What do you guys think is the difference? I'm trying to power feed my dats and clown loaches 5x a day to get them to grow fast. I feed market shrimp and NLS pellet but it does get messy cause the clown loaches don't always finish up the pellets. I do water changes every other day. At what point do you guys think its hit over feeding?
Power feeding vs Over feeding
- Thread starter shua71
- Start date
There is a difference between the two? Now I am also interested. I've never had a fish gorge itself anyway.
Powerfeeding involves not only heavy feeding and extremely frequent water changes, but also very high quality foods. The menu should include lots of clean insect protein and some vegetable matter. Excess feeding of foods high in starch will add bulk but not be adequate for proper tissue development and you can end up with a big, weak fish. Focus heavily on high-protein foods but not mammal meat. I would recommend a lot of gut-loaded earthworms and crickets if you have the money. And don't skimp on the veggies either. At least one meal a day should be high in fiber to prevent constipation. Peas are a good standby as most omnivores love them and they actually have protein in them as well as fiber. 5x a day is great. Make sure your nitrates stay in the 10ppm to 20ppm or lower to encourage growth. Fish will grow more when fed a normal amount and kept in cleaner water than when fed excessively and kept in less optimal water.
Over feedig is when you have give the fish more then it can eat in one time. Where "power feeding" you feed a little a lot. Both will cause water quality issues if you and not careful but most people that power feed are also doing extra wc to help fish grow. I feed my young discus 3-6 times a day and do daily wc
Snowflake311;4523129; said:
I do water changes every other day. So as long as they finish all the food during each feeding its not too much?
knifegill;4523122; said:
So if I feed NLS large fish formula and market shrimp what else would I need to add in? I really don't mind feeding night crawlers but its extremely messy to chop them up and gut them. When I go fishing I squeeze out all this crap and I'd rather not do that in my house lol
Nothing.
Your dats & loaches will do very well on that diet alone, but if there is food left over then you have crossed the fine line from power feeding, to over feeding. Personally I would suggest feeding to satiation twice a day.
HTH
Many people that power feed do end up with problems. In general a lot of people over feed anyway. Like people to much food is unhealthy, but in a fish tank unless you monitor everything correctly you could unbalance the water chemistry and even if the fish are ok then the chemistry of the water could suffer and bring problems at a later date.
Dats and CL's are notorious slow growers.. power feeding them isn't likely to give you more then "average growth". as already been covered a properly balanced feeding regime, and the best water quality you can give your fish will do more then any amount of feeding. I've found powerfeeding w/out fasting periods even when food such as peas to encourage good digestion, these fish tend to live shorter, unhealthier lives. Exactly balancing the vit/min nutritional intake needs in such a way imo is best left to labs. missing a key building block on a power feeding schedule can do irreversable damage to fish, and quick. Just as excessive "starvation" can. Since a majority of people don't have access to doing blood work or other lab tests at home to make sure the animal is metabolizing what it needs when it needs it. feeding of fish is purely up to the keeper, but personally it's not a chance I would take with my wet pets. Young fish, like most young creatures need more food in general, where older or adults maintain on much less. If you feel you are over-feeding your fish.. then trust your gut, and follow your common sense. If your fish are thriving and healthy, why change it? Personally I'de feed 3x a day as much as they can consume in a "sitting" be it 5 mins or 10 mins.. or whatever you can allot. 6x a day imo is to much, the stomach and intestines rarely get a rest. Think about how you would feel constantly stuffed with food.
imho as long as all the food is consumed asap with no left overs its all gravy.
Oh, and If I was eating great food with good flavor 7x a day being served without doing the dish or the clean up, hell yeah I would want to eat gourmet food 7x times a day with protein and my veggies for a balanced meal. I love good food(not fast food junk).
Oh, and If I was eating great food with good flavor 7x a day being served without doing the dish or the clean up, hell yeah I would want to eat gourmet food 7x times a day with protein and my veggies for a balanced meal. I love good food(not fast food junk).