Another silly newbie coral question

mylady

mylady

Member
Ok folks, don't laugh (where I can hear you) but i have another question. on corals like Duncans and zoas is each head a separate animal? Does each head have to eat or if one eats does it benefit the whole colony? I've been spot feeding the Duncans and Zoas even and I can't always get the mysis in every head on the duncans. I'm not worried about the Zoas but each head of the duncan does not exactly face a way that is easy for me to feed. I'm assuming each head is a separate animal and needs to eat, but thought I would ask.
 
natesreef1997

natesreef1997

Member
many people do not get to every single head because in many cases you will have 30 heads. if you feed a couple heads the mysis it should be fine, i would say 2x a week.
 
blackjacktang

blackjacktang

Active Member
Colonies like that do in fact work together. In a book I read it said that they grow by spreading tissue across the rock and polyps will grow out of it.
Here is my best "computer sketch of it"
_ = Tissue
n = polyp
__nnn___n
Mushrooms on the other hand will split and become there own I THINK
 
meowzer

meowzer

Moderator
Good question......I have always hoped they "work" together cause I can not get to all either.....
 
wegnermj

wegnermj

New Member
I'm thinking you need to stop considering yourself a newbie. I am JUST getting started with my first marine tank and thought I would click on this hoping for helpful information. I sat here with a wrinkled up face wondering what the heck you guys were all talking about. Guess I'll look for something a bit lower on the technical ladder to get started! =) It's awesome how the members here reply to each other with help rather than S.A. answers people at other sites seem to feel the need to post. Glad I came across this site and am appreciative for what all members have already helped me with.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by MyLady http:///forum/thread/383832/another-silly-newbie-coral-question#post_3359720
Ok folks, don't laugh (where I can hear you) but i have another question. on corals like Duncans and zoas is each head a separate animal? Does each head have to eat or if one eats does it benefit the whole colony? I've been spot feeding the Duncans and Zoas even and I can't always get the mysis in every head on the duncans. I'm not worried about the Zoas but each head of the duncan does not exactly face a way that is easy for me to feed. I'm assuming each head is a separate animal and needs to eat, but thought I would ask.
First off the Ducan does not need to be fed as they contain zooxanthellae and will get a great deal of food from them. The polyps will grab food from the water column also as it floats by, but they will grow and reproduce faster if they are fed. It is not like a sun coral that contains no zooxanthellae and must be fed. This is made to be a big deal all the time because we cannot reproduce the amount of food that is contained in the water column of the ocean in our tanks.
Zoanthids share a common gastrovascular system and share food amongst the colony.
 
monsinour

monsinour

Active Member
Heres the deal then. feed all heads of duncans if you can. Feed what zoas you can. either way, if you miss a head, no biggie, correct?
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Yes pretty much. Broadcast feed around them with a baster or feeder with the pumps off will most likely get enough food to them. I never feed my zoanthids and rarely feed any of my LPS. However I do feed the fishes quite heavily every day and during feeding there is a lot of food in the water column for all of the coral to grab if they want. I am not worried about fast growth either as some may be, so I don't spot feed for faster growth.
 
J

juliansreef2

Guest
spanko- i know im not as experienced as you but still i wouldnt feed my fish every day and that much that there is so much food moving around the tank. i feed my fish every 2 to 3 days and let the corals pick up what floats around. in addition to then grabbing for it i feed them with a baster and i dont put it on each polyp i put it in the general area. but the over feeding could cause some real bad problems in your tank.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by juliansreef2 http:///forum/thread/383832/another-silly-newbie-coral-question#post_3360198
spanko- i know im not as experienced as you but still i wouldnt feed my fish every day and that much that there is so much food moving around the tank. i feed my fish every 2 to 3 days and let the corals pick up what floats around. in addition to then grabbing for it i feed them with a baster and i dont put it on each polyp i put it in the general area. but the over feeding could cause some real bad problems in your tank.
Welcome to the site...
Underfeeding will stunt the growth of your fish, and fuel aggression. Once a day is good and as long as the food is gone in few minutes there will be no problems. Also any food that gets in the rocks the CUC gets. In fact once a month I feed a chunk of shrimp to my serpent stars after lights out.
Spanko's system is different, he doses vodka I believe, and some worries he just doesn't have that you and I must concern ourselves with, such as algae growth.
 
J

juliansreef2

Guest
thanks. my fish arent aggressive and i only feed them every couple of days but i know theyre doing fine.
 
spanko

spanko

Active Member
Julian, I have taken some steps in my system because I wanted to be able to feed my tank heavily mostly for the benefit of the coral. I agree in normal cases you should only feed your fish every couple of days and only what they can eat within a few minutes.
 
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