Feeding corals

[Drfu]

Originally Posted by Myka

I do not recommend feeding corals via the water column in a small tank. The reason being that it is very easy to pollute a small tank. When feeding the water column, most of the food doesn't even get to the corals - it ends up getting lodged in live rock and sand. Some corals benefit from water column feeding, but I don't suggest it in your tank. You can target feed corals by physically putting the food into the tentacles with feeding tweezers or dropping food through rigid tubing aimed at the coral, but I don't see any in your list that would benefit much from that. Corals like Open/Closed Brains, Plate Corals, Acans, Scolymia, Candy Canes, etc LOVE target feeding. Keep in mind that ANY food that goes into the system no matter what delivery method are nutrients that need to come out via skimming or water changes. It is very easy to overload a nano and end up with algae troubles.

Good advice, i have a tube coral that i spot feed it omega one reef formula frozen cubes once a week.

I agree that most of my corals are photosynthetic and the water column should do with whats in he oceans reef crystals.

This is where the extra feeding comes in, do the polyps need spot feeding too? This is where the mix of three might come in handy i thought?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Drfu

Good advice, i have a tube coral that i spot feed it omega one reef formula frozen cubes once a week.

I agree that most of my corals are photosynthetic and the water column should do with whats in he oceans reef crystals.

This is where the extra feeding comes in, do the polyps need spot feeding too? This is where the mix of three might come in handy i thought?

My advice is simply that your tank is small and feeding the corals can easily cause water pollution which will be a much bigger detriment to the corals than not feeding them will be.

If you really just want to "do something", then add a few drops (literally) per day of LIVE phytoplankton which will help to increase the zooplankton population in your tank. Then your corals can eat zooplankton as it comes along.

[MitchM]

Here's a great article on zooplankton feeding, along with videos of coral feeding.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2011/10/corals

[Drfu]

Originally Posted by Myka

My advice is simply that your tank is small and feeding the corals can easily cause water pollution which will be a much bigger detriment to the corals than not feeding them will be.

If you really just want to "do something", then add a few drops (literally) per day of LIVE phytoplankton which will help to increase the zooplankton population in your tank. Then your corals can eat zooplankton as it comes along.

I think that is the way i wanna go which is why at my lfs they have 3 live tanks of phytoplankton, rotifiers & copepods. They tell me that as the first multiplies the second eats them and the third eats the second sustaining all three in balance. Im not sure if any of this true which is why i possed the first question. Hope this helps in my thought process or am i/they out to lunch?

[Myka]

Originally Posted by Drfu

I think that is the way i wanna go which is why at my lfs they have 3 live tanks of phytoplankton, rotifiers & copepods. They tell me that as the first multiplies the second eats them and the third eats the second sustaining all three in balance. Im not sure if any of this true which is why i possed the first question. Hope this helps in my thought process or am i/they out to lunch?

That theory is a bit out to lunch. Both Copepods and Rotifers eat phytoplankton. Any of the Copepods that I imagine you would be wanting to put into your tank don't eat Rotifers. Do you see any 'pods in your tank currently? Look close. If there are some, you can simply add a tiny amount of live phytoplankton a few times per week or so and the pods that are already in your tank will increase in population.