Should I feed my Corals

Capsle · 09/22/2016, 10:20 AM

Hey reefers,

So I currently have a Torch, wall hammer, Gonipora and Zoas.

I haven't been feeding them directly and they seem to be doing well.

I've been doing a lot of reading on Coral in general lately and a lot of articles say to spot feed them, especially the Goni.

What are your thoughts on it and do you feed yours? If so what should they be fed?

As always, thanks in advance.

Brieninsac · 09/22/2016, 10:34 AM

You definitely need to feed the Goniopora. How long have you had it?

Capsle · 09/22/2016, 11:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brieninsac

You definitely need to feed the Goniopora. How long have you had it?

I've had it for 2 days now. The LFS said reef roids, is that a good suggestion? I feel my tank twice a day mysis and brime shrimp, and 1-2 a week with LFS nano food.

What exactly is reef roids?

j_mazzy · 09/22/2016, 11:22 AM

I would guess reef roids may be too small for your goni. I use it to feed sps

Sk8r · 09/22/2016, 12:14 PM

REEF NUTRITION (refrigerated) has a nice Oyster puree that even the fish like to snag bits of.

Also, I've had luck with ground up dried jumbo krill, put in a coffee grinder: fish AND corals seem to like it and hammer grew like mad.

jstack · 09/22/2016, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Capsle

I've had it for 2 days now. The LFS said reef roids, is that a good suggestion? I feel my tank twice a day mysis and brime shrimp, and 1-2 a week with LFS nano food.

What exactly is reef roids?

LFS nano is a great you already have some good stuff. skip the reef roids till the tank settles it's very easy to o/d a new tank with that stuff.

homer1475 · 09/22/2016, 01:14 PM

I've never directly fed my my goni and it grows like crazy, going on 2 years now and its easily tripled in size.

I will admit that I do feed my NPS corals(of course they need food), and I would assume that when I broadcast feed my acans that some of it gets to the goni.

I feed a mixture of LRS reef frenzy, PE mysis, reef chilli, and oyster feast all mixed together.

hkgar · 09/22/2016, 01:43 PM

I never fed any of my softies. They seem to to just fine with decent lighting. Now, I have SPS and some LPS and feed them once in awhile, because it seems like I should. They like fish poop. I don't think they care as long is they have the NO3 and PO4 plus Alk and Ca to grow. And, once again the most important part - light.

Maivortex · 09/22/2016, 05:21 PM

Feed it selco

Str8linespeed · 09/22/2016, 06:30 PM

Im still very new to this hobby, but I just started feeding my Goni. I've had it for 3 months now and it was dying. I didnt know until posting here that it was one that I should try feeding. It seems to like it so far and I hope I can bring it back.

CStrickland · 09/22/2016, 07:14 PM

Gonis are hard to id with certainty. There is a theory that they have a bad rep in the hobby because there are more variations than people realize, each with diff needs. But it probs won't hurt and the torch and the hammer will like a snack a couple times a week too. I find it easier to keep tank nutrients under control using target feeding and not adding a lot of small food to the tank water.

If you're looking for a weekend project, a fun and cheap one is making a batch of 'blender mush.' That's my main fish/coral/tank food. You just go buy a bunch of frozen sea food from an Asian market, or wholesale club like BJs and chop it up in a blender to bite sized bits. There are good recipes online to use as a baseline for what is good (clams, squid, white fish) and what isn't (oily fish like mackerel and blue fish make a mess). Then you freeze it flat in ziplock bags and break off chunks.

I feed the fish 3-4 times a day, nps every other day, and lps 2x a week or so. I've got a good rhythm going where I break off a chunk at night and thaw it out, feed the coral that thick-messy mixture, and rinse the leftovers off to feed the fish the next day. That way I don't add too much of the really tiny stuff and juice that tends to foul the water. And of course with this heavy feeding the fish are pooping plenty of coral food into the water all day long.

As you're getting the hang of feeding pay attention to how the coral reacts. If you look close you can see the diff between them being mad that you are squirting them, and grabbing food. You want the later. Just sort of let it fall out of the baster onto their faces. You'll know you have the right routine and food when they get excited for it

09/22/2016, 10:20 AM	#1
Capsle Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Posts: 385	Should I feed my Corals Hey reefers, So I currently have a Torch, wall hammer, Gonipora and Zoas. I haven't been feeding them directly and they seem to be doing well. I've been doing a lot of reading on Coral in general lately and a lot of articles say to spot feed them, especially the Goni. What are your thoughts on it and do you feed yours? If so what should they be fed? As always, thanks in advance. __________________ Caps Current Tank Info: 65G DT with custom overflow, 35G custom sump, maxspect R420r 180w 15K, reef octopus classic 150 skimmer.

09/22/2016, 10:34 AM	#2
Brieninsac Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Posts: 782	You definitely need to feed the Goniopora. How long have you had it? __________________ Red Sea Reefer 350 (73gal/18gal sump) / Kessil a360WE Lights

09/22/2016, 12:14 PM	#5
Sk8r RC Mod Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Spokane WA Posts: 34,628 Blog Entries: 55	REEF NUTRITION (refrigerated) has a nice Oyster puree that even the fish like to snag bits of. Also, I've had luck with ground up dried jumbo krill, put in a coffee grinder: fish AND corals seem to like it and hammer grew like mad. __________________ Sk8r Salinity 1.024-6; alkalinity 8.3-9.3 on KH scale; calcium 420; magnesium 1300, temp 78-80, nitrate .2. Ammonia 0. No filters: lps tank. Alk and cal won't rise if mg is low. Current Tank Info: 105g AquaVim wedge, yellow tang, sailfin blenny,royal gramma, ocellaris clown pair, yellow watchman, 100 microceriths, 25 tiny hermits, a 4" conch, 1" nassarius, recovering from 2 year hiatus with daily water change of 10%.

09/22/2016, 01:14 PM	#7
homer1475 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: Upstate NY Posts: 5,313	I've never directly fed my my goni and it grows like crazy, going on 2 years now and its easily tripled in size. I will admit that I do feed my NPS corals(of course they need food), and I would assume that when I broadcast feed my acans that some of it gets to the goni. I feed a mixture of LRS reef frenzy, PE mysis, reef chilli, and oyster feast all mixed together. __________________ 80G SCA Build: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2560256 Originally posted by der_wille_zur_macht: "He's just taking his lunch to work"

09/22/2016, 01:43 PM	#8
hkgar Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Dewitt MI Posts: 5,051	I never fed any of my softies. They seem to to just fine with decent lighting. Now, I have SPS and some LPS and feed them once in awhile, because it seems like I should. They like fish poop. I don't think they care as long is they have the NO3 and PO4 plus Alk and Ca to grow. And, once again the most important part - light. __________________ Gary 180 gallon, 40 gallon sump, 3 250 W MH + 4 80W ATI T5's, MTC MVX 36 Skimmer, Apex controller Aquamaxx T-3 CaRx Current Tank Info: A 2 Barred Rabbitfish, Red Head Salon, Yellow/Purple, McMaster Fairy, Possum, 2 Leopard Wrasses, Kole, & Atlantic Blue Tangs, 2 Percula Clown, 3 PJ and 1 Banggai Cardinalfish , Swallowtail, Bellus and Coral Beauty Angels

09/22/2016, 11:22 AM	#4
j_mazzy Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: about an hour from charlotte Posts: 622	I would guess reef roids may be too small for your goni. I use it to feed sps

09/22/2016, 05:21 PM	#9
Maivortex Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: PARADISE, us Posts: 666 Blog Entries: 1	Feed it selco

09/22/2016, 06:30 PM	#10
Str8linespeed Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: Oakdale, MN Posts: 461	Im still very new to this hobby, but I just started feeding my Goni. I've had it for 3 months now and it was dying. I didnt know until posting here that it was one that I should try feeding. It seems to like it so far and I hope I can bring it back.

09/22/2016, 07:14 PM	#11
CStrickland Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: New England, U.S. Posts: 4,595	Gonis are hard to id with certainty. There is a theory that they have a bad rep in the hobby because there are more variations than people realize, each with diff needs. But it probs won't hurt and the torch and the hammer will like a snack a couple times a week too. I find it easier to keep tank nutrients under control using target feeding and not adding a lot of small food to the tank water. If you're looking for a weekend project, a fun and cheap one is making a batch of 'blender mush.' That's my main fish/coral/tank food. You just go buy a bunch of frozen sea food from an Asian market, or wholesale club like BJs and chop it up in a blender to bite sized bits. There are good recipes online to use as a baseline for what is good (clams, squid, white fish) and what isn't (oily fish like mackerel and blue fish make a mess). Then you freeze it flat in ziplock bags and break off chunks. I feed the fish 3-4 times a day, nps every other day, and lps 2x a week or so. I've got a good rhythm going where I break off a chunk at night and thaw it out, feed the coral that thick-messy mixture, and rinse the leftovers off to feed the fish the next day. That way I don't add too much of the really tiny stuff and juice that tends to foul the water. And of course with this heavy feeding the fish are pooping plenty of coral food into the water all day long. As you're getting the hang of feeding pay attention to how the coral reacts. If you look close you can see the diff between them being mad that you are squirting them, and grabbing food. You want the later. Just sort of let it fall out of the baster onto their faces. You'll know you have the right routine and food when they get excited for it __________________ If you're havin tank problems I feel bad for you, son. I got 99 problems but a fish ain't one Current Tank Info: 3/2016 upgrade to 120g. Chalk bass, melanurus, firefish, starry blenny, canary blenny, lyretail anthias, engineer gobys, kole tang. Softies / LPS / NPS. <3 noob4life <3