Broadcast feeding, Target Feeding: whats your Concoction?

[waverider]

I run a high nutrient Soft Coral and LPS 65 gallon reef. My tank has been up 8 months now and is very stable. Stocked with at least 30 corals, 6 Clown fish, 2 Tangs, a neon dotty back and an 18" White and Black Banded Snake Eel named Elvis. Plus a cleanup crew of about 20 hermit crabs, 4-5 Emerald Crabs, and 5-6 Mexican Turbo Snails. In addition to feeding my fish daily with a mix of frozen foods. I target feed my corals a mix of meaty frozen foods which I dissolve in a a small amount of tank water, 1/2 teaspoon of Reef Roids and a small squirt of Red Sea Reef Energy+ AB. I turn off my powerheads and pumps when target feeding. When I broadcast feed I turn off my skimmer and filtration -but leave a small powerhead on to cycle the broadcast feed thru the tank for about 2 hours. So the water is nutrient rich with times for the corals to eat (at night -I broadcast feed only at night).

I also coordinate feeding with water changes and filter media changes. Logic being that I dont want excess nitrate and phosphate byproducts of feeding building up in my system -so if I have been feeding heavily over the last week or two, -a water change will follow.

Its working really well. I have even kept a heavy feeding schedule and no water changes for a full 8 weeks (May & June) and the tank Corals were thriving -Until I did a water change for the first time in 2 months on July 1 and my corals immediately burst up fatter and healthier! -A lesson!. So now my program is I feed my corals liberally and do the water change work on a bi monthly basis.

The more I feed, the more I water change.

But I digress. Is broadcast feeding worth it?

And foods: Reef Roids, vs Live Liquid Plankton? Is Red Sea Reef Fuel+ AB worth adding to my reef foods?

What is your Concoction for feeding your corals? Do you broadcast feed, Target feed or both?

Thanks guys!

Happy Reefing!

 

[ZoWhat]

I feed my fish heavy.... so they can take huge "dumps" over all my corals.

Incoming!

I skimmer heavy and dose heavy on phytoplankton so it can consume lots of no3

Heavy imports, heavy poops, heavy exports....but I can do that bc im 99% LPS. SPS tanks are a different hobby altogether

 

[waverider]

Heavy imports, heavy poops, heavy exports

I read you loud and clear. Same philosophy here.

And I love your sub message:

"This hobby has turned into a community of panicking lil rabbits running around saying, "the sky is falling" over every little tank change they witness"

-I don't break a sweat for every little "event" in my reef. -However, I do keep close watch on my Acans! When my Acans are FAT I know water conditions are good! **In fact, I no longer test for anything. I've perfected my dosing and makeup water for water changes. All I do is watch my corals. (Sub note. yes, I've tested for Ca & dKh many times in the past and deduced consumption and dose accordingly)

 

[saltybees]

I only target feed my acans and some palys, I dose once a week ab+ and I switch between pellets,mysis and flakes for my fish. Roids have never done much for me besides increase my phos and get my nassarius coming out of they’re tombs and poking my corals with their noses.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Bump for more input!

 

[Tired]

I feed Reef Roids and mysis directly to some of my corals, and let a tiny bit of roids and general small mysis bits go loose in the water. The mysis bits are to feed amphipods for my fish to eat (they mostly eat pods because they're tiny, I only feed the fish once or twice a week), the loose roids are for the small fanworms and other general filter-feeders.

 

[DHill6]

Coral frenzy pellets fed through a tube. Top of tube has a small plastic funnel attached. It was heated and pressed on. Tap the tube and the pellets flow down into the scolys,acans, blastos , anemone mouth. No waste

 

[rusty hannon]

I run a high nutrient Soft Coral and LPS 65 gallon reef. My tank has been up 8 months now and is very stable. Stocked with at least 30 corals, 6 Clown fish, 2 Tangs, a neon dotty back and an 18" White and Black Banded Snake Eel named Elvis. Plus a cleanup crew of about 20 hermit crabs, 4-5 Emerald Crabs, and 5-6 Mexican Turbo Snails. In addition to feeding my fish daily with a mix of frozen foods. I target feed my corals a mix of meaty frozen foods which I dissolve in a a small amount of tank water, 1/2 teaspoon of Reef Roids and a small squirt of Red Sea Reef Energy+ AB. I turn off my powerheads and pumps when target feeding. When I broadcast feed I turn off my skimmer and filtration -but leave a small powerhead on to cycle the broadcast feed thru the tank for about 2 hours. So the water is nutrient rich with times for the corals to eat (at night -I broadcast feed only at night).

I also coordinate feeding with water changes and filter media changes. Logic being that I dont want excess nitrate and phosphate byproducts of feeding building up in my system -so if I have been feeding heavily over the last week or two, -a water change will follow.

Its working really well. I have even kept a heavy feeding schedule and no water changes for a full 8 weeks (May & June) and the tank Corals were thriving -Until I did a water change for the first time in 2 months on July 1 and my corals immediately burst up fatter and healthier! -A lesson!. So now my program is I feed my corals liberally and do the water change work on a bi monthly basis.

The more I feed, the more I water change.

But I digress. Is broadcast feeding worth it?

And foods: Reef Roids, vs Live Liquid Plankton? Is Red Sea Reef Fuel+ AB worth adding to my reef foods?

What is your Concoction for feeding your corals? Do you broadcast feed, Target feed or both?

Thanks guys!

Happy Reefing!

From the program on red sea's an formula that's all u feed. It may over dose your nutrients

 

[atomos]

Both-broadcast and target...depends. a rotating menu of the following: reef nutrition rotifer feast, phytomagik or phytofeast, live baby brine shrimp; and hope the pods in the tank are still viable

 

[vtecintegra]

I feed Reef Roids and mysis directly to some of my corals, and let a tiny bit of roids and general small mysis bits go loose in the water. The mysis bits are to feed amphipods for my fish to eat (they mostly eat pods because they're tiny, I only feed the fish once or twice a week), the loose roids are for the small fanworms and other general filter-feeders.

Surprised you have any fish left feeding once a week. Even my LFS feeds daily.

Anyway, I broadcast heavy, twice a day. I rotate fish eggs, krill, plankton, mysis, and rotifers for the fish, and I'm guessing the corals snag some. Once a week I target the coral with reef chili, rotifers, and mysis.

 

[Tired]

Oh, no, they eat daily. I watch them eat. It's just that it's a goby about an inch long and a very slender blenny a tinge over an inch long, so they do just fine on eating pods for most meals. They'll dart out and grab a bug periodically.

I've had the goby since February 2020 and the blenny since January this year, with them in good body condition the whole time. I have fewer amphipods since adding the goby, but that was half the point of him- they were bothering my corals.

Most fish kept in reef tanks need to eat at least daily. But if you have enough pods and/or small fish, you don't necessarily have to feed daily to accomplish that.