Coral Feeding Question

[karenj]

I would like to know what and how most people feed their corals? I have been putting in a small amount of Phytofeast everyday and then Zoo plex and Marine Snow on alternating days. Plus the brine shimp and mysis residue from fish feeding. Is there anything I'm missing? Should I be putting rotifers in also? There are a lot of "bugs" in my tank. At least I see a bunch on the glass every morning. Karen

 

[remo85]

I'd say, if they are quite healthy, then you have fed well! What kind of corals do you have?

 

[karenj]

corals

corals

I have mostly soft corals, leathers, zoos, anthelia, mushrooms, kenya, xenia and one candy cane hard coral. Also one unknown coral that I can't quite fiqure out. It is a contortionist and I never know what shape its going to be each morning. :eek1: I just see all these ads for different types of coral food--reef chili, oyster eggs, rotifers etc. and wonder if I should be alternating with something else. Karen

 

[JDrex]

The "bugs" that you are seeing are more than likely beneficial copepods. They are just small crustaceans that fish absolutly love to eat. They are generally a sign that your tank is healthy. Do you have any fish in the tank? If so, what?

 

[remo85]

ya, i agree, they are copepods, my royal gramma eats the heck out of them. There are a lot of foods out there for corals, but you dont need them all. I think you have more than enough coral food, and the do enjoy it. I feed my corals cycolp eeze. well, it is mixed in with what i feed my fish, and they grab it out of the water column, it seems to be enough for them, they are very bright and colorful.

 

[karenj]

Just one fish and unfortunately it is a box fish so I can't I guess have anything else. But I really like the little guy. Speaking of which everyone says that they get large but I have had him for 5 months now and he is still just about 1 and 1/2 inches just slightly bigger than when I got him. I also have a golden coral shrimp and a serpent star. Do they eat the "bugs" also? or probably can't catch them. I know the serpent gets happy when I put mysis in so I assume that is what he eats as well as the coral shrimp. The fish eats the bugs on the rocks but doesn't seem to care about the ones on the glass so its probably a waste of perfectly good fish food. Well anyway the corals SEEM fine. Opening up as soon as the lights come on and staying open until I turn them off. Thanks for the replies. Karen

 

[CH]

Of the corals you have, the only one that really needs specific feeding would be the candy cane. Once or twice a week, at night when the polyps are opened, you can feed them directly. I feed either a homemade formula of food, or frozen cyclopeze, or frozen formula 1. I alternate between those, but my homemade food has all of them in it too. Most softies and leathers absorb nutrients from the light and water.
The phyto is probably good for the "pods", however I stopped adding it and mine are doing just. Usually there is enough natural "marine snow" to satisfy most everything. One thing I also do every so often is stir the sand so that the detritus is suspended. A lot of the corals will like this too.

There have been some good articles on feeding here on RC in the past. I'll see if I can track them down.

 

[karenj]

Thanks I would appreciate that.

 

[garvin90]

Pickup the book Aquarium Corals by Eric Borneman, it has alot of excellent info on corals especially the feeding habits and such of some of the specific species as not all are predominant zoo or phytoplantonivores. Like chris sand, stirring the sand and releasing that cloud is good as well since A. your skimmer(if you run one) can go to work and B. all that "marine snow" or detritus that has settled can be absorbed by your corals and anything else that filter feeds like feather worms and sponge.

The only things I ever feed my tank is a powder from ocean fresh, cyclopeeze and those oyster eggs from DT's. Plus of course the algae put in the water from scraping the glass.