foam feeding

[craab]

Has anybody ever tried and had any luck with the feeding method described in this GARF article?

http://www.garf.org/lemn02/BAG0BUGS.html

 

[dendro982]

I tried to culture bugs in bags, as they described, only without blocking access to window, near it (still similar exposure).

Nothing grew, without water movement and feeding. Could be also because temperature was on the low side, 68F or so.

 

[craab]

The part of the article I am talking about is where they use a powerhead and air line to create a flurry of microbubbles, assuming that proteins and other food sources stick to the bubbles and the corals catch the bubbles and consume the food.

We want to report one of the most interesting feeding methods that we have developed here. By creating a large amount of foam consisting of micro bubbles it is possible to capture a large amount of protein on the surface of these bubbles. We have noticed for several years that these corals are able to capture and hold these small bubbles. By studying the large clear polyps on some of our predatory, colored Gorgonians we have been able to observe that the polyps can move the small bubbles to the central part of the Polyp. These corals are able to release the air and we are certain that this is one method these corals utilize while feeding in a natural reef environment. When I lived in Palau I learned that these corals often live in areas where the water is agitated and the current can be quite strong.

 

[TheH]

I haven't tried it, but it sounds interesting. They don't really talk about how long they've been doing it.

In a natural setting, I don't know how many bubbles make their way to most corals. It could only happen in locations where waves crash, I think. Even then, I don't know that those bubbles would be covered in proteins.

 

[craab]

well the bubbles attracting proteins makes sense to me. That is basically how a protein skimmer works, but I agree on bubbles ever reaching most corals besides those in wave zones.