Tip of the Day – 5/8/2014

If you feed your aquarium sparingling in an attempt to prevent algae growth, then chances are you are severely underfeeding your livestock. By “feed your aquarium” we mean, of course, feeding the residence of the tank, which include fish, corals and invertebrates. There is often advice floating around telling people to not feed their aquariums every day, sometimes suggesting that feeding every other day is sufficient for keeping algae at bay while also providing enough nutrition for your fish. It was a methodology that I once subscribed to as well, but over time you quickly realize that it just doesn’t work. For one, algae is going to grow regardless of how much you feed. Sure, foods breakdown into algae fueling nutrients, but simply cutting back on feedings won’t solve those problems. They will create another problem, however, as aquatic livestock won’t be as healthy on limited feedings. Large predatory fish may not require a constant food supply, but many of the smaller reef species require multiple daily feedings. They are very active fish that have a high nutritional demand, and skimping out on food isn’t the right answer to an algae problem.