Overfeeding Growouts?

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ragin_cajun

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Sep 8, 2013
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Guess I should have titled it "underfeeding growouts"

I have mostly adult fish that I feed somewhat irregularly. I skip a day pretty often, may skip several days if I go out of town for work, feed twice a day when I'm home. I think that's fine for larger adult fish?

But, I also have some 3-4 inch growouts in the tank with those adults, and I'm concerned they may not be eating enough? I.E., I have a 4 inch Trimac in that tank, he'd eat 3-4 times a day no problem. Does he NEED to while he's growing? Or is every other day OK for him, too? Would this affect growth rate?
 
My Trimac was feed everyday until he hit 5" or so and then I started skipping a day some times 2 days in the week. I feed him once a day during the week and twice a day on the weekends. I've had him approx 5 months and he's growing about 1/2" - 3/4" a month.
 
I tread 3"-4" fish like adults and feed them 4-5 days a week. Smaller fish, I try to feed daily. In my eyes, I'd rather have fish that grow slower but aren't overweight than power feeding them when they are young. I don't have any evidence, but I think fish that grow more naturally live longer.
 
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I feed sporadically. Sometimes I feed everyday lightly. Sometimes a skip a few. Sometimes I will feed lightly very lightly twice a day. A few days here/there won't kill them at 3" or so. I wouldn't do it for months straight but I think it works great. I feed 1" fish very lightly twice a day to 1x a day. Ive done this with jags, dovii, amphs, istlanum, etc. I think super clean water is way more important than trying to power feed. Just my 2.5 c
 
+1 with johnclark

I started feeding my semi adults every other day instead of daily i worry about long term health too.

I feel they are more active with the feeding regimen. Also stoped feedingy growouts twice a day

It also might be a good that some of them are smaller maybe they wont be viewed as competition by the argentea and zonatus
 
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