Feed the coral

[sergeant]

I read in this forum a lot about adding stuff like calcium, phytoplanktom, etc.
At what point in time should I start adding extra stuff to the water to feed this guys?
I have a 37 gallon and this are the soft corals I have in it.
7 orange ricordeas
3 green ricordeas
2 frags of green star polyps
1 stalk Xenia with about 70 polyps
1 frag of pom pom Xenia w/about 15 polyps
19 green mushrooms
2 other type of unidentified polyps. (hitch-hikers)
Any suggestions?? :happyfish

 

[montidanae]

your corals dont need calciumor alk at all, just go the regualr weekly water change, this will take care of any used up chemicals, also plankton would help with the shrooms, but feeding plankton to the pods and other crustations, there will be more food for the shrooms allthough not needer plankton is nice, not to much, it goes a LONG way.

 

[sergeant]

My corals are doing great but I was wondering since I read so much about it here.
I ask the LFS guy what type of salt water they sell and his reply was that it comes straight from the ocean. I tested it before doing a water change and everything was up to the tee.. I assume thats why the tank in general is doing so great.
:happyfish

 

[thomas712]

Well all corals need calcium and alkalinty to be up to par. But you sound like you have a small coral load, and as long as you are keeping the system "up to tee" then it sounds like your doing fine. Keep it that way. Its when you get some real filter feaders like feather dusters, clams, and such that you might want to suppliment their diet by adding phytoplankton. Heck your natural sea water may have better live phyto in it than most of us get.
Some of us with higher coral loads need to suppliment the calcium and alkalinity to keep things in balance, coral skeletons growing, coralline and such.
Thomas