How much food?

Dasani · #1 (**permalink**) 02-02-2010, 08:13 AM

Hey guys. I just added an onyx clown and a b/w white clown to my 20H. My onyx kinda picks at the rocks and he looks like he's trying to find food. I am trying to figure out how much I need to feed them. So far my pattern is Formula 2 flakes one day, skip a day, 1/4 of a cube of frozen brine shrimp, skip a day, back to flakes, skip, and shrimp... any way the first time I put in the flakes the b/w ate them but the Onyx spit them. I was wondering what would be a good pattern of food? I may try Rod's food in the future but I don't wanna spend $20+ on the food and shipping and all that atm, seeing how I am a poor teen and want to buy some corals. :)
Any help would be great.
Also I think they were fed live brine shrimp at the store, but I don't have the time to hatch that.
Thanks.

WDLV · #2 (**permalink**) 02-02-2010, 01:27 PM

As long as you're mixing it up a bit I think you're fine on your variety. I think I'm understanding you correctly on the "skip a day" statement to mean that you are skipping one food but feeding another. If you mean to say that you do not feed them every other day, that is not appropriate. It's OK to go a day or two without food on occasion but not to do so on a regular basis. They need to be fed at least once a day. Most people on this forum feed their fish 2-4 times a day.
Quantity will depend on how much they will eat. The quality becomes a factor too. They only eat so much before they're full, so denser and healthier is better. You want to have the highest protein and fat content possible while still getting a fair amount of plant and algae in their diet.

FishLipz4U · #3 (**permalink**) 02-02-2010, 03:22 PM

I'm using New Life Spectrum 1mm pellets as well as mysis and Formula 1 and 2 flakes in my reefs. Good variety, and usually 2 or 3 feedings per day has been sucessful for me. I'm too cheap for the Rod's food because I can't get it locally.

WDLV · #4 (**permalink**) 02-02-2010, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FishLipz4U

I'm too cheap for the Rod's food because I can't get it locally.

We'll have to work on that. Maybe Exotic Aquatics would be willing to get it in. They're pretty good for supplying quality foods.

FishLipz4U · #5 (**permalink**) 02-02-2010, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WDLV

We'll have to work on that. Maybe Exotic Aquatics would be willing to get it in. They're pretty good for supplying quality foods.

I'm in Lansdowne/Arbutus area. I know Mr. Coral in Frederick carries it but I rarely go out that far for my livestock. I do get it on the rare occasion I make the trip. Sorry, not looking to get off topic.

Dasani · #6 (**permalink**) 02-02-2010, 06:18 PM

What I meant by skip a day is like this.
Monday- feed flakes Tuesday- dont feed anything Wednesday- feed frozen brine shrimp Thursday- Dont feed anything friday- Flakes and so on. I only do this b/c we have a major algae problem in our 75 due to over feeding. I don't want to do this to my 20.

WDLV · #7 (**permalink**) 02-03-2010, 08:16 AM

You should not skimp on food no matter what the reason. Instead you can incerase the frequency of your water changes drastically. You can do 50% or more if you pre-heat the water. Also, look for places that detritus and uneaten food may be collecting. You can increase flow in the main display to keep food suspended until it is eaten or filtered. On that note, you should also increase the frequency of mechanical filter media changes if you have not already. You might also look into the quality of the water you're using as makeup and top off. Do a PO4 test on the fresh water you use before you mix your salt. It should read zero or close to it.