How to target feed LPS with agressive eaters in tank?

[pammy]

How do you keep aggressive eaters (fish, shrimp, etc) from stealing the food when you try to target feed your LPS ? The only LPS I really target feed, is my Sun Coral and my Duncan.
I have a Coral Beauty that just goes nuts trying to steal the food from the corals when I target feed them. I target feed the LPS as soon as I put food in the tank for the fish, but the CB still goes nuts trying to steal the food as I'm giving it to the Sun Coral and Duncan. He'll ignore the food in the tank to get whatever I'm putting on the coral from the turkey baster, even when it's the same food. I try to stand guard and bat him away, but nothing deters him, and he's not afraid at all. Very bold feisty fish! I've tried covering the coral with a tupperware container with holes poked in it, but I can't even get it on fast enough after I put the food on the coral with the CB. I also have 1 shrimp in the tank....a peppermint shrimp. He has taken up permanent residency next to the Duncan. He knows I feed it every other day, and I can feed the duncan mysis, and the duncan closes up and takes the food, but the shrimp goes digging inside the duncan to steal it away. I even feed the shrimp itself with the turkey baster, and he happily pulls the food right out of it, but the second I turn around, he's still digging in the Duncan to steal the food. I tried once pulling the Sun Coral out of the tank and put it in a tupperware with tank water, and some food, but it didn't really open up and take any. And it's kind of a pain since I have the sun coral and duncan in a nice spot on the rocks. Anyone have any other tricks that might help? I did see a video where someone fed their Anemone using 1.5" diameter tubing, and I thought if I could find a really wide tube, that could work. That Coral Beauty drives me crazy enough when I try to feed the corals that I have thought about bringing him back to the LFS, but boy is he hard to catch!! He is really beautiful though and he doesn't bother any of my corals other than stealing the food at feeding time. I don't have a problem with my other fish when feeding my LPS.

Thanks!
Pam

 

[650-IS350]

I usually hand feed the ( cleaners, peppermint shrimps ) all the fish first. Then I manually hand feed all the LPS. I use a stick to push the fish off once in a while.

 

[GoingPostal]

I have the same problem with a maroon clown in my tank, I actually ended up keeping my duncans and dendro in another nano because it's not worth the hassle, I still have to chase her away from the brains and chalice since they aren't fast eaters either. I guess I lost the battle. Tiffany

 

[DawnOctopus]

I'm watching this thread, hoping someone will give some good ideas. I'm having the same problem.

 

[pammy]

Ok, so I'm not the only one LOL. I'm going to try the bottom of a 24oz waterbottle with holes poked in it tonight rather than a 2 liter bottle that I tried before. The 2 liter bottle was much larger than the sun coral colony, so fish were trying to get under it and there was too much room for the food to float everywhere but on the coral. The 24oz waterbottle will just fit , or possibly might be too small so I might need the next size up. I guess my other option is putting the sun coral and duncan on the sand bed, then I can cover it with any size tupperware or a 2liter bottle, but I read that sun corals shouldn't be placed directly in the sand. Thanks!
Pam

 

[My-eel-bit-me]

Well I use to forms of feeding depending on the coral. For my small cayanne rainbow blastos, I use a small tuperware container. I fill it slight with water have it float on the top of the tank and put him in there. I then hand feed him and let them eat til they are done. Otherwise my damn crabs always rip food from his mouth. For my frog spawn I use a turkey baster and direct feed cyclopsis and mysis to his mouths. Hope that helps.

 

[pammy]

Well, I took a 24oz water bottle tonight, and took the top half and cut it in an odd shape, to fit the rock where the sun coral sits....kind of like a jig-saw puzzle. I took the cap completely off the water bottle, so I can fit the whole small turkey baster right into the bottle and place mysis on each head. Worked like a charm and the Coral Beauty can't get under it. What I did wrong before, is cut the bottle straight across, so I couldn't get it to stay in place very well on the rock over the coral. I had tried feeding the coral quickly before, and then placing the bottle over the coral, which was still a battle with the Coral Beauty. I also tried shooting a lot of mysis before into a hole in the bottle, but a good majority of it fell away from the coral and then out the bottom of the bottle. This way, feeding each head while it's under the bottle, the food goes where I want it, and the Coral Beauty can't get near it at all. Ok, now maybe the CB won't bug me so much! I didn't have as much luck cutting the bottle to cover the Duncan. I have to play with the shape of it. This will make feeding my sun coral a painless process. Thanks for the suggestions. Pam.

 

[Frostyeel]

My possum wrasse is the only food stealer that I have to worry about. I usually just keep giving the coral more mysis to replace what the wrasse steals until the wrasse gets full and leaves the corals alone to enjoy their meal. Not really an optimal solution but it works.

 

[absolutbill]

I usually wait until the lights are out the fish and my shrimp usually are resting or hiding? I think it works

 

[650-IS350]

I would do the lights out thing but my lights dont turn off till 1130pm so not possible. So the feeding everyone first and turning the pumps off works real well for me. IF everyone is fed, then it takes away from others to want to steal since their full.

 

[All Delight]

I chase them away with a stick. Its annoying.

 

[elegance coral]

I just remove all the food stealing vermin from the tank so that the LPS can eat in piece.

 

[pammy]

Hi Frostyeel. Interesting....I have the same exact pygmy possum wrasse as in your avatar, and he's never come near my corals to steal food. Unfortunately.....He doesn't come out often since I added the Coral Beauty. He was coming out a lot more before that. I see him occassionally cruising in the rocks, but that's it.
Pam

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11834042#post11834042 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Frostyeel
My possum wrasse is the only food stealer that I have to worry about. I usually just keep giving the coral more mysis to replace what the wrasse steals until the wrasse gets full and leaves the corals alone to enjoy their meal. Not really an optimal solution but it works.

 

[Frostyeel]

The one in my avatar isn't mine but I have the same species. Mine is living with an occelaris clown, a purple firefish and a chalk bass, all of which are very peaceful, not very active and not larger than the possum wrasse. I think all of those things contribute to my wrasse's activity.

 

[ElDiabloPollo]

Feed at night/morning when the fish are sleeping. Also, use a "Strawberry crate" over the top on the coral after they are fed. You can also make larger cages from eggcrate or needlepoint plastic.