What Happens When A Coral Isn't Fed

[User1]

Baker's yeast from the grocery. I add a small pinch of yeast to the food (previously mentioned) I mix every morning.

Ok, thanks.

Why not just use something designed to feed corals? IPSF / Gerald Heslinga developed food years ago specifically for corals of any type.

Edit: Now that I think of it - probably didn't have any or otherwise similar food. Possibly time. Possibly cost. Duh, what was I thinking Retired you said (hurrah!). Two in college here so I'm a starving parent I was really just wondering but maybe this was just sort of an ad-hoc test. I've used his food in the past and it is pretty amazing. I ordered some more last week as my test corals are starting to grow. I just didn't understand what the yeast was doing and not sure if it was bakers yeast or brewers yeast - no idea even if they are the same....

 

[Dana Riddle]

As a pretty novice guy to coral care and wanting to avoid this outcome, can you suggest a strategy for feeding? Thanks!

Many roads lead to Rome, but this is what I do. I have now about 24" total length of fishes in a 120-gallon tank and they are fed heavily. Their wastes (along with that of Fighting Conchs (sandbed cleaning), snails (Trochus, Astarea, etc. for algae control), Emerald Crabs (macro algae control) and Peppermint Shrimp (Aiptasia control)) are macerated by propeller pumps and thus become food for the corals. I also feed coral foods and green water daily. Filter socks (200 microns) remove coarse particles. A protein skimmer runs only at night. Latest nutrient numbers: Ammonia as N = 0; Phosphate as P = 0.02; Nitrate as N = 0.5. I just took some photos of the tank. I'll post in a minute.

 

[Joedubyk]

I've always theorized when people stopped aiming for ULNS and got their po4 and no3 up it wasn't the #s that were making the corals more colorful - it was the fact they were getting fed. The # of Phos/nitrates doesn't matter EG... 5 versus 10pp nitraatres, it's the fact the corals are feeding.

 

[Dana Riddle]

Here's a quick photo of the tank. It's a few months old and will take a years or so to fill out. So far, so good.

 

[shred5]

Here's a quick photo of the tank. It's a few months old and will take a years or so to fill out. So far, so good.

Just curious what lighting did you use one the reef?

 

[Tim Olson]

Thanks for the writeup @Dana Riddle ... great thread. My corals have been struggling the last couple of months, whereas before they were doing well. In hindsight, I changed a number of things that turned out to be wrong choices. One of those changes was to dose NeoNitro in order to bring up nitrates to a detectable level (LaMotte test kit). After I quit dosing NeoNitro it appears the corals have turned the corner and are on the road to recovery. FYI, I've been using the Triton method since November 2017. I also have a relatively large refugium for my system, which is 10 gallons, which grows chaeto very fast. It appears the Triton method does not require nitrate dosing. I also target feed the corals with 1 cube Mysis Shrimp, 1 cube Brine Shrimp and Reef-Roids daily, which definitely helps some of the corals. My nitrates are now undetectable and phosphates run around 0.03 ppm (Hanna ULR).

 

[Dana Riddle]

Just curious what lighting did you use one the reef?

Two 48" Orphek strip lights and one Noopsyche. I used an orange Cokin filter to remove excessive blue light.

 

[ink]

Here in Italy, years ago it was fashion to feed with yeast. Many people reported positive effects on corals. But they then quitted. Personally I've never tried it.

How does bacteria hurt corals? Some corals feed on bacteria? Part of the methodology behind Zeovit system.
You are talking extremes here. You are not going to get a rapid increase in nitrogen or phosphate unless you are adding to much food. Matter of fact the opposite is happening allot in the hobby where there is too little Nitrogen and phosphate. Our equipment, media, and systems have got to efficient and allot of people started getting to light on their feeding.




Also something else. What does zooxanthellae actually produce?

Glucose and what is Glucose but sugar. Think about that!

I think You should read this book: "Coral reefs in the microbial seas"by Forest Rohwer.
I do not talk extreme, I speak about things scientists study and write about.

Nobody yet told me why when I try feeding (not even a lot), corals in my tank die, SPS, LPS, even clams. This doesn't happen if I quit adding food.

What do You suggest? I should go on feeding and kill them all? It's evident to me that adding food doesn't produce positive effects in my tank. Why? I would like to find the answer. I'm here for this purpose.

Luca

 

[ink]

@Dana Riddle, do You think it could have sense that in my system I can't find nitrate because DLI is excessive and cause all NO3 being consumed by algae?
If correct, reducing photoperiod (both on DT and on algae refugium) while adding food, could allow to left over some nitrogen as nitrate?

Luca

 

[Gareth elliott]

About yeast, in aquaculture they have been investigating ways to reduce the amount of fish required to feed fish. Saccharomyces cerevisiae was investigated at fish replacement percentages of up to 50% with no ill effect. And slight increases in survival at percentages between 20%-50% of total food protein replacement. This was much greater than the effect of plant protein replacements like soy. Will have to find the study when i get off work.

 

[madweazl]

There was an interesting study performed in Australia recently that tested the addition of food to a few species of corals (one being acropora). It showed no benefit but I cant remember the name of the study (it is posted here on the forum somewhere). It looked to me like acropora took little to no food via the polyps (at least what was offered).

With that said, when I add certain foods to the tank (especially whole clams) or scrub the algae off the glass, the polyps on most of them open up larger than normal.

 

[ink]

There was an interesting study performed in Australia recently that tested the addition of food to a few species of corals (one being acropora). It showed no benefit but I cant remember the name of the study (it is posted here on the forum somewhere). It looked to me like acropora took little to no food via the polyps (at least what was offered).

With that said, when I add certain foods to the tank (especially whole clams) or scrub the algae off the glass, the polyps on most of them open up larger than normal.

Interestingly, when I scrub algae off the glass, most of my SPS retract all polyps for 15-30 minutes.

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

We shouldn't forget a bacterial imbalance in an aquarium. Hope to have a DNA analysis of bacterial populations in my aquarium soon. This could be as important as a Triton (or other) ICP analysis.

There are studies of certain corals, that show. Longer the corals thrive in a closed system, the more certain bacteria of those corals thrive, and so corals thrive.

 

[Dana Riddle]

This DNA test kit for bacteria arrived today. Looking forward to the results - I think we'll be in for surprises, based on crude observations I made years ago.

 

[BayouReefer]

This was a very interesting conversation. I will be following!

 

[sde1500]

interesting topic, using yeast. May just give it a try. I always have some laying around, between baking or brewing beer. Would be interesting to observe seeing how a live culture would do in saltwater.

feed my corals easy booster and EVO.

Try them, you'll see the difference in not much time

Reed roids it's not suitable for feeding sps as said by its manufacturer. (but guess some sps get it)

You have me curious, as you directly contradict yourself below. Why trust coral food manufacturing more than fish food? I'd have far less doubts over the quality of LRS, which I can literally see different ingredients within it, over some powder that I feed my corals.

Do you even trust in the quality of the food you give to your fish?

I don't. As I don't trust the quality of the ingredients used and the manufacture and preservation techniques used to prepare nor my fish food

 

[KenO]

Following

 

[Da8]

interesting topic, using yeast. May just give it a try. I always have some laying around, between baking or brewing beer. Would be interesting to observe seeing how a live culture would do in saltwater.


You have me curious, as you directly contradict yourself below. Why trust coral food manufacturing more than fish food? I'd have far less doubts over the quality of LRS, which I can literally see different ingredients within it, over some powder that I feed my corals.

Yes, that's right. I'm quite sceptical when it comes to ethical issues when manufacturers prepare food. Even for human consumption. It is more important the profit than the quality.

But yes. There are always exceptions.
For me, the coral food manufactured by easy reefs is totally different.
Best quality ingredients and verified and trusted manufacturing processes.

They have proved honesty during all these years and their products have made keeping non photosintec coral viable.

So I rather prefer to trust in them also than only in fish poop from empty nutrient frozen artemia or some questionable flakes and pellets.

This topic is just started.
It is not that our corals can't live without being fed. It's about all the benefits they can achieve for being fed with this new food gel systems. And not only corals. The whole environment will benefit from the daily addition of phyto and zooplacton.

You know, improving the deficient circle of life of our systems. Not only feeding the final customers but also the others which will benefit the whole.


(sorry for my English. Hope I've made my point clear enough).

 

[dave57]

I believe Jamie Craggs from Horniman museum also utilizes bakers yeast to fatten up acropora before the spawn! It’s been used by many to feed corals. Benereef also contains yeast in the mix of coral food.

 

[KJoFan]

This is interesting as I have several corals (nothing colony sized yet, but still a fair amount of coral. I will be going fallow in my system for 76 days due to fish disease outbreak. I am struggling with how I will maintain coral health during this time.

I don't feel continuing to feed the tank as if there were fish is really the answer. But, I will need to feed something for the corals, but what? Obviously, not feeding anything during that time is not the answer to keep my corals healthy.