Acanthophyllia ("meat donut coral") Feeding routines?

[MarsRover]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to hear from other acanthophyllia owners in your methods and tactics for feeding.

I don't have any issues with feeding, beyond what i'm sure everyone experiences with these corals:
target feeding, and waiting for 30 minutes or so while it eats, fending off any and all other tank inhabitants while your big girl eats.

Acanthophyllia size: 8inches diameter while inflated (~4" skeleton)
Food: Whole krill, mostly (1 to 3)
Frequency: once a week
Tactics: Place all krill on one side of the annulus of feeding tentacles until they latch on. Then using a long fishtank trigger gripper i fend off fish and a coral banded shrimp.

My coral presently is located in the corner of my tank to make it easier to fend of robbers. In my new tank i am building, i am planning on having ample open sand space and keep her located in the center of it, so i can make a feeding "bowl" or "colander" to put upside down over her while she feeds.

What do you all do now to feed your acanthophyllia's? And what do you plan to do for the future?

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I tend to just broadcast feed all my coral. I occasionally target feed a scoly or acantho...but that's just because I like to watch them eat. LOL I don't think target feeding is generally necessary.

 

[BoomCorals]

If I spot feed acans I just use .8 mm pellets and sprinkle them around the heads.

 

[MarsRover]

I tend to just broadcast feed all my coral. I occasionally target feed a scoly or acantho...but that's just because I like to watch them eat. LOL I don't think target feeding is generally necessary.

If I spot feed acans I just use .8 mm pellets and sprinkle them around the heads.

Interesting... i swear, almost every day i see articles that are contrary to articles i saw the day before...

I believe that these animals eat things in the wild and so I like to give them as much of a natural experience here as i can. These guys have been taken from the ocean against their will and i want them to be stoked they are here instead!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Interesting... i swear, almost every day i see articles that are contrary to articles i saw the day before...

I believe that these animals eat things in the wild and so I like to give them as much of a natural experience here as i can. These guys have been taken from the ocean against their will and i want them to be stoked they are here instead!

Well, mine definitely eat. They just eat what everyone else does when I broadcast feed with LRS.

 

[MarsRover]

Well, mine definitely eat. They just eat what everyone else does when I broadcast feed with LRS.

What is LRS?

You don't have issues with your fish and whatever crabs you may have, going after the pieces attached to the acanthophyllia after they've taken the bulk out of the water column? Mine get bored of chasing food in the current and go and eat an easy meal from the big guy....

 

[Southpawzzz]

What is LRS?

You don't have issues with your fish and whatever crabs you may have, going after the pieces attached to the acanthophyllia after they've taken the bulk out of the water column? Mine get bored of chasing food in the current and go and eat an easy meal from the big guy....

Larry's reef services, they make an incredible fish food it's a mixture if all kinds of fish and invertebrate.

 

[MarsRover]

Larry's reef services, they make an incredible fish food it's a mixture if all kinds of fish and invertebrate.

Interesting!

Thank you

 

[Daniel@R2R]

You should ask @AcanLord.com. I hear he has a crazy acantho that eats skittles for breakfast...

 

[MarsRover]

You should ask @AcanLord.com. I hear he has a crazy acantho that eats skittles for breakfast...

Watttttt???!!?

 

[Vincent100]

Snails lol ,took about 3 days for it to spit it back out
I mostly feed it prawns ...shrimp about once a week

 

[Ocelaris]

I think a lot of people are confusing acanthophyllia with acanthaestrea. One needs food, the other doesn't from what I've read. I feed my acans small pellets, but my acanthophyllia I am getting in a week will get mysis or shrimp pieces.

 

[Vincent100]

This is tonight after feeding the fish some pellets lol ....loves Abit of food

 

[MarsRover]

Snails lol ,took about 3 days for it to spit it back out
I mostly feed it prawns ...shrimp about once a week

Mine ate a couple of snails at one point. I was worried at first because it would deflate trying to push the shell out of its mouth. When I saw the weird lumps poking out of its deflated body/mouth several evenings in a row, I finally reached in and touched one of the lumps, realized it wasnt skeleton as I had expected and pulled it out to find it was an empty snail shell! I left the other one in there so as not to risk damaging the acanthophyllia. Pretty amazing!

This is tonight after feeding the fish some pellets lol ....loves Abit of food

Mine does this too!!! Such funny corals with their intense feeding responses. Mine's mouth comes out like that. Sometimes it's disconcerting!!

Everyone is in my new, big tank. Slowly migrating my acanthophyllia to its new home. Then going to construct its feeding bowl.

I think a lot of people are confusing acanthophyllia with acanthaestrea. One needs food, the other doesn't from what I've read. I feed my acans small pellets, but my acanthophyllia I am getting in a week will get mysis or shrimp pieces.

I agree! Sigh.....people frequently mix up scientific names!!!! That's only supposed to happen with common names...hah. To be fair, they did change the genus/species of this animal years ago when they reclassified it to its own single species genus. That said, I'm still not a fan when people just generically use "acan" many reefers don't know "acan" are genus' of many species let alone be able to tell you what species of acan. The reefing world has changed from ten years ago!

To be fair, they both NEED food. There are just some acanthastrea that don't need to be target fed by hand. Acanthophyllia definitely need meaty chunks! Whether they get it as floating left overs from when fish get fed, or target hand fed (and defended!!) they need meat. I like to make sure my corals are well fed, especially big girls like this, and so I will feed her a couple krill every week or so and sit there protecting her while she gets it fully in her mouth and her mouth sealed tight! Coral banded shrimpy jerk comes around and will legit put his big claws down into her mouth and liberate a full krill, munch for a few minutes, and then ditch it somewhere to rot. Not cool.

Update: took this the other night messing around with my buddy's digital SLR

 

[Mkeller088]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking to hear from other acanthophyllia owners in your methods and tactics for feeding.

I don't have any issues with feeding, beyond what i'm sure everyone experiences with these corals:
target feeding, and waiting for 30 minutes or so while it eats, fending off any and all other tank inhabitants while your big girl eats.

Acanthophyllia size: 8inches diameter while inflated (~4" skeleton)
Food: Whole krill, mostly (1 to 3)
Frequency: once a week
Tactics: Place all krill on one side of the annulus of feeding tentacles until they latch on. Then using a long fishtank trigger gripper i fend off fish and a coral banded shrimp.

My coral presently is located in the corner of my tank to make it easier to fend of robbers. In my new tank i am building, i am planning on having ample open sand space and keep her located in the center of it, so i can make a feeding "bowl" or "colander" to put upside down over her while she feeds.

What do you all do now to feed your acanthophyllia's? And what do you plan to do for the future?

 

[Mkeller088]

Solved