feeding density/growth rate (banggai)

[catdoc]

This being my first time raising banggai, I am wondering how to know if I'm feeding enough. Is it possible to overfeed? My 2-week-old banggai are on enriched artemia nauplii (enriched with phyto and selcon). How do I know how much to feed? With nauplii, they are always swimming in there but I wonder about the ideal density so the feeding is easier.

Also, does anyone have a chart showing the growth rate so I know if we're on track or not?

I offered some cyclopeeze this morning, but no takers that I saw. We're going out of town in 4 weeks, so I'd like them to be on something beside the artemia by then. I'm planning to put them in my 29 gallon fuge so they have good water quality without my fish-sitter needing to do water changes, in addition to them being able to feast on the pods that are in there. Think that'll work? (There are 13 babies, btw.)

 

[jacob30]

I would suggest buying some frozen BBS and slowly start adding both live and frozen and by the time you leave only the frozen BBS.

The fuge will be fine but you MUST use sponges to cover any pump intakes or cascading overflows (they will need to be cleaned regularly).

As far as density....hmmm I just kinda go buy how they look/grow/eat, and I try to feed them twice a day.

Yes you can overfeed and they will die.

Good luck,

Jacob

 

[papagimp]

I'm telling ya, keep on em with the cyclopeeze. It's so nice just having an automatic feeder dump in cyclopeeze while I'm at work. It took em a couple weeks to start eating it primarily, but worth it. Much more nutrition than BBS. I keep alot of "critters" in my Bangaii grow out tank to help curb the overfeeding I like to do but that said, I feed mine a crapload of cyclopeeze, much more than they need I"m sure. I'd rather be doing an extra water change or two than having my little tykes die from starvation. I've yet to see any of them eat themselves to death either, but not to say it can't happen. I just havn't noticed yet.

I've also been feeding them "reef plankton" cubes about once a week. There still tiny little babies so only a little goes in their tank, but I soak the cube in my "dispenser" filled with Tetralemis Phyto and even though they don't go ape over the stuff like they do the cyclopeeze, they do munch on it a bit. I'm trying to get em on the frozen mysis cubes that their parents enjoy so much.

 

[lego]

What critters do you keep in your grow out tank that are safe to have in there?

 

[papagimp]

Critters: a few small hermits, lot's of stometella's, surprisingly I still have many grammarus shrimp in there as well (amphipods). And I've seen the occasional micro-bristle starfish in there too. then lot's of bristeworms,