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brad4racer
Guest
what should i feed my corals i was using marine snow
spanko
Active Member
Coral Frenzy and fish poop. Blow the rockwork off at water change time with a turkey baster. The detritus that will be blown up off the rocks is the best food for coral. True marine snow in the wild is nothing but detritus that falls from the upper reaches of the reef down to the bottom. I have heard nothing but bad things about the commercial product labeled as Marine Snow so I would not use it.
I guess it would also be appropriate to ask what types of coral are you asking about feeding. Some coral will take a meaty food too. LPS and some softies will benefit from this.
I guess it would also be appropriate to ask what types of coral are you asking about feeding. Some coral will take a meaty food too. LPS and some softies will benefit from this.
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brad4racer
Guest
i have soft corals, mushroom, zoos, polyps, and a bubble coral
reefkprz
Active Member
Depends on the corals. there is no one size fits all answer for this, and actually this question has been this biggest crux for years for hobbyist.
first I would start by saying unless its a gorgonian, forget the phyto, feather dusters and gorgonians (and others, I'm not being exclusive) can benifit from phyto, but its not a mainstay for most corals. (prove me wrong Please, phyto is so much cheaper to produce)
Most corals are carnivores, Food size depends on the coral. Micron size capturability and avalaibility. any thing you dump in your tank has about a 1% capture rate...... 1% thats it. the rest is waste.
Again Please prove me wrong find me a food with a 5-10% capture rate in an open aquarium.... its tough, way tough, corals dont feed the way we want them to they feed the way the ocean provides.
(this challenge is not about affronting the OP, this is a serious question and challenge, to feed our corals, I feed 5-7 times a day, I wish I had a better way. how and what do you feed. you guys know me and my feeding habits. I feel like I am smothering my tank in food but it works. If I skip water changes I am skr ew d. )
chime in
first I would start by saying unless its a gorgonian, forget the phyto, feather dusters and gorgonians (and others, I'm not being exclusive) can benifit from phyto, but its not a mainstay for most corals. (prove me wrong Please, phyto is so much cheaper to produce)
Most corals are carnivores, Food size depends on the coral. Micron size capturability and avalaibility. any thing you dump in your tank has about a 1% capture rate...... 1% thats it. the rest is waste.
Again Please prove me wrong find me a food with a 5-10% capture rate in an open aquarium.... its tough, way tough, corals dont feed the way we want them to they feed the way the ocean provides.
(this challenge is not about affronting the OP, this is a serious question and challenge, to feed our corals, I feed 5-7 times a day, I wish I had a better way. how and what do you feed. you guys know me and my feeding habits. I feel like I am smothering my tank in food but it works. If I skip water changes I am skr ew d. )
chime in
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brad4racer
Guest
anyone ever try bluezoo mix
asharp13
Member
when talking about soft orals and matting corals like mushrooms, zoas, and palys you have to fisrt understand them. their color comes from a micro algae called zooxanthellae which, through photsynthysis feeds the corals. these soft corals dont have a skelton so they dont need trace elements such as calcium but it is a good thing to monitor to add one more consistency in your water parameters. while most corals will find food wherever they can get it, and can be carnivorous, they dont need to be fed, the zooxanthellae will feed it for you. my reccomendation is to keep them happy and they are happy in a consistent environment (water params, temp, lighting cycle, etc). when things get stressed due to bad water quality it will slow growth.
with all that being said, i still use marine snow, rotifers, reef roids, coral frenzy, marine plankton, and mysis shrimp. i feel that the more options every different species has in the tank, it will take in what it wants. but BEWARE overfeeding will cause problems like algae and bad water quality!!!! like anything, corals take time to grow so keep your tank balanced and relax, sit back and watch, its actually quite fun!!! plus if your corals grew like weeds it wouldnt be as fun to see a new polyp develop!!!
with all that being said, i still use marine snow, rotifers, reef roids, coral frenzy, marine plankton, and mysis shrimp. i feel that the more options every different species has in the tank, it will take in what it wants. but BEWARE overfeeding will cause problems like algae and bad water quality!!!! like anything, corals take time to grow so keep your tank balanced and relax, sit back and watch, its actually quite fun!!! plus if your corals grew like weeds it wouldnt be as fun to see a new polyp develop!!!
stanlalee
Active Member
sps: oyster feast + whatever they get from the water
lps: what ever small fish food particles that fall their way
zoanthid: who knows, what ever they want thats in the water already (read nothing)
mushrooms: whatever they catch with their mucus (read nothing specifically)
Xenia: whatever they absorb/uptake from the water (read nothing)
clam: who knows, what ever it wants thats in the water already (read nothing again)
I also have experimented with "growth enhancer" type products: multiple brands of amino acids, coral accel, reef plus supplements at various times and have yet to be wowed by any.
lps: what ever small fish food particles that fall their way
zoanthid: who knows, what ever they want thats in the water already (read nothing)
mushrooms: whatever they catch with their mucus (read nothing specifically)
Xenia: whatever they absorb/uptake from the water (read nothing)
clam: who knows, what ever it wants thats in the water already (read nothing again)
I also have experimented with "growth enhancer" type products: multiple brands of amino acids, coral accel, reef plus supplements at various times and have yet to be wowed by any.
asharp13
Member
yeah i agree theres not much that has impressed me either. i dose according to the packaging and still have not seen a big improvement. sometimes i feel as if its not even worth it cuz the majority of the stuff that goes in just drops to the bottom unused, causing the viscous cycle we all know of. heres what i maintain a steady mix of:
Marine Snow
AquaVitro Fuel
Liquid Life Marine Plankton
Liquid Life Coral Plankton
Reef Roids
Coral Frenzy
Frozen Mysis
Frozen Rotifers
i know that seems like a lot but i cut back on the density of each dose and pick and choose a different few to add each week. i am pretty sure they all primarily do the same thing but with subtle differences and my critters seem to like the smorgasbord that comes to the table.
the best thing you can do is keep everyone happy. if they are constantly closing and shriveling up, they spend all their energy staying alive instead of reproducing.
Marine Snow
AquaVitro Fuel
Liquid Life Marine Plankton
Liquid Life Coral Plankton
Reef Roids
Coral Frenzy
Frozen Mysis
Frozen Rotifers
i know that seems like a lot but i cut back on the density of each dose and pick and choose a different few to add each week. i am pretty sure they all primarily do the same thing but with subtle differences and my critters seem to like the smorgasbord that comes to the table.
the best thing you can do is keep everyone happy. if they are constantly closing and shriveling up, they spend all their energy staying alive instead of reproducing.
