Coral food question

pjb9166 · 07/27/2013, 11:57 PM

Ok.
So we have pods of whatever sort living in our tanks. We see them at night as those kreepy crawly reef bugs. What is the life cycle? Are they a source of phyto or not. With all the info out there.
I'm so confused.
I don't want to pollute my tank with unneeded nutrients.
Can we grow sustainable food sources in our closed systems?
I am defrosting mycis and feeding the slurry to the corals.
Am I waisting my time?
Can I buy a good all around food or can I make a good food.
One that would make sense. I have a small reef. Just trying to understand all this and make it easier.

I used a nonused stairwelland built-in a catwalk. My tank is on the other side of the wall to the left.

pjb9166 · 07/28/2013, 10:19 PM

I was hoping with all the knowledge and definitely no lack of opinion. I might get some input and direction.

We thank you all.
I guess feeding corals are still a theory.

Reefmedic79 · 08/04/2013, 02:36 PM

Pods and the crawly things you see at night are what make up the zooplankton in our tanks. They consume the phytoplankton that is typically supplemented and there population will increase if you feed phyto. There are some that believe that phyto is not eaten by corals and therefore serve no purpose begin fed to the tank.

IMO, this is untrue as corals are passive predators (in a sense) catching what happens to float by, so they are bound to benefit at least a small amount from phyto feedings.

I feed zooplankton as well as there is no way to propagate the smallest of plankton which SPS will eat, even though my pod population is high, which LPS and the fish will eat.

I don't think there is a way to maintain a self sustaining population of plankton in our tank, due to the limits of a closed system. All of our tanks are incredibly overstocked in relation to living organisms needing to eat and volume of water available for plankton to procreate, comparable to the natural reefs, IMO. SO the need for feeding will always be the way I go at least.

pjb9166 · 08/16/2013, 08:02 PM

Thanks for the reply. Just like so many factors in the hobby I see it as people over do things and cause more problems than the good they do for their systems.
Hence deteriorated water quality and crashed tanks

07/27/2013, 11:57 PM	#1
pjb9166 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Hartford County CT. Posts: 887	Coral food question Ok. So we have pods of whatever sort living in our tanks. We see them at night as those kreepy crawly reef bugs. What is the life cycle? Are they a source of phyto or not. With all the info out there. I'm so confused. I don't want to pollute my tank with unneeded nutrients. Can we grow sustainable food sources in our closed systems? I am defrosting mycis and feeding the slurry to the corals. Am I waisting my time? Can I buy a good all around food or can I make a good food. One that would make sense. I have a small reef. Just trying to understand all this and make it easier. I used a nonused stairwelland built-in a catwalk. My tank is on the other side of the wall to the left. Last edited by pjb9166; 07/28/2013 at 12:07 AM.

08/04/2013, 02:36 PM	#3
Reefmedic79 Life and Reef Saver Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Tavares, Florida Posts: 6,202	Pods and the crawly things you see at night are what make up the zooplankton in our tanks. They consume the phytoplankton that is typically supplemented and there population will increase if you feed phyto. There are some that believe that phyto is not eaten by corals and therefore serve no purpose begin fed to the tank. IMO, this is untrue as corals are passive predators (in a sense) catching what happens to float by, so they are bound to benefit at least a small amount from phyto feedings. I feed zooplankton as well as there is no way to propagate the smallest of plankton which SPS will eat, even though my pod population is high, which LPS and the fish will eat. I don't think there is a way to maintain a self sustaining population of plankton in our tank, due to the limits of a closed system. All of our tanks are incredibly overstocked in relation to living organisms needing to eat and volume of water available for plankton to procreate, comparable to the natural reefs, IMO. SO the need for feeding will always be the way I go at least. __________________ ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º>¸. ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><((((º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><((((º> How much deeper would the ocean be if it didn't have sponges? P. Sherman 42 Wallaby Way Sid Current Tank Info: 40 Breeder, 20L Sump, 10G Fuge, JBJ A.T.O, 4" Reef Octopus, DIY Stand & Canopy, RapidLED Dimmable 36 Kit on 3 6" MakersLED Heatsink, MP10es

07/28/2013, 10:19 PM	#2
pjb9166 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Hartford County CT. Posts: 887	I was hoping with all the knowledge and definitely no lack of opinion. I might get some input and direction. We thank you all. I guess feeding corals are still a theory.

08/16/2013, 08:02 PM	#4
pjb9166 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2013 Location: Hartford County CT. Posts: 887	Thanks for the reply. Just like so many factors in the hobby I see it as people over do things and cause more problems than the good they do for their systems. Hence deteriorated water quality and crashed tanks