Feeding softies

[Norse]

Hi!
I would like to know what do you use to feed your softies like Sinularia, Sarcophyton, Lobophyton, etc. directly; the food that they can catch with the polyps and swallow it down. I think some pods are too big but maybe rotifera, oyster eggs, colloids?. I´m not sure that this kind of octocoral can feed of phytoplankton... true?
Thank you!

 

[Drock169]

I feed my them Oyster feast maybe once a week, its more for the sps though.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

I feed my gorgonia flake.

 

[Norse]

Thanks!
I think that I have to offer them something because there are no fishes in my aquarium and the nutrients levels easily reach 0.
What about Reef Booster of Prodibio?

 

[lancer99]

Norse,
I feed a mix of freeze-dried Cyclop-eeze, Coral Frenzy, DT's Phytoplankton, DT's Oyster Eggs, Selcon, and Vitachem. But I stopped feeding for a couple of months, and it didn't seem to make any difference to my Sarcophytons, Lobophytums, Sinularias, or anything else...except for my Tubipora musica.

Just my experience...YMMV.

-R

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Yeah, I don't think that any common softies other than gorgonia an some mushrooms will easily accept food.

 

[Norse]

Norse,
I feed a mix of freeze-dried Cyclop-eeze, Coral Frenzy, DT's Phytoplankton, DT's Oyster Eggs, Selcon, and Vitachem. But I stopped feeding for a couple of months, and it didn't seem to make any difference to my Sarcophytons, Lobophytums, Sinularias, or anything else...except for my Tubipora musica.

Just my experience...YMMV.

-R

That´s a good thing!... Nevertheless I suppose that you have some fishes in your tank...and in fact, there will be some organic nutrients that the coral could catch of the water. I don´t have fishes to feed... that´s the problem...

 

[Norse]

Yeah, I don't think that any common softies other than gorgonia an some mushrooms will easily accept food.

Do you recommend me to add directly nitrates and phosphates better than commercial coral food?

 

[Norse]

Remember: no fishes in the tank

 

[lancer99]

Norse,
I'm not sure what you mean exactly. Nutrients are nutrients.....if you add something like fish food, it will quickly be decomposed into more basic nutrients, and cycled through the tank. If you have fish, that just means they will extract some of the nutrients....then their poop will be decomposed and cycled.

IME it doesn't really make any difference, and further, for most softies, a "lack" of nutrients (like when I stopped feeding) doesn't make any difference either, since they get most of their nutrition from zooxanthellae.

Maybe I misunderstood?

-R

 

[Norse]

Norse,
I'm not sure what you mean exactly. Nutrients are nutrients.....if you add something like fish food, it will quickly be decomposed into more basic nutrients, and cycled through the tank. If you have fish, that just means they will extract some of the nutrients....then their poop will be decomposed and cycled.

IME it doesn't really make any difference, and further, for most softies, a "lack" of nutrients (like when I stopped feeding) doesn't make any difference either, since they get most of their nutrition from zooxanthellae.

Maybe I misunderstood?

-R

Yes, in a coral tank with fishes (that you have to feed), there´s a lot of nutrients result of the nitrogen cycle for example. The zooxanthellae will do their work with a good light but they need a minimum of nutrients to develop.
If you wants your coral grow up, they have to be in presence of nitrogen (that´s the base of proteins for example)... and if you don´t have fishes for add nutrients to the system, you have to search another way to provide them those substances.
That´s the reason of looking for some food that softies could catch with their own polyps.

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Oh yeah, some Zoanthids eat too. I don't see why you don't just get fish. A damsel maybe? I would not recommend fertilizers, but that's me.

 

[Norse]

Joe! with a fish in the tank I´ll probably loose the control of nutrients! ... It´s only a 19gal tank without skimmer,8kg of good live rock and water changes! that´s all...
I would like to explain better what I want to say but my english is very basic as you can see... :S

 

[lancer99]

Yes, in a coral tank with fishes (that you have to feed), there´s a lot of nutrients result of the nitrogen cycle for example. The zooxanthellae will do their work with a good light but they need a minimum of nutrients to develop.
If you wants your coral grow up, they have to be in presence of nitrogen (that´s the base of proteins for example)... and if you don´t have fishes for add nutrients to the system, you have to search another way to provide them those substances.
That´s the reason of looking for some food that softies could catch with their own polyps.

Norse, I think you are a little confused, maybe?

Nitrates and phosphates can either be added directly to a tank (for example, via fish food) or indirectly, via fish poop.

I don't know where you got the idea that fish are necessary, because that is completely false. With or without fish, food will be broken down into nitrates, phosphates, and other components. The nitrogen cycle is the same in either case.

Perhaps you don't know that nitrates = nitrogen?

I think you have been given some bad advice. Fish are absolutely not necessary for a softy or other tank. Only food inputs are.

-R

 

[Joe Pusdesris]

Joe! with a fish in the tank I´ll probably loose the control of nutrients! ... It´s only a 19gal tank without skimmer,8kg of good live rock and water changes! that´s all...
I would like to explain better what I want to say but my english is very basic as you can see... :S

Doubt it... How about a cleaner shrimp or something then?

 

[Norse]

Lancer, I agree completely and I´m not wrong in my ideas... is my bad english, sorry!...
I´ll try again .
I want to add nitrogen (and a little PO4) to the system but not via fish food because there are no fish. There´s a lot of options but I would like to feed the coral directly... so I asked what can the octocoral softies catch with their polyps... Am I understood now?

 

[Norse]

Doubt it... How about a cleaner shrimp or something then?

I thought it and in fact it will be what I does if I can´t find any food for the coral directly, that is what I would like.

 

[lancer99]

Lancer, I agree completely and I´m not wrong in my ideas... is my bad english, sorry!...
I´ll try again .
I want to add nitrogen (and a little PO4) to the system but not via fish food because there are no fish. There´s a lot of options but I would like to feed the coral directly... so I asked what can the octocoral softies catch with their polyps... Am I understood now?

No, your English is great! Jag kann litte svensk, men inte norsk

If you really want to add NO3 directly to your tank, the easiest way is with plant fertilizer. That will add nutrients directly to the water, and your softies will be able to absorb it directly from the water.

But that's dangerous....it is easy to add too much.

-R

 

[Intothedarkdeep]

I kept zoas and some softies including a sinularia, toadstool and others in a tank with no fish and no feeding for over a year. The zoas didn't really grow but my leathers took off, the sinularia grew almost out of the tank.

 

[Norse]

No, your English is great! Jag kann litte svensk, men inte norsk

If you really want to add NO3 directly to your tank, the easiest way is with plant fertilizer. That will add nutrients directly to the water, and your softies will be able to absorb it directly from the water.

But that's dangerous....it is easy to add too much.

-R

Yes that´s true but it´s more than only "dangerous" in a 19gal tank!! I don´t dare, the truth...:worried:
And apart, I would like to know what can these kind of corals eat!
Thank you for your answers .