Fish waste vs uneaten food

[Ryan8696]

Hi all, I've check the forums but cant find an answer for this one.

Is uneaten food in the tank worse that the waste produced by a fish from eating the food?

 

[Dburr1014]

Hi all, I've check the forums but cant find an answer for this one.

Is uneaten food in the tank worse that the waste produced by a fish from eating the food?

Good question.
I always felt that the I eaten food gets pickup by the cuc.
So essentially it all gets processed.

 

[Ryan8696]

Good question.
I always felt that the I eaten food gets pickup by the cuc.
So essentially it all gets processed.

Funny you say that - I don't have a cuc - I have a coral garden with one hawk fish - he sits around that the bottom of the tank so I don't think he's getting all of the food I put in...which made me wonder which was worse? Him not eating it and the waste it would produce, or him eating it and waste he produces from the food...

 

[LeftyReefer]

Hi all, I've check the forums but cant find an answer for this one.

Is uneaten food in the tank worse that the waste produced by a fish from eating the food?

What do you mean by "worse"? and "worse" for whom?

would you rather have an uneaten hotdog on your plate, or a steaming pile of #$%& on a plate?

If I'm hungry, I guess I'd rather have the hotdog. If I need to fertilize the garden, I guess I'd take the plate of poo.

Both are part of the food web, just different parts of the cycle.

 

[Ryan8696]

What do you mean by "worse"? and "worse" for whom?

would you rather have an uneaten hotdog on your plate, or a steaming pile of #$%& on a plate?

If I'm hungry, I guess I'd rather have the hotdog. If I need to fertilize the garden, I guess I'd take the plate of poo.

Both are part of the food web, just different parts of the cycle.

Worse for the tank parameters.

For example would the tank parameters fluctuate/spike more dramatically (eg. ammonia/nitrate) if you were to throw in a bunch of food and leave it uneaten for several days in the tank?

Or would the parameters fluctuate/spike more dramatically if you were to throw in the same amount of food and have your fish eat and expel the waste?

 

[LeftyReefer]

Worse for the tank parameters.

For example would the tank parameters fluctuate/spike more dramatically (eg. ammonia/nitrate) if you were to throw in a bunch of food and leave it uneaten for several days in the tank?

Or would the parameters fluctuate/spike more dramatically if you were to throw in the same amount of food and have your fish eat and expel the waste?

Well the end result is the same... the food being converted to waste, ie into ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

But Example A would happen more slowly if you are relying on only the the bacteria in the tank to digest the food and convert it into the above waste products. This would happen slowly, over many days/weeks.

Example B would happen more quickly since the fish will be able to digest the food into waste quicker than the bacteria can. This would happen over a few hours to a day at most.

All food is going to be converted into ammonia, then into nitrites, then into nitrates. Who/what converts it is going to be a quicker or slower process, but the end results will be the same.

that's why when somebody's nutrients like NO3 or PO4 are real low, they are told to either increase feedings, or dose some ammonia/nitrates/phosphates. Either way works, just different parts of the food chain cycle. Any food is just going to be converted into ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates anyway, so to raise those, you can add more food, or dose the end product.

 

[Dburr1014]

Well the end result is the same... the food being converted to waste, ie into ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates.

But Example A would happen more slowly if you are relying on only the the bacteria in the tank to digest the food and convert it into the above waste products. This would happen in slowly, over many days/weeks.

Example B would happen more quickly since the fish will be able to digest the food into waste quicker than the bacteria can. This would happen over a few hours to a day at most.

All food is going to be converted into ammonia, then into nitrites, then into nitrates. Who/what converts it is going to be a quicker or slower process, but the end results will be the same.

that's why when somebody's nutrients like NO3 or PO4 are real low, they are told to either increase feedings, or dose some ammonia/nitrates/phosphates. Either way works, just different parts of the food chain cycle. Any food is just going to be converted into ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates anyway, so to raise those, you can add more food, or dose the end product.

Some of the food eaten by fish will be turned into energy. Does that mean that there is less organics to be converted than raw food? I maybe be overthinking this.

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Worse for the tank parameters.

For example would the tank parameters fluctuate/spike more dramatically (eg. ammonia/nitrate) if you were to throw in a bunch of food and leave it uneaten for several days in the tank?

Or would the parameters fluctuate/spike more dramatically if you were to throw in the same amount of food and have your fish eat and expel the waste?

Uneaten food could be way worse than jsut the waste your fish is producing if you are way over feeding.

As @LeftyReefer mentioned it will all end up the same. Since you mentioned that you only have 1 fish in there, I would adjust hoe much you are feeding or spot feed more so that you don't have to worry about so much left over food (since you mentioned not having a clean up crew). That way you can kind of just avoid the unnecessary build up of waste to begin with.

What are you feeding your tank?

 

[Ryan8696]

Uneaten food could be way worse than jsut the waste your fish is producing if you are way over feeding.

As @LeftyReefer mentioned it will all end up the same. Since you mentioned that you only have 1 fish in there, I would adjust hoe much you are feeding or spot feed more so that you don't have to worry about so much left over food (since you mentioned not having a clean up crew). That way you can kind of just avoid the unnecessary build up of waste to begin with.

What are you feeding your tank?

I feed mainly brine shrimp (I cut up a frozen cube into very small pieces and feed him some every day). The problem is is that he eats the larger chunks, but all of the little pieces float away never to be seen again. I've tried feeding him pellets but he refuses to eat them. I suppose I could spot feed him - but that would be a bit of a pain.