Feeding

gareth.hubbarde · 08/01/2017, 10:45 AM

How do I stop shrimps etc from hijacking the food that corals collect. For example my acan had a bit of shrimp, closed up to eat. Then the cleaner shrimp spent ages on it trying to get the food out. Any suggestions?

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Gladmaker · 08/01/2017, 10:51 AM

The shrimp is just doing what comes naturally - finding and getting food.

Tripod1404 · 08/01/2017, 10:53 AM

Some people stop feeding corals if they have shrimp because shrimps can do more harm to the corals than the feeding is helping. I have seen cases people report here that shrimp digging trough the coral tissue to reach corals stomach contents.

Personally, I chase shrimp away from the coral with a long stick and try to feed them in midday when shrimps are less active. Now they are afraid of the stick and hide as soon as i put it in the water.

You can also cut the top half of a plastic bottle off, remove the cap, feed the coral and put the cut-bottle over the coral until it eats . After that you can remove it.

(or you first put the bottle and feed the coral through the cap)

AlSimmons · 08/01/2017, 10:54 AM

Just give the shrimp a rather large piece of food first and then feed your corals. This should keep them preoccupied for awhile. You could also try cutting a 2 liter soda pop bottle in half and place the top portion over your corals as a protective barrier. This doesn't work very well on an uneven surface though, (reef slope) so you might have to improvise a little.

08/01/2017, 10:45 AM	#1
gareth.hubbarde Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Posts: 719	Feeding How do I stop shrimps etc from hijacking the food that corals collect. For example my acan had a bit of shrimp, closed up to eat. Then the cleaner shrimp spent ages on it trying to get the food out. Any suggestions? Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

08/01/2017, 10:51 AM	#2
Gladmaker Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2017 Location: Bentonville, AR Posts: 137	The shrimp is just doing what comes naturally - finding and getting food.

08/01/2017, 10:53 AM	#3
Tripod1404 Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Posts: 1,821	Some people stop feeding corals if they have shrimp because shrimps can do more harm to the corals than the feeding is helping. I have seen cases people report here that shrimp digging trough the coral tissue to reach corals stomach contents. Personally, I chase shrimp away from the coral with a long stick and try to feed them in midday when shrimps are less active. Now they are afraid of the stick and hide as soon as i put it in the water. You can also cut the top half of a plastic bottle off, remove the cap, feed the coral and put the cut-bottle over the coral until it eats . After that you can remove it. (or you first put the bottle and feed the coral through the cap)

08/01/2017, 10:54 AM	#4
AlSimmons Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2016 Location: California Posts: 2,482	Just give the shrimp a rather large piece of food first and then feed your corals. This should keep them preoccupied for awhile. You could also try cutting a 2 liter soda pop bottle in half and place the top portion over your corals as a protective barrier. This doesn't work very well on an uneven surface though, (reef slope) so you might have to improvise a little.