first corals...need advice

[gwenvet]

I was given some green palys and frogspawn 10 days ago and bought my first zoas and mushrooms this weekend. They are all in a QT until I do a major upgrade on the DT so they will be there weeks to months. It has a heater, eggcrate, small powerhead and cheapo/in tank Petsmart filter. All seem happy and open, but I need to know what to feed and how often, and if I should do water changes. Tonight pH is 8.4, ammonia=0, nitrite and nitrates=0. Do I only need to do water changes if I see my levels rising?

 

[abulgin]

I'm no expert on zoas and palys, but I know that, regardless of contents, you need to treat a QT just like you treat a display, especially when you keep expensive corals. This means regular water changes. If you know you are going to keep them there for a while, also make sure your calcium, alk and magnesium are good. Lights?

 

[xxwake4lifexx]

The zoas, palys, and mushrooms all do fine from good lighting. What are you using to light the tank? T5? Halides?

 

[tmz]

I'd skip the food with those corals. A spinkle of cyclopeeze once a week wouldn't hurt. But use very little. Need good light;most of their nourishment will come from photosynthesis. Ensure there is a dent amount of flow, say about 10 to 20x tank voume, Water changes are a must, in my opinion.

 

[BlastoEric1589]

you could grow palys in the dark. they grow so fast theyre almost nuisances. with that said... you dont really need to feed them because in a year theyre gowing to take over your tank anyways...

frogspawn is cool looking, but very slow growing and needs good lighting. frogspawn, unlike the others, will benefit more from meaty foods like mysis

 

[gwenvet]

The lighting could use an upgrade. I have a screw in 6500K 55watt compact fluorescent, like the one that Melev's Reef suggests for a refugium (www.melevsreef.com/55g/55sump.html).
I looked into this (www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/m...roduct_Code=FI-ML-2436&Category_Code=Finnexpc) but it looked like less wattage. I really didn't want to spend $$$ on a QT setup.
Any suggestions?

 

[Sisterlimonpot]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14872400#post14872400 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tmz
I'd skip the food with those corals. A spinkle of cyclopeeze once a week wouldn't hurt. But use very little. Need good light;most of their nourishment will come from photosynthesis. Ensure there is a dent amount of flow, say about 10 to 20x tank voume, Water changes are a must, in my opinion.

+1 maybe even some phytoplankten every week as well.

 

[BlastoEric1589]

phytoplankton is specialized for sponges, clams and soft corals.

zooplankton is more suited for LPS like frogspawn

 

[tmz]

To be clear.The context of my answer is the qt tank with limited filtration. For the weeks the corals are in there less food and good light are a better combination to avoid polluting the tank. Later in an esablished reef tank a bit of zooplankton ,cyclopeeze ,mysis once a week or so should supplement photosynthesis nicely. Phytoplankton may also be used in your main system to feed and encourage a thriving pod population which will in turn porvide zooplankton.
There is no way around the need for some decent lighting even for the paythoas but especially for the zonathus and frogspawn.

 

[abulgin]

Phytoplankton isn't suitable for any corals, even softies. They don'teat phyto--they eat zooplankton. Although your pods and small critters will eat phyto, you're basically polluting the tank if you don't have clams, dusters, sponges, etc. I would err on the side of underfeeding in a QT given the general inadequacy of QT filters.

 

[Aquarist007]

+ on both the above answers----don't feed the corals while they are in the qt

 

[gwenvet]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14873029#post14873029 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by capn_hylinur
+ on both the above answers----don't feed the corals while they are in the qt

Even if they're in there for 2 months?

 

[ROB2005]

They basically feed themselves, like clams do.

 

[tmz]

They are highly autotrophic (they make their own food from light water and CO2). A little target feeding with a tiny bit of zooplankton once a week could be of benefit particualrly since you won't have any fish waste in that tank.
Light, flow and water quality are the issues to manage.