thanks.
i fed my tank with some last night...
how often would be appropriate to feed for sps?
how long will the napulii live in my tank?
i do have a mandarin, assume he'll eat a bunch of them
thanks again!
How often... well, that is another question that is difficult to answer and one that is going to be one of those, "it depends."
If we operate under the very reasonable assumptions that our tanks are no where even close to natural reef conditions and assume that these corals would be feeding nightly when the plankton is most abundant - then... we should be feeding every night.
However, that is going to depend greatly on your own setup, bioload, filtration, maintenance schedule, etc., etc. It's really the standard, "every time you do something different, try not to shock your system." In this case, you are increasing feedings, so do it slowly - maybe 2-3 times per week. See if you are noticing any changes (positive or negative) and watch your animals (corals are good indicators of water quality, of course). Watch your phosphate and nitrate levels. If your system can handle it, increase the feedings.
The naups can live in your system for quite some time, but eventually they will be taken out by the filtration, pumps, powerheads, etc. Typically, they will have disappeared from the water column in a few hours.
Yes, your mandarin will enjoy the snack, as well as other fishes in your system - and that is a good thing!
Oh, one note on target feeding. You can make a very simple target feeder if you want something less bulky and more control than a turkey baster. Buy a baby snot-sucker from CVS or other drug store, clip the end and insert some rigid airline tubing. Done. If you gently heat up the end of the rigid tubing, you can also gently bend the tip for an angled feeder.
But, when target feeding, the key is to GENTLY spray the food across the coral; don't blast it - you'll just make the polyps retract.
Cheers
Mike
