Amount of NLS pellets to feed a Flowerhorn

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Feeding to satiation should only be done on commercial fish farms where growth is the main concern, and longevity does not factor into the equation.

While most fishes stomachs are larger than one of their eyes, that's a pretty good rule of thumb for lazy fish that are kept in captivity, and fed a diet that is far more nutrient rich than most fish would typically consume in the wild on a daily basis.

I would NOT feed a FH tilapia, or shrimp, FH are omnivores & too much meat will often cause gastrointestinal issues (such as a hexamita/spironucleus outbreak) nor will either of those foods improve on your fishes color, or overall health. IMHO just stick with feeding NLS & your FH will be better off for it, I feed it exclusively to all of my fish, and have for several years.

I feed each one of my FH one pellet at a time, and just keep moving between tanks until each fish has had their fair share of food. IMO is it far better to slightly underfeed, than to constantly overfeed.

HTH
 
RD. said:
I feed each one of my FH one pellet at a time, and just keep moving between tanks until each fish has had their fair share of food. IMO is it far better to slightly underfeed, than to constantly overfeed.

HTH
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I don't plan on feeding anything else other than NLS.

I should have been clear on how I feed. I too feed one pellet at a time. Once he spits one out or starts chewing, I stop. This could be five .2mm pellets or it could be ten to fifteen. We were doing this two to three times a day. Is this still too much?

Thanks, everyone!
 
At that size twice a day feeding should be fine. Just monitor the growth of your fish, if he starts looking fat cut back more food.
If he starts looking skinny, increase the amount at each feeding. You'll find the sweet spot over time.
 
Once the fish starts showing signs of sexual maturity, or reaches the 6-7" mark, I cut back to feeding once a day. By that point they are also on the 3mm pellets. I should clarify that once they become beastly in size, you can certainly feed more than 1 pellet at a time with no issue. Most 10-12" FH can hammer back several 3mm pellets at a time.
 
Thanks! I've actually thought about going to 1mm pellets for awhile. He's about 4 or 5", but still expels some through his gills at times.
 
At 4-5" the 2mm should be fine, some of the larger CA based fish can be sloppy eaters. Once you cut back a bit on the food you may find that he spends less time chewing, and more time swallowing.
 
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