Feeding Regiment Advice Needed....

DarthSimon · 12/27/2007, 10:22 PM

Guys,

Have been running my tanks for a year and a half now... Started with a 24 Gallon AquaPod, then went to a 55 Gallon, now my final upgrade was to a 120 48x24x24.... 36 Gallon Oceanic Sump, With Coralife Mag 3 1100 GPH Pump... AquaC Protien Skimmer with MaxiJet 1200, and TurboTwist UV Sterilizer... 2 Korilla #2's and 2 #3 Power heads...

I have been feeding twice a day, once in the morning, around 8:30 am, and 8:30 PM.... I feed 2 cubes of frozen food total per day, half of the mix morning, half night... Usually Mysid, Brine, Bloodworms, or Krill.. I also throw in every other day, Cyclops or Oyster Eggs for my corals.... Food is soaked in Selcon, Xtreme garlic, and now started to use VitC... I also have been feeding my tangs a Clip of Nori... Which they both love... It's all eaten up by the time I get back home at night...

Here is my stock list...

Lineatus Wrasse Super Male 5 Inches
Kole Tang 3.5 Inches
Sailfin tang 3.5 Inches
Mystery Wrasse 3 Inches
2 â€“Paired Pecula Clown
4 - Chromis
1 â€“ Scooter Blenny
2 - Cleaner Skunk Shrimp
1 Bubble Tip Anemone
20 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs
5 Nassâ€¦Smails
4 Turbo Snails

Am I over Feeding?? I read so often that overfeeding is the biggest problems with water quality.... Should I cut back to 1 cube per day?? They seem to be eating it all up... I feed with a baster, and try to slowly release the food in.... Also been shying away from Flake and pellets due to red algae and phosphates...

Water Parms as of today are:

Temp 79
Ph 8.0
Trites 0
Trates 0
Salinity 1.022 Corals seem to be doing well... Have a Brain, Leather, lot's of Zoos, Some Ric Shrooms, other shrooms....

Calcium 380

Any help greatly appriciated....

Just curious on amounts people are feeding with similar live stock...

ACBlinky · 12/27/2007, 11:17 PM

I'd raise your SG to 1.025 and up the Ca to just over 400ppm, but other than that everything looks top notch.

I wouldn't worry about overfeeding unless you're having algae issues (and even then I would continue feeding the fish well and use a refugium to take care of the algae).

Are your fish fat and sassy? Are they thin and always begging for more? Use their health as a guide - if they're thin, they need more food. If they're doing well and the tank is doing well, carry on with what you're doing!

Kannin · 12/28/2007, 01:00 AM

Your fish list and feeding regimin are almost exactly like mine. I feed 2 cubes per day also. 1/3rd cube of Mysis, Ocean Plankton and Formula 2 soaked in garlic and Selcon. I have 9 fish (only one big eater though... a 4.5 inch tang) 2 cleaner shrimp, 10 hermits and 20 snails. I even feed at the 8:30's.

I'm not sayin your doin it right... I'm just sayin you're not the only one doin it wrong.

DarthSimon · 12/28/2007, 11:31 AM

What other frozen foods do you guys suggest, currently I use Hikari Mysid, BloodWorms, Brine, and Krill... What else is there???

Kannin · 12/28/2007, 12:59 PM

Your tangs would love Formula 2. It is green algae cubes. I cut it up into tiny little squares and my tang eats about 10 of them every feeding. My gobies and crabs eat what he doesn't. Even my scooter blenny likes them. I would replace the brine with it... as I have heard that brine is lacking in nutrition anyways.

DarthSimon · 12/28/2007, 01:09 PM

I thought the Formula 2 was pellets.......

GreshamH · 12/28/2007, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DarthSimon
I thought the Formula 2 was pellets.......

ON makes frozen, pellets and flakes of the Formula line.

ACBlinky · 12/28/2007, 02:05 PM

IMO the best frozen food you can feed is one you make yourself. It's also much cheaper

Blender Mush Recipe
5 raw shrimp (frozen or fresh), unpeeled
5 scallops (frozen or fresh)
1 cup frozen seafood mix (octo, squid, mussel, shrimp)
1 fish filet (whatever frozen ocean fish is on special - don't use FW fish)
1/4 cup mix of flakes and pellets (I use Hikari marine pellets, Prime Reef, spirulina flakes, OSI foods, whatever's in the cupboard at the time) - these will soak up the juices and vitamins
nori, dulce, wakame, other dried seaweeds (tear into bits before blending or they get stuck)
1 crushed, peeled clove of garlic
Selcon
vitamins (I use Kent Zoe)

Put the fresh/frozen seafoods and garlic into a blender, add some tank water and pulse until they're broken into small pieces (small enough for the fish to eat but still chunky). Remove about 1/2 cup and reserve for later. Continue blending the remainder until it's just about pureed.

Add the vitamins/supplements to the mix, toss in the flakes and pulse to mix. Add back the reserved seafood, mix it through the rest, and you're done!

I use ice cube trays and fill them halfway, then store the cubes in freezer bags. The amounts listed will last me for months and months, and it's far less costly than buying frozen at the LFS.

DarthSimon · 12/28/2007, 08:55 PM

Blinky,
Thank u very much for that recipe..... I think I may try it out!!

ACBlinky · 12/28/2007, 10:01 PM

You're so welcome! I vary it a bit every time I make it - I just grab whatever looks good or is on sale at the fish market or in the frozen section of the grocery store. As long as it's from the ocean, it's fair game

12/27/2007, 10:22 PM	#1
DarthSimon King Lineatus has Risen! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NYC Metro Area Posts: 1,065	Feeding Regiment Advice Needed.... Guys, Have been running my tanks for a year and a half now... Started with a 24 Gallon AquaPod, then went to a 55 Gallon, now my final upgrade was to a 120 48x24x24.... 36 Gallon Oceanic Sump, With Coralife Mag 3 1100 GPH Pump... AquaC Protien Skimmer with MaxiJet 1200, and TurboTwist UV Sterilizer... 2 Korilla #2's and 2 #3 Power heads... I have been feeding twice a day, once in the morning, around 8:30 am, and 8:30 PM.... I feed 2 cubes of frozen food total per day, half of the mix morning, half night... Usually Mysid, Brine, Bloodworms, or Krill.. I also throw in every other day, Cyclops or Oyster Eggs for my corals.... Food is soaked in Selcon, Xtreme garlic, and now started to use VitC... I also have been feeding my tangs a Clip of Nori... Which they both love... It's all eaten up by the time I get back home at night... Here is my stock list... Lineatus Wrasse Super Male 5 Inches Kole Tang 3.5 Inches Sailfin tang 3.5 Inches Mystery Wrasse 3 Inches 2 â€“Paired Pecula Clown 4 - Chromis 1 â€“ Scooter Blenny 2 - Cleaner Skunk Shrimp 1 Bubble Tip Anemone 20 Blue Leg Hermit Crabs 5 Nassâ€¦Smails 4 Turbo Snails Am I over Feeding?? I read so often that overfeeding is the biggest problems with water quality.... Should I cut back to 1 cube per day?? They seem to be eating it all up... I feed with a baster, and try to slowly release the food in.... Also been shying away from Flake and pellets due to red algae and phosphates... Water Parms as of today are: Temp 79 Ph 8.0 Trites 0 Trates 0 Salinity 1.022 Corals seem to be doing well... Have a Brain, Leather, lot's of Zoos, Some Ric Shrooms, other shrooms.... Calcium 380 Any help greatly appriciated.... Just curious on amounts people are feeding with similar live stock...

12/28/2007, 12:59 PM	#5
Kannin Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fall City, WA Posts: 1,538	Your tangs would love Formula 2. It is green algae cubes. I cut it up into tiny little squares and my tang eats about 10 of them every feeding. My gobies and crabs eat what he doesn't. Even my scooter blenny likes them. I would replace the brine with it... as I have heard that brine is lacking in nutrition anyways. __________________ I used to target feed mojanos... until I found out that they weren't baby bubble tips.

12/28/2007, 02:05 PM	#8
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	IMO the best frozen food you can feed is one you make yourself. It's also much cheaper Blender Mush Recipe 5 raw shrimp (frozen or fresh), unpeeled 5 scallops (frozen or fresh) 1 cup frozen seafood mix (octo, squid, mussel, shrimp) 1 fish filet (whatever frozen ocean fish is on special - don't use FW fish) 1/4 cup mix of flakes and pellets (I use Hikari marine pellets, Prime Reef, spirulina flakes, OSI foods, whatever's in the cupboard at the time) - these will soak up the juices and vitamins nori, dulce, wakame, other dried seaweeds (tear into bits before blending or they get stuck) 1 crushed, peeled clove of garlic Selcon vitamins (I use Kent Zoe) Put the fresh/frozen seafoods and garlic into a blender, add some tank water and pulse until they're broken into small pieces (small enough for the fish to eat but still chunky). Remove about 1/2 cup and reserve for later. Continue blending the remainder until it's just about pureed. Add the vitamins/supplements to the mix, toss in the flakes and pulse to mix. Add back the reserved seafood, mix it through the rest, and you're done! I use ice cube trays and fill them halfway, then store the cubes in freezer bags. The amounts listed will last me for months and months, and it's far less costly than buying frozen at the LFS. __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/28/2007, 10:01 PM	#10
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	You're so welcome! I vary it a bit every time I make it - I just grab whatever looks good or is on sale at the fish market or in the frozen section of the grocery store. As long as it's from the ocean, it's fair game __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/27/2007, 11:17 PM	#2
ACBlinky Premium Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Peterborough, ON, Canada Posts: 4,954 Blog Entries: 20	I'd raise your SG to 1.025 and up the Ca to just over 400ppm, but other than that everything looks top notch. I wouldn't worry about overfeeding unless you're having algae issues (and even then I would continue feeding the fish well and use a refugium to take care of the algae). Are your fish fat and sassy? Are they thin and always begging for more? Use their health as a guide - if they're thin, they need more food. If they're doing well and the tank is doing well, carry on with what you're doing! __________________ "The cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears, or the sea." - Isak Dinesen Current Tank Info: 150g mixed reef, 30g sump/refugium, LED lighting, 100lbs LR, coral beauty, flame angel, blue & yellow tangs, gobies, damsels, 6-line wrasse, lawnmower blenny, dottyback, clown pair, rabbitfish, shrimp, crabs, CUC.

12/28/2007, 01:00 AM	#3
Kannin Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Fall City, WA Posts: 1,538	Your fish list and feeding regimin are almost exactly like mine. I feed 2 cubes per day also. 1/3rd cube of Mysis, Ocean Plankton and Formula 2 soaked in garlic and Selcon. I have 9 fish (only one big eater though... a 4.5 inch tang) 2 cleaner shrimp, 10 hermits and 20 snails. I even feed at the 8:30's. I'm not sayin your doin it right... I'm just sayin you're not the only one doin it wrong. __________________ I used to target feed mojanos... until I found out that they weren't baby bubble tips.

12/28/2007, 11:31 AM	#4
DarthSimon King Lineatus has Risen! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NYC Metro Area Posts: 1,065	What other frozen foods do you guys suggest, currently I use Hikari Mysid, BloodWorms, Brine, and Krill... What else is there???

12/28/2007, 01:09 PM	#6
DarthSimon King Lineatus has Risen! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NYC Metro Area Posts: 1,065	I thought the Formula 2 was pellets.......

12/28/2007, 08:55 PM	#9
DarthSimon King Lineatus has Risen! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: NYC Metro Area Posts: 1,065	Blinky, Thank u very much for that recipe..... I think I may try it out!!