Do SPS/Acropora benefit from feedings?

[Miami Reef]

Keeping acros in a quarantine tank with no fish.

Are there benefits of broadcast feeding these corals to increase growth rates and coloration?

How do these coral farms grow their corals? Assuming water quality, lighting, and flow needs are being met.

 

[blaxsun]

I think mine do. Not a coral farm, but they do indirectly get supplementally fed.

 

[Chrisv.]

I think reef roids and Brightwell aminos are worth adding, but be careful re. Testing no3 and po4... These foods could cause strange water chemistry in a qt tank that might not have a well established biological filter.

 

[Miami Reef]

I just read this article from @Dana Riddle : https://reefs.com/magazine/coral-nutrition-part-two-foods-for-corals/

It appears that SPS corals can eat anything from phytoplankton to bacteria, and even dinoflagellates (depending on species).

I am glad to learn this!

 

[Perry]

Oyster eggs are excellent food.

 

[Miami Reef]

Here’s what I want to know from that article

The Y axis has of algae consumption has smaller numbers than the bacteria. Does that imply that these corals consumed more bacteria than plankton?

I did not understand the inference from the graphs. @Dana Riddle

 

[Dana Riddle]

Here’s what I want to know from that article

The Y axis has of algae consumption has smaller numbers than the bacteria. Does that imply that these corals consumed more bacteria than plankton?

I did not understand the inference from the graphs. @Dana Riddle

Goodness. That's been so long ago. I'll have to dig into my references! Glad to know someone actually reads what I wrote!

 

[Big E]

There is a really good series of articles by Eric Borneman on coral feeding.

Here is one of the articles. If you scan down on it there are links for all 7 articles

https://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-04/eb/index.php

None of this coral feeding is new...........been around for decades. It's just now there are a plethora of foods most of which are junk.

 

[ScottB]

I still have not seen a healthy looking fishless acropora tank. I am sure one exists somewhere, but IME, the more fish poo, pee and respiration, the better.

 

[Miami Reef]

I still have not seen a healthy looking fishless acropora tank. I am sure one exists somewhere, but IME, the more fish poo, pee and respiration, the better.

How can a person supplement food in an acro QT? They will eventually go into a tank with fish, but until then???

 

[ScottB]

How can a person supplement food in an acro QT? They will eventually go into a tank with fish, but until then???

In the short run one could dose ammonia or ammonium as they are the precursors to phosphate and nitrate and are much more easily/efficiently consumed by acropora.

 

[jda]

I would probably feed corals at a coral farm without the benefit of lots of bacteria and fish waste. I do not think that it matters at all in a diverse hobbyist type of reef tank. If you residual N and P are not getting high, I also do not see how it hurts.

 

[PranK]

How can a person supplement food in an acro QT? They will eventually go into a tank with fish, but until then???

How long will they be in this tank? Surely you could throw a fish or two in there with them ? Get some mollies or something.

 

[AcroWizard]

Not sure if anyone has watched this, but interesting to see that all of their frag tanks are connected to the reef tanks.

 

[Hans-Werner]

In the short run one could dose ammonia or ammonium as they are the precursors to phosphate and nitrate

Not quite exactly . Ammonium can be oxidized to nitrate but phosphate will still be lacking and get limiting, which is not good for Acropora.

Either add a balanced additive with ammonium and phosphate or just feed some kind of small frozen food, coral food or powder food.

 

[Jon_W79]

I don't believe (at least most) acropora need to feed with their polyps (if they are able to). Some people have had no polyp extention because of angelfish, and their acropora did fine. I believe that acropora can consume bacteria. I think that sps, and heterotrophic bacteria ( heterotrophic bacteria generally) prefer ammonia over nitrate. I have had sps in my fishless frag tank since Thursday, and I'm excited to see the results.

 

[ScottB]

Not quite exactly . Ammonium can be oxidized to nitrate but phosphate will still be lacking and get limiting, which is not good for Acropora.

Either add a balanced additive with ammonium and phosphate or just feed some kind of small frozen food, coral food or powder food.

I stand corrected. Agreed also on limiting PO4 to be a bad situation. You don't need much, but you have to have some. Thank you.