Food stealing twerps!

[Percher]

I have a 60 mixed reef that is mainly LPS corals with a few SPS and softies thrown in for variation. I've been running into some problems with my other tank inhabitants stealing food from my LPS corals since I feed them a meatier diet.

My brittle star will place himself over my LPS corals after I feed them and steal their food. I can sometimes get it to mind its own business for a while if I feed him first, but most of the time that doesn't matter.

My melenaus wrasse will pick the food out of the corals mouths even if he is so full he can't even keep any more food down. He will just pick it out and release it a few inches over from where the coral is.

The end result is I have to use more food than I'd like to feed the corals and I'm hoping someone might have a suggestion on how to handle the feedings better?

 

[Taipan]

In general; direct feeding most LPS is not necessary - just really cool for the hobbyist . If your LPS are scolys, meat corals, donuts, acanthophyllias etc.; you can try placing a plastic soda/pop bottle that's cut out over/surrounding the LPS during feedings. The bottle will shelter the LPS and food from predators. A plastic strawberry container works just as well or you can make an enclosure out of egg crate/light diffuser.

Secondly; you can try broadcast feeding at night when the LPS sweepers/tentacles extend at night and most of the fish are dormant/sleeping. You can target feed at night as well.

My issues aren't generally with fish stealing food. It's the cleaner and blood shrimp.

 

[Percher]

In general; direct feeding most LPS is not necessary - just really cool for the hobbyist . If your LPS are scolys, meat corals, donuts, acanthophyllias etc.; you can try placing a plastic soda/pop bottle that's cut out over/surrounding the LPS during feedings. The bottle will shelter the LPS and food from predators. A plastic strawberry container works just as well or you can make an enclosure out of egg crate/light diffuser.

Secondly; you can try broadcast feeding at night when the LPS sweepers/tentacles extend at night and most of the fish are dormant/sleeping. You can target feed at night as well.

My issues aren't generally with fish stealing food. It's the cleaner and blood shrimp.

Thank you for the suggestions. The cut soda bottle sounds like the perfect solution and I'll definitely give it a try. I've been experimenting with direct feeding mysis shrimp and a blend of other foods to my acans, lobos, and trachy to see what kind of color and growth differences I can find. So far the results have been good but just want to find a way to reduce the amount of food overall I'll need to put in each feeding.