How exactly do my corals eat.

[Patroklos]

Right now I have two, a branching frogspawn and a plate coral. I know the plate coral is photosynthetic so thats an easy one, but the frogspawn is a filter feeder apparently.

Currently I use Cyclop-eeze (frozen) and I mix it with tank water in a syringe and just push the food straight into each branch of the frogspawn. My LFS said that once the food touches the tissue it is "fed." I was curious if the coral actually absorbs it through the tentacles or if it moves the food to the little slit "mouth" in the middle of each branch? I feed twice a week liberally (my fish eat what enters the column).

[HoCkEyGmC]

not necessary. it doesnt need food, not a filter feeder. it will prbly help growth but other than that you are just dirtying up the water. if you want to target feed i suggest removing the coral in a bowl with the tank water and target feed it in there. then just put the coral back in the tank and ditch the dirty water.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Originally Posted by Patroklos

Currently I use Cyclop-eeze (frozen) and I mix it with tank water in a syringe and just push the food straight into each branch of the frogspawn. My LFS said that once the food touches the tissue it is "fed." I was curious if the coral actually absorbs it through the tentacles or if it moves the food to the little slit "mouth" in the middle of each branch? I feed twice a week liberally (my fish eat what enters the column).

Your hunch is correct - all corals will move the food it catches with its tentacles to its mouth. Corals do absorb nutrients from the water through its cell walls too, but food items like you mention go in (and out eventually!) through the mouth.

I think your method of feeding is just fine, as long as you're not mucking up your water parameters. BUT... now that I type that, I kind of remember that you're dealing with a high nitrate issue? If so, then maybe your "liberal" feeding is a bit too liberal. When I target feed my LPS, it all goes into the tentacles - there's nothing floating around.

[Patroklos]

Yeah, but I doubt a few razor thin shavings of plankton is accounting for the pounds (literaly) of hair algea I pull out of the tank every week. In my effort to combat hair algea I have three Koralia 3s in a 65, my fish are pinned agains the glass and consequently when I feed the corals the food gets away from me! But I watch the fish eat whatever enters the water column.

Good info though guys, I will cut down my feeding to once a week if it isn't really needed that much.

[Kurt_Nelson]

Cut the power to your pumps when you target feed too. That'll help keep the food contained within the coral. Whenever I feed anything (fish, coral, etc), I cut the power to all pumps and filtration.

[ryshark]

Originally Posted by Patroklos

Yeah, but I doubt a few razor thin shavings of plankton is accounting for the pounds (literaly) of hair algea I pull out of the tank every week. In my effort to combat hair algea I have three Koralia 3s in a 65, my fish are pinned agains the glass and consequently when I feed the corals the food gets away from me! But I watch the fish eat whatever enters the water column.

Good info though guys, I will cut down my feeding to once a week if it isn't really needed that much.

Wow that is a lot of hair algae, you most have lots of nutrients and nitrate in the water. I would cut the light cycle a little, feed less, do lots of pwc, and do the mesh mod for your NW110. Also feed only what the fish can eat in a couple minutes and keep the flow up as you have done. Have you tested for phosphate?

[Patroklos]

Cut the power to your pumps when you target feed too. That'll help keep the food contained within the coral. Whenever I feed anything (fish, coral, etc), I cut the power to all pumps and filtration.

You know what, as simple as that sounds that has never occured to me!

Wow that is a lot of hair algae, you most have lots of nutrients and nitrate in the water. I would cut the light cycle a little, feed less, do lots of pwc, and do the mesh mod for your NW110. Also feed only what the fish can eat in a couple minutes and keep the flow up as you have done. Have you tested for phosphate?

Yeah man, tell me about it! Right now I am at three hours of light a day (for the benefit of my corals, otherwise I would blackout), I feed every five days only what the fish can eat, am using phosguard and I am doing 125% PWC a week. Phosphates and Nitrates on the RODI water are both 0. I did just scrap my fuge culpera marco yesterday as it seemed to be doing nothing and looked to be rotting itself and switched the cheato, we shall see what that does.

Luckly this is all baring fruit though, the overall growth is decreasing and most of what I am pulling out seems to be dead algea finally coming loose from the LR or small portions of new algea feeding from the decaying old algea. It is my after work routine now, come home and siphon algea for an hour.

What is this mesh mod you speak of?

[ryshark]

It sounds like you are doing all you can do! I know what you mean about the after work routine.... thats how I feel when I had a tang in hyposalinity QT, lowering salinity, maintaining ph, and then ofcourse ammonia starts rising. That was a big routine for me morning and night.