Do you have better luck with broadcasting or target feeding SPS?

[JCOLE]

I used to spot feed my corals with Reef Roids. While doing this the polyps would close up and they would slime. They seemed to enjoy it. Over the last couple of weeks I have been broadcasting a mix of Benepets Reef and Reef Roids along with using Polyp booster 10 minutes prior. I noticed that with broadcasting I do not get polyp retraction along with the sliming.

Should I just target feed from now on. What do you have best results with?

 

[Hemmdog]

Good question, I have wondered the same thing for awhile.

 

[Crabs McJones]

Same, always target fed. Following along

 

[Auquanut]

I try to target feed, but let's face it. Most of the "coral food" winds up in the water column anyway. What I do when I feed my corals about every three days is to turn off all pumps, target feed the corals first, feed the fish afterwards, let the system set for 15 to 20 minutes, then turn everything back on. To be honest, I think I see the best response when the pumps come back online.

 

[JCOLE]

That is what I do as well. I turn everything off and target feed every coral. However, I now have over 60 SPS pieces and target feeding is getting a little exhausting. Figured I would go the easier broadcast approach. Don't mind doing it if the corals get to uptake the food that way. I just broadcast fed an hour ago and examined every piece afterwards. Not one polyp was retracted or sliming.

Hmmmm....

 

[Auquanut]

Sounds like a good question of the day. @revhtree, what do you think? Broadcast VS target feeding corals. We might get some pretty interesting answers.

 

[ycnibrc]

I try both but to my observation target feed will raise nutrients up much higher than broadcast since u have to feed every corals in your tank individually. I feel target feed is more for lps

 

[Graffiti Spot]

If I am feeding the fish in the tank good I don’t do either. If Nutrients are really low I might broadcast feed sometimes but I don’t think it’s needed with sps. Target feeding Might help a recovering coral a little though? Still don’t bother with it for sps though.

 

[Braves Fan]

I am not a SPS pro ,, so I will be interested in seeing what the Pro's have to say

I don't target feed my my SPS corals a product like Reef Roids ,, I did direct feed the LPS corals in the SPS tank Reef Roids ,, so I would guess the SPS corals were getting some of that food ,, I have since pulled most all of those LPS corals out of that tank ,, there will be a lot less food going into the SPS tank ,, I do have a lot of fish in that tank and I feed those fish pretty good , I don't strain or try in anyway to clean the water from the frozen food I feed the fish ,, so I am guessing the corals or getting nutrition from that ,, I am adding Amino Acids to that tank everyday ,,

 

[Lonely reefer's]

For me i see no different in my small sps tank broadcast or target feeding therefore i just feed my fishes with pellets food.

 

[jda]

Sliming is not good... it is very expensive and energy consuming for the coral. I would try to NOT make corals slime and save it for real emergencies or reasons.

Some corals need target fed and SPS (especially acropora) do not. Since we are in the SPS forum, I would not target feed anything if mesenterial filaments or slime happens afterward.

 

[JCOLE]

Sliming is not good... it is very expensive and energy consuming for the coral. I would try to NOT make corals slime and save it for real emergencies or reasons.

Some corals need target fed and SPS (especially acropora) do not. Since we are in the SPS forum, I would not target feed anything if mesenterial filaments or slime happens afterward.

Good to know. I always assumed it was their way of collecting food. Does it matter if I do not notice any polyp retraction during broadcast feeding?

 

[jda]

I doubt that it matters.

If they are acropora, then there is little chance that they are catching much. If they do, then there is no actual evidence that they get any nutrition from it that exceeds the catch.

The truth is that nobody really knows if this does anything - do not believe a manufacturer or somebody who says that it does since they are usually quoting something from another type of coral or maybe a pocilipora which can catch small particles of food without evidence that it helps them. "Feeding acropora" probably makes the hobbyist feel a lot better than the corals.

All of this said, there is little evidence that it hurts anything, outside of wasted energy like sliming or releasing mesenterial filaments, so if you think that it works, then use it... just in moderation.

Light is still going to be your main source of food, so have plenty of high quality light available.

 

[Hermie]

Until I see a macro photography shot of an SPS polyp "consuming" food then I will not believe that SPS benefit from target feeding.

 

[DesertReefT4r]

I only will target feed LPS like acans, duncans, hammers ect. Sps dont seem to benifit from coral foods at all especially acropora. Desolved nutrients in the water and certain aminos are used by sps. I feel in a well stocked and well fed mature reef tank feeding sps corals is not at all necessary.