Feeding corals and inverts

[PietschBR]

Hello!!

So I'm doing a treatment in a HT for Ick and have no fish in DT.

I mostly have SPS and LPS, very few zoas and 3 anemones.

My params are perfect and have 0 nitrates and phosphates.

How often should I feed the corals? Everyday? I'm using first bite sps food, and also have brightwell reef snow and phytogreen-S.

What do you think?

Thank you!!

 

[PietschBR]

Oh I have 2 clams too.

 

[Bill_Moorman]

If you are reading 0's in both phosphate and nitrate your parameters are not perfect. You are starving your coral by doing so.

Most shoot for barely detectable phosphate and between 1-10 nitrate.

That being said, I feed my LPS mysis shrimp and PE Mysis pellets soaked in selcon whenever I remember to do so (3x a month maybe) and I am seeing tons of growth for example, a 3 head Acan now has 8, my Duncan went from 5 to 9 heads, and my frogspawn has split numerous times. This is all since January.




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[PietschBR]

If you are reading 0's in both phosphate and nitrate your parameters are not perfect. You are starving your coral by doing so.

Most shoot for barely detectable phosphate and between 1-10 nitrate.

That being said, I feed my LPS mysis shrimp and PE Mysis pellets soaked in selcon whenever I remember to do so (3x a month maybe) and I am seeing tons of growth for example, a 3 head Acan now has 8, my Duncan went from 5 to 9 heads, and my frogspawn has split numerous times. This is all since January.




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True

I meant everything is good except nitrates and phosphates.

I guess feeding the corals everyday will be ok then.

 

[PietschBR]

If you are reading 0's in both phosphate and nitrate your parameters are not perfect. You are starving your coral by doing so.

Most shoot for barely detectable phosphate and between 1-10 nitrate.

That being said, I feed my LPS mysis shrimp and PE Mysis pellets soaked in selcon whenever I remember to do so (3x a month maybe) and I am seeing tons of growth for example, a 3 head Acan now has 8, my Duncan went from 5 to 9 heads, and my frogspawn has split numerous times. This is all since January.




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True

I meant everything is good except nitrates and phosphates.

I guess feeding the corals everyday will be ok then.

 

[Uncle99]

If you are reading 0’s in both phosphate and nitrate your parameters are not perfect. You are starving your coral by doing so.

Most shoot for barely detectable phosphate and between 1-10 nitrate.

That being said, I feed my LPS mysis shrimp and PE Mysis pellets soaked in selcon whenever I remember to do so (3x a month maybe) and I am seeing tons of growth for example, a 3 head Acan now has 8, my Duncan went from 5 to 9 heads, and my frogspawn has split numerous times. This is all since January.




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This ^^^^ above is the correct frequency. IMO, your daily feeding is way too much, photosynthetic corals require light, that's all, but feeding as above can be beneficial in terms of tissue growth.

If you feed daily, R U sure nitrate/phosphate is zero, zero not being a good thing.

Give them great, stable, consistent, NSW range water and great light, Alk, Ca, and Mg in the correct relationship and your corals will be very happy.

 

[PietschBR]

This ^^^^ above is the correct frequency. IMO, your daily feeding is way too much, photosynthetic corals require light, that's all, but feeding as above can be beneficial in terms of tissue growth.

If you feed daily, R U sure nitrate/phosphate is zero, zero not being a good thing.

Give them great, stable, consistent, NSW range water and great light, Alk, Ca, and Mg in the correct relationship and your corals will be very happy.

I'm feeding 3 times a week now, and lightly.

I guess because I have no fishes in the DT nutrients level are very low...
That's why I asked about the frequency, in that specific scenario.

When the tank was loaded with fish, because of the daily feeding of them, nitrate and phosphate were higher.

 

[Uncle99]

Studies have not indicated that feedings, outside of the once in a few weeks or so, leads to any significant tissue growth, in fact in a couple of tests, growth actually slowed somewhat.

I my mixed reef, I keep Alk 8.0-8.5, CA 420-440, and MG, 1350, lots of light, once or twice broadcast feed per month, nitrate at 5pp , phosphate at .03 ish.

That being said, if they are all happy, so be it!

 

[PietschBR]

Ok... thanks for sharing your experience.

Guess I’ll have to find ways to raise nitrate and phosphate just a little.