Feeding amounts and frequency

[dnalex 13,633]

I can see the validity in weighing the fish and I guess I will invest in a kitchen scale.

Is one kind better than the other ? How much are they ? LOL I have never owned a kitchen scale.

If you are satisfied with your fish's growth/maintenance, then weighing them is not necessary. The idea behind weighing is to make feeding and growth a bit more controlled, but it doesn't need to be.

If you have had a fish for a long time without much growth, and you are wondering why, then weighing is a good idea.

The only time that weighing is important is if you have to feed them medicated food, as Smegy had posted.

[Shenlon 18]

But if I did want to weigh them is one brand of scale better than another ? what do you recommend ? do they all have a tare function ? I have no idea what that is. I have never owned a kitchen scale in my life so I am a bit clueless.

[smegypsiren 1,315]

The one I have doesn't go low enough to weigh food. Your going to need one like this one our sponser Tastyworms carries.

http://tastyworms.com/my-weigh-i300-precision-digital-scale.html

[Ms.Jenny 555]

I weigh my fish every two months or so to make sure I am feeding them enough. It's never been a big deal or stressful, the fish act like nothing happened afterwards and don't act weird during it (except for nibbling me all over when I scoop them up ). I would have never guessed how much they have actually grown without weighing them and would not be close to feeding them enough without knowing their actual weight. Plus, it's super fun to track their growth, at least for me.

[dnalex 13,633]

The one I have doesn't go low enough to weigh food. Your going to need one like this one our sponser Tastyworms carries.

http://tastyworms.co...ital-scale.html

That one is accurate to weigh food, but the weight maximum (300g) is too low to weigh fish lol.

A kitchen scale is good enough. Once you have the weight of the fish, you can use the kitchen scale to weigh the food also. Let's say you only need 0.5 grams, and your scale doesn't go that low, then you can measure 2 grams, and divide it into 4 piles. This will give you a good idea of how much food to feed, and that's all you want

[Ms.Jenny 555]

The scale I wish I bought is this one: http://www.amazon.co...=I1B38Z4NPK0KAG

I like it because it has an on/off button (and auto shut off after being left on for 3 mins) as opposed to an automatic turn on when touched, like mine. Plus, it takes normal AAA batteries instead of the little circle lithium ones that my current scale uses. The reviews are good, and the price is good.

Keep in mind you will need a different one for weighing the food, this one is for 1 gram intervals and food weighing needs to be done in 0.1 gram intervals. The one on Tastyworms is good

Edit: Or you can do as Alex recommended, and weigh out larger portions and divide it up into single feedings, which is a great idea!

Edited April 3, 2013 by Ms.Jenny

[Shenlon 18]

is there a all in one scale that can weigh both food and fish in one ? =) Thank you all !

[dnalex 13,633]

is there a all in one scale that can weigh both food and fish in one ? =) Thank you all !

I don't think so. The kitchen scales good for weighing fish are typically only accurate to 1 gram, while the more accurate scales only go up to 3000 grams at most.

[shakaho 6,312]

Alex, where does the 0.5% of body weight recommendation come from?

[dnalex 13,633]

Alex, where does the 0.5% of body weight recommendation come from?

From the various sources that I've read, and pertains to pellets. The majority of this is based on the fact that koi keepers feel 1% - 10% of body weight daily.

Given the issues that fancy goldfish can have digestive issues, I halved it, and always included the caution that individual keepers must increase or decrease as they see fit.

Also, the recommendation is also based on the feeding suggestions when being fed medicated food, which is 1% medication in the food, being fed 1% of body weight daily.

[smegypsiren 1,315]

I guess I should clarify my earlier post. I do 1% pellets, that doesn't include fresh veg or seaweed.

[tithra 4,917]

Mine get fed a small amount 5-6x a day usually. I prefer to feed as often as my schedule allow in order to attempt to recreate a grazing sort of feeding schedule as best I can I also use a scale to measure out food, and I actually use a pill box to put the measured amount of pellets for each day (I refill the pill box weekly), so every time I walk by the tank I grab a bit of the premeasured food until it is gone for the day........ yep, I am a little crazy

Alex, where does the 0.5% of body weight recommendation come from?

There is also suggested feeding amounts for growth vs. maintenance of weight on the university of florida site. I can't remember exactly which one of their articles discusses it, but here is the link http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_fish_nutrition (alex shared this with me awhile back and it has become one of my favorite resources)

This is of course not goldfish specific, but I think a lot of the nutrition/feeding info is certainly relevant.

[shakaho 6,312]

The UF site is focused on fish farming, the purpose of which is to get the maximum growth in the minimum time. This is the same purpose as breeders have in "growing out" or grooming young fish. I wonder if this is the best procedure to follow with pet fish.

[dnalex 13,633]

The UF site is focused on fish farming, the purpose of which is to get the maximum growth in the minimum time. This is the same purpose as breeders have in "growing out" or grooming young fish. I wonder if this is the best procedure to follow with pet fish.

That's why I cut this down into 0.5%, AND have people follow up to see what kind of growth they are getting. For some who have adult fish, they may not want any growth.

The number is just a launching board for people to start somewhere. I don't think there is one number that fits for all situations, but we do need to start somewhere.

[tithra 4,917]

The UF site is focused on fish farming, the purpose of which is to get the maximum growth in the minimum time. This is the same purpose as breeders have in "growing out" or grooming young fish. I wonder if this is the best procedure to follow with pet fish.

In their article on feeding they do make reference to 'home aquarists' and 'pet owners'

This is one of the quotes "for maintenance, 0.5-1.0% body weight per day is adequate"

[dnalex 13,633]

You brought up a good point, Jess, because while there is a definite focus on fish farming, there is also discussion about ornamental fish.