apr 4, 2011)

I have a 29 gallon. 

5 danios
5 cories (1 is sick)
2 guppies (was 3)
5 neons (was 6)

The tank has been set up since March and has been completely cycled for a month or so. I generally add a pinch of flake food OR 3-5 shrimp pellets OR 3 sinking wafers every 2-4 days. I don't feed every day, certainly not twice a day like some recommend.

Am I so paranoid about over-feeding that I'm starving my fish?

I've lost 2 recently, and one of my cories looks like he's not long for this world. Seven of the fish were just introduced 2 weeks ago. After a week or so, one of the guppies had vanished, so I tested the water, and there was a tinge of ammonia from the new load (maybe .25ppm?). I did a 30% water change, which seemed to clear it. I re-tested 2 days ago, and all levels were good.

Today, one of the cories is very ill, and one of the neons turned up dead. Water tests show no ammonia or nitrite. I did a 10% water change anyway, just in case.

We did have a 90 minute power outage last night.

So... Stress from lack of filtration for 90 minutes? Under-feeding? Or just bad luck?


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I would feed at least once a day after the tank is cycle. Or even twice, once floating food in the morning and once sinking food at lights out for the cories. I have read that hungry fish will sometimes 'elect' a tank-mate for lunch. But unless the fish are sunken-bellied, its unlikely they are starving to death. It takes weeks or months.

New fish within 2 weeks means your most likely issue is disease from un-QTed fish.


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## pyewacketsid (Apr 4, 2011)

emc7 said:


> New fish within 2 weeks means your most likely issue is disease from un-QTed fish.


Woe.  That could be -- before the male guppy disappeared, I thought he looked kind of unhealthy. I didn't have him very long.

Guess I'll do some more small water changes over the next few days to keep things as fresh as possible without major swings, then hope for the best.

Oh, and feed them every day. Thanks for the feedback!


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## Fishy Freak (Jun 1, 2011)

I feed daily, but skip a feed every 3 or 4 days, the day or morning before a water change I tend to do a large feed as I know I will be sucking out any left over food.
In my fry tank though I feed 2 or 3 times a day.


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## Mr. fish (Mar 8, 2011)

I doubt you're underfeeding... Its pretty hard to under feed unless you go on a month vacation lol..

Once every other day should work..


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## pyewacketsid (Apr 4, 2011)

Thanks. They don't look sunken, and I haven't had the slightest algae problem so far (knock on wood).


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## Cichlid Man (Jan 19, 2005)

I'd say when in the early stages of cycling especially with the smaller fish, feed around the same amount as the size the fishes eye per day.


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## chronoboy (Jan 17, 2011)

i cant get away with not feeding everyday, if they dont get fed atleast three times a day then they make food out of my plants, you may say three times a day is to much but my tank is always crystal clear no algae and i only do water changes every 2-3 weeks, but still test each tank once a week and have had no problems with my feeding habbits, of course i only feed anough that it takes them only 20-30 seconds before all the food is gone, it never even hits the bottom of the tank.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

The right amount can be hard to find. New fishkeepers are often told to feed all the food the fish can eat in 5 minutes and that is usually way, way too much. I'm of the 'if it hits the bottom, you fed too much' camp, but some fish will only eat from the bottom, so it depends on what you keep. Its almost impossible to feed too little during cycling. Fish are much better off hungry than ammonia-burned. Fish need to eat more often when they are growing or preparing to breed. In nature, many fish have well-fed seasons and leaner seasons and available food is variable. So, while fish do fine on clockwork, automatic feeders, they also do fine on erratic feeding schedules. You don't want to feed so much fish get fat and don't breed. And you don't want to feed so much that your water changes can't keep up with the nitrates produced. Many fish-keepers will skip feeding a day once a week. And even a 2 week unfed vacation doesn't hurt healthy, well-fed, adult fish too much.


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## Lex90210 (May 10, 2011)

I'd be careful about the sick corie, you don't want him to contaminate the others


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