FEEDING CORALS

[ANGUS]

I'm only 7 months into reefkeeping and would like to learn what food makes your corals happy. Do you find one that makes them grow faster or brings out their color better? How often do you feed them?

 

I feed mine once a week one cube of San Francisco Bay Brand Reef Plankton. I'm going on the under feed theory, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something. My tanks are a mix of soft and hard corals.

[reefgeek84]

What kind of corals are we talking about? If you let us know what kind of corals you are keeping this will help us give you a better answer.

 

I'm only 7 months into reefkeeping and would like to learn what food makes your corals happy. Do you find one that makes them grow faster or brings out their color better? How often do you feed them?

 

I feed mine once a week one cube of San Francisco Bay Brand Reef Plankton. I'm going on the under feed theory, but I'm wondering if I'm missing something. My tanks are a mix of soft and hard corals.

[JeffP]

I just added a small hang on fuge about 4 days ago. I added Walt Smith's fiji mud as the substrate in there. Since adding that, my polyp extension on the SPS corals has been amazing. They are out at least 3x what they used to be. I'm guess that's thanks to the small particle nutrients in the mud. But it also makes the corals that much more likely to grab cyclo-peeze on the thrice weekly feedings of that.

[Holly]

I use cyclopeeze 3X / wk like Jeff. (For my new acan, 1X / wk I use a sm syringe to gently squirt a teensy bit of zooplankton over the heads after it opens @ night. I don't use much tho, cuz plankton can dirty a tank in a heartbeat.)

 

It'd sure be nice to see some photos of your tank! (whistle)

 

[Guest Mbeef61]

i like the underfeed method too...they already have more photosynthesis under the intense lighting in my tank....feed maybe once a week...switch between that same reef plankton you use....rotifers...phyto every now and then more for the clams, dt's oyster eggs...i think they like that the best....

 

just use a variety....and target feed....and i often switch around the time i feed...sometimes morning sometimes night and all times inbetween...it can be hard to tell when each coral wants to eat...most are nightime

[ANGUS]

75 gallon has:

RED GORGONIAN

HYDNOPORA

LOBOPHYLLIA

MONTIPORA

FOX CORAL

MOON BRAIN

HAMMER

CONDY ANEMONE

PLATE CORAL

XENA

 

100 has:

SARCOPHYTON

POCILLOPORA

EUPHYLLIA GLABRESCENS

CAPNELLA

PECTINIA

EUPHYLLIA PARADIVISA

ZOANTHUS

TRIDACNA CROCEAPLEROGYRA SINUOSA

RHODACTIS INDOSINENSIS

FUNGIA REPANDA

 

No fish, only cleaner shrimp and hermit crabs

[ANGUS]

Let's see if I have loaded the tank photo.

[reefgeek84]

Your corals could defenitly gain from feeding...it is not a must, but it can help.

 

I feed a few things and dose a few things...

 

My coral soup:

-Marine Snow

-Rotifeast

-Pyhtofeast

-dried phyto

-dried zoo

 

Others:

Cyclopeez

rotifiers

DT's oyster eggs

 

but with this much I have to skim like crazy and I do weekly 15% water changes to make sure that my water stays at pristine levels. I have noticed a huge difference in coral color and growth with feeding. The reason I feed some many different things is due to me housing things that need to be fed (denronepthya, sytlaster, etc)...other corals obviously benefit from this also...I swear by feeding now, and will not stop. But others have had great success with out feeding, visit upscales and look at his show tanks, and it will prove that feeding is not needed.

[Nyles]

I don't feed my corals, and I would bet most others don't either, I used to but it just caused algae outbreaks, I stopped feeding my fungia plates, anemones, and only target feed gorgonians, scallops, and sea apple with homemade phyto.

 

I guess if you have a really top of the line exporting system (ie way overkill skimmer) then you may get away, but I will not do it, simply because yes, your corals will benefit (some types) but the flip side is excess waste. Most of our systems just can't handle the excess waste within reason. With daily feeding of my fish I believe all the corals get enough food from photosynthesis and some may get some from the fish food or by products of food. However what is not consumed of the above mention food source will quickly become food waste as phosphates and nitrates, in turn actually slowing down the growth of your corals even if ph04 is not measurable.

 

In summary.... Use with caution, you could be going backwards.

[uhuru]

so if I feed my fish cyclopleeze the corals are getting some too? sweet! does it matter if it's the frozen or freeze dried variety? (I have the freeze dried)

 

I just started feeding DT's oyster eggs 1x a week but can't say I've noticed a difference yet.

[dsoz]

Don't use me as an example, but I do feed my frogspawn. I have been feeding the clownfish right over the top of the FS so the fish has to get into the tentacles to get food. THere is always some that falls to the side, and the FS gets dinner. I have seen good growth in my FS. I do not really know what to compare it to because I am so new, but when I got it (about 1.5 months ago) it had 2 heads and 4 mouths. Now there are 4 distinct heads, (the two origional sides, each has two still connected, well defined, heads).

 

When I bought my "new" FS this weekend, I fed it and it ate like a teenager that has not had anything to eat for 8 hours. I fed it again this morning, and it did the same. Once again I fed it in the evening, and it ate everything I gave it (a little bit of freeze dried krill). It is a hungry little guy. I'll see what kind of growth I'll get out of it.

 

I actually think it is kinda cool to watch the LPS feed. THey drag the poor little offering to the mouth, and in it goes. You would almost expect it to belch afterwards. I will probably continue to feed until I get such poor water quality that I can't keep anything alive.

 

As a side note, I tried DT's phytoplankton for my SPS, featherdusters, and sandbed clams (not the fancy ones). and all three times that I put some in my tank (spot feed with a plastic eye-dropper only a little bit), I had a cyanobacteria outbreak that lasted 3 days or more. I am getting to the point that I don't like phyto. I am going to try a couple more times, and if I still have the problem I am going to either give the phyto away, or flush it down the toilet!

 

dsoz

[JeffP]

I've seen my corals latch onto the cyclopeeze as it floats by the polyps

 

I use the frozen variety.

[Holly]

I use the the frozen kind too.

 

Since I feed regularly, I wet-skim and do reg WCs. I also have high evaporation rates so I have big water turn-over and lots of top-off (usually 2-3g/day). It works for me cause I don't mind the extra work--reg testing for depletion, etc--and, like dsoz, I really enjoy watching them feeding (hungry) and I they seem to be thriving; however, the majority of folks would prob prefer a lower-maintenance approach. It's just what works best for me personally.

 

I'm VERY conservative with plankton tho; that was the big contributor to my crash last Fall. It's a major protein dump for a closed system. I agree with Nyles that feeding w caution is a good plan. Can never be too careful! (whistle)

 

One of the things I like about the hobby is that there are prob 10 successful ways to do any 1 thing. Allows for a lot of personal variation (fish)

[Nyles]

Personal variation is correct, and every tank is different. My softy tank at work I feed a little heavy and the corals always get food, but its a soft coral tank. At home my tank is SPS and is feed much less in relation to size. It really depends on the species and other variations as well.

[180Brandy]

Nice picture of your tank! How do you keep your sand bed so clean?

[ANGUS]

Brandy, I'm fortunate. The substrate stays pretty clean on its own now. When it does get out of hand, I stir it up with a stick and suck the cloudy water out during a water change. Sounds crazy, but it works.

[180Brandy]

Well keep doing what your doing. Your tank looks great!!!! I like your moon brain!!!

[ANGUS]

Thanks for the kind words, Brandy.

[Holly]

Angus, are you of Scottish descent? Just wonderin' ... Good strong name!

[reefboy]

i rely on my deep sand beds,refugium's, and fish waste to feed my corals only ones the ive found to really benifit from derect feeding are lords and micromussa other then that most will do well off natural food being produced by your tank if your running above mentioned and IMO a reef tank isnt a reef unless you have fish.

[ANGUS]

Holly, yes! My Great Grandfather was born in Glasgow.

[ANGUS]

Reefboy, call me lazy, but it is a breeze to maintain a reef minus fish. There are so many little critters and macroalgae to surprise me all the time.

[WAVES]

Don't use me as an example, but I do feed my frogspawn. I have been feeding the clownfish right over the top of the FS so the fish has to get into the tentacles to get food. THere is always some that falls to the side, and the FS gets dinner. I have seen good growth in my FS. I do not really know what to compare it to because I am so new, but when I got it (about 1.5 months ago) it had 2 heads and 4 mouths. Now there are 4 distinct heads, (the two origional sides, each has two still connected, well defined, heads).

 

When I bought my "new" FS this weekend, I fed it and it ate like a teenager that has not had anything to eat for 8 hours. I fed it again this morning, and it did the same. Once again I fed it in the evening, and it ate everything I gave it (a little bit of freeze dried krill). It is a hungry little guy. I'll see what kind of growth I'll get out of it.

 

I actually think it is kinda cool to watch the LPS feed. THey drag the poor little offering to the mouth, and in it goes. You would almost expect it to belch afterwards. I will probably continue to feed until I get such poor water quality that I can't keep anything alive.

 

As a side note, I tried DT's phytoplankton for my SPS, featherdusters, and sandbed clams (not the fancy ones). and all three times that I put some in my tank (spot feed with a plastic eye-dropper only a little bit), I had a cyanobacteria outbreak that lasted 3 days or more. I am getting to the point that I don't like phyto. I am going to try a couple more times, and if I still have the problem I am going to either give the phyto away, or flush it down the toilet!

 

dsoz

 

 

FYI: SPS dont have the proper enzimes to digest phyto, they cant use it. "Fancy" clams (not sure about your sandbed clams) cant use DT's phyto either, DT's brand is all green algae and the cell walls are too thick to digest. They can INgest it, but not DIgest it.

 

IF your going to use phyto, you should try Reeds Mariculture brand, it has brown algaes that can be used by more critters.

[dsoz]

FYI: SPS dont have the proper enzimes to digest phyto, they cant use it. "Fancy" clams (not sure about your sandbed clams) cant use DT's phyto either, DT's brand is all green algae and the cell walls are too thick to digest. They can INgest it, but not DIgest it.

 

IF your going to use phyto, you should try Reeds Mariculture brand, it has brown algaes that can be used by more critters.

 

Thanks for the info. I have been using the DT's, and HATE IT!!! It has been a constant source of cyano red slime crap all over my tank. The cyano last for 2-3 days after each dose. Just when it clears up, the directions say I am supposed to put more in! I have already pretty much stopped using it.

 

Does anyone want a partially used bottle of DT's phyto??? FREE!

 

dsoz

[reefboy]

Reefboy' date=' call me lazy, but it is a breeze to maintain a reef minus fish. There are so many little critters and macroalgae to surprise me all the time.[/quote']

 

Not sure how i called you lazy but its just my opinion that fish are part of the equasion in a reef system but im glad your happy with the way your doing things and there is nothing wronge with that but this site is about people giving ther own opinions on what they do and then you can deduce if its somthing that might help you, wasnt making a stab at your methods just giving you what i do and believe:D