FAQs on Stinging-Celled
Animal
Feeding
Related Articles: Cnidarians, Water Flow, How
Much is Enough,
Related FAQs: Anemone Feeding, Coral Feeding 1, Zoanthid Feeding, Mushroom
Feeding, Soft Coral Feeding, Cnidarians 1, Cnidarians 2, Cnidarian Identification, Cnidarian Behavior, Cnidarian Compatibility, Cnidarian Selection, Cnidarian Systems, Cnidarian Disease, Cnidarian Reproduction,
Acclimating
Symbiotic Reef Invertebrates to Captive
Lighting,
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29 Biocube... stkg., foods for "corals",
3/22/13
Hi there, First time writer.
<Ahh; you are a stranger here but once. Welcome>
I am new to the hobby and love it! I have a 29gallon biocube. I have
been doing this for about three months now. The tank was set up for two
years before I bought it. I have Ocellaris Clownfish, Yellow Watchman
Goby, Purple Firefish, and Kaudern's Cardinal fish. I have a few
pieces of lps, sps, and one small toadstool leather.
<This last; Sarcophyton, may prove problematical in time... get very
large (much bigger than this tank), and produce/release copious amounts
of five carbon compounds that can be toxic to other life... esp. if
"challenged">
Everything is healthy, but has seemed stressed lately due to Nitrates.
They have been running around 20ppm. I feed new life spectrum pellets
and Mysis. Pellets in the morning and Mysis at night. I feed very light
small pinch of pellets which they consume in about 15seconds. The Mysis
I feed maybe a quarter of a cube a day. Coral feedings. I feed a small
piece of a algae sheet twice a week for my snails at night and remove
what is left in the morning. Normally its all gone in the Morning. I
feed my corals twice a week. Kent marine ZooPlex and marine
snow.
<These foods aren't worthwhile... the one is a source of pollution, the
second a placebo. I'd leave both out, count on foods fed to your fishes
alone here>
I target all my corals twice a week. I do five gallon water change the
next day after second feedings of corals. Ammonia 0, Nitrite 0, Calcium
420, Carbonate hardness 10dkh, Ph 8.2, and Magnesium at 1250ppm.There
are three chambers in the back of the biocube. In the first chamber I
have a AquaticLife Internal Mini Skimmer. It seems to do well. Fills the
collection cup with nasty brown stuff every other day. the second
chamber I have rock and charcoal with filter pad over the top of the
rock that comes with the system. Third is my pump, uv and heater.
So I have been reading all over the internet and saw a few post of
people having the same problem.
People told them to remove the rock from the chamber that it was not
needed and that was where all the Nitrates were coming from. I thought
of doing that slowly and vacuuming the chamber, but isn't that where all
my bacteria to keep my sweets alive is at? Hope you can help? Becky
<Leaving out the bunk "coral foods" will highly likely solve the NO3
issue.
Bob Fenner>
Re: 29 Biocube 3/22/13
Hi Bob, Thank you for such a fast response. So far the Cardinal fish
seems stressed free and not bullied. I will keep a eye on him for sure
especially as he gets older. So do I target feed the lps corals?
<You can offer them some "extra" Mysis a couple/three times a week if
you'd like>
Do I keep feeding the same amount I have been? I have tried target
feeding some of the lps I have, and the Mysis seems to blow right past
them.
<Mmm, try temporarily turning off the pump/s, using a dedicated turkey
baster (or eq. commercial petfish tool) to blow the meaty items onto
them... after offering some, juice to the tank ahead for a few minutes>
lol The only thing I seen take it well is my Duncan coral. I also do
feed them at night when lights or off and tentacles are out.
<All can/will be trained to accept foods with lights on in time>
Are there any corals food that is good?
<Depends on what one calls/labels as "corals"... There are very few
purposeful foods sold in the ornamental aquatics interest that are
specifically of use for Cnidarians... However, "loose", and used "fish
foods" are often of great use, as are in situ produced single celled
algae for some species, some small animals..., bacteria and more>
Thanks, Becky
<Ah, welcome. BobF>
Re: 29 Biocube 3/22/13
Bob, I will start trying to feed them tonight. Tomorrow is water change
day so tonight will be a good training day. So should I disregard
worrying about removing my rock from the chamber? I will leave you alone
now. I know your busy. Becky
<I would leave it in place. B>
Can you feed corals like you feed dogs 2/3/13
I just fed my dogs. I always think that this is the perfect way to eat.
All they need, scientifically formulated, is in a bag of dry food. They
are getting a balanced diet, and it takes no time to prepare. I wish
there was something like that for me that came in large bags. Instead I
have to fuss and prepare a meal with no guarantee that will be balanced
and complete of even taste good. If I am lazy I can eat fast food and
junk food, and be worse off than my dogs.
<Yes; tis so>
Corals are like that too, but even more complicated because the diet
depends on what coral you have and are back to the same problem of
getting a balanced diet they will accept. It would be so much easier to
feed them like I feed my dogs.
<An apt comparison>
Well of course there are prepared commercial foods for corals. Looking
at the products online there is Seachem zooplankton, phytoplankton and
reef plus, and probably others. So the question here is whether these
pre-packaged products are as good as dog food in a bag, or the
equivalent of junk food. Do you really need to go back to the kitchen
pull out the recipe book and come up with a properly balanced meal if
you want to feed corals?
<I think these prepared commercial foods are approaching such standards
of being completely nutritious. I would still have a large RDP refugium,
count on fish food feeding and some supplementation (the SeaChem line is
excellent here as well) to round out captive Cnidarian nutrition>
Michael Lomb (thinking of what to prepare for dinner) :-\
<Heeeee! Cheers, Bob Fenner>
Feeding Corals
7/2/11
Greetings Crew!!
I have an 80 gallon refugium with a few
mushrooms, two feather dusters, and now a colony
of blue anthelia with two pulsing xenias mixed
in. I have been target feeding DT's Live Phytoplankton daily
as well as putting in just a few spectrum TherA pellets that I
feed my fish so the crabs and snails have enough to eat. My
refugium is only a month or two old so this seemed necessary to
build up the source of food for the clean up crew and for the
algaes to have enough to work with. My question concerns my
corals. I am new to the invertebrates and had absolutely no idea
where to start looking for such general information.
<Mmm, here: http://wetwebmedia.com/marine/inverts/CnidIndex1.htm
scroll down to the Cnidarian feeding area...>
I am wondering if it would be good to make a mixture of
Cyclopeeze and mysis shrimp that is finely ground in a blender
with phytoplankton and garlic guard or some other additives to
give them a more full diet.
<Well... not for Xeniids/Pulsing Corals...>
I have been researching live rotifers and copepods and I can
assure you, after upgrading my system this coming week they will
be joining my tank hopefully to reproduce and provide a live
natural food source. But in the meantime would the aforementioned
mixture would be good for anything in my tank?
Thank You In Advance
<Do read through the area suggested... I do have some as-yet
un-run articles I can/will attach if you want/need more. Bob
Fenner>
Coral Macro And Micro Nutrient
Good day
I'm Syafiq from International Islamic University Malaysia
(IIUM).
I'm doing a research on live rock composition.
<I see>
The title of my final year project is 'Study of Mineral and
Element Composition of live rock in Pulau Redang and Pulau
Perhentian'.
<Ahh, I have been to both these places in Malaysia>
I need your help in finding an information regarding the nutrient
of coral. The function of each macronutrient and micronutrient
involved for the growth of coral.
<?!>
Really appreciate if you could reply soon...thank you...
<You need to do a computer bibliographic search. Please read
here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/litsrchart.htm
and the linked files above. Bob Fenner>
LPS ID and phytoplankton product use
-- 10/26/09
Hi Grew,
I'm one more person, who would like to say how great
and informative your site.
<We share!>
I'm new in the hobby. My tank is 6 mo, however thanks
to all your advices, everything is doing well. I read your
articles almost every day.
I have a question regarding LPS ID. I found it in one local
fish store under name Neon Green. A salesman could not give
me any additional info. It covers a life rock, polyps a
small about 3 mm in diameter and 2-3 mm tall. They retract
when disturbed. Is it kind of Turbinaria?
<Mmm, need either better vision (no doubt actually) or a
bit larger, more-resolved image here, but I am pretty sure
this is a Goniopora (commonly called "Flowerpot")
coral. Please see here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/gonioporapix.htm
and the linked files above re this genus' care>
And one more question. In most of your articles you
mentioned that corals eat zoo-plankton.
<Most all do to extents... along with no to some
variable amount of photosynthesis>
What kind of coral eat phytoplankton?
<... actually very few of what passes as
"corals", definitely not Scleractinians/Stonies
consume much of any phyto>
An instruction on bottles with phytoplankton says, that it
is food for filter feeders and corals.
<... A good point, statement... Most all such material
is of limited (to the extreme) use in hobbyist systems. The
bulk is taken out via skimming... Some soft coral groups
(Alcyonaceans) consume "some" species, sizes of
phytoplankton... and adding such products can lead
indirectly to "better conditions" in captive
systems... but most of it is a placebo>
Thank you for you time.
Igor
<And you for sharing. Bob Fenner>
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Coral Feeding Help Please 7/26/09
Hey Guys,
<Hello Garrett>
Glad to see you guys are still here to help us reef geeks out.
I've used you guys plenty in the past, with success, thanks
to you, and need your help again.
<You're welcome.>
This is probably an easy question for you guys but I need to
re-vamp my coral feeding schedule. Lately, my tank has been
maintained, but not thriving. I have a 72 gallon reef. 2x250 MH
HQI Hamilton, 1 1/2 year old reef. I have a baseball sized
frogspawn and would like to you know your opinion on the best
food for it. I also have some bright green Acro...doing
okay...white tips and all but it's apparent I need knew
<new> bulbs (on the way). The rest in the tank are a few
fish and an impressive crop of macro growing from the rock.
I've been using Combo Vital from Marc Weis. I've only
been feeding once every 3 weeks.(target feeding) The Acro and
frogspawn actively catch particles and move it to their mouth but
I've also heard a few bad things about this food. Before I
get more aggressive with feeding I was wondering what you think
about this product.
<I've tried a few of Marc's products in the past and I
wasn't very impressed with the results, felt I had wasted my
money.
They make exaggerated claims with little or no data to back them
up.>
I also just purchased Reef Nutrition's Oyster feast. 1-200
microns for oyster goodness. I will be trying that for this first
time tonight. With more Acropora and clams on the way( I want to
stock my reef ) what is your
preferred sps/lps/clam food.
<Personally, I do not do any scheduled feeding of my
corals/clams, but rely on photosynthesis and have gotten great
results. Occasionally, I will feed freeze dried Cyclopeeze for
the Flasher Wrasse (loves it) and I'm sure the corals capture
some of this nutrition. As for the clams, I do not feed anything,
again relying on photosynthesis and dissolved nutrients. Clams
seem to do better when a small amount of nitrate is present in
the water.
Do read articles/FAQ's here.
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2007-10/jf/index.php
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/tridacnidart.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/corlfdgrat.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/growingcorals.htm>
Thanks for all the time and help.
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Re Coral Feeding Help Please 7/27/09
Great info, thank you for the help.
<You're welcome.>
I understand you rely on the lighting, but if you wanted to
target feed your frogspawn twice a week just for insurance (
filtration is great and nitrates are zero with Salifert test)
what would you go with?.
<I'd likely go with DT's Live Phytoplankton and/or
oyster eggs. The eggs are small enough (45 micron) whereas small
polyp corals such as Porites, Montipora, etc, can capture
them.>
The tank is lightly stocked and has room for "extra"
feeding. You said you don't like Combo Vital... I've
heard good and bad.
<Just my, and other crew member's opinion.>
But when I target feed the frogspawn, he actively moves the large
black particles to the mouth and consumes it. I know it seems
obvious but doesn't that mean that he likes it, and that I
should feed more often.(once a month right now). Just wanted to
bounce this last question off ya...
<Combo-Vital is not a coral food to begin with, isn't
advertised as nutrition for corals.>
thanks for the links to the clam info.
<You're welcome.>
That's next on the purchase list. Have a good one!
<Ditto. James (Salty Dog)>
Rotifer Feeding 4/27/09
Hello all again,
< Hello Gary >
my new tank setup is almost finished and I was going to be adding
a phyto producing area that feed a rotifer tank to feed my
corals.
< Can be beneficial if stocking filter feeding inverts and
properly monitored. >
I will be producing new phyto weekly and then using a drip line
dripping it into a rotifer tank at a correct drip rate to keep
the culture at max efficiency.
< I would in no way directly connect the rotifer and phyto
cultures. I learned from personal experience how easy it is to
turn phyto cultures into rotifer cultures. If possible store the
phyto above the rotifers to remove the chance of contamination.
>
My main question is that most articles I have read about rotifer
feeding states to use a micron net to pull out the rotifers and
feed them directly to the tank.
< I would suggest the same. >
Since I am making fresh water to feed to the phyto and only
feeding the phyto to the rotifers when it is fully cultured. I
will then completely feeding the phyto within a few days keeping
it fresh.
Why can't I use a drip line from the rotifer tank to drop
straight into my main tank? I currently add phyto to my main tank
at ¼ cup a day right not and does not seem to harm it.
I have a 200 gal tank with plenty of live rock/sand and a massive
skimmer. I don't currently have any algae problems. Do you
think the water that the rotifers live in is that dirty if I am
dripping it on a timer each night at a rate of refreshing the
entire 5gal tank every week or so with new phyto water?
< Yes, it is that dirty. >
Are rotifers that messy?
<Yes, rotifers are extremely messy for their size. I would
definitely strain them before adding them. Massive skimmer or
not, I see no reason to knowingly risk water quality when there
is a simple solution. >
I know they have ammonia but I can't imagine that they
produce more than my fish do and that my tank cant handle it.
< Although your system may have no trouble processing the
extra nutrients, I honestly see no reason to add the extra
burden. >
Thank you for any advice,
< You are quite welcome. G A Jenkins >
Gary
Re: Torch Coral, foods 01/22/09 What is it about
the Kent Microvert you don't like? What do you
recommend? <I just don't think it actually feeds much of
anything (except maybe some of the more indiscriminate filter
feeders). Oyster eggs and live phytoplankton probably work a lot
better. But this depends on what you are trying to feed with it.
The particles are likely too small for the torch coral. For
feeding corals in general, these links might help:
http://www.asira.org/feedingyourtanks
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/feeding.htm Best, Sara
M.> Candy Canes/Caulastrea... Allelopathy In A Nano
Tank 8/13/08 Thanks Mich. <Welcome! I'm
very sorry for the long delay. I'm away from home.> I got
rid of the star polyps a while ago because of what I read here.
<Smart.> Also started using carbon a couple months ago.
<Even smarter!> I do change 1 gallon a week. <Good, you
could do 2 gallons if you wanted.> As far as feeding the sick
Caulastrea I am not sure if I can. So far I have not seen it send
out any tentacles. <You don't need tentacles, just the
mouth. You should temporarily shut off your circulation, It may
take an hour or so.) and gently place very finely chopped food (I
would try mysis shrimp soaked in Selcon.) on the mouth and
hopefully the mouth will expand and accept the food.> I have
not fed them in the past but am reconsidering. <They would
benefit.> One of the Caulastrea that I bought recently from a
fellow hobbyist had over 50 heads and they were really big. Most
were two and some with three mouths with many heads bigger that a
quarter. <Sweet!> He said he did feed them once a week.
That colony was way to large for me so I broke it up and kept
just 8 heads. It was a shame to break it up but no one else
wanted to buy the colony from him. <Well hopefully all will
thrive! Cheers, Mich>
Re: Candy Canes/Caulastrea... Allelopathy In A Nano Tank,
Cyclop-Eeze fdg. to corals 8/13/08 One more
question, please. <Of course!> I use freeze dried mysis and
Cyclop-eeze for my fish. Can these be fed to corals or does it
have to be fresh or frozen. <These can be used, if it were me,
I would soak the mysis in Selcon.> Thanks <Welcome!
Mich>
High Nitrates/Algae problems, & fdg.
"corals" 2/29/08 Okay, I guess I should
have gone to school to become a marine biologist because the more
I read about maintaining a reef tank, the more confused I get.
Anyway, here are some questions. My system: 160 gal tank w/20 gal
sump, no refugium yet, about 150 lbs live rock, 3-4 " DSB,
various corals and fish, protein skimmer, UV sterilizer, chiller,
high end coral lighting with metal halides, filter currently inop
and being sent for repair. <What sort of filter?> I was
paying someone to maintain tank but had to let him go. So I am
now learning. Water is testing great except for nitrates being
20-40 ppm. I read from Bob Fenner that "...there are two
common ways of expressing nitrate concentration by various assay
methods. Nitrates as ppm, and nitrogen as nitrate in ppm. Due to
the latter's consideration of the three oxygen atoms atomic
weight per molecule, measuring nitrate ion by itself results in
4.4 times as much. Do check your test kit though almost all are
nitrate ion types on the market nowadays... ". So, with that
said, I checked my test kit, API, and it does read the ions. So,
what does that mean? When it tests out at 20-40 ppm, does that
mean my result is really a lot less than what I think it is?
<Mmm, no... really is this range> All my fish and corals
seem to be doing well. Since I was paying someone else
previously, I don't know if my nitrates are different than
before. I think that I may be adding to my nitrate problem when I
clean my tank. I have a lot of algae sitting on the top of the
sand, so I have been cleaning the sand and I am wondering if I am
stirring it up too much and disturbing the denitrification
process. <A possibility> I have read about it on your site
but get too confused. Too much detritus on top of sand is a bad
thing, but isn't disturbing the sand too much also a bad
thing? <Yes, can be> I have a lot of detritus in places
that I can't get into with the vacuum. I've tried
reaching it with a slim tube or stick to stir it up for vacuuming
but not sure if this is the best thing. <Mmm, I'd hasten
on to adding the refugium, increasing your circulation in the
main tank... perhaps some internal pumps... Look into the
Koralia, Hydor brands...> Also, any advice on the algae bloom
problem? It is only on the sand and was rust color at one point,
then pink, and now mostly dark and bright greens. <See the
above> I am also totally confused on what to feed my corals
(sea fans, Zoas, Shrooms, colt coral, torch coral, flowerpot
coral, brain coral, sun coral). My tank guy had me feeding only
Marine Snow. <Garbage... the emperor's new fish food... Of
no nutritive value> Everything was thriving fine, except the
sun coral which I learned to feed mysis. I've read and have
had many folks tell me Marine Snow is only "fish poop"
<More like wall paste> and that I should be feeding
something else. Since I have 3 bottles of Marine Snow stocked up,
I have been mixing it with Kent's Phytoplex and some Liquid
Gold. I was feeding twice weekly and lately have only been able
to feed once weekly. If the Marine Snow is only "fish
poop", could that be adding to my nitrate problems? <Yes,
definitely> Thank you for your time. Wouldn't know what to
do without you guys. <Do take a read re the "corals"
you list on WWM. Their foods/feeding/nutrition is gone over
there. Bob Fenner> DT's Phytoplankton and Purple
Coralline growth (revised)! 2/17/08 Hello
everyone! Thanks to all for everything you do for us :) I have a
quick question. I'm sorry if it has been answered already,
but I cannot seem to find anything that relates to my specific
question. I started my tank 2 months ago. I have a 65 gallon with
wet/dry filter, protein skimmer, UV sterilizer, and total 288
watts of lighting. A combination of 1/2 blue actinic and 1/2
10000k daylight. 75 lbs of live rock. I also have (2) 300 gph
circulation pumps along with my return pump for circulation.
Fully cycled with 0 readings on ammonia and nitrites. 5-10 ppm on
nitrates. My tank is currently housing: (1) Dwarf Coral Beauty
(1) Six Line Wrasse (1) Lawnmower Blenny (3) Green Chromis (1)
Red algae eating starfish They told me a Red thorned Starfish
<Do you have a scientific name for this asteroid?> (1)
Green Serpent Starfish <Mmm, Ophiarachna? Watch out with this
predator> (1) Skunk Cleaner Shrimp about (10) Zoanthid polyps
(1) green feather duster (3) green mushroom polyps (1) Rose Coral
attached to a Turkey Wing Oyster? That what the LFS told me it
was . It is alive, I know that! <Not uncommon
attachments...> I feed Spectrum granules in the a.m. and
frozen cube mixes at night. I only shave of about and 1/8 to 1/4
of the cube and thaw it in tank water. I hand feed my Green
Serpent in the evening with a few small pinches of scallops or
shrimp. I also purchased some DT's. My questions are, how
much DT's should I feed to the small amount of corals and
Feather duster I have? <Mmm, not really a source of nutrition
here, for this life, but of value nonetheless...> I was told
to draw up 1cc in a syringe and add 2cc of tank water to that and
target feed about every third day. Is that right? <Okay>
Should I turn off all of my pumps, skimmer, and UV? Also, how
much should I feed my fish and others during the day? Is this too
much food or not enough??? <What you list is fine. I would
leave your gear on... more likely more trouble that you'll
forget to turn it back on... though timers can be a real asset
here> Oh one more quick question! I have a small amount of
purple coralline on some of my live rock. I want to have it
spread. I was told not to use Purple Up because it will raise my
alkalinity and calcium too high. What can I do to encourage more
purple coralline?? <Please read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/corallinealg.htm and the linked files
above> Thank you in advance for your help!! <Welcome. Bob
Fenner>
Feeding corals 1/6/2008 To the WWM
Crew: Do you have an opinion about TMC products? <I do... have
visited these folks, known them for decades... Their company is
the apex of value in our trade> The ones I want specifically
to know more about are the food products named Gamma NutraPlus,
Complete Feed for fish and inverts and Reef Feed just for
inverts. I use to feed the LPSs and SPSs with hydrated
Cyclop-Eeze "powder" and frozen Mysis shrimp. Do you
think it would be a good idea adding another kind of food like
that of the TMC? <I VERY much like the Gamma food line... IF
your "corals" (this is a too-wide descriptor used by
home hobbyists for a disparate group of animals... not all even
Cnidarians!) actually eat such size, type foods, this will be of
nutritional value> Thank you very much for your site and help
Best regards Fl?io <Welcome! Bob Fenner>
Zooplankton vs. Phytoplankton, food, coral nutr.
- 07/18/07 Hi, I've read on you very
informative website that it is preferable to feed corals
zooplankton as opposed to phytoplankton like DT's brand.
<Well, that's because the corals we keep don't eat
phytoplankton. However, if you have a deep sand bed and/or
refugium feeding phytoplankton like DT's will likely increase
your tank's ability to produce it's own zooplankton.>
I cannot find any zooplankton products for use in my aquarium.
Can you possibly point any out for me? <Coral Frenzy is
supposed to be pretty good. Cyclop-Eeze might also be considered
zooplankton. Liquid life's "coral plankton" has
rotifers. Zooplankton is basically just the portion of plankton
that consists of tiny (microscopic or nearly so) animals and
larvae rather than eggs and algae. So, urchin eggs would be
plankton, but urchin larvae would be zooplankton. Copepods,
rotifers, shrimp larvae and small crustacean larvae, etc. these
are things that could be considered zooplankton. Newly hatched
baby brine probably qualify as zooplankton. Another easy way to
get zooplankton in your tank is to have some peppermint or other
ornamental shrimp that regularly produce larvae in aquariums. Of
course, I do wonder if the fish don't eat up all these larvae
before the coral get a chance at them.> Thank you so much!
<Hope this helps. Best, Sara M.>
Living Overseas And Searching For Good
"Non-Refrigerated" Coral Foods - 06/28/07 I have
somewhat run into a problem with feeding the coral. <<Oh?
What genera/species?>> I am currently living in S. Korea,
and quality items are few and far between. <<I see>>
This being my first SW set-up outside the US, I've had to
order equipment from the States. <<Lucky we have the
Internet these days, eh?…wish it had been around during
"my" overseas tours>> I have been reading on your
site continuously with no avail. <<Okay>> My question
for you: Is there any dry coral food that is actually good?
<<There is…and I will elaborate shortly>> All
the reviews from everyone make dry invert/coral food a bad idea.
<<Opinions differ>> Since I cannot get shipped
"live" items, makes this even more difficult. So my
choices are finding a quality dry food, un-refrigerated liquid
(which from what I read is a bottle of crap), <<For the
most part, yes, I agree>> or trying to find something on
the Korean market (fingers crossed). Currently all I have now is
a few small feather dusters on the LR, and a medium size piece of
Alveopora (Branch) Coral (along with two small clowns). What
suggestions for food do you have, and what path should I take?
<<Well John, there are a few manufactured products I think
can be useful/will fit your criteria and I will go over these in
a moment. But what you need here is an in-line
plankton-generating refugium. This would be your best and most
economic source of "coral food"…along with the
other benefits such a system provides (lots of info re to be
found here and among the links in blue:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/refugium.htm). There are several
refugium methodologies you could employ, but I think a
reverse-daylight vegetable refugium with DSB would work just
dandy here. As for dry/non-refrigerated packaged products…
I like and use Polyp Lab Reef-Roids. This is a "fine dry
powder" product that seems to illicit good feeding responses
in my SPS dominated reef system. You can find this product here
(http://www.aquariumspecialty.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=783&osCsid=b5a1cb93cf978ad7d489575f88b0d8f1)…the
owner of the site (Scott) is a friend of mine, you can tell him I
referred you if you like. For corals AND fishes requiring larger
food items, the saltwater variety of Sweetwater Zooplankton is a
good choice. This is a very good vacuum-packed "wet"
product that does not require refrigeration until opened. A third
item that will benefit both fishes and corals is freeze-dried
Cyclop-Eeze. The use of these products in unison should give you
pretty good "coverage"…especially if you employ
the refugium as well. And if you should ever find yourself with
animals that need/require Phytoplankton, the ESV spray-dried
product would suit your circumstance>> Thanks! John
<<Ah, one last thought…I have found that placing a
few "shrimp pellets" in some tank water and waiting a
few minutes to let them crumble/dissolve also provides some
nourishment/may fill another niche in the reef food chain. Good
luck with your search. Eric Russell>>
Coral Frenzy 3-13-07 Hello Bob, <Ken> We
were wondering if you would be interested in trying out Coral
Frenzy? It is an all in one coral food. We list out everything
that is in CF on the label and on our website. We also
stamp the date that it was manufactured right on the jar, so you
know how exactly when it was made. <Have heard and read good
things about your product... But, don't tell anyone... I
actually only have a couple of good-sized African Cichlid systems
going nowadays... Heeee!> We know that nothing is more
nutritional than live and then the next is frozen. The
problem is that the majority of people who keep reef tanks
don't have the time, desire or discipline to feed those two
ways. That is where Coral Frenzy comes in, nothing on
the market currently has as many different ingredients, and for
some reason none of them care enough to tell you what is in their
products. Then to top it off, you don't know if
that product was made last week or last year. <Yes> We are
constantly improving our product. We are always
working with our suppliers to improve their ways of processing in
order to achieve higher nutritional values. We have wanted to
contact you for some time now but we didn't know how you
would be. <Heeee! About the same ole!> Scott Groseclose
from Aquarium Specialty told us that we should drop you a line.
<Hello to Scott!> Have a great day and we hope to hear from
you soon. Thank you, Ken Easter www.coralfrenzy.com <Thank you
for your kind offer. Bob Fenner>
Coral growth, lack thereof... nutrient limited?
3/6/07 Hello all! Thanks for your
help with previous questions! Very helpful! I am
having trouble with coral growth in my tank. 15
gallon refuge with Chaeto, <"Algae that goes
"crunch"") live sand and a little bit of live
rock. diy skimmer that works well. A few hermits and
Nas. snails. Main tank; 104 pounds of
live rock, 2 to 3 inches live sand
hermits and various snails closed loop
system with four outputs (great idea! thanks!) about 12x tank
volume per hour. two 12k 65 watt pcs, two actinic 65
watt pcs, and two 175 watt 20k metal halide.
Alk 11 P.H 8.4 calcium 480
nitrate .05 trite 0 am 0
mag 1400 S.G. 1.026 to 1.027
This is what my hydrometer reads. my temp is 79 to
82. Is the salinity too high? Is that too high of a
temp swing? <Both are fine> Inhabitants;
gold banded coral shrimp pair
emerald crab Atlantic
cucumber <Mmm> one green toadstool
one red open brain one
red/brown Sinularia no fish I have
noticed very little growth in my coral. <Do you feed them? Oh,
I see this below> They seem, otherwise, to be doing well. Full
polyp extension and color. I feed the open brain bits of shrimp
or salmon every other day. It eats well! I do not feed the
leathers. I have a great population of Amphi and copepods. Many
tiny white brittle stars and other L.R. hitch hikers. The Chaeto
in the fuge is multiplying like mad. I use store bought R.O.
water. I am replacing 4 gallons a day from evaporation.( drip
method over a period of several hours, DAILY!!) I do 8 to 15
gallon water changes a month. Should I feed the
leathers something? <Maybe... by offering a cultured mix of
mono-cellular species of phytoplankton you just might supply some
missing chemical/s... e.g. the popular soluble phosphate...>
Are my temp, S.G. swings daily causing a lack of
growth? <Nah> Please help! Wanting to start another tank,
but not until I fix this one! Thanks in advance for
your help! Rob <I'd try the "Phyto"
route here first... Bob Fenner>
Coral feeding 1/24/07 Dear Crew, <Hey
Glen, JustinN with you today.> Thanks for all of your help in
the FAQs! The advice given has helped me establish my
first reef tank which appears to be well-established for about 8
months. <Excellent, we always love to hear of the
successes.> Up until last month this had been a FOWLR tank
with only a few fish & inverts. <Ok> Last month and
this month I have slowly been adding corals to the tank and
things still appear to be going well, most thanks to you
guys. <I would disagree here, my friend. We simply
present the facts, in a form that its tangible and understandable
to the layman. We provided the spark, you ignited the fire.> I
am currently feeding my corals a mixture of the following frozen
treats by a turkey baster 2X/week: Baby brine shrimp, reef
plankton (red Calanus), daphnia, Spirulina enhanced adult brine
shrimp, Cyclop-Eeze and mysis shrimp. <Quite the
Cnidarian treat!> The corals are Goniopora (missed the advice
on this one), Sarcophyton, Euphyllia paradivisa, metallic green
Rhodactis, small xenia frag, small green sea mat Zoanthid frag,
small yellow polyp frag. My goal is to provide a
mixture of foods to these animals in order to provide maximum
nutrition and simulate the diversity of food sources available in
the wild. <And you are doing a mighty fine job of
it, my friend.> Can my feeding regimen be enhanced in any
way? <Perhaps the addition of a HUFA-enriched
vitamin supplement such as Selcon. Beyond that, all reads
excellent here.> I don't really target feed the
xenia. <Is not necessary, they are largely
photosynthetic (and if I recall correctly, no one has
specifically identified a food consumption mechanism with
them).> Instead, I blow around the rocks and sand a bit with
the baster to resuspend any leftover food and hopefully get some
bacterial plankton into the water column. <Excellent here,
also serves to stir up wastes in and around you rockwork,
directing them towards filtration devices.> -Glen <I think
you've already got the right idea, Glen. Keep it up, my
friend. -JustinN> Amino Acid Supplements For
Coral 1/12/06 Hi Crew, <Hello Mohamed, Mich
with you today.> I will like to know what is the benefits of
using amino acid for corals and has anyone from the crew done
experiments with amino acid? <The benefit is providing
nutrients that are not easily synthesized from the
environment. Many extol the use of vitamin supplements
such as Selcon, which contains amino acids. Eric
Borneman mentions in his book Aquarium Corals on page 58 that
"Some of the products required by corals and zooxanthellae
that are not supplied by photosynthesis include vitamins and long
chain fatty acids. These compounds are supplied by
diet only. Glycine is also a compound the
many coral do not easily synthesize, and it, along with some
carbon, may be obtained in the wild by living in proximity to the
released photosynthetic products of certain macro
algae." In a home aquarium this association may
not be possible. Therefore addition of amino acids via
a vitamin supplement may be quite advantageous. Thanks
Mohamed
Re: Amino Acids Supplements For Coral
1/17/06 Hi Mich, Thanks for a speedy reply. <Welcome,
sorry this one isn't quite so speedy.> On the same
subject. What are the types of amino acid that is
required by corals? <Hmm, varies with differ organisms, thus
the multivitamin recommendation (and also a high quality mixed
diet).> Is there a formula for amino acid similar to iodine
which can be mixed? <RMF says Aminoplex, a veterinary product,
may be of benefit if slowly dripped into the tank during daylight
hours only.> Thanks <Welcome, hope that helps! -Mich>
Mohamed
Re: amino acid supplementation for Cnidarians -
1/18/07 Hi Mich, <BobF now> Thanks for the reply, its
never to late. Who is RMF and where can I read of what he/she
says? <Is an acronym for my name, Robert Milton Fenner, sorry
for the confusion> I found 2 type of Aminoplex, Aminoplex
Light and Aminoplex Forte which 33 times more concentrated with
amino acids, sounds good. <Yes... this is "the real
thing"> What is the procedure of dosing?
<Mmm, unknown to me for this application> Some info on the
product, what do you think? Aminoplex
Forte Composition Dextrose, calcium
chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulphate, sodium acetate,
L-Histidine HCl, DL-Methionine, DL-triptofane, L-cistein HCl,
L-Threonine, DL-Isoleucine, L-Arginine, DL- phenylalanine,
DL-Valine, L-lysine HCl, L-leucine, monosodium glu Description
High concentration amino acids Indications Its amino acids
concentration is 33 times higher than Aminoplex Light. Treatment
of severe conditions of convalescence, of weakened animals, or
under intense strain, stress, shock, chronic diseases,
parasitosis, preparation for competition, high production
Contra-indications none Side effects none Dosage 1 mL for each 5
kg of body weight, from 1 to 3 times per day. Intravenous,
intramuscular, subcutaneous or intraperitoneal routes. Withdrawal
times none Packing Glass vial of 100 mL, glass vial of 250 mL,
glass vial of 500 ml.s Thanks Mohamed <A bit
of experimentation needed here... perhaps trying to calculate the
weight of your biota (sans abiotic skeletal mass)... and applying
some smaller dosage to the water itself... during a period of
rapid metabolism... later morning, early afternoon of light
phases... Do be aware that the addition of simple sugar
(Dextrose... common ingredients in "Vital" products)
may cause a slight algal bloom for a while... Bob Fenner>
DSB's/Coral Food - 01/10/07 Hello, <<Hello
Ronnie>> I have heard recently that DSB's are not
suggested in SPS reef tanks? Any thoughts or advice?
<<Hmm... I have 1000 pounds of sugar-fine aragonite in a
flourishing 375g SPS reef tank, along with another 300 pounds in
the in-line 55g refugium, that might suggest
otherwise. Perhaps it is thought the efficient
denitrification process deprives the corals of this
important/required element. I have heard of advanced
hobbyists adding Potassium Nitrate to their SPS systems to boost
health/color/vigor. I myself prefer a heavy (within
reason) fish load coupled with generous feedings>> I read
Deep Sand Secrets and found a lot of great info on it. <<A
good/interesting read, agreed>> I have always used one with
good results. In my new 75 gallon SPS only tank, I am
researching different ways to set it up.
<<Excellent! I have kept myself, and have seen,
many successful tanks using differing
methodologies. But I must say, my greatest success has
come when utilizing the DSB methodology>> Also, any
thoughts on the new food line called Reef Nutrition? <<Ah,
yes...am feeding the Arcti-Pods to my system now. My
Anthiines seem to like it fine, as well as the other small
planktonic feeding fishes. Can't really say
whether the corals are feeding on it, though it does appear to be
"small enough" for several of my Acropora species
utilize>> I have always used Cyclop-eeze and DT's
oyster eggs and phytoplankton for feeding my corals? <<Good
selections, but the phytoplankton is of little utility here as
most all SPS corals will be carnivores...though it is beneficial
for feeding many of the planktonic organisms/micro-crustaceans
which "do" provide a rich food source for your
corals...and many of which are cultured/generated from/within a
DSB>> Thanks, you guys rock. <<Thank you...thank you
very much (in my best Elvis impersonation voice)>> Ronnie
<<Regards, Eric Russell>>
Feeding cap for feeding TWA anemone et al. cnidarians
- 4/24/2006 Afternoon Crew, I was wondering about the storage
of a feeding cap (2 liter bottle cut off at top with a tube in
it). I am planning on feeding my anemone (Haitian pink tipped)
and corals (candy cane and some Zoanthids I had Mr. Fenner ID as
a possible Isaurus sp.) with this feeding cap. (I just found
about this great piece of equipment today, great concept love
things that follow KISS) I was concerned about the fact that
cnidocysts tend to stay on things it comes in contact with.
Should I use a separate cap for each one and also concerns for
myself where should I store this so I do not get stung? <... I
would use separate ones per species/colony (and label for/as
such)... can be stored most anywhere... A good habit to use
tongs, try to keep your hands, arms out of the system... utilize
arm-length gloves...> Should I clean it well with hot water
every time? <Mmm, no... not likely necessary> I would
assume I don't want to use ammonia on something I am putting
in my tank. <Uhh, correct... if anything, just a quick
freshwater rinse> Thanks for all the help you guys and girls
are the best, Homerj <Welcome. Bob Fenner> Base
Rock/Feeding Corals - 02/20/06 I have a question about
using base rock to help stock an aquarium. I'm
planning on setting up a larger (125-200 gallons) reef system in
the near future. To offset some of the costs I would
like to use base rock (probably completely devoid of any life,
dry) along with Fiji live rock. Is there a
rule/guideline as to what percentage should or ought to be live
versus base? I want to save money, but don't want
to get too cheap and under stock the aquarium with the bacteria
and "seed" source the live rock provides. <I would
use base rock as the lower layer of the display, no rule of thumb
as to weight, all depends on porosity of the rock. In time the
base rock will become "live".> I also have a
question about feeding corals. From the articles I
have read on WWM it sounds like phytoplankton and other bottled
filter feeding formulas aren't the way to go. What then would
you recommend for corals such as mushrooms, Zoanthids, and
gorgonians? I've been reading but haven't been
able to find a clear answer. <I switch between DT's Live
Phytoplankton and Cyclop-eeze myself. Keep in mind
that most corals produce much of their own food
supply. Do read FAQ's here for more
information. http://search.isp.netscape.com/nsisp/boomframe.jsp?query=coral+system+lighting&page=1&offset=0&result_url=redir%3Fsrc%3Dwebsearch%26requestId%3D704879f5ada710e7%26clickedItemRank%3D1%26userQuery%3Dcoral%2Bsystem%2Blighting%26clickedItemURN%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.wetwebmedia.com%252Fcorllgtg.htm%26invocationType%3D-%26fromPage%3DNSISPBoom%26amp%3BampTest%3D1&remove_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.wetwebmedia.com%2Fcorllgtg.htm>
Thank you for your help. <You're
welcome. James (Salty Dog)> Coral Health/Feeding
7/27/05 Hello crew, <Hey, Mike G here> This e-mail is
more for my peace of mind so please pardon my ignorance as I am a
new to this hobby/obsession (3 months) and just want to make sure
I understand what I have been reading and am doing things
right. <The mark of a good hobbyist> I have a
54 gallon tank <A nice beginner size> 150 watt MH light w/
2 65 watt blue actinics <very nice.> ammonia 0, nitrites 0,
nitrates 0, PH 8.3, calcium 450, alkalinity 6.0, water temp 79
degrees <Your parameters are all in order> Fluval 304
filter <I doubt this is necessary. In fact, some would argue
it is merely a Nitrate Factory.> protein skimmer <I'd
keep this and ditch the filter.> I have a giant mushroom,
orange Ricordea (who never stays in one spot), and the newest
addition is a branching hammer. <A nice
assortment.> I currently have no fish and some crabs and
shrimp. I plan on adding other LPS corals such as
bubble, frogspawn, etc. The guy at my LFS informed me
that the corals I have would be fine with just moderate lighting,
addition of iodine once a week (I use Lugol's), and DT's
phytoplankton every other day. <Sounds about
right. Phyto is really unnecessary here.> I have been reading
your site for the past 3 days and from what I am reading, the
addition of phytoplankton for the corals that I have and am going
to get is pretty much useless. Correct?
<Yep.> I am going to begin feeding with Mysis shrimp
tonight and will probably feed the hammer 5 times a week and the
mushroom and Ricordea once a week. <Be careful,
great water conditions coupled with strong light and heavy
feedings will result in many, many "baby" corals
magically appearing.> Any additional information is greatly
appreciated and I thank you for your help and knowledge.
<Actually, it seems as if you did not need my help. You're
off on the right path. Kudos for starting out right!> Danielle
<Mike G>
Coral Food and Supplementation Hello, I
have two questions. Sorry. You guys are very
informative and your website rocks. 1) My question is
about supplementation and food for corals and
invertebrates. I have the following animals in
my tank. Corals: Green Bubble Candy Cane Mushroom Zoos Kenya tree
Invertebrates Feather Duster Hardware 46G Bowfront 30-40 lbs of
LR 2 96W PC Rena Canister Filter Fluval 404 Filter
- with Bio Material only Aqua C Remora Internal
MaxiJet for additional flow I have been looking for some good
advice at what to feed my corals and
invertebrates. There are about 4 LFS within 30
mile radius from my house. Each time I go to them for questions
they always try to sell me stuff. Which after reading
your site, I realized that I don't really need
them. One of the LFS told me that since I have
my skimmer running 24 X 7, I need to constantly
replenish my trace elements, thus selling me the Reef Solution,
and Coral Vite solution. As for food, they sold me
Krill, silverside, Marine Snow, Kent Filter feeders. I
just had enough from them. I also went to them with
the question of Iodine. I read that mushrooms needs a supplement
of iodine and again they tried to sell be the Lugo
Iodine. Even after I told them that the Reef Solution
already contained Iodine and No, I do not have a test for Iodine
yet. I am tired of going to my LFS store with the
feeling of being taken advantage of. <I can sense this>
After I started going to your website, I stopped asking them
questions and started to go to the LFS knowing already what I
need. So could you please point me to the right
direction as to a brand of supplements and food you recommend?
<... you need, test kits... for whatever it is you believe
you're needing to add... I would get/use something for
alkalinity and calcium and leave all else out here... Along with
water changes, careful feeding, you don't need, nor likely
want more.> I feed my Green bubble coral silverside and
chopped squid. Frogspawn, Zoos, Candy cane, Feather
Duster I am not sure that filter food brand to give. <Best to
add a live sump, aka a refugium to this set-up, and rely on this
as a principal food provider for your filter feeders. Many other
benefits as well...> 2) Question I have a feather duster that
lost its crown last week. I have not removed the
tube in fear that the worm may still be
alive. At the same time I am afraid that is the
worm is dead then the tube may decomposed in my tank thus
creating a bioload nightmare from hell. <Not to worry... In a
system of your size, make-up, no big deal> I have hermit crabs
in my tank and the hermit crabs has not jumped on the tube
yet. Thus is my indicator that the tube is still
alive. I know that the hermit crabs will know that the
tube is decomposing thus they will try to eat
it. I am I correct with these
assumptions? Or should I try to grab the tube to check
if the worm is still alive? thank you Louie <I would leave it
as is. Keep reading, chatting with other hobbyists... and
maintaining a skeptical mind... you'll do fine. Bob
Fenner> Should I add nitrate to my reef tank? My water
consistently tests 0 nitrates. I have a crocea and a couple of
soft corals. I read in Anthony's book that there should be
some level of nitrate, and recommends preparing a solution of
sodium nitrate and using it to raise the level to 2ppm. Since the
"state of the art" is always evolving, I want to make
sure that recommendation is still appropriate. < I think
that is a terrible idea. I'd prefer to just feed my tank
before adding nitrate. > I've searched around the
web and can find "laboratory grade" sodium nitrate from
Sergeant-Welch in small quantities at a reasonable price.
< A local chem. shop should have this item in stock. But
again, I wouldn't do it. > I've not had any luck
in finding it at garden supply stores. Now I just need to hope
that ATF isn't tracking sodium nitrate purchasers!!
< Take a look at your fish load and feeding schedule. If you
are feeding once per week, maybe feeding 3 times per week would
accomplish what you are looking for. > Thanks Ken Baker <
Blundell >
Feeding Corals Hi, I'm pretty new to this . Just
started a reef tank. I started off with A fish Only tank. Then
decided to do a reef. I have a Cabbage leather coral, Kenya tree
coral , button polyp. What should put in the tank to feed them?
55 Gal, 60 lbs Fiji rock. <Here is a link to an article
on just what you're looking for. http://www.wetwebmedia.com/growingcorals.htm.
James (Salty Dog)>
Coral feeding I was reading through the site today and
discovered the section on feeding corals. I looked on with
stupidity because my LFS has always told me that they get
everything they need from light. <It was probably a mistake
and it happens.> I have to admit I am still not sure how
to feed my corals. I bought some frozen Mysis shrimp, but now
what? I have never even seen sweeper tentacles. I have a
frogspawn a torch, and a xenia, any suggestions as to how I
should feed them (turkey baster method, etc.) or what to feed
them (zoo/phytoplankton) is greatly appreciated. EY
<Hello, well you are on the right track from what I see.
Knowledge is power. You should feed based on the needs of your
corals. The frogspawn, and torch will probably take the Mysis
depending on size. The best time to feed them is at night using
the baster method. The xenia will take the phytoplankton. I want
you to remember this. Although you should be feeding your corals,
a big beginner mistake is to over feed them when they first
start. Start feeding little amounts and work your way from there.
Good Luck. MikeB.>
Monti Feeding II Hello Crew,<Hey,> On the
following response to a question that I asked I am a little
confused. I have read on your site that Phytoplankton is not very
useful with SPS corals. <There are pro's and con's to
using this product. Basically, there could be better food sources
out there, such as refugiums. But, in a bind DT's can get the
job done if used correctly. Let me stress the word
CORRECTLY.> So I question the recommendation of DT's
Phytoplankton. I have found BioLife's Coral Plankton and the
SPS's seems to eat it (Polyps Expand), I am not sure about
the particle size of Cyclop-eeze and will also add the DT's
if it is eaten. Otherwise, I look at it as algae food. I do like
to feed as much of a variety as possible since I do not want to
get into a refugium. Also this is becoming a SPS tank eventually
(my favorite) however I do have BTA's with very happy Clowns
and one Galaxea, is this a problem? Thank you for all the
help! Rich <Rich, the BTA will be a problem eventually
and so will the Galaxy coral. They will sting and bother the SPS
corals. The problem with feeding food for the SPS corals is that
people generally feed too much to the tank. This then causes a
spike in water quality and degradation of the corals. I would
remove the BTA and the Galaxy coral to another tank if you want
to keep the SPS corals long term. Also, use what ever
phytoplankton you decide that works best in moderation. Good
Luck. MikeB.>
Monti Feeding III Hello Mike, Thanks for the reply. The
way that I have been feeding my SPS's is to stop all pumps
for an hour or so and target feed just enough food to cloud the
general area around the coral. I do this twice a week. I think
that this is minimal pollution and hopefully (?) enough nutrition
for the coral. How does that sound to you? Thanks again for the
advice! Rich <Rich, your method sounds fine. I wouldn't
consider the food as pollution though. It will provide the
sustenance your corals and microfauna will need. Keep it up!!!
MikeB.>
Soft Corals 3/28/03 Good day WWM Crew, <cheers,
mate> I have a Toadstool Mushroom Leather (Sarcophyton) and a
Thin Finger Leather (Sinularia) and I just want to ask about some
observations I made: 1 ) I have noticed that every morning when I
wake up, before any lights come on, that both of these guys have
long sweeper tentacles waving all over the place. Do they use
these to feed, or are they just used to keep other livestock at
bay? <the latter if that's what they truly are... purely
defensive> I have noticed that their tentacles and polyps are
out in the morning before lights come on, but when I get home
from work (5:00 ), the tentacles and polyps are retracted and
stay retracted the remainder of the evening. I'm not sure why
this is. <because these soft corals feed very little
organismally. More so by translocation (of nutrients from
photosynthesis) and absorption. Some nanoplankton too... but they
really cannot eat any large plankton or prepared foods> It
seems to me that the light would stimulate their polyps and
tentacles. <not really... the tentacles are a very small part
of the photosynthetic tissue overall> 2 ) Do they have to have
their tentacles and/or polyps out to feed? <nope> 3 ) I
also have some Corallimorphs ( Actinodiscus, Discosoma ). I
believe they are called Green Fluorescent Mushrooms. How do these
feed? <all of the above: organismal, absorptive plus perhaps
by mucous too> I have never seen any kind of tentacle or
polyp. Most of them are also "folded up", instead of
laying flat. What does this mean? <they've been watching
depressing news coverage> Note: I just got these corals this
past Saturday. <time needed to acclimate for certain> 4) I
have been feeding all of the above including a bunch of Palythoa
(Green Button Polyps) a frozen algae. I can't remember the
name, I think it's Reef Treats. It's not just frozen
algae, but has many meaty foods such as brine shrimp, Mysid
shrimp, sea urchin, squid, clams, oysters, and scallops.
<ahhh, yes... the fine meaty fare is better here> Anyhow, I
realize these are filter feeders, so I soak the food in garlic
and put in a small blender and use a turkey baster to target feed
the corals and coral polyps. I have only fed them twice since I
have had them. Is this a good practice, or is there
something better to feed? <truly depends on the species. Some
like more phyto- than zoo-plankton> As always, thanks Charlie
<best regards, Anthony>
Guillard formula I've been putting some of f/2
Guillard (1tbsp/week in my 125gal tank) in my tank to induce
algae blooms to feed my dwindling copepod population. I seem to
have an interesting side effect however. since I've been
using it I've noticed that some of my corals have become
richer in color, perhaps due to stimulated growth of their
symbiotic algae. now I haven't been logging any progress or
doing any formal investigations but I'm sure that the f/2 is
enriching these algae. here's the question, do you know of
any work that has been done on this topic? maybe you know someone
who does. regardless I could just be 'seeing' things. I
hope I'm not, perhaps I could have stumbled onto something
here.... <Am sure such works can be found through a computer
bibliographic search... go to the college library and search with
such key terms as "coral", "color"... Bob
Fenner> Jon Trowbridge
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