Continuous feeding NPS filter feeders

[flying_dutchman]

Maybe try a system similair Wolfgang colsman's system?
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/s...318084&page=11

[Aquabacs]

Originally Posted by slapshot

Understanding where he works and his loyaties (and I use a lot of their products) but how would you then feed dry food? drop it into the tank dry?

This is how I do it for the Fauna Marin foods...didnt clean anything up for you Simple fishmate autofeeder and a feeding ring.



Mike

[fullmonti]

I presume the ring is to keep food from spreading until it sinks?
What are you using for a feeding ring?

[Aquabacs]

That is correct.

For what brand it is...I honestly dont remember. I was in Petco picking up some kitty litter and walked pass the fish food section and said...oh I can use that..and grabbed it.

Mike

[fullmonti]

OMG!
Is it not amazing what can be done given enough imagination, time & money!

Originally Posted by flying_dutchman

Maybe try a system similair Wolfgang colsman's system?
http://www.ultimatereef.net/forums/s...318084&page=11

[glparr]

How quickly does it break down? I'm mixing my little cocktail and in tank water and feeding it all within 12 hours. I keep it refrigerated when not feeding. My mix is two kinds of FM powder, Min D, rotifers, Cyclopeez, and Rod's Coral mix in about 50 ml. of tank water.
Gary

[uhuru]

Seafood is very delicate. I'm sure it starts breaking down right away. My mix lasts about 12 hrs as well. Before I started using a fridge, it would smell rotten by that time. In the summer it would start smelling bad by 5-6 hrs! With the fridge, it still smells fresh. I know its not fresh, but it sure is a lot better than before.

[GreshamH]

Originally Posted by slapshot

Understanding where he works and his loyaties (and I use a lot of their products) but how would you then feed dry food? drop it into the tank dry?

I was a hobbyist YEARS before I started working here, and I still am a hobbyist. Even if I didn't work for Reed I would still make the same call as it comes not from a place of brand loyalty, it comes from a place of not wanting to feed a compromised product. Dry feeds are easily dosed, in fact, they easiest of all things to do. A simple Eheim automatic feeder and a feed ring is all you need. Why mix it into a liquid and start the decomposition of the product early?

[GreshamH]

Originally Posted by fullmonti

I presume the ring is to keep food from spreading until it sinks?
What are you using for a feeding ring?

Looks like an Ocean Nutrition unit.

[slapshot]

Originally Posted by GreshamH

I was a hobbyist YEARS before I started working here, and I still am a hobbyist. Even if I didn't work for Reed I would still make the same call as it comes not from a place of brand loyalty, it comes from a place of not wanting to feed a compromised product. Dry feeds are easily dosed, in fact, they easiest of all things to do. A simple Eheim automatic feeder and a feed ring is all you need. Why mix it into a liquid and start the decomposition of the product early?

Sorry Gresham, I was not questioning your dedication to the hobby, your integrity or your imparting your considerable knowledge to us, at all. I did not mean it the way it sounded. The only reason I wonder if wet is better is because it is more usable. One of the main reason I like Reeds products. Any idea what the decomposition rate is? Is it really bad, as decomposition I would think would involve bacteria which may in itself become a food source. I ask these questions out of ignorance. I really want to know. I may be doing it all wrong.

[GreshamH]

I don't actually have any data, just personal observations, but you have peaked my interest in gaining data so I have all ready shot off some emails to start the process. I thank you for your post and I didn't feel you were truly questioning my dedication. I mainly posted that for others that may have read the post wrong. I have a lot of respect for you and you have always shown me the same That is one thing I truly enjoy about azooxanthellate keepers, we're all feeling our way around in the dark and depending on each other. It feels more like a "family effort" then that of stick keeping (oh which I am still a HUGE fan of as well, I make no bones about that one).

[alexruegamer]

hi mike

i´m planing at the moment my feeding regime...
can you tell me how much watts does your refrigerator use?
what and how often do you feed at the moment?
alex

[Aquabacs]

Originally Posted by alexruegamer

hi mike

i´m planing at the moment my feeding regime...
can you tell me how much watts does your refrigerator use?
•Power: 83 watts, 115V, 1.1 amps
what and how often do you feed at the moment?
The dosing rates that were set on the Bubble Magnus doser are:
6 ml daily of Shellfish Diet (1ml every 4 hrs)
12 ml daily of OysterFeast (1ml every 2 hrs)
20 ml daily of Rotifeast (.83ml every hour)
I have to adjust the settings since I am now programming the GHL 4 pump doser connected to the P3 + adding Arcti-Pods to the autofeeder instead of dosing them manually.

Mike

[uhuru]

I have been experimenting with using both Shellfish Diet and Phyto-Feast. Really putting the system to the test in how much dead phyto it can handle, with the intention of producing tons of live zooplankton and bacterioplankton within the tank. I currently use the following schedule:

60 ml daily Shellfish Diet (3 ml/hr x 20 hr)
30 ml daily Phyto Feast (1.5 ml/hr x 20 hr)
10 ml daily Oyster Feast (5 ml twice daily)
1200 ml daily of frozen/powder food mix (100 ml/hr x 12 hr).
In the mixer, I use:
- 2" cube frozen cyclops
- 2" cube frozen rotifers
- 1" cube frozen ova
- 1200 ml ro/di water
- 2 teaspoons mix of FM Ultra Clam, Ultra SeaFan, Ultra Min F, Ultra Life, Spectrum Reef Micro, and 20 drops of Ultra Min D.

[buildareef]

uhuru, you said in the article on your tank that you changed from sps and nps tank to solely an nps tank? Were the sps not doing well? Was it more of an interest to focus on the nps? Thanks for this thread! Learning a lot!

[uhuru]

Both of the reasons you stated. SPS were not doing well and I didn't want to deal with fixing it while trying to learn about non-photo corals.

[capecoral]

These no-light corals are really neat, and cheaper without lights. Wonder why more people don't do them.

[deaddat]

Originally Posted by capecoral

These no-light corals are really neat, and cheaper without lights. Wonder why more people don't do them.

-Very high flow
-Incredible Protein Skimmer
-Continues Feeding requiring refrigeration and pumps
Lots of money on equipment and food, I would think it would easily cost more than lights.

NPS LPS are much easier to take care of

[flying_dutchman]

and cheaper without lights.

not so much, with the money spend on foods, salt, and filtration. You'd properly be able to buy your dream fixture every year

[capecoral]

Still hope to see more of these...

[euromomtx]

what fantastic info! Thanks so much

I have question about this:

Originally Posted by GreshamH

The Reef Nutrition products (most of them) have alginate in them which keeps them in suspension and acts as a minor carbon source (very minor as there is not much alginate in the media)

Does that mean that for those of us that use BioPellets and a bacteria source (I do Prodibio Biodigest) the Reef Nutrition products could cause a (mild) bacteria bloom in the display tank?

[capecoral]

I would think the food itself would cause algae first, since there is a lot more of it.

[euromomtx]

I am not sure I understand what this means. My main worry was the carbon source causing a bacterial bloom. I'm okay with algae.

[GreshamH]

Originally Posted by euromomtx

what fantastic info! Thanks so much

I have question about this:


Does that mean that for those of us that use BioPellets and a bacteria source (I do Prodibio Biodigest) the Reef Nutrition products could cause a (mild) bacteria bloom in the display tank?

No most likely not, its so minor its not even worth mentioning really...

[euromomtx]

Excellent (especially since I already got the fridge on order and am bugging our local LFS to see if they can get me the Shellfish diet)
Most of my gorgos are photosynthetic but they've really been enjoying the dryfeed delivery system Mike posted. The anthias think it's great too.
Wonderful thread. Thanks so much.