how much do you feed

[johnny5]

just to let you know i killed $1000 of fish. I feed them twice a day and it was to much.
I was told to feed them 1 time a day and 5 time's a week

do you know how much to feed?

[firedragon92]

i feed my fish once a day every day however you can give them half the amount of food twice a day or a third 3 times a day it makes no difference

keep in mind that less food is better than more food

hope that helps

[Woodsy]

Depends on the tank - Tanks described following the "Walstad" method require feeding your fish 4-5 times per day. Mine get fed a variety of foods every night, about 5 full feeds, but that is only due to the method I have used in this tank. It's a stock tank, so it's geared towards growing lots of hungry plants as quickly as possible.

[johnny5]

yes woodsy, it was a stock tank and plants
cleaning the canister 3 or 4 day's a week

[Woodsy]

I'd say that cleaning the canister that often is what killed them then, you'd have no bacteria cleaning it that often. Mine gets cleaned every 8 weeks.

[wombat1100]

8 weeks Woodsy?i clean my canister every 8 months!!!!
feed small amounts twice a day and have had no real problems.
I would have to agree with Woodsy , I would say u are killing your bacteria cleaning that often, what size canister filter are you running?

[Woodsy]

Call it habit mate :p
Glad you're making a triumphant return!

[johnny5]

i must of just pouting to much food in the tank the filter wool was going black after 8 day's cf-1500 canister 4 ft tank

[Woodsy]

Could also be dead organic matter - in this case, your bacteria.

[Mick John]

You have to treat your Bio Filter like it's the heart of the aquarium. Crash this and the Bio. Equalibrium crashes too. Unfortunately you tried to do the right thing by keeping the Canister unblocked but in the process destroyed your bacteria. It doesn't take much to tip the balance in a vunerable closed environment as you just discovered. I'm sorry for your loses as I have been there also. Personally I do not use Fine Filter Wool in my canister as it's purely for Biological Filtration and not Mechanical Filtration. Of coarse it will still collect a portion of solids but will still prolong the duration of a decent water flow. You could also place an Intake Filter Sponge on the Pipe Entrance, which will collect alot of your waste. You then only have to clean this. If your serious about stablising your water then purchase a filter solely for your Mechanical Filtration. I use the hang on Filters and internal filters. These can also be used as Venturi Pumps, adding more air into your water. Clean this as needed. Good Luck.;)

[Woodsy]

lol, you just described my filter exactly Mick - Cannister with nothing but noodles in it, and a sponge on the intake. Glad to see we're on the same page mate :p

[cichlidboy]

what kind of fish do you keep?

[Woodsy]

That tank has two pairs of Firemouths (greens and standards), and about two dozen tetras. Until last week it also contained three large marble bristlenose, however, the heat soon took care of that...

[johnny5]

hay mick john thank's for the info after 6 month's of trubel's you hit the nail no the head cheers

[Mick John]

No worries Mate. I'm glad I could help. I know there is nothing worse than wanting to have some success in this hobby but not really knowing how to. Not to mention all the money that can be lost. Believe me I know. It helps to know the fundamentals. Then you can really appreciate the Hobby. A little bit of studying can save alot of headaches in the long run. But read material from different sources and learn from different people as everyone has their own beliefs and ideas on certain aspects of this hobby. Then you can decide which is best for you. Cheers.

[Woodsy]

Can I get an, "AMEN"?!

[wombat1100]

amen !!!!!!!

[GoGuppy]

Yep, that's what I do, only coarse media for biological action in the canister filter that just churns away day in day out and cleaned once or maybe twice a year.

Occasionally, if i want to show off the tank when visitors are expected in a day or two, or i've done plant maintenance and stirred up some silt, I just hang a over-the-side cheapie filter with some floss in it to provide extra polishing of the water. Easie peasie.:D

The hang-over-the side unit is a back up for the main filter as well, you just never know..:eek:..when it goes.

[johnny5]

yes sory thanks to all. it is all good