Coral feeding help

[Suatso]

Hi guys, i've read a ton of times of people feeding stuff like reef snow from brightwell, or oyster feast. Doing routines ofbturning off pumps and feeding at night when polyps are extended, also claiming to get super great feeding responses just by dropping some just for corals to "smell this stuff".

This is supposed to give you better color in all your corals due to replicating their natural feeding behavior, and I would love to start doing this. Do any of you guys do this? Have you ever got this supernatural feeding response? How do you do it, turkey blasting or just dissolving in the tank?
Thank you for your responses

 

[Duddits]

Following this thread. I'd like to know as well. I have mushrooms, frogspawns, a clam and soon some zoas and waving hand. I'd like to know what's the best way to feed as well as what's the best food to feed them.

 

[melosu58]

I have the opposite experience. I have not target fed my corals in 14 + yrs and have just as nice growth if not better. The corals in my tank get all they need from the lighting and water column.

 

[HN1]

IME corals don't really need additional feeding (other than obligate feeders that lack zooanthellea). All it really leads to is added expense and dirtier water.

 

[Bige]

Like stated above, if a coral is photosynthetic, there is no reason to feed.

 

[Suatso]

Yeah that's what i've always believed, but today i read an article that stated that light helps corals to grow (calcium skeleton) in the day, and at noght they feed from the zooplankton that rises from the bottom when sunlight goes out.

Sonce we try to keeo our water as clean as possible, we don't have all that zooplankton in there, so that isnhow they justified the night feeding routines, you can only do good to try to simulate all natural environment. Although, i agree that we would be getting dirtier water from putting more organic matter in there.

I've fed my duncan and rhodactis mushrooms with small pieces of shrimp, and as it is fun to watch, if they eat it it must be for a reason... I don't know.

Just want all the info so i don't make a mistake, thanks for sharing

 

[Mrc8858]

I target feed my corals from time to time but nothing major. Frags (especially lps) will benefit from feedings though and I would reccomend doing that but it still isn't needed.

I've also found that my yellow polyps multiply much faster when provided weekly feedings of mysis.

 

[Gregcoyote]

IMO, the algae produce sugars that the corals use for energy, but in many corals growth also comes primarily from proteins they filter in the existing water column. Most corals do fine just with this and require no additional feeding, but growth can be accelerated if they are offered some targeted food.

 

[Phranque]

I only target feed my corals that actively eat.... acan lord, trumpet, pink candy, palys, and that's maybe once every one or two weeks.
I don't bother with zoas, mushrooms, leathers, etc. Your just putting way too many nutrients into the water column trying to feed these.

 

[54seaweed]

I use coral frenzy every 2 weeks and wow the growth is awesome

 

[Gregcoyote]

I only target feed my corals that actively eat.... acan lord, trumpet, pink candy, palys, and that's maybe once every one or two weeks.
I don't bother with zoas, mushrooms, leathers, etc. Your just putting way too many nutrients into the water column trying to feed these.

I agree with this. Zoas and mushrooms are really efficient corals and can easily exist without active feeding. Look at your corals at night with a flash light. If they have polyps deployed, they are looking for food. No harm if you carefully and occasionally target feed them, but most of the stuff like oysters are liquid phosphates in a bottle, so use sparingly.