The short answer for chili rasboras
Feed chili rasboras twice a day, and think in pinches rather than spoonfuls: a small school needs only a dusting of micro food at each meal, cleared within about three minutes. These are among the smallest fish in the hobby, rarely much over a centimetre and a half, and their stomachs match. Twice-daily tiny meals keep their red colour strong and their energy up without overwhelming the small, stable water volume they depend on.
Why nano fish punish generous feeding
Chili rasboras usually live in nano tanks — sometimes only a few gallons — where a single over-large feeding is a real pollution event. Uneaten micro food vanishes into plant roots and substrate, decays out of sight, and nudges ammonia up in water these soft-water fish need kept pristine. The margin for error is far smaller than in a big community tank. Feeding little and often, then watching the school finish everything, is not fussiness with this species; it is the core skill of keeping them.
Food small enough for a chili's mouth
Offer micro-pellets crushed finer still, powdered fry food, or newly hatched baby brine shrimp, which chilis hunt with surprising enthusiasm for such peaceful fish. Frozen foods need chopping almost to a paste — a whole frozen daphnia is a mouthful too far. Sprinkle the food so it hangs and sinks slowly through the middle of the water column among plant leaves, where the school prefers to pick, instead of letting it raft on the surface film. A feeding pipette puffed gently into the plants works well for shy groups in heavily planted setups.
Colour and behaviour as your portion guide
Well-fed male chilis glow a deep, confident red and school actively in the open; underfed or stressed fish fade to a pale wash and hug the plant cover. After a meal, look for slim but not sunken bellies along the school. If several fish still look pinched after a week of twice-daily feeding, increase the pinch slightly or add more live baby brine shrimp rather than adding extra meals. If bellies stay bulging and the glass films over between water changes, trim the pinch back.
When chilis go off their food
A whole school refusing food usually signals a water problem in a nano system — test ammonia, nitrite, and temperature before anything else, because small volumes swing fast. A single fish fading, hiding, and skipping meals while the school feeds may be ill or outcompeted, and at this size problems move quickly; seek advice from an aquatic veterinarian or a knowledgeable nano-fish retailer the same day rather than waiting to see. Extra food tipped in to tempt a sick fish only degrades the water its tankmates need.
Tiny meals need a clear owner
Because a chili meal is almost invisible — a dusting that disappears in minutes — it is the easiest feeding in the fish room to duplicate by accident. Decide whose job each of the two daily feeds is and make completion visible. In KinsLe, Care Teams assigns those two feeds for this tank to named helpers, and each one, once done, carries a timestamp the whole household can see before reaching for the food pot.