How does everyone feed freeze dried food?

VanceL · 06/08/2014, 07:19 PM

Recently removed my refugium that spilled over into the tank and while I love the clean look of not having a pump and overflow in the tank I'm now facing a conundrum of how to feed now. My auto feeder used to dump into that overflow which nicely submerged all the dry food, now that it is dumping into the tank however a large majority just gets sucked right into my sump before it has a chance to sink...

How does everyone else go about feeding their freeze dried food so that it actually efficiently reaches fish and corals? I'm thinking about adding a box or something that separates a small section of the surface area of the water so it doesn't spread as soon as it hits the water and goes straight down to the filtration. But would love to hear how others go about it before gluing and adding to the tank.

Any ideas/ suggestions?

VanceL · 06/12/2014, 10:02 AM

Bump

Linkblaze · 06/12/2014, 11:07 AM

What you're talking about is called a feeding ring. You can DIY as you planned or search around online and probably find one cheap.

madadi · 06/12/2014, 11:23 AM

Ya, I use a feeding ring also that is level with the water surface. there is a tunze pump about 3 inches under it so food slowly sinks and into pump distributing it all over the tank. works well.

TFP Marine Biologist · 06/12/2014, 11:37 AM

A floating feeding ring works well if you still want your fish to feed at the surface, and want food that sinks to move around the tank. You can also use a section of PVC, or clear tubing, if you want the food to make it deeper into the tank first.

rhdoug · 06/13/2014, 10:14 PM

I soak it in a cup of tank water for 15 min to half hour so it becomes saturated and sinks instead of floats. I also mix it with my frozen mix which helps.

aleok · 06/14/2014, 03:03 AM

I use a home made long turkey baster and blast the food near the bottom once it's melted in with some tank water.

VanceL · 06/16/2014, 09:15 AM

Thanks everybody, feeding ring is exactly what I was looking for. Autofeeder feeds dry four times a day, didn't want to have to be there for all 4 feedings!

thegrun · 06/16/2014, 09:20 AM

I made this bracket to hold my feeder. It has a feeding tube that extends down 2" below the water.

06/08/2014, 07:19 PM	#1
VanceL Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 53	How does everyone feed freeze dried food? Recently removed my refugium that spilled over into the tank and while I love the clean look of not having a pump and overflow in the tank I'm now facing a conundrum of how to feed now. My auto feeder used to dump into that overflow which nicely submerged all the dry food, now that it is dumping into the tank however a large majority just gets sucked right into my sump before it has a chance to sink... How does everyone else go about feeding their freeze dried food so that it actually efficiently reaches fish and corals? I'm thinking about adding a box or something that separates a small section of the surface area of the water so it doesn't spread as soon as it hits the water and goes straight down to the filtration. But would love to hear how others go about it before gluing and adding to the tank. Any ideas/ suggestions?

06/12/2014, 11:23 AM	#4
madadi ReefOG Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Morton grove, IL Posts: 3,976	Ya, I use a feeding ring also that is level with the water surface. there is a tunze pump about 3 inches under it so food slowly sinks and into pump distributing it all over the tank. works well. __________________ -~adrian~- LETS TRADE YUMAS Current Tank Info: Glass box.

06/12/2014, 11:37 AM	#5
TFP Marine Biologist RC Sponsor Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lancaster, PA Posts: 378	A floating feeding ring works well if you still want your fish to feed at the surface, and want food that sinks to move around the tank. You can also use a section of PVC, or clear tubing, if you want the food to make it deeper into the tank first. __________________ Dave Acland Director of Aquatic Science That Fish Place - That Pet Place www.thatpetplace.com

06/13/2014, 10:14 PM	#6
rhdoug Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Dutchess County, NY Posts: 897	I soak it in a cup of tank water for 15 min to half hour so it becomes saturated and sinks instead of floats. I also mix it with my frozen mix which helps. __________________ --Randy Current Tank Info: 58 Gallon mixed reef running since 1999, Super Reef Octopus Skimmer, 180w Maxpect Razor LED Light, August 2015 TOTM

06/12/2014, 10:02 AM	#2
VanceL Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 53	Bump

06/12/2014, 11:07 AM	#3
Linkblaze Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 327	What you're talking about is called a feeding ring. You can DIY as you planned or search around online and probably find one cheap.

06/14/2014, 03:03 AM	#7
aleok Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Posts: 145	I use a home made long turkey baster and blast the food near the bottom once it's melted in with some tank water.

06/16/2014, 09:15 AM	#8
VanceL Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2014 Posts: 53	Thanks everybody, feeding ring is exactly what I was looking for. Autofeeder feeds dry four times a day, didn't want to have to be there for all 4 feedings!

06/16/2014, 09:20 AM	#9
thegrun Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Garden Grove, Ca Posts: 17,023	I made this bracket to hold my feeder. It has a feeding tube that extends down 2" below the water.