Big fish feeding?

[Jexnell]

I wonder at times the actual amount of food others feed big fish.

My boy Casper is 12in long now and nearly three years old. He is feed once a day (see pic) seven days a week. As of late I wonder if it's not enough as he has started begging for food when I feed the tank next to him. He's splashing water out of his tank trying to get to the food I am feeding the other tank.

So what do you guys think, is the amount I am feeding equal to, more, or less than you are feeding your 12in fish?

I actually measured it, one tablespoon of food a day. He eats it in less than a minute.

 

[Rocksor]

I feed my 12.5" pike and 14" catfish that amount each every 3 days (2 tablespoons of 3.5mm and 6mm pellets total in the tank). I remember my pike used to beg everyday for food when it was that young (~10"). At ~ 8 years old, it doesn't ask to be fed unless it's every other day. The 5yr old pbass that I had would beg for food every day.

When I had my 10-12" oscars, by year 3 it would only be fed every other day for 1 feeding.

So yeah, I fed the same size fish, less per week.

I notice they stop pooping 3 days after being last fed.

 

[esoxlucius]

It's a balancing act that's for sure.

I feed five or six times a week in my 360, there are some gluttonous fish in there. I know they'd wolf down ten times the amount I actually feed them, and still beg.

Have they got sunken stomachs, do they have the skinny shoulder look, are they lethargic/inactive, are their colours washed out, are they nipping each other through pure hunger?..........Absolutely none of those things.

They all look perfectly healthy and that's the only measuring stick I have at this point.

From what i've seen of your Casper he looks fine, I don't think he looks underfed at all.

 

[Ruturaj]

I just experiment as well, see how my fish's tummy looks and go by that.

 

[FJB]

I don't have any true large fish. But I do believe we tend to grossly overfeed, which probably results in undesirable issues to the fish.
I am glad you asked the question because it prompted others to say how much they feed, and offered comparisons.

A solution I used when feeding daily ever boisterous groups of growing juveniles in tanks contiguous to others which were not to be fed daily, was to place pieces of black cardboard outside the contiguous sides of the tanks. Also, I fed on opposite sides. Both of these reduced the begging from the fish not fed daily.

They will beg silly...all day long.

 

[duanes]

Any carnivorous fish in nature would be extremely fortunate to get that much food every day.
I feed adult cichlids one small meal per day for 2 days, then don't feed the 3rd.
And if one of the meals happens to be heavy in protein, I might not feed for 2 days after it.
If in between, the cichlids graze on plant detritus, this provides the fiber needed to help clear out their guts, which I believe helps purge opportunistic internal parasites.
IMO the only adult cichlids that need "daily" feedings are vegetarian grazers like C pearsei, bocourti, or African algae grazers like Tropheus, or Geophagines that sift for tiny items (and for the Geophagines, tiny pellets, and in small amounts) .

 

[12 Volt Man]

thats about how much I feed Big Charlie 6 days a week although the pellets are larger. He doesn't eat on Waterchange day.

 

[dogofwar]

I only feed large fish probably 3-4 days per week. And less than that.

 

[Caveden]

Any carnivorous fish in nature would be extremely fortunate to get that much food every day.
I feed adult cichlids one small meal per day for 2 days, then don't feed the 3rd.
And if one of the meals happens to be heavy in protein, I might not feed for 2 days after it.
If in between, the cichlids graze on plant detritus, this provides the fiber needed to help clear out their guts, which I believe helps purge opportunistic internal parasites.
IMO the only adult cichlids that need "daily" feedings are vegetarian grazers like C pearsei, bocourti, or African algae grazers like Tropheus, or Geophagines that sift for tiny items (and for the Geophagines, tiny pellets, and in small amounts) .

wot i feed my predatory fish twice a day with prawns. whats wrong with that? can someone enlighten me? thanks!

 

[dogofwar]

In nature the same fish are much more likely to consumer far fewer calories and exert far more calories per day than they do in a glass box.

wot i feed my predatory fish twice a day with prawns. whats wrong with that? can someone enlighten me? thanks!