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<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow much?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How much to feed your fish naturally depends heavily on the size. When instructing new fishkeepers I always say a skimpy salt pinch for a general planted tank. (Guppies, tetras, etc) Experts say a fish’s stomach is roughly the size of its eyeball, but that has varying levels of truth depending on the type. Some fish have small eyes, and some have very big eyes. Another thing, is that it’s okay for your fish to be hungry. Being hungry is a good thing in fact, as it will make them go back and pick up their poo, which they can eat again. Fish do not absorb everything in the food the first time they eat it, so you want them to return to their breakfast a few times. But remember, there will always be something leftover, that’s why it’s good to have shrimp, snails or catfish to clean up the final waste. To judge the size of your pinch, a small tetra (like a neon) should get roughly 3 micro pellets in each feed, whereas a bigger black neon or a large guppy can have about 5. Mollies and platties can have 6-8, depending on the water quality and tank balance. But don’t get overly precise and start counting pellets, just estimate and give them some, it will be fine. Give less if your tank is new, more if it’s healthy and established.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How often?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So lets start with the basics. You never want to feed fish more than once a day, unless they’re little babies, but that is another matter. Once a day is the usual if your fish are doing well, but depending on the state of the tank it does vary. For one that’s just been set up, (within the first two weeks) feed only every second day or less, as the tank is not yet mature enough to handle any more. If you’re feeding every second day and you notice clouding in the water or a spot of algae, then pull it back to every third day. For an established tank, you want your fish to be hungry when you feed them, and to eat it all in less than a minute. I always feed bit by bit to insure I don’t give them more than they need. Put in a little, watch them eat it, put in a little more, until it seems like they’ve had a bit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another thing, when I say ‘bit’ I don’t mean sprinkle it on the top. The granules are quite soft, so if you literally sprinkle they can get powdered, and then it won’t all get eaten. I take a delicate pinch, put my fingers under the water surface and release it. That way it sinks slowly and you get to watch your fish swooping in like piranhas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feeding fry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Baby fish are the only ones that you never want to be hungry. When mine are really little I feed them whenever I remember, every few hours, or just when they’ve finished the previous lot. They are way too small to eat even the tiniest pellets, so their food must be powdered and sprinkled on the surface. This is the one time I might use flakes, as their powdering tendencies work to our advantage. Powder spreads out a lot more than you’d think, so just put in a very small amount. More regularly is what we want, not a whole lot twice a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feeding live food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At certain times of the year, (in Tasmania at least) all the ponds and puddles are full of squirming little mosquito larvae. For fish of all types, there is just about no better food, and you’ll find even the smallest of your fish are great hunters. This is one type of food that you can’t really give too much of, within sensible proportions of course. In a densely planted tank, larvae can survive for a long time, and your fish are kept occupied for days stalking in the greenery. When the season is on I feed my fish on only larvae, and give them no packet food at all. You will find there is no time your fish are happier, look better, or grow so much as when they’re stuffing themselves with mozzies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When the larvae are very small they also make a great food for month old fry or small types of fish (under 1 cm). My young guppies grew twice as fast when they were on larvae, and they only need to eat one a day. If they’ve got room in their stomach for more though, let them have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Siamese fighting fish (Bettas)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unlike most fish which should eat a mix of everything, bettas are carnivores. That is why betta food is set apart from other tropical fish foods, and for good reason. Their natural food in the wild is in fact larvae and other small water insects, so what better thing to feed them than mozzie larvae? If you have access to any kind of little water bugs, that is the best thing, but also be sure to remember that bettas have very small mouths. When no live food is available, specific betta food<\/a> is the next best thing. Feed once a day, two or three pellets depending on how big your fish is, and how fast it eats the first one. Sometimes they swim around chomping for a while, other times they just swallow it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goldfish<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goldfish are extremely greedy. I once had a fat little faintail that would always try to get the bigger pellets that I put in for my huge comet. Her mouth was half the size of the pellets, but that didn’t seem to stop her trying. I have used flakes in the past, but I really find them to be powdery and good at mucking up the water, so in the end of course I went to Hikari pellets. They’re good and small, so an average sized goldfish can have about five per meal. A big fish might need up to ten, but it does depend heavily on size and the overall quality of your tank. Feed less in a tank with less plants, or murky water. Younger goldfish should be few twice a day, bigger ones only once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n