Another reason to feed your fish often.

[Meyer Jordan]

Feeding your fish several times a day has always been the promoted and favored practice by science. Now there is new evidence that this actually also enables a novel bacteria to reduce Ammonia levels.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releas...ants_animals/fish+(Fish+News+--+ScienceDaily)

 

[Mucky_Waters]

I've had the theory for a while that it's actually nitrifying bacteria growing on fish that give fish that fishy smell. That's why if you take rocks (or other objects like handfuls of algae) out of a stream and smell then it will smell fishy. The fishy smell is the bacteria, not the fish at all. That slimy coating on your fish is actually a nice coating of friendly nitrifying (and possibly other types) of bacteria. Same goes for bio-media in your bio-filter, once it's established, if you pull it out and smell it it has that fishy smell, and this could be regardless of if you have actual fish in the pond or not.

Try it. Rub your rocks and smell them. Fishy smell? Run your liner with you hand and smell it. Fishy smell? Grab handful of bio-media out of you filter and smell it. Fishy smell? Now rub one of your larger fish and smell your hand. Same fishy smell right?
Not too scientific I know, but I bet I'm right.

 

[Nepen]

interesting. i need to read it. i already have questions in my mind.. probably a good plane ride read

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I've had the theory for a while that it's actually nitrifying bacteria growing on fish that give fish that fishy smell. That's why if you take rocks (or other objects like handfuls of algae) out of a stream and smell then it will smell fishy. The fishy smell is the bacteria, not the fish at all. That slimy coating on your fish is actually a nice coating of friendly nitrifying (and possibly other types) of bacteria. Same goes for bio-media in your bio-filter, once it's established, if you pull it out and smell it it has that fishy smell, and this could be regardless of if you have actual fish in the pond or not.

Try it. Rub your rocks and smell them. Fishy smell? Run your liner with you hand and smell it. Fishy smell? Grab handful of bio-media out of you filter and smell it. Fishy smell? Now rub one of your larger fish and smell your hand. Same fishy smell right?
Not too scientific I know, but I bet I'm right.

I agree completely. Biofilm is everywhere. What makes this particular bacteria interesting is that it converts ammonia directly into Nitrogen gas. This is usually an anaerobic process. I don't know if the bacteria was identified by specie. I don't feel like paying to read the entire original research paper right now.

 

[cas]

Thanks for sharing @Meyer Jordan .

 

[MitchM]

Bacteria really are the unsung heroes of the living world.
Great article, thanks.

 

[barryian]

Is it definitive that salting the pond for a few weeks in the Spring increases the slime coat more so than it does naturally on it's own? I alway salted the pond and have stopped ... Everything you read is contrary to each other? Off topic if that's ok but slime coat was mentioned.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Is it definitive that salting the pond for a few weeks in the Spring increases the slime coat more so than it does naturally on it's own? I alway salted the pond and have stopped ... Everything you read is contrary to each other? Off topic if that's ok but slime coat was mentioned.

If it does it is only by irritating the fish's skin forcing mucous secretion thus placing additional stress on fish at a time that they least need it.

 

[barryian]

If it does it is only by irritating the fish's skin forcing mucous secretion thus placing additional stress on fish at a time that they least need it.

Thank you ...

 

[tbendl]

Ok wait.... I am super confused. I thought it was don't feed them, feed them sparingly, etc.... ?? So once I get some filtration going I can feed them? It says 1 to 2 a day sparingly which is what I was doing.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

It says

Who, What is it?

Type of pond, total fish load/pond size, time of year/water temperature, age of fish.......all factors to be considered.

 

[tbendl]

It... The article... "It is therefore better to feed often with small amounts than with large amounts once or twice a day"

 

[Meyer Jordan]

What the article is really saying is to feed more often than once or twice a day. Just reduce the amount of food each feeding.
This is from my article "To Feed or Not To Feed"-----
"3. Frequency – It has been shown in laboratory tests that continuous feeding is most beneficial and more closely coincides with natural feeding patterns. Unless one is willing to purchase a programmable automatic feed dispenser, the continuous feeding option is an impossibility, but the greater the number of feeding periods that one can manage the more the fish will benefit."

 

[tbendl]

But...but... Maybe I'm confused but I thought that feeding them results in more ammonia which then requires additional filtering. Also that feeding them increases the fish population because they don't have to go all cannibalistic on each other. Obviously unrelated since this is a healthy bacteria we are talking about but now I'm torn between wanting healthy fish and not wanting a gazillion of them... I'm probably overthinking this...
I'm now going to go overthink the alcohol to blood ratio while I drink a beer... LOL

 

[Meyer Jordan]

But...but... Maybe I'm confused but I thought that feeding them results in more ammonia which then requires additional filtering. Also that feeding them increases the fish population because they don't have to go all cannibalistic on each other. Obviously unrelated since this is a healthy bacteria we are talking about but now I'm torn between wanting healthy fish and not wanting a gazillion of them... I'm probably overthinking this...
I'm now going to go overthink the alcohol to blood ratio while I drink a beer... LOL

Let's clarify this subject of feeding. Fish, like all living things, require a certain level of nutrition to maintain health and growth. In animals it is called a 'maintenance diet'. .Each specie is different it its basic nutritional requirements. The requirements have been determined for many species of fish including Koi/Carp and Goldfish. It is on this maintenance level that all other aspects of fish husbandry are based. The maintenance level determines the amount of Ammonia secreted daily by fish which determines the total bio-conversion (existing and supplemental) required. In a nutshell, supplemental biofiltration should be based solely on the amount of supplemental feedimg.
As regards population, reduction or cessation of feeding at spawning and several days thereafter will insure population control.