Well, it sounds like I am feeding too much as it is. My fish do not clean up the feed that the thrower puts out in ten minutes, more like 20 minutes (one time in the morning). They do a much better job in the evening when I hand feed, but I don't think I am hand tossing as much as my feeder throws on its lowest setting.
I threw about 30 or 40 of the beetles in the pond last night right before I hand fed and they liked them and polished them off in about 5 minutes. I think I will consider turning my feeder off (or modifying it to throw less food) and try the beetle feeder in conjunction with hand feeding in the evening.
NOTE: the feed does not seem to go to waste as the fish seem to get it all. The FHM's will push it around as long as there is food available, but it may be sinking and going to waste, but I doubt it.
At any rate, I will cut back the pellets and start collecting the parts for the beetle feeder.
As long as you still have FHM they will clean it up off the bottom. I used to experiment with feed and an under water camera. I would put a pile of sinking catfish food on the bottom in two or three feet of water and watch either from bank or under water camera. In just a minute or so the pile of feed would be inundated with FHM till it was gone or muddied up to where I could not see anything any more. Even out in deeper water as long as it was above the thermocline same thing.
I think the fish actually prefer to eat under the safety of water rather than come to the surface. Feeding floating feed is for our benefit, not the fish.
