Feeding with Grazers: how to get the most from a feeding station

Most fish food is gone in two minutes. Grazers is built to last longer than that. The food ring sits on the glass on a suction mount, and your fish pick at it the way they would pick at algae on a rock. Feeding slows down, the quieter fish get a look in, and you get a clear view of the whole thing.

This guide covers where to put it, how often to use it and what to expect the first time it goes in.

Header photo by Barry Rolfe, Barry's Mbuna Bedfordshire.

Why grazing feeds work

In the wild, plenty of fish never see a meal arrive all at once. Mbuna spend the day rasping at rock. Plecos work their way over wood and stone. Tangs browse algae from dawn to dusk. Their bodies are built for little and often.

A feed that stays put and gets eaten slowly suits those fish better than a scatter of flake at the surface. It also takes the heat out of feeding time in a busy tank, because there is no rush to get there first.

Setting it up

Take the locking pin out, fit the food ring to the suction mount and push the pin back in. Wipe the glass where the pad will go, then press it on firmly.

Mid height on the glass suits most fish. If you keep bottom grazers like plecos and catfish, put it lower down where they spend their time. Keep it away from the filter outlet, because strong flow breaks the ring up faster than your fish can eat it.

How often to use it

Two or three times a week, alongside your usual daily food, is the sweet spot. Grazers is an enrichment feed rather than a complete diet on its own. Think of it as the part of the week where your fish get to behave the way they would in the lake or on the reef.

How much to use

One ring per feed suits most tanks. After that, let your fish tell you.

• Gone within an hour: your fish are keen. Feed slightly more often, or add a second station at the other end of the tank so the quieter fish get a turn.
• Still there the next day: take what is left out and leave a little longer between feeds next time.

Broken rings, and feeding on the bottom

The rings are made from whole ingredients with no artificial binders, so the odd one can crack or crumble in the pack. It is still the same food and nothing goes to waste.

Drop the pieces straight into the tank and let them sink. Your fish will pick them up off the sand and rocks, which is exactly how mbuna, plecos and catfish feed in the wild anyway. It is a great way to make sure your bottom dwellers get their share.

The same goes for any bits that drop off the ring while your fish are feeding. They will be found and eaten on the bottom, so there is no need to fish them out.

The haze, and why it is a good sign

As the ring softens you may see a light cloud in the water around it. That is montmorillonite clay, a mineral clay koi keepers have added to ponds and feeds for years. It clears as your filter turns the water over, usually within an hour or so.

The clay is there on purpose. It binds to impurities in the gut and gives firmer, cleaner waste. It carries trace minerals that keepers link to better held colour. And in the water it latches onto fine organics that then settle out or get caught in the filter. A short haze after feeding is the clay doing its job, not a fault with the food.

The first few feeds

Some fish dive straight in. Others take a few goes to work out what it is. Putting it in at the same time each day, with the lights on, helps a lot. Within a week most tanks start gathering at that spot on the glass before the ring is even on.

Good habits

• If a ring is still on the mount the next day, take it out rather than leave it to break down.
• Rinse the mount and suction pad in tank water now and then so it keeps its grip.
• Store unused rings sealed in a cool, dry place, away from sunlight.

Which fish it suits

Malawi cichlids, especially mbuna, take to it straight away. It also suits plecos and other catfish, livebearers, and in marine tanks tangs and other algae browsers. If a fish grazes in the wild, it will usually use a feeding station.

The short version

• Fit it at mid height, lower for bottom grazers, away from the filter outlet.
• Use it two or three times a week alongside your daily food.
• One ring per feed, then adjust to how fast it goes.
• Broken rings are still good food. Drop the pieces in and let your fish feed off the bottom.
• A light haze is the clay working and clears within the hour.
• Take out anything still on the mount the next day, and keep spare rings sealed and dry.

You can find Grazers here, with the full ingredients and nutritional profile on the product page.

Keeping mbuna? Read feeding Malawi cichlids: mbuna and haps are not the same fish.