feeding ?

[helene schoubye]

I am in doubt now.
Up till now I think I have been feeding much too heavily. I feed mostly artemia and moina – and when I can other live food. But since I now became aware that I am feeding too much, I decided to start feeding not every day, but every second day.

But then I am thinking … is that good if you have fry … ? or in those tanks where you do not yet know that you have fry ?

I was thinking maybe I have had so many offsprings lately because I actually almost ‘overfeed’.

I have not had any problems with the waterquality, thats not why I am changing, but there does seem to build up too much waste in the tanks now and again. Not more than I can clean out.
But I more worried about whether its unhealthy for the fish to be ‘overfed’.

I have heard / read two different views on feeding paroes – one that its best to feed a lot, another that its best to feed every second day instead of each day … ?

What are you doing ?

[Ted L. Dutcher]

I feed at least once a day usually Moina. If there are moinas still swimming in he tank, I do not feed since I think it is good to let the fish do a bit of hunting and clean them up. I have no idea what is best since paros are new to me, but as a long time fish keeper, it seems to me that feeding can vary from everyday to at least everyother day and sometimes even less. In he wild, fish do not normally get a full meal everyday so I usually don’t worry much about constant food available…depends on the moina cultures. For breeding I think a bit more is better and also a variety of foods.
As long as water parameters remain good, feeding is ok.
To “overfeed is up to you but generally be sure they eat it all and food
is not laying around in the tank spoiling… that is all your call….since yu know your tanks and fish.
As a successful breeder I would say yoour techniques are good!!

[Stefanie Rick]

I am no breeder of paros (by now – as far as I know. Depends on how successful my constantly courting pair of nagyi is …. 😉 ), only a keeper – but my fish seem to be healthy and really doing well. So I allow myself to tell my way of feeding.

My paros get small lots of freshly hatched Artemia every day, they are eaten within half an hour. Every second day I regularly feed glass worms (in winter, because you can store them in the fridge for quite a while), or, if available, Daphnia or bigger artemia. I feed approx. 5 – 7 glass worms per fish. They are eaten within two days and do not die, if not.

There regularly is a pause in my artemia production every three or four days (= once a week). Then I am able to offer micro or vinager eels alternatively.

In summer I can offer a bigger variety of life food – I have a garden pond that supplies rich food. But also only every second day!

[helene schoubye]

Thanks both of you, – I think I hear it to be so that it might be okay to continue feeding every day, but maybe a bit less. In particular tanks with fry I will continue to feed everyday.
But I think that during the summer period, when I am not so much at home in my flat, I will feed less.
Because there’s another thing which actually worries me. I dont have a lot of deaths, or sickness with my fish, – but the last 4 has been breeding males (one yesterday). All of them ‘succesfull’ males, which really makes me think, that theres something not right in keeping the ‘perfect’ conditions for the couples continually without pauses. This includes food, water, ph, etc … not implying that I am going to make it deteriorate, – one obtion is also to seperate couples every now and again.
But I am quite sure that the continual breeding eagerness of these small males is hard for them. In nature of course in periods conditions are ‘less optimal’ – (less food, drying out waters and other things) – where the fish might have breeding pauses.

At least this is my theory.

[Ted L. Dutcher]

Yes, it seems their peak breeding time is in our fall to early winter seasons. Currently, the dealers are having good stocks of young fish. During the summer months there seems to be less “wild caught” fish available. I would guess they have a regular breeding season at home and a few months off duty!! So a break for you fish should not at all be harmful, and may acually help them recover from the breeding season. They probably have several broods as we have seen and heard reported of males having a couple of broods weeks apart in the same caves. I don’t know the weather patterns in paros locations ut would guess they spawn during or just after the “wet” seasons for plentiful clean flush of waters and optimum conditions of plankton tpe foods for the young.

[helene schoubye]

Well, why is never easy with these little beauties 🙂 … now I have to invent one room apartments for single fish recovering … as if I havent got enough small tanks, now I need more :S
but I guess it should be a bit helpful if theres is a break in off-spring since at the moment I really have too many …

But I am sure its the right way to go somehow, – and interesting and good learning for me.

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