Feeding suncorals O.N. Brand Formula foods

[SDguy]

If any of you are familiar with the inconsistency of the gel binder in the frozen Ocean Nutrition Formula foods, you'll understand this. So I bought a large cube pack of the VHP stuff. Super high gel content. Even soaking in water for 48hrs, the pieces are still exactly in the shape I cut them. Needless to say, very few of my fish will eat the stuff. So on a whim, I tried feeding it to me yellow sun polyps. Wow! They grad those chunks like Velcro. I've tried feeding them many foods...some they grab well...others seem to just not stick to the tentacles. Well, they grab and swallow this stuff like crazy....

A couple questions. I assume this is a good staple for them, since it is a formulation of many things, right? Or do they not need variety like fish...can they just survive on mysis, for example? And is that better for them?

How much should they eat in one sitting? I am admittedly lazy, and don't feed them often. If I let them, each polyp can eventually swallow half a cube worth of food Is this OK? I mean, once they are full, do the retract? I have not seen them regurgitate anything so far.

 

[SDguy]

Well as an update (to a topic apparently no one particularly has interest in ) since using this food, my suncorals have begun to multiply quite noticeably...lots of small side polyps now visible....

 

[raddogz]

Good to know as I still have blocks of this stuff. I feed them to my lps.

 

[Cramz07]

I feed mine a mixture of mysis and brine (because i have a lot of it i need to get rid of) but more mysis than brine...one time i even mixed in blood worms. I also feed every day.

 

[N-A-S-O]

I hate O.N.... I have several packs in the freezer. I'm going to try and feed my dendro some of this "crap" tonight. I'll let you know what happens.

 

[SDguy]

From what I have noticed, my suncoral likes the O.N. food better after it has sat in tank water in the fridge for 24 hours. Not sure why, just an observation. When I say "likes", I mean it will hold onto it better/stronger, and consume it faster.

A pic from tonight:

 

[dendro982]

Expensive feeding - comparing to mysis and grocery seafood
Did you try the Formula pellets (I didn't, just curious and have this stuff)?

I would try to give the equivalent of 1/8" (3 mm) cube - per polyp, and see, what happens - will it regurgitate or not.
Just a thought.

 

[N-A-S-O]

WoW...My dendro looks like it's going to explode. This stuff was easier to feed than mysis. Mysis tends to get swept away before the dendro can actually grab it.

 

[GreshamH]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11971641#post11971641 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SDguy
From what I have noticed, my suncoral likes the O.N. food better after it has sat in tank water in the fridge for 24 hours. Not sure why, just an observation. When I say "likes", I mean it will hold onto it better/stronger, and consume it faster.

Probably the developement of the bio film helps the sun coral "reconize" the food better.

 

[SDguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11972957#post11972957 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dendro982
Expensive feeding - comparing to mysis and grocery seafood
Did you try the Formula pellets (I didn't, just curious and have this stuff)?

I would try to give the equivalent of 1/8" (3 mm) cube - per polyp, and see, what happens - will it regurgitate or not.
Just a thought.

Well, I suppose it's more expensive, but a. it's a large mixture of stuff, not just two or three things and b. I would have thrown it away anyways since it's so "hard" from the excess gelatin that my fish won't eat it. If I try pellets, I'll probably get and try the New Life Spectrum ones....

Actually, these yellow sun polyps (larger than the standard orange) can easily eat five 3mm cubes in one sitting, with no regurgitation. Quite amazing!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11973557#post11973557 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by N-A-S-O
WoW...My dendro looks like it's going to explode. This stuff was easier to feed than mysis. Mysis tends to get swept away before the dendro can actually grab it.

That was exactly my observation....that they catch this very well and swallow it VERY quickly. No chance for the currect to blow it away or fish/shrimp to find it and take it. Glad it worked for you too!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11975000#post11975000 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by GreshamH
Probably the developement of the bio film helps the sun coral "reconize" the food better.

Interesting idea...though the same doesn't happen with mysis that have been sitting for the same amount of time

 

[SDguy]

Of note : The tissue of my yellow suncorals seems to be slightly darker than originally, possibly due to the dark brown color of the ON food? I'll see if it progresses....

 

[kiran523]

I rinse frozen brine (to get the phosphate and nitrates out) and then soak them in a mixture of selcon, coral frenzy and cyclop-eeze. I use home brewed phyto as the liquid for the mixture (why not?). I let it soak for at least 4 hours. before feeding I turn off my skimmer, dial my vortech all the way down and sprinkle some coral frenzy or cyclop-eeze in the tank. Within half an hour everything in the tank is primed with full polyp extension. I then target feed everything with a syringe or tweezers. I usually feed my suncorals first. They inhale the mixture. By the time everything else is fed the little pigs are extended and want more which I happily give them. There was a big surge in growth after I started feeding them this mixture.

I hear a lot of people complain that they have to feed their suncorals every other day otherwise they start to look bad. I feel this is due feeding of food that is hollow (nutrition wise). It's the quality, not the quantity (or even frequency in my case) that matters. I feed my suncorals every 7-10 days and they are thriving.

If I have went off topic (O.N. foods), then excuse my banter.

 

[SDguy]

No, that's fine I in fact tend to feed no more than twice a week....sometimes once every 10 days when I'm busy/lazy. I asked about feeding more, high content foods less often in another thread, but didn't get much of a response. Hence the last part of my OP

 

[Tennyson]

I'd like to try this VHP food to my lps corals. Is it worth it for my corals?

I'm not exactly sure which food you are talking about, is it this one?
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewI...rated_For_Fish__Corals_Cube_Tray&vendor=.html

Thanks

 

[SDguy]

This is what I've been using:
http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_ViewItem~idProduct~ON6175.html

 

[Tennyson]

will anything else eat this stuff besides fish like anemonies, serpent stars, shrimp?

 

[SDguy]

If you chop it up small enough, or get a batch that has less gelatin, fish will eat it no problem...

 

[Whalehead9]

couldn't you just make your own batch in a blender and add little or no gelatin instead of buying the cubes?

 

[SDguy]

I suppose. My original idea here was for people like me, stuck with stuff already purchased, with too much gelatin, that fish won't eat.

Also that the polyps latched onto it MUCH stronger than any food I have tried before. I'd be interested to know if anyone has tried making food with a high gelatin content for this purpose, and if it worked the same...

 

[SDguy]

BTW, are the yellow ones the largest types of suncorals?