Is it necessary to supplemental feed soft corals?

[sean48183]

I have had a soft coral reef with xenia, mushrooms and a toadstool for 2 years but was thinking of adding some LPS like candy canes, brains or plates and was wondering if it is necessary to feed phyto plankton? I have never fed this to my current corals and they seem to do fine but have not really grown much(except the Xenia). I figure most corals get tiny particles from the fish feeding that blow around in the tank. I really don't want to add anything more that might fowl up the water if I don't have to.

 

[sean48183]

bump

 

[Brandino007]

I know with Frogspawns, Hammers, and torches that you dont have to feed anything to them.

Feeding them just makes them grow much faster.

 

[MiddletonMark]

For large polyp stony corals like candy cane, brains - I would target feed them every week or so with some small-pieced meaty food [mysid, chopped up squid/shrimp, etc].

While a few do ingest phytoplankton, the corals you mention adding would readily consume meaty food.

I would also note that keeping stable levels of Calcium and Alkalinity in NSW levels is also very important to skeleton-building coral like you are considering adding.

 

[sean48183]

My calcium is between 440 and 460 all the time. Alkalinity around 4dkh, ph 8.1 steady. Do you think when I feed the fish the fine particles that kind of get blown around would be enough or is target feeding mandatory.

 

[Bippus]

IMO target feeding is mandatory. I feed my open brain every three days or so and I have also gone a while without feeding him. There is a very noticeable difference. I also have a hairy mushroom that I target feed as well. It took him a while to get use to feeding but now he acts more like an anemone. He was about the size of a dime when I got him and after about 8 months he is now about 8-9 inches across.

 

[MiddletonMark]

IMO, some things IMO obviously do better/grow faster with target feeding - but I'm uncertain it's mandatory.

Depends a lot on the tank/etc ... coral too. Open brains tend to be quite hungry IMO, and I'd strongly lean towards feeding them - though some folks have kept them for long periods without.

-
You said 4 dKh ... do you mean 4 meg/l?
There's different Alk scales - and NSW is 7 dKh ... which is like 3.something in Meg/l - your Alk is great if meg/l, but problematic if dKh. I assume you mean meg/l ...

 

[sean48183]

Yes i meant 4meg/l. Sorry. Maybe that's why my mushrooms haven't grown in 2 years. They just always look the same. Maybe I'll try target feeding them for a couple months and see what happens. How often would you say? Once a week?

 

[Bippus]

Once a week should be fine. I find that my shroom eats quicker when I turn all the flow off, it is easier for him to close up. Quicker is better when you have to stay there and keep all the fish and crabs away until he closes up.