How much energy do our fish need?

[vetteguy53081]

This week as nutrition is an importance for well being of fish, the question comes up- How much energy do our fish really need?
There are many staples in form of frozen and dry foods and classifications of fish. . . Herbivore, carnivore, and more. Foods are important for energy, color, immunity health and overall vitality. Often a concern is " what must I have" or " do I really need this" ?
Herbivores get their energy from algae but the nutritious content of algae is low compared to many foods so feeding meats are equally as important, in fact my tangs will take meat over algae any day.. There is the popular nori. I personally use the julian sprung and ocean nutrition versions but asian markets sell this - as long as its not basted with seasonings. There are supplements such spirulina, spinach and romaine lettuce but its also important that what is offered is easy for the fish to digest.
Then there are Carnivores often referred to as meat eaters. Popular and recognized foods for carnivires are Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, krill, plankton and even homemade concoctions. There has been controversy as to the nutritional value of brine shrimp which 19% fat, 52% protein and 15% carbs
So, the heading and question is: "how much energy is required for my fish" ?
This often is not easy to answer as the answer will be based on type of fish, size of fish, age of fish not to mention many us assume they dont need as much as larger pts, cat, dog, etc.
When given a variety of food and healthy foods, the fish we keep can have an enhanced method of living. One member (@Weeb) expresses an importance in nutrition as it does play a role in successful husbandry

What is your perception of energy for fish?
What foods do you choose to feed and what do you hope it accomplishes for the health of your fish?
Do you have a favorite food you feed and what type/brand is it?

I feed the best I can acquire and use brands such as Hikari- ocean nutrition - LRS - San Fransisco Bay and Rods - Massticks -TDO pellets

 

[Anemone_Fanatic]

I don't trust pellets/flakes.

Here're some common ingredients in pellets.

- Alfalfa
- Wheat flour
- Potato starch
- Soy bean meal
- Yeast
- Dairy products
- Vegetable oil
- Ground rice

If you see any fish out on the reef grazing in a field of alfalfa and potatoes as they drink milk and vegetable oil, please let me know. In a pack of frozen mysid shrimp, the only ingredient is mysid shrimp. Much better for the fish as it's what they eat in the wild, or pretty close to it.

 

[bushdoc]

I feed my fish plethora of food sources, frozen mostly, but also pellets.
Frozen food contain much less energy/ weight than pellets, hence I add pellets to their diet.
From frozen foods, fish eggs are high in energy and other nutritional values.

 

[lopez052308]

I feed frozen mysis, tropic Marin pellets, reef nutrition R.O.E, and a few other things every once in a while. I try to give them a large variety to enhance color and keep them healthy and happy.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I don't trust pellets/flakes.

Here're some common ingredients in pellets.

- Alfalfa
- Wheat flour
- Potato starch
- Soy bean meal
- Yeast
- Dairy products
- Vegetable oil
- Ground rice

If you see any fish out on the reef grazing in a field of alfalfa and potatoes as they drink milk and vegetable oil, please let me know. In a pack of frozen mysid shrimp, the only ingredient is mysid shrimp. Much better for the fish as it's what they eat in the wild, or pretty close to it.

Reason I feed VERY little

 

[Weeb]

This week as nutrition is an importance for well being of fish, the question comes up- How much energy do our fish really need?
There are many staples in form of frozen and dry foods and classifications of fish. . . Herbivore, carnivore, and more. Foods are important for energy, color, immunity health and overall vitality. Often a concern is " what must I have" or " do I really need this" ?
Herbivores get their energy from algae but the nutritious content of algae is low compared to many foods so feeding meats are equally as important, in fact my tangs will take meat over algae any day.. There is the popular nori. I personally use the julian sprung and ocean nutrition versions but asian markets sell this - as long as its not basted with seasonings. There are supplements such spirulina, spinach and romaine lettuce but its also important that what is offered is easy for the fish to digest.
Then there are Carnivores often referred to as meat eaters. Popular and recognized foods for carnivires are Mysis shrimp, brine shrimp, krill, plankton and even homemade concoctions. There has been controversy as to the nutritional value of brine shrimp which 19% fat, 52% protein and 15% carbs
So, the heading and question is: "how much energy is required for my fish" ?
This often is not easy to answer as the answer will be based on type of fish, size of fish, age of fish not to mention many us assume they dont need as much as larger pts, cat, dog, etc.
When given a variety of food and healthy foods, the fish we keep can have an enhanced method of living. One member (@Weeb) expresses an importance in nutrition as it does play a role in successful husbandry

What is your perception of energy for fish?
What foods do you choose to feed and what do you hope it accomplishes for the health of your fish?
Do you have a favorite food you feed and what type/brand is it?

I feed the best I can acquire and use brands such as Hikari- ocean nutrition - LRS - San Fransisco Bay and Rods - Massticks -TDO pellets

The grouping of frozen foods is 'right on.'

 

[kevgib67]

I alternate, mysis, brine, roe, fish frenzy and flake. It is never the same from day to day.

 

[Weeb]

"Energy" is a tricky word.

I like my fish to have an obvious fat reserve. (Fat is stored at and above the Lateral Line and below the dorsal fin, so being 'thick' there is the goal I set).

Among our ornamental marine fishes, the fish's energy needs vary. In my tank for instance, the Clownfish hangs in a 3 cubic inch area, but my Yellow Tang is on the constant 'prowl.' The Tang swims from one end of the tank to the other, back again, then to the back of the tank, through rock crevices and back out -- rinsing and repeating. So my Tang needs to eat more, but my Clownfish just chills.

So I feed. . .Homemade, frozen, live, freeze-dried, and the occasional pellet. My fish (in general) don't like the pellet feed, but for some reason my Clownfish can't seem to get enough of it.

 

[00W]

To all I feed spectrum one pellets,brine, formula one pellets. Frozen:marine cuisine, formula one and two, prime reef and angel formula. Never the same each day.
My tang gets green and red algae sheets but I have to break it up and soak it then float it-won't eat it any other way. He also gets broccoli and frozen peas thawed in water.
Trigger gets shrimp,crab,scallops and scrambled eggs. Also eats everything else but algae.
I feed too much.

 

[Pod_01]

Alfalfa
- Wheat flour
- Potato starch
- Soy bean meal
- Yeast
- Dairy products
- Vegetable oil
- Ground rice

When I see yeast and flour I always think of bread. Why would fish eat bread and where on the reef do they get it “open buffet maybe “.

Regardless I do use pellets so I am guilty. The fish do like it and I try to pick ones with limited ingredients list.

This is what is inside the pellets I currently use:

Also I do feed plankton.

 

[Weeb]

When I see yeast and flour I always think of bread. Why would fish eat bread and where on the reef do they get it “open buffet maybe “.

Regardless I do use pellets so I am guilty. The fish do like it and I try to pick ones with limited ingredients list.

This is what is inside the pellets I currently use:

Also I do feed plankton.

Not a bad pellet, I'd say. Although being the skeptic that I am, I'd want to know exactly what fish is in there and exactly what fish by-products are there.

Good that you are actually reading the ingredients list. I try to get that message across in the Fish Health Rough Proper Nutrition post.

 

[bluemon]

As long as the fish are healthy on them, and eat them well, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with Pellets. It's similar to seeing grain in dog food; a little bit can still have some benefits for them despite the fact that you won't see wild wolves munching on wheat (and yes, it's not a perfect analogy as dogs have evolved alongside human civilizations over millennia and have thus evolved to take in "scraps" that we do not eat)

While obviously relying on 100% pellet based diet is a bad idea, I do incorporate a few pellets every once in a while. My Naso goes CRAZY for pellets, even more so than mysis, not sure why.

 

[vetteguy53081]

As long as the fish are healthy on them, and eat them well, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with Pellets. It's similar to seeing grain in dog food; a little bit can still have some benefits for them despite the fact that you won't see wild wolves munching on wheat (and yes, it's not a perfect analogy as dogs have evolved alongside human civilizations over millennia and have thus evolved to take in "scraps" that we do not eat)

While obviously relying on 100% pellet based diet is a bad idea, I do incorporate a few pellets every once in a while. My Naso goes CRAZY for pellets, even more so than mysis, not sure why.

Because for me they are fillers in an Auto feeder, I utilize flake and pellets in which the pellets help push the flakes forward. TDO and Ocean nutrition has a better analysis

 

[Midrats]

We eat all kinds of things we aren't supposed to eat. Dairy, things that require cooking, legumes for example.

 

[nothing_fancy]

I try to mix it up a little (no pun intended) I can really only do (1) feeding per day and sometimes I have to skip. I try to feed for the whole reef so corals and inverts included:
-R.O.E. daily few drops
-phyto daily
-Calanus 3x weekly give or take
-Rods Original 1x per week
-Live baby brine 2-3x per week
-Reef Roids 1x per week
-Reef Chili 1x per week
-TDO chroma- pinch every other day sometimes less or more
-Piscene pellets daily (inverts love them)
-Pe Mysis on occasion usually mixed with Rod's
-Frozen Baby Brine on occasion usually mixed with calanus

I don't have a lot of fish but all of them are healthy and growing. At 8:30 pm every night they routinely fall in line for their 9 o clock feeding. I don't know if they care but I think a little variety helps with morale.

 

[Infinite Reef]

Sometimes I do wonder how much energy fish really need considering they are pretty sedentary in an aquarium compared to the wild. I hear a lot of people say their fish are fat and happy but at what point does it go into morbidly obese

 

[Weeb]

I try to mix it up a little (no pun intended) I can really only do (1) feeding per day and sometimes I have to skip. I try to feed for the whole reef so corals and inverts included:
-R.O.E. daily few drops
-phyto daily
-Calanus 3x weekly give or take
-Rods Original 1x per week
-Live baby brine 2-3x per week
-Reef Roids 1x per week
-Reef Chili 1x per week
-TDO chroma- pinch every other day sometimes less or more
-Piscene pellets daily (inverts love them)
-Pe Mysis on occasion usually mixed with Rod's
-Frozen Baby Brine on occasion usually mixed with calanus

I don't have a lot of fish but all of them are healthy and growing. At 8:30 pm every night they routinely fall in line for their 9 o clock feeding. I don't know if they care but I think a little variety helps with morale.

Not a part of this thread, so much, but I am curious. Why can you only feed once/day?

 

[nothing_fancy]

Not a part of this thread, so much, but I am curious. Why can you only feed once/day?

I'm out early and home late most days, work a lot, so I have my system setup to drop into feed mode at 9pm every day. I've considered an auto feeder but for me it doesn't seem necessary as I don't have any big fish or anything like that. If I had tangs or something like that Id probably drop a Nori clip in the morning but I don't have anything like that currently.

 

[Weeb]

Sometimes I do wonder how much energy fish really need considering they are pretty sedentary in an aquarium compared to the wild. I hear a lot of people say their fish are fat and happy but at what point does it go into morbidly obese

Indeed.

It depends on the species. Some Tangs travel and move around a lot -- on the reef and in the aquarium. Yet other species just hang around and chill. In between, some slowly move about pecking at the rock and/or substrate. [See post #8].

 

[vetteguy53081]

I'm out early and home late most days, work a lot, so I have my system setup to drop into feed mode at 9pm every day. I've considered an auto feeder but for me it doesn't seem necessary as I don't have any big fish or anything like that. If I had tangs or something like that Id probably drop a Nori clip in the morning but I don't have anything like that currently.

I had same scenario and utilized an auto feeder to give them multiple feedings