How long can corals survive without food?

[Vannpogi]

hi
im new here and the hobby. my tank is running for over a year now.
i planning to go for a vacation for 3 weeks. my tank is 50G + sump.
planning to buy auto feeder for fish.
here is my list
toadstool
brain
duncun
bubble coral
torch
hammer
kenya and colt
cup coral
rusty gorgonian
zoas
candy cane
plate
doughnut

any tips and advice will be much appreciated.
thanks

 

[JohnnyHildo]

every one of your corals will look exactly as you left them assuming your water doesn't change in that 3 weeks. while it can speed growth, most corals never need feeding outside of your system's photo-period. train whomever is supplying your top-off water well and enjoy your holiday!

 

[billdogg]

What he said. Unless it is a NPS coral, feedings are pretty much optional.. At least I certainly hope so - I have never purposely fed any of mine!

 

[snorvich]

What he said. Unless it is a NPS coral, feedings are pretty much optional.. At least I certainly hope so - I have never purposely fed any of mine!

Yup. I do not feed and mine grow.

 

[ca1ore]

Me three.

 

[GriffinMarsh]

Chances are good your whole tank (coral wise) might look even better than before you left. I have left on vacation for a couple weeks and came back to a crystal clear aquarium with huge fat corals. Maybe I was messing with it too much.

 

[dbigfoot111]

ATO once again.

 

[Vannpogi]

thank you so much guys.
i forgot to mention i have a clam about 3"

 

[Dmorty217]

Corals get their "food" from the sun or lights on our tanks from the zooxanthellae that lives in the coral. Some can benefit from a spot feeding of small pellets or finely chopped food (most will get this from feeding your fish without you purposely feeding each coral) The clam is the same as coral and just needs light, calcium and Alk to grow (those are the main 3, there are other minor elements that are needed)

 

[Vannpogi]

Thanks guys

 

[ca1ore]

Well, my tank is 2 1/2 year sold and I haven't target fed them yet ...... so, 2 1/2 years ..... at least.

 

[d2mini]

Well, my tank is 2 1/2 year sold and I haven't target fed them yet ...... so, 2 1/2 years ..... at least.

LOL!
Yeah, i (almost) never target feed coral either.

But I do broadcast feed the tank.
And then the fish poop.
So if not feeding the tank at all for 3 weeks or more I wonder what happens?

Has anyone run a coral tank with zero fish and zero feeding... ever? Just light?
I guess that would be called a frag tank or growout system but I've always had fish in mine and have had it connected to the rest of the system.

 

[ca1ore]

Has anyone run a coral tank with zero fish and zero feeding... ever?

That's an interesting question. My frag tanks have always either been on the same system as the main display, or I did water changes from the main display. Many years ago I had a fishless system for clams, and they did not do well at all.

 

[sde1500]

I feed mine LPS occasionally. Not for any reason other than I think it looks cool when they eat the mysis shrimp haha.

 

[Sk8r]

They'll be fed: the light does that. That's what their zooxanthellae do for them, producing sugars from carbon and sunlight.

 

[snorvich]

They'll be fed: the light does that. That's what their zooxanthellae do for them, producing sugars from carbon and sunlight.

Correct. However, if you have algae grazers with insufficient available algae, they will eat the zooxanthellae.

 

[jalisco]

every one of your corals will look exactly as you left them assuming your water doesn't change in that 3 weeks. while it can speed growth, most corals never need feeding outside of your system's photo-period. train whomever is supplying your top-off water well and enjoy your holiday!

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