To feed or not to feed

[Subillbo]

Hey all..... I have a 13g nano well established for about 7 months. I have 2 clowns, cleaner shrimp and a bunch of snails/hermits... my corals consist of a pulsing xenia, hammer, gsp and 5 zoas. All are doing great, but I have been reading a lot on feeding corals especially the zoas. I know all in my tank are photosynthetic, but reading a lot on spot feeding. So my question is should I be spot feeding my zoas to increase polyps and color. Currently they are speeding and their color is fine, but will they grow faster with feeding or is that a myth? Everything I have read contradicts each other.... so what is every1 doing? Feed or no? Also is their any advantage to feeding the others?
Thanks :beer::beer::beer:

 

[Uncle99]

I don't feed my zoos because there is no feeding response. They would get enough food from the water.
I do feed everyone who will hold onto Mysis/brine shrimp, all the E types, Duncan's, ricordias, Scolimya, the Nems.
I would feed a palyzoa, they have a medium response. Acans....for sure....they have the munchies.

Does feeding help, yup, IMO, while much comes from its zoo, there's nothing wrong with providing some additional energy for metabolic processes.

 

[Scrubber_steve]

Hey all..... I have a 13g nano well established for about 7 months. I have 2 clowns, cleaner shrimp and a bunch of snails/hermits... my corals consist of a pulsing xenia, hammer, gsp and 5 zoas. All are doing great, but I have been reading a lot on feeding corals especially the zoas. I know all in my tank are photosynthetic, but reading a lot on spot feeding. So my question is should I be spot feeding my zoas to increase polyps and color. Currently they are speeding and their color is fine, but will they grow faster with feeding or is that a myth? Everything I have read contradicts each other.... so what is every1 doing? Feed or no? Also is their any advantage to feeding the others?
Thanks :beer::beer::beer:

I believe that feeding corals is somewhat necessary, or a positive for their health & growth. They feed on particulate organics in nature. The fact that many corals will eat, but not eat some foods shows its a conscious decision they make.

As long as your filtartion can cope with an increase in demand what could it hurt in any case.
I make a minced seafood mix for my fish. Smaller particles & the juice is used by corals also. I also use reef roids, phytoplankton, AF vitality & energy & aminos.

 

[Tastee]

I don't currently target feed any corals but the fish get a Mysis shrimp block 2-3 times a week. On Tue this week for the first time I saw my Torch coral completely closed up after feeding. It obviously grabbed some shrimp during feeding time and had hunkered down to eat it. We do intentionally spread the thawed block around the tank and shut down the wave maker and return pump for a while to give everyone a fair go at the shrimp. My Favia has always extended it's polyps heavily after feeding so it is obviously filter feeding all the leftover food and detritus.


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[Kevin Guthrie]

Every couple of weeks I throw a block of frozen cyclops on a powerhead, alternating between night and day as the Caulastrea extends tentacles at night. The zoas spread nicely but the palys spread more (uh oh). No way to measure color but the greens are bright under 20K mh.