What to feed...acropora frag

[newclean]

My Acropora frag is hungry. Each night I feed cyclop-eez and refrigerated live phytoplankton. Tiny pieces of the cyclop whirl around the frag but it's polyps never retract, so I think it is not eating.

Whether it is not eating because of the crap pc lights it is under now, or if it is not getting the right food....I would like to poll as many who feel compelled to reply: What cocktail of foods are you all using to feed your sps corals? Thank you in advance!

I would like to use a variety of types of foods, and dose them gradually each day. Manually at first but eventually with a computer controlled pump. I read a webpage today http://acropora-house.co.uk/acatalog/Natural_Feeding.html
Also, I have read A.C.'s book Coral Propagation vol 2, and frequently reread it.

Here is a pic of the frag....p.s. Best way to acclimate this frag from 192 watt pc to 400w mh xm14000k in 14 in water max?

 

[Aquarist007]

[welcome]

 

[Aquarist007]

Re: What to feed...acropora frag

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12371450#post12371450 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newclean
My Acropora frag is hungry. Each night I feed cyclop-eez and refrigerated live phytoplankton. Tiny pieces of the cyclop whirl around the frag but it's polyps never retract, so I think it is not eating.

Whether it is not eating because of the crap pc lights it is under now, or if it is not getting the right food....I would like to poll as many who feel compelled to reply: What cocktail of foods are you all using to feed your sps corals? Thank you in advance!

I would like to use a variety of types of foods, and dose them gradually each day. Manually at first but eventually with a computer controlled pump. I read a webpage today http://acropora-house.co.uk/acatalog/Natural_Feeding.html
Also, I have read A.C.'s book Coral Propagation vol 2, and frequently reread it.

Here is a pic of the frag....p.s. Best way to acclimate this frag from 192 watt pc to 400w mh xm14000k in 14 in water max?

as with most corals start from the substrate and work up
14 inches---wow--you will need to cut down the photoperiod also

you are feeding it the right stuff--but here is some more info:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176530

 

[newclean]

I hope to keep the photoperiod the same by hanging the 400wmh from the ceiling and adjusting the height above the water. I also have some eggcrate, which at the right distance from the bulb, will create net gain in light in the aquarium, but at any other distance will scatter light and create a net loss, all versus just using the relector.

Also, can't I just start with the coral outside the beam of mh light?

I am buying 1 of these http://www.sunlightsupply.com/produ...D6C09E0815D553490B9DC75E77AC3&c=23&kys=&pgi=1
used with ballast (mag).

I should be able to subdue the light in a number of ways. Which way would you suggest? A.C. says in his book vol 2, that pieces of screen can be used in a stack and one removed each day or week for the period of acclimation. I will probably do that but maybe there are other strategies.

BTW Thank you for the link to Eric Borneman's reply...will read the whole thing...then ask questions here. Give me a couple of days tho.

 

[newclean]

Alright, it didnt take as long as I thought to read 10 pages. I posted a reply on the thread asking Eric for an update to his recipe...if one exists.

In this thread I ask...Do you (all of you) use any variations of Erics original recipe that utilize new products or additional ingredients, especially for sps corals?

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12372340#post12372340 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newclean
Alright, it didnt take as long as I thought to read 10 pages. I posted a reply on the thread asking Eric for an update to his recipe...if one exists.

In this thread I ask...Do you (all of you) use any variations of Erics original recipe that utilize new products or additional ingredients, especially for sps corals?

I feed both sps and lps corals a mix of cyclopeeze and marine snow twice a week
If anyone them prefer phytoplankton --I add DT supreme to my refugium for feeding the copopods.
When feeding I wait for the last hour before total darkness--when the attinics are just on. I turn of the main pump but leave the ph's on for circulation. I let them feed like this for 45 min.

I think having a refugium with a well balanced supply of inverts really makes a difference for coral growth--its just there in the water when they want to eat.

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12371627#post12371627 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newclean
I hope to keep the photoperiod the same by hanging the 400wmh from the ceiling and adjusting the height above the water. I also have some eggcrate, which at the right distance from the bulb, will create net gain in light in the aquarium, but at any other distance will scatter light and create a net loss, all versus just using the relector.

Also, can't I just start with the coral outside the beam of mh light?

I am buying 1 of these http://www.sunlightsupply.com/produ...D6C09E0815D553490B9DC75E77AC3&c=23&kys=&pgi=1
used with ballast (mag).

I should be able to subdue the light in a number of ways. Which way would you suggest? A.C. says in his book vol 2, that pieces of screen can be used in a stack and one removed each day or week for the period of acclimation. I will probably do that but maybe there are other strategies.

BTW Thank you for the link to Eric Borneman's reply...will read the whole thing...then ask questions here. Give me a couple of days tho.

your welcome, and of course there are many ways to subdue the light to help coral acclimate---the point here is you are aware of how and you are doing it:thumbsup:

 

[tmz]

I don't feed my corals directly. I do have a good number of fish and feed them well including cyclopeeze in the mix each day 2x per day.I also maintain a refugium .

New halide bulbs have a burn in period and they adjust spectrum during the first 20 to 40 hours of use. Screening works. I prefer keeping the light 10 inches or so higher than it's final location and gradually lowering it over the course of 2 weeks. As for photo period, I run actinics on a normal schedlue. I introduce the halide at 3 tp 4 hours per day adding an hour every few days until the desired time(7 to 8 hrs) is reached

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12372631#post12372631 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tmz
I don't feed my corals directly. I do have a good number of fish and feed them well including cyclopeeze in the mix each day 2x per day.I also maintain a refugium .

New halide bulbs have a burn in period and they adjust spectrum during the first 20 to 40 hours of use. Screening works. I prefer keeping the light 10 inches or so higher than it's final location and gradually lowering it over the course of 2 weeks. As for photo period, I run actinics on a normal schedlue. I introduce the halide at 3 tp 4 hours per day adding an hour every few days until the desired time(7 to 8 hrs) is reached

then do you also believe that if you have a dedicated refugium to producing zooplankton, that you don't need to feed your corals as much?

 

[newclean]

I do turn the main pump off and let the ph's do the swirling when I feed. I will start feeding the marine snow also, and possibly dt's.

I do not have a refugium yet, but I will construct one within one month...just found a plastics company that I like. They have a huge scrap section within their warehouse, enough scrap to sort through and be picky.

I'm not sure where I read it but, something makes me reluctant to mess with the photoperiod at all. I will change it somewhat though just because I will not have actinic light and the halide will not be on the two extra hours per day I had the pc actinic come on.

Also, my tank is in a sunroom and surrounded by south and east facing windows. I guess even if I do acclimate the frag to the mh by slowly increasing the photoperiod, then I should not put too much stress on the inhabitants because of the inherent regularity of the sun. Still undecieded.

Notice that the pc fixture covers most of the surface of the aquarium and effectively blocks most of the sunlight...this will not be the case with the mh hanging fixture.

 

[Aquarist007]

that's a nice tank setup--lets see some closeups

I wouldn't overfeed the acro--you are just going to load the water up with uneaten organics. I think when you add the halides that acro will perk up
I have that same fixture on the same tank--it is not enough light for more than just lps corals and some softies

 

[newclean]

Working on the pics...Any tips for creating a good compression with minimal loss quality? I am using photoshop but its really hard to get the file under 50k so I can post it here. I have to cut the resolution down to avatar and cell phone wallpaper sizes, so im not pleased to show you fuzzy closeups. Maybe photoshop hates zoanthids. Let me try the other shots...so this isnt working. I will look into buying some more bandwidth, if it isnt too much.

 

[newclean]

Well it costs 24 dollars, and that is just 4 dollars more than I am willing to pay. Additionally, it would not help me now to post pictures...only in a couple days would this work. Now I will look into making the small pictures better.

 

[newclean]

Ah hah. Its a 15 day trial, so here goes...

This is actually 3 different species on one rock....I thought I was getting a deal, and I still do There are some yellow polyps on the back right maybe you can see their tentacles in this shot.

This one shows my cute little challenge...His name is Megatron

Amazing fish. Can eat more diatom than I can supply him...need to create nutrient spikes by letting a half a cube of frozen food decompose, just to give him a little diatom to eat...Nitrates and phosphates at zero, well according to API

I still use a hob aquaclear 500 but that will soon be gone and with a refugium, sump and bigger ps, I hope that mechanical filtration will be missed. I run carbon and phosguard in a bad in the filterbox. I am actually building tommorrow...fingers crossed...could be as late as next monday but I will be sure to post my pics, even of the construction ( building a sump, maybe a refugium)

 

[Aquarist007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12373321#post12373321 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newclean
Working on the pics...Any tips for creating a good compression with minimal loss quality? I am using photoshop but its really hard to get the file under 50k so I can post it here. I have to cut the resolution down to avatar and cell phone wallpaper sizes, so im not pleased to show you fuzzy closeups. Maybe photoshop hates zoanthids. Let me try the other shots...so this isnt working. I will look into buying some more bandwidth, if it isnt too much.

save as a jpeg--- all the resolution you need for the net and much much smaller

upload your pictures to www.photobucket.com first and copy the fourth code under the picture--the 'img" code
paste that into your posts

 

[Aquarist007]

nice tank shots---and an excellent amount of live rock in the tank
glad you posted

 

[newclean]

Thanks. Everyone tell me its too much, but they're just citizens.

 

[BLKTANG]

Are your lights PC's?

If so that's not the correct lighting for that animal.

 

[newclean]

agreed! I am picking up 400w mh mag ballast (100 bucks locally for the ballast and fixture...I am buying 2 for future 125 ((3 months)))on the way tomorrow...the bulbs will be here by tuesday at the latest (14000k xm).
I moved him up on the shelf after I realized how grossly he was being abused. I will have a knot in my stomach until I see him improve. Although, I have seen him "color up" a bit. He was completely brown but now his structure is showing deep dark blue while his polyps are showing highlights of lime green....He might be quite an exotic looking animal...I did buy him brown though (Calfo says to)...under t5s at the store but they were about 30 in of the top of the tank...at least I didnt shock him with too much light. That will be the challenge of acclimating him to the mh. I am sure with the advice of Calfo's book vol2 and the helpful inputs that I will graciously receive here at Reef Central that the necessary steps will be well advised and surely successful.

 

[BLKTANG]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12374423#post12374423 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by newclean
agreed! I am picking up 400w mh mag ballast (100 bucks locally for the ballast and fixture...I am buying 2 for future 125 ((3 months)))on the way tomorrow...the bulbs will be here by tuesday at the latest (14000k xm).
I moved him up on the shelf after I realized how grossly he was being abused. I will have a knot in my stomach until I see him improve. Although, I have seen him "color up" a bit. He was completely brown but now his structure is showing deep dark blue while his polyps are showing highlights of lime green....He might be quite an exotic looking animal...I did buy him brown though (Calfo says to)...under t5s at the store but they were about 30 in of the top of the tank...at least I didnt shock him with too much light. That will be the challenge of acclimating him to the mh. I am sure with the advice of Calfo's book vol2 and the helpful inputs that I will graciously receive here at Reef Central that the necessary steps will be well advised and surely successful.

:thumbsup: