a few ??'s on feeding DT's

reefer_for_life · 05/24/2006, 10:07 AM

im thinking about using DT's and have a few questions. tank has been setup about 4 months. 65gallon. 2x175watt MH 10K with 4x95watt VHO actinics. i do a 6 gallon water change every week, and right now i dont dose anything. have a mushroom colony, 3 zoa colonies and a green carpet anemone. any other info you need, let me know. tried using the search feature for these answers, but you know how that goes...

1) how much should i feed? the bottle says 1 tablespoon every other day, but ive learned not to believe everything they put on the sides of the bottle. i was thinking about 3 capfulls every other day, how does that sound??

2) should i turn my skimmer off when feeding? it doesnt say anything on the bottle about doing that, but it kind of make sense if you had too.

3) and finally do i even really need to use it at all? if its going to make my tank (corals, DSB criiters, refugium) healthier then i will. is there something better that i should be feeding my tank? are water changes enough? its going to be a soft coral/zoa's/rics tankany other suggestions or advice you have would be greatly appreciated. thanks.

reefer_for_life · 05/24/2006, 01:16 PM

TTT

Reefmedic79 · 05/24/2006, 01:45 PM

1) I would say for your tank 3 capfuls (1.5 tbls?) should be suffecient.

2) I like to shut off my return pump for 30 minutes or so and leave the closed loop/powerheads on to keep the flow moving in the tank. You will probably get differing opinions on this question though.

3) From the corals you listed above, i don't believe they will benifit all that much from phyto, but your microfauna such as pods will ove the stuff which in turn keep the tank cleaner and also become food for other organisms in the tank. In short, yes it would benefit the aquarium as a whole.

REV · 05/24/2006, 01:52 PM

Sounds to me like you have so few critters that would really need it... I would recommend with what you have told us, Get a large turkey baster and blow off your rocks every several days. You ought to have at least some small planktonic build up just waiting to be released! At least try it first. It's a whole lot cheaper than DT's, not to mention it's more fun!

Craig Lambert · 05/24/2006, 01:54 PM

I agree with fleetmarine 79. Your pod population will love you for it. As an aside...You said you don't dose anything. How are you maintaining your Alk, Calcium, and Magnesium levels? Some salts are low in Calcium and magnesium. Others are low in Alkalinity. Water changes alone aren't usually enough.

cephlopus · 05/24/2006, 04:18 PM

Do it just do it you wont regret it on my seventy five I fed 1.5 tablespoons and my pod population blew up and my coral began propagating when feeding i always shut my skimmer off for a half hour and turned off the intake to my eheim canister and left my wet/dry on there is really no bad that can come from it.
hope that helps
josh, Boston

05/24/2006, 10:07 AM	#1
reefer_for_life Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Huntington, WV Posts: 159	a few ??'s on feeding DT's im thinking about using DT's and have a few questions. tank has been setup about 4 months. 65gallon. 2x175watt MH 10K with 4x95watt VHO actinics. i do a 6 gallon water change every week, and right now i dont dose anything. have a mushroom colony, 3 zoa colonies and a green carpet anemone. any other info you need, let me know. tried using the search feature for these answers, but you know how that goes... 1) how much should i feed? the bottle says 1 tablespoon every other day, but ive learned not to believe everything they put on the sides of the bottle. i was thinking about 3 capfulls every other day, how does that sound?? 2) should i turn my skimmer off when feeding? it doesnt say anything on the bottle about doing that, but it kind of make sense if you had too. 3) and finally do i even really need to use it at all? if its going to make my tank (corals, DSB criiters, refugium) healthier then i will. is there something better that i should be feeding my tank? are water changes enough? its going to be a soft coral/zoa's/rics tankany other suggestions or advice you have would be greatly appreciated. thanks. Last edited by reefer_for_life; 05/24/2006 at 10:18 AM.

05/24/2006, 01:16 PM	#2
reefer_for_life Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Huntington, WV Posts: 159	TTT __________________ kert www.kertscustomdesigns.com Current Tank Info: 65 gallon

05/24/2006, 01:45 PM	#3
Reefmedic79 Life and Reef Saver Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Tavares, Florida Posts: 6,202	1) I would say for your tank 3 capfuls (1.5 tbls?) should be suffecient. 2) I like to shut off my return pump for 30 minutes or so and leave the closed loop/powerheads on to keep the flow moving in the tank. You will probably get differing opinions on this question though. 3) From the corals you listed above, i don't believe they will benifit all that much from phyto, but your microfauna such as pods will ove the stuff which in turn keep the tank cleaner and also become food for other organisms in the tank. In short, yes it would benefit the aquarium as a whole. __________________ ><((((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

05/24/2006, 01:52 PM	#4
REV Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Alabama Posts: 394	Sounds to me like you have so few critters that would really need it... I would recommend with what you have told us, Get a large turkey baster and blow off your rocks every several days. You ought to have at least some small planktonic build up just waiting to be released! At least try it first. It's a whole lot cheaper than DT's, not to mention it's more fun! __________________ John Doe Current Tank Info: 72 reef

05/24/2006, 01:54 PM	#5
Craig Lambert Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 2,897	I agree with fleetmarine 79. Your pod population will love you for it. As an aside...You said you don't dose anything. How are you maintaining your Alk, Calcium, and Magnesium levels? Some salts are low in Calcium and magnesium. Others are low in Alkalinity. Water changes alone aren't usually enough. __________________ "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will spend all day in a boat drinking beer." Current Tank Info: 75G Tank, 29G Sump, 100lbs LR, AquaC EV-180, Iwaki MD-20RT return Tunze nano streams 4X54 t-5/Icecap Ballast & SLR's 2x110 vho actinic

05/24/2006, 04:18 PM	#6
cephlopus Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Boston Posts: 39	Do it just do it you wont regret it on my seventy five I fed 1.5 tablespoons and my pod population blew up and my coral began propagating when feeding i always shut my skimmer off for a half hour and turned off the intake to my eheim canister and left my wet/dry on there is really no bad that can come from it. hope that helps josh, Boston __________________ beer is better than school Current Tank Info: 15 gal high reef thirty pounds rock twenty pounds sand barren up for nine months pods every where