Feeding gorgs that are not primarily photosynthetic

[Gordonious]

I need to find out if the problem is in the volume of food, getting them to accept the food, or if it is specifically what is in the food. My gorgs have happily eaten a mix of food that I have given them over the last couple of months. I thought that the trouble was getting them to eat and feeding them enough that was the biggest challenge, but never could find anyone to tell me exactly what was best to feed them.

I need to find out if I should feed phyto three times a week and zooplankton of some sort three days a week or what a good mix would be. I doubt someone will have the numbers for me, but I at least would like to find someone that has kept them alive for a while and ask them.

I realize the water quality must be high with the parameters in check and a good flow, so please lets stick to discussing food in this thread.

Jonathon

 

[Gordonious]

Currently I am feeding them Kent's ZooPlex, DT's Premium Reef Blend, <A HREF="http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=5011&Ntt=zooplankton&Ntk=All&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Np=1&N=2004&Nty=1">Zooplankton</A>, Marinesnow, and arctic pods. I have also in the past bought tiger pods as well as pods from another company online whose name I can't remember at the moment.

 

[Fredfish]

Its a two part issue. Quaintitiy is one part, and as you have figured out, they need to be fed daily. I suspect that they need to be fed several times daily for best results. It is hard to do this without causing water quality issues.

They other part is what exactly they eat. There have not been a lot of studies on specific corals and what they digest. What a coral takes in and what it digests may be two different things. A coral my only be able to digest some of what it ingests.

Eric Borneman has a good food recipie that he uses for all his corals. I think it is still in one of the stickies at the top of this forum.

Fred

 

[LesMartin]

There is a thread on the Aquarium Obsessed vendor forum about a new gorgonian food along with some before and after pics.

 

["Umm fish?"]

I gotta tell you, I really like the Tropic Marin food. I think that's what LesMartin is talking about. It's expensive, but it really works for my corals. I've gotten feeding responses from corals that I thought were pretty much autotrophic (zoos, mostly). Lots of polyp development from all of my corals since I started using it. But, I haven't tried a non-photosynthetic gorgonian yet (I haven't seen one at the fish stores since I started using this), but I'm thinking hard about trying one.

 

[Cosmo^Kramer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8728750#post8728750 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by LesMartin
There is a thread on the Aquarium Obsessed vendor forum about a new gorgonian food along with some before and after pics.

Fauna Marin.It seems they have been working on the food for 2 years.The pictures are impressive

 

["Umm fish?"]

Ah, you're right Fauna Marin. Sorry.

 

[Fredfish]

I had forgotten about this new food.

Umm, fish. How long have you been using the food for? Got any before and after pics?

I am always suspicious of manufacturer claims.

There is a guy in the Netherlands that was using a mixture of Fauna marin foods to feed dendronepthia. I believe he kept his corals with this food for over a year.

Personally I have been feeding a mix of golden pearls (5-50 micron) and DTs oyster eggs and getting a feeding response from my new photosynthetic gorgonian, but its only been a few weeks so I have no idea how it is working.

As you know, getting a feeding response does not always mean the coral is digesting what it takes in.

Fred

 

[dr_bull]

You may want to check out this month's issue of coral magazine it is all about non - photosynthetic gorgs and their care requirements. I just got my issue in a couple of days ago and it has been some very educational reading!

 

["Umm fish?"]

Understand that my story is all anecdotal, this all may be coincidence. I've already posted a bunch of information on this thread:

http://forum.marinedepot.com/Topic50763-9-1.aspx?

But, I do happen to have a couple of pictures. Here's a seriatopora before I started using the foods (this picture's from the end of August):

This picture's from the end of November:

Now I know that these guys are fast growers and that's a good bit of time, but look at that polyp extension. All from the bottom, too, where it's not interfering with photosynthesis. There's obviously something in the water that it wants to catch.

I've also noticed accelerated growth on my montis, acros, tubipora, euphyllia, and tubastrea. (12-15 new tubastrea polyps budding out of the main colony this month! I've only target fed twice in that time, but I do feed the tank pretty heavily.) Again, it might have nothing to do with the new food. But I just bought some more.

 

[i2ik]

Thanks for the pictures! I was wondering if you are using the product with the reactor or simply put the product in your tank?

Also are you stopping your skimmer each time?

The pictures tells a lot about that product! I am amazed by it!

 

[Gordonious]

Sorry I have been slow to keeping up with my own thread. It's final exam week. Thank you all for your posts. I looked at the Aquarium Obsessed thread with the beautiful pics of gorgs, but when I visited their site I was unable to find the food.

 

[jeremai]

I feed Kent ZooMax and ESV Spraydried Phyto every day, just after lights out. My tank has two Diodogorgia nudiliferas, and a bunch of photosynthetic gorgonians.

Here is a good article on feeding non-photosynthetic gorgonians.

 

["Umm fish?"]

I am not using any reactors for their products. Nor am I using zeolite. I also do not stop my skimmer. But, I do feed numerous times/day. And do lots of water changes, grow lots of macroalgae, run a phosphate remover and carbon, etc.

If you go to their website, go to the Online Store, USA, Fauna Marin, Foods. Not the best way to organize the site, IMO, but no one asked me.

 

[Fredfish]

Say, that thread looks familiar.

Actually, Eric's last reply on that thread applies here and it goes back to what I wrote earlier. Can you get the coral enough food?

I have communicated with a couple of people who kept non-photosynthetic gorgonians like swiftia and both gave up around the 1 year mark. They found it very hard to give the coral enough food without overloading the tank with nutrients.

If you could find a good way to target feed them, you might be more successful.

Thanks for the pics "Umm, fish?". The increased polyp extension is interesting. Do you find that this is happening with all of your corals?

Fred

 

["Umm fish?"]

I bet it does! I really enjoyed that thread (other than typing all those ingredients ). Thanks for starting it!

I'll try to get some more pictures over the next few days, but I have noticed much more polyp extension around the tank. Here's a monti (picture was taken Dec. 1):

 

["Umm fish?"]

Well, so that I don't take this completely off-topic, here are some pics of my (photosynthetic) gorgonian feeding. I had just added the Fauna Marin products.

I took a bunch more pictures, but gorgonians move a lot....

 

[Gordonious]

Does anyone happen to know a site where I could find pretty specifically how much light Gorgonians need? I really like the ones I have and will be doing a tank with photosynthetic corals soon so I would like to try some.

Also, would anyone be interested in trading frags? I only have a yellow and a red frag to trade.(well a couple yellows) Both of which are primarily not photosynthetic and a dark high flow area of the tank is just about required.

Jon

 

[LesMartin]

Ummm, fish?
Which food was it? the Ultra Sea fan ?

 

["Umm fish?"]

No, it was UltraClam and UltraMin. I haven't even seen the UltraSeaFan and from what I can tell, there are others, too. It all sounds rather complicated. It's a good thing I'm just tossing food in a tank.