New to feeding big fish. A little advice please?

[Sidney73]

Started this tank up fairly recently - through trial and error I think I have a system worked out. Feeding is trickier than I thought! I have a 90 gallon with a 3" JD, Gold Severum and a firemouth, along with 5 young milleniums and a young vampire pleco. Here's what I've come up with:

Feed morning and evening Thurs – Tues. (Don’t feed Wednesday)

Morning – Feed ½ cube frozen food (rotate them - I have 3 kinds - bloodworms, brine shrimp and mysis shrimp.)

Cut the ½ into ¼’s and put each 4th into a cup of fish water. Wait a minute and dump one in the front right corner. Wait another minute and dump the second one. (Gives slower feeders a chance.)

Evening – Feed a very small amount of pellets and flakes.

Every other day, save a tiny bit of the frozen things, wait until after dark and dump it in the back for the Pleco.

Does that sound about right?

Thanks!

 

[Sidney73]

And also once a week or so I drop a mealworm in for the severum before I feed the rest of the fish. She's the biggest food hog and when I do that, she'll grab it and go hide with her treasure for 10 minutes... lol!

 

[Davidiator]

Sounds pretty good.
But I personally would feed less and not as often.
I feed my fish 1 time in morning and bottom feeders 1 time at night. EVERYDAY!
They go through the food so fast it's not even funny!

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

Started this tank up fairly recently - through trial and error I think I have a system worked out. Feeding is trickier than I thought! I have a 90 gallon with a 3" JD, Gold Severum and a firemouth, along with 5 young milleniums and a young vampire pleco. Here's what I've come up with:

Feed morning and evening Thurs – Tues. (Don’t feed Wednesday)

Morning – Feed ½ cube frozen food (rotate them - I have 3 kinds - bloodworms, brine shrimp and mysis shrimp.)

Cut the ½ into ¼’s and put each 4th into a cup of fish water. Wait a minute and dump one in the front right corner. Wait another minute and dump the second one. (Gives slower feeders a chance.)

Evening – Feed a very small amount of pellets and flakes.

Every other day, save a tiny bit of the frozen things, wait until after dark and dump it in the back for the Pleco.

Does that sound about right?

Thanks!

I would feed them pellets once a day, with frozen food as a weekly treat. The pellets have everything the fish need nutrition-wise. I'd highly recommend NLS brand of fish food. I think you're feeding them too much with this schedule.

I'm also curious what a young millenium is? I know the millenials are a strange generation but you really shouldn't keep them in a fish tank

 

[Sidney73]

I would feed them pellets once a day, with frozen food as a weekly treat. The pellets have everything the fish need nutrition-wise. I'd highly recommend NLS brand of fish food. I think you're feeding them too much with this schedule.

I'm also curious what a young millenium is? I know the millenials are a strange generation but you really shouldn't keep them in a fish tank

LMAO!!! Riiiight... Glossolepis Millennium then. ha ha. Here's the problem. The severum and the firemouth eat whatever I put in there. Flakes, pellets, whatever. I only fed flakes and pellets for weeks and the JD wouldn't touch them (he's a happy healthy fish) but he will chow down on the frozen stuff. Is it ok that he's only eating once a week? The "GM's" also seem a little picky... And you really think once a day is enough? I'm trying so hard not to overfeed but I was told by the store owner to feed the severum 3x/day...

 

[Sidney73]

Are these pellets ok?

 

[kewpiefishypewpie]

LMAO!!! Riiiight... Glossolepis Millennium then. ha ha. Here's the problem. The severum and the firemouth eat whatever I put in there. Flakes, pellets, whatever. I only fed flakes and pellets for weeks and the JD wouldn't touch them (he's a happy healthy fish) but he will chow down on the frozen stuff. Is it ok that he's only eating once a week? The "GM's" also seem a little picky... And you really think once a day is enough? I'm trying so hard not to overfeed but I was told by the store owner to feed the severum 3x/day...

I can only think of one species of fish that would actually need to be fed 3x/day. It sounds cynical but you've got to take everything fish store people tell you with a grain of salt, they're often quite misinformed.

I definitely think once a day is enough. It's important to get the JD on pellets too. Do you have bloodworms? Dethaw some and stick some pellets in the liquid, that could entice the JD to eat pellets.

Those pellets are okay for now but I'd purchase some NLS once you run out of them.

 

[Sidney73]

I can only think of one species of fish that would actually need to be fed 3x/day. It sounds cynical but you've got to take everything fish store people tell you with a grain of salt, they're often quite misinformed.

I definitely think once a day is enough. It's important to get the JD on pellets too. Do you have bloodworms? Dethaw some and stick some pellets in the liquid, that could entice the JD to eat pellets.

Those pellets are okay for now but I'd purchase some NLS once you run out of them.

NLS or, I heard Hikari Gold is good?

I can only think of one species of fish that would actually need to be fed 3x/day. It sounds cynical but you've got to take everything fish store people tell you with a grain of salt, they're often quite misinformed.

I definitely think once a day is enough. It's important to get the JD on pellets too. Do you have bloodworms? Dethaw some and stick some pellets in the liquid, that could entice the JD to eat pellets.

Those pellets are okay for now but I'd purchase some NLS once you run out of them.

 

[mattison187]

Omega one isnt a bad staple pellet. NLS is good stuff, dont get me wrong. But at about $20 for 4oz cans, not practical for alot of people. Ive used Omega kelp pellets and hikari cichlid gold and/or cichlid staple as my staple pellets for years.

 

[mattison187]

I got so into my nls post that i totally forgot about the dempsey eating issue your having. I would almost bet $ that if you cut off the frozen food and just do daily pellets, that your dempsey will be gobbling them up within the first week. A healthy fish wont let himself starve. Atleast not in my experience.