How often do you feed your fish?
- Thread starter Cake_Boss
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I put my Vortechs in feed mode but leave my return pump on and the food gets blown all around. I for some odd reason don't like turning my return pump on and off twice a day. I do feed more to make sure everybody gets something. The smaller fish have a tough time getting in there among my tangs and female clown so I spread the food around. Not very efficient. I looked into Rogger's Reef Food and he recommends feeding his food in a clip. His food is bound with aloe and it gives the fish a chance to pick at the food for a lenght of time. You can remove the uneaten portions to keep them from fouling your tank.
That might be a way to go.
That might be a way to go.
I agree. And I will post my opinion here--though it may not be shared by everyone--but I feel that if you are not feeding at least once a day then you are jeopardizing the health of your fish. I do not mean that to sound condemning, as it is only my opinion. But I feel like the fish are constantly feeding on the reef in real life, so it is very unnatural to let them go a day or two (why I feel guilty having to leave them for a weekend unfed, and why I generally make a trip into school once a weekend). I understand nutrient concerns, but couldn't you feed less but more often? IMO this is better for the fish. I think a lot of people in the hobby underfeed their fish. One concession: I am lucky to have a large system that is able to absorb larger nutrient loads.
BTW, I do not feed my corals. I feel if I feed my fish enough they will feed the corals and I will not have to deal with more nutrients from coral food (which likely goes uneaten more than fish food).
BTW, I do not feed my corals. I feel if I feed my fish enough they will feed the corals and I will not have to deal with more nutrients from coral food (which likely goes uneaten more than fish food).
he he... so many camps such a great discussion...
I'm definately in the camp of feed more than once a day or you are neglecting... but then again I also hand feed my emeralds, shrimp, and a variety of other critters.
Nothin cooler than having an emerald crab walk out to the front of the tank to take a peice of sprungs out of your fingers.
I'm definately in the camp of feed more than once a day or you are neglecting... but then again I also hand feed my emeralds, shrimp, and a variety of other critters.
Nothin cooler than having an emerald crab walk out to the front of the tank to take a peice of sprungs out of your fingers.
make you feel better yes, but have you tested??? bear in mind your anemone depends on symbiotic algae that requires nitrates and phosphates. A lack thereof may actually be your mainstay problem.
People tend to discount the symbiotic relationships that exist within the undersea world, opting for overly pristine tanks IMHO. If your inhabitants exibit feeding displays 24/7 (polyps out all the time) it's most likely a sign of starvation (they must work harder to collect enough food all the time).
It is important to balance the want for aesthetics with the care of the animal. Bear in mind we are dealing with several species that have over the centuries adapted to some pretty amazing environments. More amazing is that we have been able to can them up in a whole new enviornment that we tend to take for granted. While we may never fully understand the biological needs and proper environment for these animals to flourish we all do our best and have come across some pretty amazing strides. I still think we are a long ways off in many arenas though.
People tend to discount the symbiotic relationships that exist within the undersea world, opting for overly pristine tanks IMHO. If your inhabitants exibit feeding displays 24/7 (polyps out all the time) it's most likely a sign of starvation (they must work harder to collect enough food all the time).
It is important to balance the want for aesthetics with the care of the animal. Bear in mind we are dealing with several species that have over the centuries adapted to some pretty amazing environments. More amazing is that we have been able to can them up in a whole new enviornment that we tend to take for granted. While we may never fully understand the biological needs and proper environment for these animals to flourish we all do our best and have come across some pretty amazing strides. I still think we are a long ways off in many arenas though.
When I feed Mysis, I shutoff my return pump, but leave my powerheads on. The reason for shutting off my return is because I don't want food to just get sucked down into the sump. I leave the powerheads on because otherwise the food just falls to the bottom of the tank and some of my fish won't eat it that way.
When I feed pellets I shutoff both my return and powerheads. If I don't shut them off then the pellets sink faster and don't typically get eaten. I can watch the pellets and the fish easier if the pellets are still floating on the surface.
When I feed pellets I shutoff both my return and powerheads. If I don't shut them off then the pellets sink faster and don't typically get eaten. I can watch the pellets and the fish easier if the pellets are still floating on the surface.
I have a very hard time believing this, nor have i heard this anywhere else. If this is true, then a coral with little poly extension should grow faster than a coral with good polyp extension, which i have also never seen before. I have always seen when you dont have good polyp extension, especially for extended lengths of time, the coral dies
IME~This is not a blanket idea;
LPS~ is just a large digestive organ, with little or no zoaxanthellae in the feeding tentacles, so if there are feeders out, it is hungry and attempting to feed.
feeder extension=hungry
SPS~ is different, it can only consume very small micro plankton and at a pretty slow rate, and also uses the entire polyp for feeding/ photosynthesis, so the more the polyp is extended the more it can do either.
feeder extension=healthy
softies~ in general do not have any alternate behavior for feeding/photosynthesis, so either its happy, or its not.
none of my acan lords will have feeders out at all during the day, but the last one I got a week ago has yet to put its tentacles away, it was obviously in a system that was fed way less.
LPS~ is just a large digestive organ, with little or no zoaxanthellae in the feeding tentacles, so if there are feeders out, it is hungry and attempting to feed.
feeder extension=hungry
SPS~ is different, it can only consume very small micro plankton and at a pretty slow rate, and also uses the entire polyp for feeding/ photosynthesis, so the more the polyp is extended the more it can do either.
feeder extension=healthy
softies~ in general do not have any alternate behavior for feeding/photosynthesis, so either its happy, or its not.
none of my acan lords will have feeders out at all during the day, but the last one I got a week ago has yet to put its tentacles away, it was obviously in a system that was fed way less.
lol dont forget the azooxanthellates!!
Wicked hit the nail on the head though, there are many studies out there with good results pertaining to how many photosynthetic corals (SPS and LPS) will exhibit polyp extension to improve surface area for light collection of the symbiont algae.
Coral nutrition is always a fascinating subject, so many factors, species, and variations on a theme. Even the studies pertaining to uptake of ammonia and nitrates directly for nutrition is a hoot to think about.
Wicked hit the nail on the head though, there are many studies out there with good results pertaining to how many photosynthetic corals (SPS and LPS) will exhibit polyp extension to improve surface area for light collection of the symbiont algae.
Coral nutrition is always a fascinating subject, so many factors, species, and variations on a theme. Even the studies pertaining to uptake of ammonia and nitrates directly for nutrition is a hoot to think about.