How know when the fishs need food

[Nucleus]

Hi everybody,

I'am very newbie in the fish world and i have 6 tiger barbs in 10 gall tank.  I give them flake 2-3 time per day and they eat all in 1-2 min.  Sometime when I'am going to check if all is alright in the tank, they go up to the surface and seems wait  :-/ ???  I learn the barb have a big appetite ...  Some persons told me " dont give more of food they can eat in 5 min " but i have really the impress their appetite is without end.

Thank you

 

[colesea]

Fish will eat and eat and eat and eat. THere is no limit to their gut.  Pavlo's principle of operant conditioning applies to fish that do the "dinner dance" every time someone approaches their tank. It does not mean they're hungry, it means that they've been "trained" that food will enter their environment when that huge human distortion opens the hood lid. It is nothing but a conditioned response the same way a dog drooling at the bell is a conditioned response.

Try to refrain from feeding them.  This cute little "dinner dance" is what leads most people into overfeeding.  Stick to your regular 2-3x day schedual and it will keep your tank cleaner.
~~Colesea

 

[ronrca]

Once a day is recommended. Fish will always beg for food and also eat it. One has to remember that in the wild, fish sometimes dont eat for a couple of days, maybe weeks. That is why they eat whenever they get a chance and eat and eat and eat. They do not know when they next meal is so they have to take advantage of it. Of course, we that feed them know when their next meal is.

I once found a very good article about feeding fish and how much food they actually need. I'll try finding it again.