plankton for feeding corals

[jstdv8]

Is micropankton and phytoplankton the same thing?
I bought a christmas tree coral and I was reading up on it and it said it needed microplankton feedings. is this covered by DT's phytoplankton and/or the stuff everyone grows in the 2 liter bottles?
Thanks

 

[bigalulrich]

Clarification: you're talking about Sphaerella spp and not Spirobranchus giganteus (fan worms in a porites coral) I looked up some of the feeding requirements for this coral--I admit that I've never kept this kind of coral.
But the key to successful feeding for inverts, for me, appears to be food size. I would assume the polyps capture food particles floating by the same as other non-photosynthetic coral.
Since the husbandry notes I read online mentioned feeding baby brine shrimp and 'microplankton', I would interpret microplankton to be something in the zooplankton range (larger than phytoplankton) despite the prefix 'micro'.
Brine shrimp nauplii, copepod nauplii and I suppose rotifers are probably in the right size range?
I'm making an assumption here, but if baby brine shrimp are an appropriate food size, than that would make me conclude that phytoplankton is probably too small, as phytoplankton are small enough to be eaten by the baby brine shrimp >1 day old.
Hope that helps. Again, no 1st hand experience with that coral, but just trying to piece it together from what I read online about those Sphaerella corals.
DT also sells oyster eggs....now they are small, but their website claims that the oyster eggs have helped with previously hard to keep azooxanthellate soft corals and seafans.

 

[jstdv8]

yes im refering to the Sphaerella spp.
I guess in hindsight I shouldnt have purchased a coral that I'm not really sure of its food needs. Im sure I cant get away with just feeding brine all the time.
I'll have to read deeper into this microplankton thing.
I was really hoping the phyto would do it

 

[bang guy]

Originally Posted by bigalulrich
http:///forum/post/3198111
Clarification: you're talking about Sphaerella spp and not Spirobranchus giganteus (fan worms in a porites coral)
Very good post.
Sphaerella are unable to digest phytoplankton even if it's the right size. Zooplankton is what's needed and everything bigalulrich stated in the above post applies.
A laminar waterflow pattern will help this coral feed and will also make it easier for you to target feed. It's NOT an easy coral to keep but it's not impossible either.

 

[jstdv8]

so what sort of foods are out there that would fall into the zoo plankton catagory?
Im currently using reef frenzy for the other corals i have. can you name any foods in particular. im assuming that marine snow is too small?

 

[bang guy]

Marine Snow is just water with a sprinkling of bits of phytoplankton. I've never seen a good use for it.
The first product that comes to mind is Cyclop-Eeze. I prefer frozen but dried will work if you hydrate it before feeding. You could also supplement with finely minced raw seafood (scallops, squid, etc.). Putting it in a blender until it's pulverized, strain out the big chunks, and you have a product that you can freeze into small icecubes for future feedings.
Someone above mentioned Oyster eggs, also a good choice.
I'm not familiar with Reef Frenzy but if it contains small bits of sea animals it should work.

 

[jstdv8]

contains fish protein, oyster larve, salmon roe, dunaliella salina, rotifers, schizochytrium, spirlina krill, copepods, daphnia, & heamatococcus pluvialis.
so it looks like it has oyster eggs, fish eggs, ground up copepods. all of these should work ok I guess.
should I be able to see any kind of actual response from the coral when I spot feed it?
Also I was considering taking a 20 oz water bottle and cutting out the bottom and puting it over the coral and feeding into the top where you would normaly drink from. would this work or does the coral need that flow to operate and I'd jsut be cutting that off?
maybe it doesnt have to be as difficult as Im making it. I dunno