Mr. Saltwater Tank

Terrible Advice Tuesdays: Feeding and Disease Treatment


Terrible Advice Tuesdays: When your fish are sick, stop feeding them.

The rest of the story: Imagine this, while you are in the hospital getting treated for an infectious disease, you aren’t fed anything. No food is brought to you, no feeding tube, nothing. Until you are cured, you don’t get a fed a thing. What do you think your chances of recovery would be in that scenario?

Feeding your fish gives them nourishment they need to keep their immune system functioning correctly. Stronger immune system means a better chance of recovery. Also, if the fish was emaciated (skinny or weak), then you deprived the fish of food, you’re now adding adding insult to injury as the fish has nothing to draw on for energy.

Finally, food can be a great delivery method for certain medications as well both in and out of a quarantine tank

If your fish is sick, keep offering them food!

Thanks Linda for passing this one on.

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Comments for this article (4)

  • Richardmunoz says:

    I sometimes I want to give up I have a lot of hammer corals and it’s really hard to maintain with alkalinity to raise it up help me

  • Joe says:

    Richard, i cant see hammer corals pulling thst much alk out of your tank. What is your water change regimen and how do you top off?

    You might need to start topping off with kslkwasser.

  • Cristian says:

    That’s some terrible advice… wow, if I feel like my fish is sick, I feed like a maniac and I also soak my food in selcon and garlic… I feel that the food gives the fish energy and enough strength to fight their weaknesses.

    Richard – you need to dose Alk and Ca – two part from BRS works well (depending on the size of the tank) and its done best through some BRS dosers controlled by a Apex or similar controller… If the demand is really high then you need to look into Calcium reactors supplemented by Kalk if needed (however this is for the more advanced reefer with lots of experience and corals)

    Joe – I am assuming that Richard’s system is not mature enough and Coraline is growing which is probably eating his Alk/Ca. Now, while water changes are essential, I don’t believe it will sustain parameters over a long period of time, supplemental dosing is always required unless the tank is on the small side and large water changes(50% on regular basis) are performed.

  • Damion says:

    It might be better to rid the Internet of these idiots than perpetuate their cr_ stuff. Mark, your feeding into newbies only, and it’s getting tiresome. Step it up for the higher caliber and the newbies will follow that much quicker.

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