Feeding LPS -- is Reef Roids enough?

[McGene]

I have a few LPS corals (torch, acan, hammer, etc.) in my JBJ45
I have been feeding them Reef Roids -- but not mysis or brine shrimp.
Is that acceptable -- or do I also need to include shrimp in their diet -- not just for variety -- but for long term health.
If Reef Roids is an all-purpose food then I'm good to go.

thanks,
-gene

 

[sixty_reefer]

I have a few LPS corals (torch, acan, hammer, etc.) in my JBJ45
I have been feeding them Reef Roids -- but not mysis or brine shrimp.
Is that acceptable -- or do I also need to include shrimp in their diet -- not just for variety -- but for long term health.
If Reef Roids is an all-purpose food then I'm good to go.

thanks,
-gene

Personally I find reef roids too small for most sps, they will still eat it but in my view big mouths need big food.

 

[Mikedawg]

I use Coral Gumbo and Reef Plankton as well, plus Oyster Feast from time to time for LPS and SPS. I also use a turkey baster to stir the sand and blow off rocks which provides "reef snow" to corals. Think variety of foods is important.

 

[homer1475]

I find that while reefroids is decent and quite adequate for smaller LPS, quite a few of my larger LPS prefer a much more meatier diet. I agree above that big mouths prefer a big food.

 

[Fourstars]

No, needs the oils.

 

[mattzang]

do you guys feed meaty stuff to euphyllia? i've always tried to feed them and it seems they only go for the reef roids size stuff

 

[sixty_reefer]

do you guys feed meaty stuff to euphyllia? i've always tried to feed them and it seems they only go for the reef roids size stuff

Have you ever tried to feed live brine to a hammer? They go crazy for them. They like the frozen one to but not the same.

 

[mattzang]

Have you ever tried to feed live brine to a hammer? They go crazy for them. They like the frozen one to but not the same.

i have never fed live brine to anything

i have some cyclops that i've only tried to broadcast feed fish, i wonder if the lps would dig that stuff....

 

[homer1475]

i have never fed live brine to anything

i have some cyclops that i've only tried to broadcast feed fish, i wonder if the lps would dig that stuff....

They most certainly will. Least mine do.

 

[DSC reef]

I liked to use meaty foods for larger LPS, reef nutrition makes some nice refrigerated foods. Smaller LPS would get a mix of reef roids and oyster feast. I second the cyclops and live brine, everything went nuts for that stuff. We would gut load our live brine with live phytoplankton from reef nutrition and reef roids.

 

[Hemmdog]

I tong feed individual polyps mysis. It’s tedious, but man do they grow and look crazy.

 

[MrObscura]

I feed my Duncan, hammer and lords reef roids and they seem to like it enough, but they've really taken off after raising nutrients in my tank and feeding rods food.

 

[Fourstars]

I hatch out baby brine shrimp Nauplii a few times a week. Turn off the pumps for a good 45 minutes for a good food soak. Also a good assortment of frozen, and that juice in the bottom after you thaw out is also good, just don’t over due it.

 

[KrisReef]

I agree those coral mouths are functional. My LPS do best when they are catching food particles (small and large) on the currents in the tank.
I like to feed the fish frozen mysis, fortified brine shrimp, small salmon and shrimp chunks off the bbq. The LPS catch the particles and an occasional small chunk when I feed the fish. I'm too lazy to do much target baster feeding, but I used to feed coral frenzy (large) pellets to the corals this way and they grow much faster with direct feeding. I still feed the fish coral frenzy pellets as appetizers before dinner and the lps still catch those if I "overfeed" the fish.
I feed my SPS at night (lights out- fish asleep) with frozen or freeze-dried planktonic foods and I will toss in coral frenzy pellets at the same time so the LPS can catch some large particles along with the plankton.

 

[Hemmdog]

I agree those coral mouths are functional. My LPS do best when they are catching food particles (small and large) on the currents in the tank.
I like to feed the fish frozen mysis, fortified brine shrimp, small salmon and shrimp chunks off the bbq. The LPS catch the particles and an occasional small chunk when I feed the fish. I'm too lazy to do much target baster feeding, but I used to feed coral frenzy (large) pellets to the corals this way and they grow much faster with direct feeding. I still feed the fish coral frenzy pellets as appetizers before dinner and the lps still catch those if I "overfeed" the fish.
I feed my SPS at night (lights out- fish asleep) with frozen or freeze-dried planktonic foods and I will toss in coral frenzy pellets at the same time so the LPS can catch some large particles along with the plankton.

What are these planktonic foods? That sounds like something I’d like to add to my regimin for my sps.

 

[mattzang]

so i gave it a quick effort before i left for work feeding some lps whatever mysis/green food i was feeding the fish. oh my the space invader went crazy, grew like a volcano and downed that stuff. the cleaner shrimp didn't even have a chance to steal it. he didn't do that when i fed him reef roids the other day

euphyllia seemed meh on the effort, but i didnt even turn off powerheads or pump, so i'll excuse them

 

[KrisReef]

What are these planktonic foods? That sounds like something I’d like to add to my regimin for my sps.

There used to be a few sellers on eBay, just looked now and I only see one?:

aquaticfoods_blackworm_co

They sell a lot of different fish foods that powdered like ReefRoids, and I hydrate that for a little bit and pour the soup into the tank. It is best to shut the main pump off and just let the food circulate in the DT for a while so the corals can eat but I don't always do that.

 

[McGene]

Wow! Thanks for all the input. Looks like I'll be changing up my routine.

 

[rogersb]

When I do a water change I squirt some reef roids over the euphyllia and let it fall like snow on them. They seem to react positively to it. I never really noticed euphyllia have much of a feeding response to any other type of foods. Other LPS I feed New Life Spectrum pellets.

I only feed frozen to my fish so every day the tank is getting all that extra juice from the frozen and all the tiny particles my fish miss so I think most pieces get something other than light daily.

 

[Jay Z]

I do a mix of Rod's, 1/2 cube of Mysis shrimp, 2 drops of coral vitalizer, 15ml phytoplankton, and a little reef roids once a day. All pumps off except HOB ref (full of copepods) Wave makers come back on after 6 minutes to stir whats left over.

I dump it in with a solo cup, lets me spot drop on pretty much everything in the tank.

Will do a smaller feeding around 1-2 in the morning if I wake up, a couple times a week for the guys that open up at night. That ones just plankton, coral vit, and reef roids. I only have 4 feeding at night. I just use a dash of reef roids when mixing.

I just drop this in the ref return so it spreads through the tank.

Then my long tentacle gets a small piece of silver side every 2 days or so.