Feeding is the fun part of fish keeping. New aquarists often wonder if they are feeding enough for the fish always seem so hungry. Yet enough food is rarely the problem. The frequency and variety of the diet is more of a concern. Once a day is certainly sufficient. Hell, once a week might even be sufficient for some species.
I would be far more concerned with how much you feed. Is it just a pinch? Is the portion larger than the eyes of the fish? Do any of the flakes reach the bottom? Do you stand there and slowly dole out the food, watching them eat every bite?
Don't worry about giving them a hearty truck driver meal - just give them a teasing taste. I would suggest adding a freeze-dried food like Vibragro as a staple.
This earthy smelling pelleted food was originally manufactured to enhance color and size in tropical marine fish, especially Clownfish. The food is remarkable for its tiny pellets. They have an enticing rich organic smell that is not fishy. The pellets are 500 to 700 micron reddish-brown specks. They float for a while and then they sink. Some pellets sink right away. The main ingredients within the pellets are: fish hydrolysate, fish meal, krill meal, kelp meal and ulva meal. It also has sponge and algae pigments in it. The food is low in protein, only 32%, but high in fat, 13%.
I would also check out the local bait shop. They have five-pound bags of frozen silversides for $7 that you can chop and serve. This is a dirt cheap source of food.
Plus feed a cup of live brine from time to time just to spice up their diet. You need a small brine shrimp net. Hold the net over a cup or container. Pour some of the brine shrimp into the net. Add the saltwater back into the container. Rinse the brine in freshwater before you feed it. You do not need to feed the brine all at once. You can keep it in the refrigerator and feed it out over the next two or three days.
