Is this a good feeding schedule?

[DiscusKeeper403]

Hey all,

I have some approx. 3" Blue Knights had them for about a month now. I have been doing 4-5 feedings a day but I would like to up that amount to six. How does this feeding schedule look?

8:15-8:30am(ish) - Tetrabits or ON Prime reef or Spirulina flake
12:00pm - Angelplus pro growth flake
2:00 pm - Angelplus pro growth flake
5:00 pm - Homemade mix
8:00 pm - Homemade mix
11:00pm - Frozen food (brine,bw, glass worm or mysis)


Any feedback? I wasn't sure how often to feed so I thought 3hrs in between feedings should be alright?

[rickztahone]

looks like a good schedule. i tend not to do back to backs of the same foods but thats just me. here's mine excluding the types of food.
8am, 11am,1pm,4pm,7pm,10pm.
i also tend to feed the food they are most stubborn about eating in the first feeding

[DiscusKeeper403]

looks like a good schedule. i tend not to do back to backs of the same foods but thats just me. here's mine excluding the types of food.
8am, 11am,1pm,4pm,7pm,10pm.
i also tend to feed the food they are most stubborn about eating in the first feeding

Hey thanks for the input. I could always switch the 11 feeding with a 5 or 8, it's just I normally do w/c at 8 right after my mix feeding, and feed a little lighter before bed, but ones a seafood mix and the others a beefheart mix ;)

[csarkar001]

like you, i find myself feeding flake and pellets during the day using an autofeeder while i'm at work and then frozen at night. i've always wondered if this handicaps my fish's growth in some way by not having frozen food available except for a few hours at night.

on the weekends i try to feed a lot more frozen.

[Chad Hughes]

Wow! That is a lot of feedings guys!

I typically give 3 to 4 feedings a day. One of which is auto fed color bits. The other two to three feedings are just my FBH mix. I try and stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Just my way. I have excellent results with this routine. Healthy fish and fast growth. I truely feel that it's all in the foods that you feed.

Best wishes!

[rickztahone]

Wow! That is a lot of feedings guys!

I typically give 3 to 4 feedings a day. One of which is auto fed color bits. The other two to three feedings are just my FBH mix. I try and stay away from processed foods as much as possible. Just my way. I have excellent results with this routine. Healthy fish and fast growth. I truely feel that it's all in the foods that you feed.

Best wishes!

it is a lot of feedings but i do it in moderation. i figure if you feed light during the day its the same as 2-3 lg feedings which typically do not like to do

[Chad Hughes]

it is a lot of feedings but i do it in moderation. i figure if you feed light during the day its the same as 2-3 lg feedings which typically do not like to do

I guess it all depends on what you have time for. That's sort of how my schedule became what it is. I'm away from the house from 0700 to 1730 every day. That's pretty much the whole day. Feedings typically go like this:

0630
1800
2200

Then I have to sleep. LOL! I never remove food from the tank. They are given time to eat it all and they do. Works pretty good! I'm sure everyone has a bit of a schedule to work around. :D

Best wishes!

[Jhhnn]

I do it kinda like Chad- large feedings 3-5 times/day. They get plenty of time to eat, but I generally feed enough so that's it's just about gone in 10-15 minutes.

With frozen food ( FBW, FBS, mysis, beefheart, seafood mix) I think it's basically impossible to overfeed the fish, although it's possible to overfeed the biofilter and/or the water change schedule. It may be different w/ flakes and pellets- dunno... There have been a few times where my son and I inadvertently doubled up on feeding... once the fish were truly stuffed, they just left food on the bottom... the worst part w/ that is they'll come back and eat it later, when it's not fresh...

I've never had really small discus, so it may be different w/ them- dunno...

[Chad Hughes]

I do it kinda like Chad- large feedings 3-5 times/day. They get plenty of time to eat, but I generally feed enough so that's it's just about gone in 10-15 minutes.

With frozen food ( FBW, FBS, mysis, beefheart, seafood mix) I think it's basically impossible to overfeed the fish, although it's possible to overfeed the biofilter and/or the water change schedule. It may be different w/ flakes and pellets- dunno... There have been a few times where my son and I inadvertently doubled up on feeding... once the fish were truly stuffed, they just left food on the bottom... the worst part w/ that is they'll come back and eat it later, when it's not fresh...

I've never had really small discus, so it may be different w/ them- dunno...

Works just the same with the babies as well. I think the trick is figuring out how much they wil eat in about an hour. If you can calculate that through trial and error, then you are pretty much guaranteed to put in enough food that will be consumed within the hour with little or no waste.

I have to be careful on my AM feeding since I am not here for post meal clean up. I tend to feed a bit lighter in the AM for that reason. The afternoons are an all you can eat buffet with a small vac in between the 2nd and 3rd meal and a final vac before bed. Ususally change about 20% of the water through this process, so that serves as the daily water change on the small tanks. I try to do a large water change every other day on the tanks with just sponges. Sponges IMO give very basic, biological filtration and should never be relied upon to "clean" the water.

Best wishes!

[rickztahone]

I guess it all depends on what you have time for. That's sort of how my schedule became what it is. I'm away from the house from 0700 to 1730 every day. That's pretty much the whole day. Feedings typically go like this:

0630
1800
2200

Then I have to sleep. LOL! I never remove food from the tank. They are given time to eat it all and they do. Works pretty good! I'm sure everyone has a bit of a schedule to work around. :D

Best wishes!

since you can't feed that many times it's understandable to only feed at those times. the good part of it is that your fish all look great so it works for you. i honestly like to feed my discus a lot because they have a great appetite. if they were to ignore the food then i will skip a meal and they take the following feeding with gusto. during the day my wife feeds my fish. she says it's a PITA but i always ask nicely. shes so use to me calling her or texting her that usually she picks up the phone like this..."i already fed them ok?" i have a schedule posted on the fridge that can't be misread, lol.

[Chad Hughes]

since you can't feed that many times it's understandable to only feed at those times. the good part of it is that your fish all look great so it works for you. i honestly like to feed my discus a lot because they have a great appetite. if they were to ignore the food then i will skip a meal and they take the following feeding with gusto. during the day my wife feeds my fish. she says it's a PITA but i always ask nicely. shes so use to me calling her or texting her that usually she picks up the phone like this..."i already fed them ok?" i have a schedule posted on the fridge that can't be misread, lol.

Dang dude! You're the discus task master! It made me laugh when you said she answers the phone the way she does. LOL! That is funny.

[rickztahone]

Dang dude! You're the discus task master! It made me laugh when you said she answers the phone the way she does. LOL! That is funny.

she doesn't like it at times but i secretly thinks she gets a kick out feeding them. the other day she told me the new fish go up to the top to beg for food and she said she found that to be "cute". i'm making headway here, LOL.

[DiscusKeeper403]

"i already fed them ok?"

LMAO

[smiley]

the new fish go up to the top to beg for food and she said she found that to be "cute". i'm making headway here, LOL.

LOL..U surely are...its my turn now :D

[rickztahone]

LOL..U surely are...its my turn now :D

LOL ;)

[mmorris]

Depends on what's in the homemade mix. ;)

[Chad Hughes]

Depends on what's in the homemade mix. ;)

Excellent point! I agree!! :)