Overfeeding Corals?

[Reefbuds]

Hey guys. I'm just wondering, is it possible to over target feed? I target feed my duncan brine shrimp everyday and am wondering if this could be a bad thing I'm the long run?

 

[justin.k.nelson]

unless you don't want it to grow like a weed. My growth was slow with broadcast feeding, when I fed it specifically, it grew like crazy

 

[Jason35212]

Hey guys. I'm just wondering, is it possible to over target feed? I target feed my duncan brine shrimp everyday and am wondering if this could be a bad thing I'm the long run?

If your ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate stay
constant then I do not believe it will cause any problems.

 

[Reefbuds]

Great, I wasn't sure if there was a rate at which corals could digest meaty foods as such.

 

[Kmsutows]

I would think at some point it is taxing on them to process that much food. Personally I would cut back at least to every other day

 

[mtraylor]

IMO, I think the answer is yes. You can over feed anything. I"m sure you can feed your corals more than they can get in the wild like we do with our fish. The trick is to find the right formula with your corals and water chemistry. I personally do not target feed corals.

 

[Reefbuds]

I don't target feed any other corals and they do great. The Duncans accepts the food so well tho. I think I may cut back to twice a week and see how it does.

 

[CodyRVA]

As mentioned, if you want them to grow faster then sure spot feed. IME spot feeding is not directly related to overall health, but water chemistry and stability absolutely are. Over feeding can have a negative affect on your water chemistry. Corals like duncans are easier to spot feed, as you mentioned, because they react to the food leaving little to float freely in the water column. Over feeding coral is no different than over feeding fish; ultimately too much will cause a rise in NO3 and PO4.

 

[FishOrMan]

Has anyone experienced zoa pods closing for days at a time after target feeding?

 

[Reefbuds]

Has anyone experienced zoa pods closing for days at a time after target feeding?

I have never experienced this. I haven't kept zoa's in a while tho.. the fam and palytoxin and all :/

 

[Macdaddynick1]

I know it’s very possible to overfeed dendrophyllia, it gets gut rot and dies. I’ve never heard of overfeedign duncans though.

 

[Reefbuds]

Yea that's what I was scared of. I've cut back to like 2 or 3 times a month now and it's still doing great. Up to 9 or 10 heads now

 

[Hella_Reef]

I've heard of overfeading lps corals like scolymias and fungia plates. They wont digest the food fast enough causing it to rot inside them which can lead to death. Just feed a couple times a week. Ur nutrient export will thank you!

 

[GoatmealJones]

I believe over feeding causes problems not from the volume of food itself, but as a consequence of disrupting the corals local chemical-nutrient environment and overall environment-organism exchange equilibrium.