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CapnMorgan 
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The Capn'
Joined: August 19 2009
Location: Tooele
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 Topic: Feeding Corals
Posted: September 02 2009 at 2:22am |
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I was just curious how often everyone here feeds their corals, clams, etc. I'm just trying to cut down on excess nutrients for algae, but I want to make sure my corals and clam and feather duster are well fed, right now I'm feeding twice a week, but I'm thinking it may be too much.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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Crzyfshguy
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Joined: August 23 2007
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Posted: September 02 2009 at 4:05am |
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Depends a whole lot on What, how much, and how you are feeding. Also how good your filtration is, and if any food is being wasted.
I like to target feed with a syringe when I am doing filter foods, since my fish wont touch the stuff. When I feed mysis or frozen plankton I feed a cube worth of it, already dissolved in clean water. I pour it in slowly with all filtration turned off. after my fish go to town on it, I turn on just the powerheads and let it drift around to the corals.
If you were throwing say 5 cubes in all at once, and it is going everywhere, then I would slow that down for sure.
Small amounts more often can be a good thing... Just go by that old rule of only feed what your inhabitants can eat in 3 minutes. And on fine filter foods like microvert, etc. Feed the recommended dose or less.
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45G w/ leds
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: September 02 2009 at 5:15am |
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Cool thanks, I don't have a huge amount of coral so I guess I shouldn't have to feed very much. I'll start doing the target feeding for sure.
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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jpiotrowski
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Posted: September 02 2009 at 9:41am |
What coral are you worried about feeding? Most don't need much.
Do you have a sump? Most coral food comes from sump.
How big is your clam? It is speculated that very young clams need more phyto than sun and older vice versa.
I feed my fish exactly the way mentioned. Melt a cube of mysis and enriched brine. Sometimes I put in some frozen veggie and/or cyclopeze, then add a little at a time trying to make sure the fish at all of it before I add more. Every now and then I shoot a little of the brine/mysis at my open brain.
BTW, there's a little bit of Capt'n in all of us  John
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BobC63
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Joined: January 17 2007
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Posted: September 02 2009 at 12:32pm |
I don't specifically feed my clams at all
Corals, I toss in 1 "coral food" cube about once every 2 weeks. When I do that I shut the return pump off for 1 hour so it all doesn't get sucked up out of the display tank.
I like to stir up the sandbed every week or so; that provides enough fine particulates for the corals while at the same time putting stuff back in the water column for removal via overflow filter sock, skimmer, etc...
I've tried liquid foods before - not a big fan. Too easy to overfeed, IMO, and didn't notice any real improvement vs. doing the other stuff above.
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- My Current Tank: 65g Starfire (sitting empty for 2+ years) -
* Marine & Reef tanks since 1977 *
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thefu
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Joined: November 05 2008
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Posted: September 02 2009 at 1:00pm |
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Creating your own "marine snow" by lightly stiring the top third of the sandbed has worked well for me. The last time I had a huge cloud-out from my re-working the rock, my awesome blue sponge grew like a weed!
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CapnMorgan
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Posted: September 02 2009 at 2:59pm |
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My clam is about 3 1/2-4", I have mostly soft corals GSP, tree coral, xenia, mushrooms, but I also have some LPS: Duncans, Hammer, etc. a total of about 10-12 in all. lol there should be a little capn in everyone
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Steve My Old 180G Mixed ReefCurrently: 120G Wavefront Mixed 29G Seahorse & Softies Running ReefAngel Plus x2 435-8
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