Effects of feeding too much on tank water quality

[LBDave]

I believe the main thing about probiotics is the competition of neutral vs pathogenic bacteria, not so much nitrate removal since that is an anaerobic process and requires a whole other discussion entirely.

Food that's higher in quality will generally have better nutritional value and more food which can be digested, resulting in less waste being expelled.

One thing to consider is that fish are ALWAYS expelling nitrogenous waste as a byproduct of being alive and cellular processes in general. The rest will be whatever they don't digest, so if a food is too high in proteins or other components they will be expelled. And just anything else they don't need. From this I wonder if more frequent, smaller feedings will benefit fish as they have enough time to digest and take what they need instead of overloading them, but on the other side fish are built to store a decent amount of energy so surely they can handle it.

I believe a key thing is the right protein sources. Fish meal proteins, fatty oils and amino acids are important in the diets. How well fish can handle grain or mammalian fats/proteins is a different story for another day. Brine shrimp contains many important amino acids and many people I know use freshly hatched BBS (Less than a day old) to feed fry or newly imported fish, the proteins are vital for growth and recovery and are hard to find in other food sources.

That's my short 2c, I do thing feeding a little less can definitely help prolong a fishes lifespan. Really depends on the species and diet style of the species.

I think it's all good advice and info. I don't like to feed a lot or overfeed. Hopefully I myself will get things balanced out. I think another aspect is target feeding. Sinking food for bottom fish and even positioning food so certain monster fish get what they need and not the entire crowd.
Hell, if I just threw food in the tank my oscars would look like volleyballs.

 

[Hendre]

I don't see the big allergy for water changes, by doing them you:

• Remove nitrogenous and metabolic waste
• Remove hormone buildup (Can cause stunting in some fish***)
• Replenish fresh minerals and basic molecules to maintain pH
• Reduce the TDS, top ups and gradual mineral increases can put osmotic pressure on fish
• Reduces excess N/P/K in planted tanks
• Tanks generally look a bit perkier after a good WC
• Can siphon out debris that can harbour pathogens/nitrate production

I get that walstad methods and such exist but those are quite technical. By pumping some water out you do your fish a big favour!

 

[Hendre]

Isnt most of the nitrogenous waste produced or excreted in a form of urine from the fishes gills ? I could be wrong but i was under the assumption that less is produced in the form if solid waste.

Yes, cellular respiration is the main source of Urea from Ammonia/Amino acids that a fishes body produces.

 

[PYRU]

Oh no i meant in addition to wc's i bever noticed a decrease in nitrates when dosing ridx vs not dosing

It's like Hendre said but it also does wonders on cleaning the sludge buildup out your filtration.

 

[Rocksor]

Isnt most of the nitrogenous waste produced or excreted in a form of urine from the fishes gills ? I could be wrong but i was under the assumption that less is produced in the form if solid waste.

For immediate conversion to nitrates yes, nitrates climbing faster within a certain period of time. But taking vacation for 1 week has shown me that 1 feeding in 7 days (feed the day I leave) still produces less nitrates than 3 feeding per week. With the 1 week vacation, my nitrates stay easily below 20ppm. With 3 feedings per week, my nitrates are easily above 20ppm.

 

[Hendre]

For immediate conversion to nitrates yes, nitrates climbing faster within a certain period of time. But taking vacation for 1 week has shown me that 1 feeding in 7 days still produces less nitrates than 3 feeding per week. With the 1 week vacation, my nitrates stay easily below 20ppm. With 3 feedings per week, my nitrates are easily above 20ppm.

I like this observation. Evidently the increased feeding/processing of food has some effect. Now I wonder how much is from increased metabolism vs decomposition after excretion.

 

[PYRU]

I'm not as experienced as all you other people, but not changing water doesn't sound good. No matter what you add to the aquarium.
Aren't there other chems that need to be flushed out besides nitrates? Again, I am no expert.

Do a brief search on triton method. Its for sw but you'll see what im talking about.

 

[LBDave]

Do a brief search on triton method. Its for sw but you'll see what im talking about.

Ok. Will do. Always want to learn!

 

[00kevin]

Key words - all excess calories have the potential to be converted to fat.

It's impossible not to discuss raw ingredients, and/or guaranteed analysis, in a formula, when discussing food, and/or feeding. What's IN the food will generally determine how MUCH one should be feeding. That, and the energy level of the fish, and approx. how many calories each fish typically burns up in a day. Whether ones fish lays there like a log all day, or zooms around like the energizer bunny, will also determine "how much" one should be feeding.

As a competitive bodybuilder, this comment is bringing back vivid deju vu. I could swear I've read this exact passage elsewhere, but "fish" was replaced with "people." Regardless, I agree wholeheartedly, for both fish and humans.

 

[PYRU]

Ok. Will do. Always want to learn!

Sw is another beast entirely but there's tons of good info on water quality within it. Nutrient removal, feeding intervals, you name it. It can help you be more efficient and apply it to fw to fine tune your system. Nitrates aren't the only boogey man lurking behind the scenes.