[Saltie]

OK, lets get to the bottom of the issue of feeding. I have been reading a lot about how much and how often to feed marine aquarium fish. It seems that everyone has a different idea. I have heard three times a day, to once every three days. I have also heard to feed them as much as they can eat in five minutes.

So is there a rule of thumb when it comes to feeding, does anyone have any ideas?

[Ninong]

It really depends on what sort of fish you are feeding. Fish that feed all day long in their natural environment don't do well with only once-a-day feedings in captivity. For one thing, they aren't designed to gorge themselves all at once. They're designed to eat tiny morsels (zooplankton) all day long. All of the zooplanktivores are like this -- Anthias, Fairy Wrasses, etc. They should be fed at least three times a day. Four or five times would be even better.

Fish such as tangs need seaweed available on a daily basis. If you have tangs or rabbitfish, it's a good idea to put some seaweed on a clip and leave it in the tank for them to feed on in addition to your other feedings.

The truth is that almost all fish would do better with more frequent feedings. Everyone can manage twice a day. They can feed before they go to work and then feed again when they get back home.

I don't agree with anyone who advises feeding fish only every other day or every third day. That just doesn't make any sense at all. These are people who are so afraid that they might have a nutrient problem in their reef tank that they are willing to harm their fish in the process of trying to keep their nutrient levels down. That's just crazy!

Very few hobbyists really overfeed. The most common problem is with underfeeding. No matter how much you think you're feeding your tank, you're almost certainly underfeeding compared to the amount of food that is found on a reef in nature over the course of a 24-hr period.

Whatever amount of food you intend to feed to your tank, you can always feed that same amount divided into two or three feedings instead of a single daily feeding. That would be a much more natural way to go.