underfeeding fish and overfeeding a tank...

[dadstank]

i feel as though i am not feeding my sailfin tang enough, but i feel that i am overfeeding the tank.

in my tank i have
1. sailfin tang (med/large)
1. damsel
1. convict blenny (maybe 2 - i haven't seen the other one in several weeks, but i also hadn't seen it for months and then i moved the tank and poof there he was...)
and only a few assorted corals.

here is what i feed, everyother day i wrap a 2x6ish peice of marine green algea around a peice of coral and drop it in the center of the tank, and the other days i rip a 2x2 peice in little bit size peice and float it on the water surface. as soon as the food goes in the sailfin goes NUTS, and devours everything. i also feed the tank microvert for my christmas tree, who isn't doing very well either....

i feel like i am not feeding her enough, but i have noticed that algea buildup between cleanings has been getting heavier/quicker since i started feeding more. (about 4 weeks)

water parameters have no change.

since she is getting more food more often i thought maybe she would settle down, but she eats so fast that i feel like i am starving her. everytime. ALL food is eaten within 10 minutes. max.

what's up?

 

[Mike612]

The tang looks healthy. It looks fat. All tangs, especially of the Zebrasoma genus, are real pigs. I also have a Sailfin Tang and honestly, he eats the majority of the food I throw in. He looks healthy so I'd say you're giving him plenty and that like all tangs, he's just a pig.

 

[CG1]

LOL - you are by no means starving that beautiful Salfin. I feed my tank once a week – I’ll put in a whole sheet of seaweed (I dunno the dimensions, maybe 8x8?) sometimes I skip a week and let them scrounge the reef. I have 13 fish or so in 180 - weekly feeding are sufficient in my opinion.

 

[dnorton1978]

To me the sailfin looks very healthy to. I mean look at that stomach!!! :lol:

 

[dadstank]

you really only feed your tank once a week? even with 13 fish?!?!?

what do you feed them, only one sheet of algea?

how do you make sure/know you are growing the correct kinds of algea in your tank for them to feed on?

and yes, our little isabell's nickname is piglet...

 

[CG1]

How can I be sure ? I set my tank up and listened to the advice of a LFS (now out of business – a stupid lady over in Flemington NJ) a couple of things she old me worked and I still follow – that was 9 years ago. I suppose I can be sure since the fish in my tank have been there for years (except a vicious yellow tang that’s relatively new to my tank – I kick myself over him all the time, he badgers my Clown tang which I absolutely adore). I figure if it aint broke don’t fix it (don’t let the wife know I said that – I recently built a refugium and added a calcium reactor out of boredom….she doesn’t need anything else to complain about ! )