New to caring for marine life that came in my gorgeous TBS package. Please help.

[nanikaos18]

I know I'm probably totally nuking this so please be nice ;-) Would y'all mind if I ask what you are feeding your tank? I've recently picked up my part 2 as well. My levels are still not quite right to add my clowns ( Well, all levels have been GREAT, except my PH. It's been SO low since day 1, package 1 & nothing I do raises it *Grrrr*) and cleaner shrimp back in, but I'm a little confused as to how to feed everyone (my original fish and my TB LR hitchhikers) what they need to be healthy. I have HPD which I bought right before stumbling upon and falling in love w/Richards customized packages. I fed the HPD a few times and my clowns and shrimp enjoyed it, however, if I didn't notice that they didn't finish it, a couple of days later, my tank would stink to high hell and that HPD turned to a clear glob. Since HPD is supposed to be an excellent, well balanced diet for reef tanks/fish,etc, I've been feeding that by breaking it up with tank water and spreading it with a turkey baster. The tank does come alive and eats it, so I am sure it will do for now. I have been searching for a clear answer from anyone knowledgeable, who can help someone who like me, who now has amazing rock life as well as fish (hopefully various fish, as I'd like more than just my clowns) as to what to feed, how and when and why? But day after day, hour after hour, forum after forum, I have not had one bit of luck. I'm sure the answer is out there, but it's probably so deep in reefer lingo that I didn't even know what I was reading ;-P Please help! I want to make sure these beautiful creatures live long and grow big, strong and healthy. And especially if there is a brand or a company that is highly recommended, I would be SO grateful if someone could reply with a link. I really want to get whatever I need, ordered, ASAP. Please, please, Please! And Thanks sooo much in advance to anyone who can help me. BTW...I'm new to posting on these forums. I am going to attempt to copy & paste this and possibly start my own thread so that more people will see it? I hope? So I apologize now if I figure it out & you just got stuck reading a repeat. ;-)

 

[TruRacr314x]

I'm not going to claim to be an expert at this...far from it actually. I should start by asking more about your tank...size, lighting, inhabitants, etc....but I'm just going to share how I feed my tank. I use a large variety of different foods...several types of frozen, some live, flakes, and pellets. I rotate through each in an effort to balance the diet. This all sounds good, but I know a local reefer here in Cincinnati with a 125g tank...several tangs...that only feeds flakes. His tank seems happy and looks great, so much like everything else about this hobby, there are a 1,000 ways to feed. If your inhabitants are accepting the food...then they are happy with it. You may be overfeeding if there is food left over and the tank stinks. I'm not sure what HPD is, but I'll give you an example of how I feed. I like to use Reef or Fish Frenzy...it comes in frozen thin sheets. I have 5 fish and several corals in an 80g....and each feeding I only use about a 1/2"x1/2" square of the sheet. I let it thaw in tank water and then use a baster like you to spread it about the tank. Sometimes I even think this is more than needed for food. I also use PE Mysis that comes in cubes. A cube will last me 3-4 feedings for my tank.

Hopefully this helps...but you may get more exposure by posting this in the General Discussion section of the forum.

I'd love to see pictures of your tank...I am in the process of setting up a 180g and would love to use TBS as my rock provider. I ran across his product after I had already set up my 80g....so I'm really excited about maybe taking the dive into TBS.

 

[Cashda]

I have been following the instructions on the TBS.com website for feeding the organisims, feather dusters and sponges

http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/thepackage/ongoing.html

I've had my part 2 for almost a week and eveyone seems happy. I've lost two shrimp and a sea cucumber but i think it was due to high levels after adding past 2 and poor acclimation on my part...

Once I get home I will post the exact foods I feed. But the star fish love raw shrimp

 

[FrankB1]

I would do multiple water changes first.
What filtration are you using ie skimmer?

 

[FrankB1]

Was your pH correct and stable prior to adding part 1 of package? If so, was it correct prior to adding part 2?

What are you using to measure the pH?

 

[aujosh84]

I would recommend dosing phyto (i think richard recommends this in the instructions as well), although I have yet to see the long term affects (i'm fairly new at this too). Its pretty well documented on the forums on dosing and even growing it yourself. Its basically whats at the bottom of the food chain, so by starting there, the food web grows from the bottom up inside your tank. Also never hurts to feed an assortment of foods. Just be careful about overfeeding, you'll drive up your phosphates and then you'll be battling cyano!