Fish are cold blooded, meaning their digestive tract operates slower at cold temperature, faster at warmer temps. Generally, the temps we keep our reefs at are considered warm. That means feeding our fish less often than a couple of times a day constitutes starving them. Your fish will never reach optimum health conditions, have an immune system capable of warding off disease, show true colors and will show more aggressive behavior feeding less often. Especially skipping days.
I ask people that feed less often, "How many times a day do you feed yourself??? Why would you treat your fish any other way???" The food that many people buy and feed their fish are not prime feeds. They generally feed flake, pelleted, or frozen brine shrimp. Not the best choices in the first place. They are OK but, OK food should be fortified with vitamins and supplemented with more nutritious food.
Dick
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
4-8 times a day with different feeds every time, plus the extra little nibblins they nab when I target feed the corals nightly. Anenome and plate corals get a good helping of krill every other day so they get a nice extra tidbit then as well.
I am actually glad you brought up 'typts' of foods Dick. I was recently wondering what my REEFY FOLK thought of my critter diet.
I feed one a day (though after reading above, I feel kind of guilty!)
I alternate between frozen prime reef and mysis shrimp.
I occasionally turn off the pump and let them have their way with some live brine. I know no nutritional value, but its just once in a while, they love to 'catch' their food!!
I also alternate between rotifers and marine snow (once a week each, so every 3-4 days one or the other)
and of course silversides to anemone every other day
good? suggestions?
__________________
55gl mixed reef pre-drilled
500w MH (120), 10 gl sump, cheap skimmer
tank est. spring '06 Is it wrong to love a clump? MACRO MANIA
well I feed my fish 4 times a week, and feed my corals 3 times a week, nothing on sunday (i does my chemicals on sunday). I do a water change on wednesday.
he he live bs even as a tantalizing treat regardless of nutritional value keeps the fish used to catching prey a little more I've found. Gut loading though is so simple and takes little time so why not fortify!
I Also think Dick has a good point though, how often one feeds is only a peice of the story. God forbid you yourself eat the same ramen cup o noodles at each meal, you wont be satisfied, happy, or healthy!
I currently feed once the fish once per day around 8:30pm. I am going to switch to 2 times per day soon, although on weekdays I do not arrive home until 7:30pm. Tank lights go on at noon and out at 11:00pm, so I am trying to figure out how to feed twice during the weekdays yet have the feedings spaced far apart.
Spot fed corals are fed every other day.
I am currently feeding with Rod's Frozen Food (Shrimp, Scallop, Oyster, Clam, Squid, Octopus, Brine, Krill, Mysis, Grouper (or perch), Red Nori, green Nori, Broccoli, carrot, Frozen red plankton, Golden pearl (7 sizes), DTs Oyster eggs, Selco, Fresh hatched brine, Freshly harvested rotifers) and sometimes "Coral Heaven" from IPSF. Sometimes I supplement some extra drops of Selcon.
I feed 2 x a day once in the morning and once after the lights go out. I also add DT's every other day. And if the fish look thin I feed more. I watch my tank and tend to each need as I see it.
As with dave - Once every day. - & garrenteed at least once a week i hand feed every polyp or animal just to keep in check with whats happening with the system in case im to busy to notice any subtle visual clues.
With high constituting inputs comes the greater need to export them, so water changes are high every week for me.
If I am not home during the day, the fish get fed once or twice in the evening. On weekends or days I work from home, it's 2 to 3 times. It's always the same amount of food, I just divide it up based on the number of feedings. i feed different foods all the time, and rarely does the same food get fed more than twice in the same week. I realize that many people make their own food mix and feed this exclusively - and I'm sure nothing is wrong with that. I just wouldn't want to eat the same thing everyday for the rest of my life, so I try and offer the greatest variety I can. (I have my own shelf in the freezer for all my fish foods!)
__________________ 240 gallon Mixed Reef + 46 gallon Mixed Reef + 40 gallon coral prop tank - 180 gallon FOWLR = a little more time and money!
I have a question for people feeding more than once a day:
Are you using frozen or dry food? I use all frozen food. Should I defrost (and soak in selcon) in the morning and refrigerate the rest or defrost food every feeding? This is probably my main excuse for feeding only once a day...
once a day enough food for about 30 seconds of feedig frenzy
with frozen blood worm/mysis/brine shrimp/a little microplankton all defrosted rinsed with ro/di mixed up refrozen thinly and broke off as reqiured and the very occaisional flake or marine s just incase off missing vitamins etc
oh and of course monthly mussel meat for the hermits
__________________ you're never alone with a clone
V-series Productions 
oh and of course monthly mussel meat for the hermits