Can I over feed my candy cane corals?

[nvierra]

I don’t mean is over feeding in a tank problematic. I’ve been target feeding 1-2 shrimp per head. Everything I’m reading says to only feed them fleshy foods 2-3 times per week max. Some say only once a week. But why? If I’m target feeding them mysis and brine shrimp and the very next day they have their tentacles extended again at dark, doesn’t that signify that they’re attempting to feed again? Wouldn’t they know if they’re ready to feed again? So this advice of limiting feeding to only 1-3x/wk has me wondering if they “over eat” or something? lol.

 

[Hairyteeth]

You can overs anything, food may not be digested properly and may rot inside the coral leading to bacterial issues one day…. But who knows the limit

 

[nvierra]

You can overs anything, food may not be digested properly and may rot inside the coral leading to bacterial issues one day…. But who knows the limit

Ahh. I hadn’t thought of the food rotting. I just assumed it wouldn’t feed until it was ready to digest more.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Yes you can overfeed any coral. They digest super slowly, so food can rot from the inside of them if they are fed too frequently before they can fully digest the last meal. EDIT - this is what I've always read

 

[Sdbuehler1]

FWIW, I’ve never target fed either of my candy cane corals. Both started with just 2 heads about. 4 years ago and now have over 40 heads.

 

[CHSUB]

I target feed corals 6 days per week without issue. My sun coral, which is NPS, receives about a half cube daily, while I have heard you can overfeed corals, from my experience it doesn’t happen.

Sun coral after feeding …

 

[nvierra]

I target feed corals 6 days per week without issue. My sun coral, which is NPS, receives about a half cube daily, while I have heard you can overfeed corals, from my experience it doesn’t happen.

Sun coral after feeding …

This is what I was wondering. I got a small 3 head candy cane at a frag swap for $5. I just noticed it has 5 mouths now and wondered if feeding it would make it grow faster or be healthier. I also wondered if anyone has tried feeding more frequently before or if they’re just going off of the 1-3x/wk rule of thumb without testing it.

 

[CHSUB]

This is what I was wondering. I got a small 3 head candy cane at a frag swap for $5. I just noticed it has 5 mouths now and wondered if feeding it would make it grow faster or be healthier. I also wondered if anyone has tried feeding more frequently before or if they’re just going off of the 1-3x/wk rule of thumb without testing it.

Imo, the primary issue is nutrient level of tank and not the food the coral is receiving. While I feed corals daily, 8 fish I have only receive the other 1/2 of the cube I feed to the corals and what they can scavenge. Also worth considering is if 3 days is adequate extra days is only a chore? I turn off all pumps and take my time, so takes about 1/2 hour. Some days I don’t feel like taking the extra effort.

For reference daily coral feeding has not resulted in a high nutrient tank…

No3 @ 0.3 ppm, po4 @ 0.06 ppm.

 

[Hairyteeth]

I target feed corals 6 days per week without issue. My sun coral, which is NPS, receives about a half cube daily, while I have heard you can overfeed corals, from my experience it doesn’t happen.

Sun coral after feeding …

The sun coral is not an appropriate comparison to other corals imo
Nps require daily feeding unlike their photosynthetic cousins

 

[penfold2]

I've frequently heard people say that corals can be overfed, food will rot inside them, but I've never seen a definitive example of it happening. I have seen corals regurgitate food, so my assumption is that they are perfectly capable of regulating the amount of food inside them, and fears of overfeeding may be unwarranted.

I've fed my candy cane large amounts of mysis and pellets every 2-3 days and never seen it regurgitate or suffer, so I think they can metabolize quite a lot of food. I'm not sure if there is a point of diminishing returns, but I enjoy feeding my corals, and some of them show a particularly strong feeding response and never seem to get enough, so I feed as often as I like.

 

[rayadog]

Kinda want to agree with everybody if I can lol. But fwiw I don’t think their feeding tentacles being out at night is the go to indicator they need more meaty foods. They’re likely always going to be open at night to pick up nutrient/aa/elemental necessities from your water column.

 

[CHSUB]

The sun coral is not an appropriate comparison to other corals imo
Nps require daily feeding unlike their photosynthetic cousins

Maybe the sun coral is not a good comparison, however besides an absence of zooxanthellae I’m not sure if a sun coral differs much or at all from other coral. Regardless, I feed all my corals 6 days a week. A Purple Stylophora for example consumes multiple mysis shrimp daily…

J. Sprung states that corals with zooxanthellae grow faster because of the increased nutrients available from zooxanthellae, but otherwise they are the same.

 

[penfold2]

Maybe the sun coral is not a good comparison, however besides an absence of zooxanthellae I’m not sure if a sun coral differs much or at all from other coral. Regardless, I feed all my corals 6 days a week. A Purple Stylophora for example consumes multiple mysis shrimp daily…

J. Sprung states that corals with zooxanthellae grow faster because of the increased nutrients available from zooxanthellae, but otherwise they are the same.

Are you sure about that? I don't see how a Stylophora polyp could possibly consume anything near the size of a mysis shrimp. But I do agree that even photosynthetic corals can benefit from large amounts of food.

 

[CHSUB]

Are you sure about that? I don't see how a Stylophora polyp could possibly consume anything near the size of a mysis shrimp. But I do agree that even photosynthetic corals can benefit from large amounts of food.

I watch mysis, several in fact, stick and disappear in the polyps. Picture I posted is the mysis circled, takes about 5 to 10 minutes to just disappear. I do this daily with all flow off for about 20 to 30 minutes. It is quite interesting to watch. Shrimp just seems to be there and a few minutes later it’s not.

In a year and a half coral has gone from a frag to a grapefruit….

 

[vetteguy53081]

I don’t mean is over feeding in a tank problematic. I’ve been target feeding 1-2 shrimp per head. Everything I’m reading says to only feed them fleshy foods 2-3 times per week max. Some say only once a week. But why? If I’m target feeding them mysis and brine shrimp and the very next day they have their tentacles extended again at dark, doesn’t that signify that they’re attempting to feed again? Wouldn’t they know if they’re ready to feed again? So this advice of limiting feeding to only 1-3x/wk has me wondering if they “over eat” or something? lol.

Rather than overfeed, I tend to offer several small feedings especially avoiding quick increase in nitrates and phosphates

 

[rayadog]

I watch mysis, several in fact, stick and disappear in the polyps. Picture I posted is the mysis circled, takes about 5 to 10 minutes to just disappear. I do this daily with all flow off for about 20 to 30 minutes. It is quite interesting to watch. Shrimp just seems to be there and a few minutes later it’s not.

Interesting. I’ll have to try this.

 

[logibear]

I target feed corals 6 days per week without issue. My sun coral, which is NPS, receives about a half cube daily, while I have heard you can overfeed corals, from my experience it doesn’t happen.

Sun coral after feeding …

As a complete side, what is that orange/yellow coral bottom middle? I love that!

 

[rayadog]

As a complete side, what is that orange/yellow coral bottom middle? I love that!

Their sun coral

 

[rayadog]

. A Purple Stylophora for example consumes multiple mysis shrimp daily…

you should see if it’ll eat a pellet for my curiosity.

I had several tiny tiny pellets evade fish mouths yesterday and a number of SPS/lps seemed to grab them; cyphastrea, pocci, micro goni. But I turned the flow on and assumed they’d be better blowing out vs getting ripped out by crab or fish.