Feeding — Less Than You Think
By Yechiel Kuperman, marine biologist · 49 years keeping fishTold by Plecy the Glutton Plecostomus
“A little mess is a little lunch. This I have always believed. However — and I say this as a fish who has eaten more surfaces than anyone in this building — I have learned that there are limits. Uneaten food sinks. It rots. It produces ammonia. It lowers the oxygen. It creates, in short, the conditions I now understand are bad for everyone, including me.”
Overfeeding is one of the most common mistakes in fishkeeping. And it is easy to understand why — it feels kind. The fish come to the surface. They look interested. It seems like giving them more food is giving them more happiness. It is not.
Uneaten food sinks to the bottom. It decomposes. As it decomposes, it releases ammonia, consumes oxygen, and makes the water progressively worse for the very fish you were trying to feed. The rule is simple: feed a small amount, watch the fish eat it, and stop before there is food left floating around. Most fish can go a day without food without any harm at all. Overfeeding can cause real damage in hours.
⚠️ Leftover food rots fast and pollutes the water. A little less food is almost always safer than a little more.
Yechiel's Rule
Feed only what disappears in a few minutes. If food is settling on the bottom, you fed too much.
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