Coral food

[gannmann9876]

I was wondering what everyone used as far as coral food goes. Bill told me there is a big difference between corals surviving and thriving. I use dt phytoplankton and reef chili. I don't have many corals now just wondering what everybody uses.

 

[Bluejawtrigger]

Oyster feast, coral frenzy. I go back and forth. A lot of people say " don't feed your corals", I still do. I also throw in live Rotifers I get from the local college. I can see a difference when I add them. If you've got good filtration and tank maintenance routine, why not feed them?

 

[ritter6788]

I don't feed my photosynthetic corals. I used to feed Reef Chili and Coral Frenzy, it grew sponges and hydroids but I didn't see it do anything for coral growth or health. I have nothing against feeding corals but in my system it's not necessary. I'm sure the corals feed on zooplankton in the system.

 

[Ace25]

IMO, Reef Chili is the best overall coral food on the market right now for SPS corals.. LPS corals can eat normal fish food (mysis, brine, etc) so I don't add anything specific for those corals.

 

[poolkeeper1]

Fish Poo and the more the better! Never has the ocean's coral been fed anything but. JMHO
Bill

 

[Ace25]

Fish Poo and the more the better! Never has the ocean's coral been fed anything but. JMHO
Bill

Corals are animals and they eat zooplankton. So I would have to disagree with your statement that corals in the ocean have never been fed anything other than fish poo.

Many corals, especially SPS corals, CAN NOT EAT food items larger than rotifers or very small copepods. Most corals do not eat phytoplankton but love live zooplankton, as this is their natural food and the movement of live prey stimulates their carnivorous feeding response. Almost all coral species are carnivores; very rarely can corals eat phytoplankton. Current scientific research proves this.

 

[poolkeeper1]

Fish Poo and the more the better! Never has the ocean's coral been fed anything but. JMHO
Bill

Let me rephrase that to in a closed system that most do not produce zooplankton the better alternative is fish waste. And i have proved that in many of my past systems with results that do not lie, ask anyone who has seen them.

 

[gannmann9876]

Fish poo. That's awesome now I can tell the wife I need more fish to feed the coral and the say there is to much coral food I need more coral.

 

[Pappy]

Fauna Marin zoa acan food is epic stuff! Also been using aminos


Mike D "like the beastie boys" Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[mixer911]

Ironically we just posted this on our facebook page as well. Its a technical document, but it may lead you to understand how corals feed. How corals feed

 

[Ace25]

Wow! Fantastic article mixer911!! Thanks for sharing.

 

[poolkeeper1]

Ironically we just posted this on our facebook page as well. Its a technical document, but it may lead you to understand how corals feed. How corals feed

Good Find Rick, Seems if i read it correct in the absence of Plankton Detritus is the other of three main food sources of coral??? It was interesting that they claim we have plankton produced in our closed systems as a food source aside from being added as a liquid food additive, If i understood their claim correctly as the read is very high tech in some ways.
It all makes sense that every highly stocked tank (With Fish) that i had was the most productive ones in coral growth and health/color.
Time to go read it again and see what else i can learn.

 

[mixer911]

The main thing is in our closed systems it takes time to establish a small "Eco System" that works to feed our corals. New tank syndrome is a perfect example of the absence of plantonic food. Plankton is generated in our systems over time in the form of microscopic "babies" of our inhabitants. Every snail, starfish, crab, copepod and organism that breeds in our tanks produce "babies" in microscopic form. This is plankton. If you have a thriving population of these organisms, then your tank is feeding itself. This is why some people do not need to add anything other then light and flow for the corals to grow. Feeding is going on at a microscopic level. Fish poo and phyto plankton help feed these organisms.

 

[ritter6788]

Plankton is generated in our systems over time in the form of microscopic "babies" of our inhabitants. Every snail, starfish, crab, copepod and organism that breeds in our tanks produce "babies" in microscopic form. This is plankton. If you have a thriving population of these organisms, then your tank is feeding itself. This is why some people do not need to add anything other then light and flow for the corals to grow.

I agree with this. In addition to Copepods and Amphipods I add pairs of certain livestock to increase the chance for more zooplankton in the tank such as Lysmata shrimp. A pair of Peppermint or Cleaner Shrimp can add tons of zooplakton to the tank as food for fish and corals as they reproduce. I can't imagine how many Copepod and Amphipod larvae are released everyday and probably a majority of that becomes coral food. Far more fresh and nutritious than anything we can add to our tanks from a bottle or frozen cube while not adding to nitrate and phosphate waste.

 

[gmoney243]

Yea great article. Didn't know our shrimps would breed in tanks. I'm gona have to go get more as I'm all about natural foods.

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

 

[larryl]

Coral frenzy once a week.

 

[ritter6788]

Yea great article. Didn't know our shrimps would breed in tanks. I'm gona have to go get more as I'm all about natural foods.

Sent from my Vortex using Tapatalk 2

Check this out.

[video=youtube;EXZ-ciuPwL0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EXZ-ciuPwL0&feature=autoplay&list=ULIaZaW0BGHkw&playne xt=2[/video]
Delicious plankton!