# feeding intervals



## michaelj (Nov 18, 2007)

What kind of intervals do you follow when feeding your fish? when I had RB's I fed them twice daily when they were small and every seond day once over 4 inches. My Red Devil I feed every second day and now I just bought a 2" Rhom and its day 2. I have 4 africans (yellow labs) in with him right now so until they go missing I'm not gonna feed him anything, I have bloodworm, african pellets, tubifex, krill etc etc but was wondering wha kinda shedules you use for feeding. I have gone a week wihout feeding my old rb's and also wih my devil by accident, is it possible to go that long with a rhom. info on your feeding please!!


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## Dezboy (Apr 2, 2006)

with my baby reds i use to feed them 3 times per day

with my older reds i use to feed them once a day

with my large serra i use to feed it once a day


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## jestergraphics (May 29, 2007)

I feed my 6"rs (pygos and serra) every other day. Mine refuse to eat every day.


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## Coldfire (Aug 20, 2003)

I feed all my fish daily.


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## eiji (Sep 16, 2006)

when im lazy a day apart, but usually daily..


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

I stagger their feeding bigtime.
Piranhas of all creatures do not have a steady feeding schedule in the wild.
For thousands of years, they've eaten a huge meal, then another one, then none for awhile, then a small meal, then nothing for a long period, then a few huge ones... etc.

This simulation of their natural feeding 'schedule' has REALLY increased their activity and decreased their skittishness.
Hell, my reds practically don't have a skittish bone in their body anymore.

Like I said, they are genetically designed to be opportunistic feeders, and to feed them the same thing at the same time day after day after day just completely goes against what thousands of years of evolution has designed them for.


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## scotty (Oct 3, 2007)

Piranha_man said:


> I stagger their feeding bigtime.
> Piranhas of all creatures do not have a steady feeding schedule in the wild.
> For thousands of years, they've eaten a huge meal, then another one, then none for awhile, then a small meal, then nothing for a long period, then a few huge ones... etc.
> 
> ...


 hey that sounds like a good idea cause mine are even more skittisg now mabye ill try to stagger their feeding schedule. i just dont want them nipping at eachothers fins. 5rb in a 125 4"


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

scotty said:


> I stagger their feeding bigtime.
> Piranhas of all creatures do not have a steady feeding schedule in the wild.
> For thousands of years, they've eaten a huge meal, then another one, then none for awhile, then a small meal, then nothing for a long period, then a few huge ones... etc.
> 
> ...


 hey that sounds like a good idea cause mine are even more skittisg now mabye ill try to stagger their feeding schedule. i just dont want them nipping at eachothers fins. 5rb in a 125 4"
[/quote]

I have a dozen 6" reds in my 150 gallon...


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## scotty (Oct 3, 2007)

kick ass, what do you feed them and whats their fav? mine love krill


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## jestergraphics (May 29, 2007)

Piranha_man said:


> I stagger their feeding bigtime.
> Piranhas of all creatures do not have a steady feeding schedule in the wild.
> For thousands of years, they've eaten a huge meal, then another one, then none for awhile, then a small meal, then nothing for a long period, then a few huge ones... etc.
> 
> ...


very interesting.......

good point.


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## jestergraphics (May 29, 2007)

Piranha_man said:


> I stagger their feeding bigtime.
> Piranhas of all creatures do not have a steady feeding schedule in the wild.
> For thousands of years, they've eaten a huge meal, then another one, then none for awhile, then a small meal, then nothing for a long period, then a few huge ones... etc.
> 
> ...


 hey that sounds like a good idea cause mine are even more skittisg now mabye ill try to stagger their feeding schedule. i just dont want them nipping at eachothers fins. 5rb in a 125 4"
[/quote]

I have a dozen 6" reds in my 150 gallon...
[/quote]

damn!! hows that workin for ya? I had 8 in my 150 in my sig and thought that was too much so I sold 2. You got pics?


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## michaelj (Nov 18, 2007)

thats what I try todo somewhat. what do you consider to be the maximum safe time without food? 3 days, 7 days? thats really what I want to know, how long can they go without food and stay healthy ?


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

My guess would be 4-6 months.


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## michaelj (Nov 18, 2007)

Piranha_man said:


> My guess would be 4-6 months.


honestly I have thought about this alot. dry season in brazil is 4-5 months, I GUESS a piranha might have to survive half this period without a meal, and still survive. so my guesstimation is a piranha could possibly make it halfway thru the dry season without a meal but remember how many RB's dont make it thru the first week of dry. perhaps alot of p's make it thru successfcully while millions more die. similar to the seal hunts, rainbow trout runs and monarch butterfly migrations. anyways I wouldnt put my P's past 2 weeks of food no way no how, though it might go pretty far towards finding the strongest genes/fish etc


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

Being we are on the topic of feeding....What do you all think about my Solitary Spilo not being fed for about 8 days?
I dont think it will be a big problem.


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## michaelj (Nov 18, 2007)

notaverage said:


> Being we are on the topic of feeding....What do you all think about my Solitary Spilo not being fed for about 8 days?
> I dont think it will be a big problem.


I dont know much about spilos but whats wrong with feeding him every 2-3 days? even 4 vacation, have a neighbour feed him somthing out the freezer like fillet, shimp etc every 3 days... ?


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## notaverage (Sep 10, 2005)

michaelj said:


> Being we are on the topic of feeding....What do you all think about my Solitary Spilo not being fed for about 8 days?
> I dont think it will be a big problem.


I dont know much about spilos but whats wrong with feeding him every 2-3 days? even 4 vacation, have a neighbour feed him somthing out the freezer like fillet, shimp etc every 3 days... ?
[/quote]

I dont trust anyone to take out what he doesnt eat so...he isnt eating for a while. Im gonna feed him the morning before i leave.


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## Piranha_man (Jan 29, 2005)

michaelj said:


> My guess would be 4-6 months.


honestly I have thought about this alot. dry season in brazil is 4-5 months, I GUESS a piranha might have to survive half this period without a meal, and still survive. so my guesstimation is a piranha could possibly make it halfway thru the dry season without a meal but remember how many RB's dont make it thru the first week of dry. perhaps alot of p's make it thru successfcully while millions more die. similar to the seal hunts, rainbow trout runs and monarch butterfly migrations. anyways I wouldnt put my P's past 2 weeks of food no way no how, though it might go pretty far towards finding the strongest genes/fish etc
[/quote]

I'm certainly not suggesting starving your fish for 4-6 months.
They, however, can go that long without food.
I stagger feeding in my P. nattereri tank from 2 feedings per day to several days without food, to everything in between.

I believe that a nonfluctuating, daily feeding schedule is not good for this species.
They've been conditioned for thousands of years to be 'opportunistic feeders' due to the lack of regularity of their diet.


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## NeXuS (Aug 16, 2006)

when mine were small i fed them4 times a day now that they are bigger i feed them once but since i realized they havn't gotten much growth this much i may try 2 times and c what happens


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