Direct Feeding: What coral, invert or fish do you feed directly and why?

If you direct feed do you do it out of enjoyment or out of necessity?

  • Enjoyment

    Votes: 57 16.9%
  • Necessity

    Votes: 40 11.8%
  • Both Enjoyment & Necessity

    Votes: 160 47.3%
  • Don't Direct Feed

    Votes: 79 23.4%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 2 0.6%

  • Total voters
    338

dvgyfresh

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I target feed and broadcast feed , I treat my tank as a buffet and make sure everyone is well fed , to counter the nutrients I run a refugium. My favorite to target feed is obv the anemones and I had one GBTA split yesterday (one behind overflow ) my fiancé wants to see the anemones get huge lol not sure if they will
 

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attiland

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Some of our aquarium livestock benefit greatly from direct feedings. While some livestock can only survive by a consistent and direct feeding regiment, there are some fish, coral and inverts we just feed for enjoyment! Today let's talk about which ones, if any, that you direct feed and why.

1. Do you have coral, inverts or fish that you take special care in direct feeding? If so which ones.

2. If you direct feed do you do it out of enjoyment or out of necessity?


image via @d2mini
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In my case both hammers Duncans Tourches and plate coral get enough from broadcast feeding. I found reef roids cause phosphate to rise too much.

It's fascinating to me how most people have such a phosphate spike with reef roids. In my 20gal tank I use macroalgae to manage my nitrate and phosphate exclusively, I feed heavy 3 times a week and still need to dose nitrate and phosphate to keep my numbers from going to absolute zero. I don't know.why my tank is so different.
You are the lucky one. I really enjoyed feeding roids, but the increase of phosphate was too much.
 

Ocean’s Piece

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I target feed my corals out of necessity and enjoyment. I currently have a torch coral that is bleached, so target feeding is crucial and it always helps to target feed. Plus doing it is something I enjoy.
 

PandorasChalk

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I direct feed my scooter blenny daily some frozen food and some pods. The tank lacks a sump and while it has a pod population, I am still paranoid he will not get enough to eat. He's trained to go to the baster at this point, and waits patiently as I pop out small bits of frozen food.
 

LPS Bum

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Target feeding my 25+ LPS corals would be a serious chore. I broadcast feed zooplankton twice a week, in the evenings after the lights go out. Seems to work reasonably well. Only downside is that it fosters a healthy aiptasia population.
 

jtroxel1

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Cynarina - I lost my first one because I didn't understand how much they depended on direct feeding. I now do it because I love cynarina and because it's a necessity to do so.
 

dbowman5

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i voted enjoyment. some animals might need it but not knowing i can't say necessity, more like enjoyment and obligation. i have krill and maybe the RBTA needs it so i feed it. the corals obviously like mysis or mysis juice so i feed it.
the idea that animals don't need as much food as they seem to does not register sometimes.
 

Kostas G.

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I direct feed Chelmon out of necessity and enjoyment, while my fowleri tang and wrasses out of sheer pleasure.

I also direct feed Pseudocolochirus violaceus out of necessity(Colochirus Crassus on the other hand is successful fending for itself), Haliotis asinina out of necessity and pleasure(comes begging for nori) and large lps corals for pleasure
 

Nano New

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I target feed my fungia, gonipora and the zoas as they seem to like it. Put a little broadcast feed in too but the others seem to be content without feeding. Feeding reef roids to the corals at the moment but I'm still very new so will be playing around with different things over time. The fungia is a pig and eats any and everything I give it (brine shrimp occasionally for it and the clownfish).
 

Tbg299

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I spot feed all of my LPS with Hikari mysis and Oyster Feast 3x a week.
 

jcolliii

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It's fascinating to me how most people have such a phosphate spike with reef roids. In my 20gal tank I use macroalgae to manage my nitrate and phosphate exclusively, I feed heavy 3 times a week and still need to dose nitrate and phosphate to keep my numbers from going to absolute zero. I don't know.why my tank is so different.
This.

I have never seen a PO4 response from Reef Roids. Prior to adding the new rock to my tank and redoing my scape I had to dose both NO3 and PO4 to keep levels detectable. My algae growth indicated when more PO4 was needed.

I spot feed all of my LPS at least once a week with a thick slurry of 2 heaping scoops of roids usually with some freeze dried pods mixed in. The feeding response is amazing. Even with the small-mouthed LPS - like Paragoniastea.
 

fluked

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I have a lot of lps that in my mind require direct feedings, so i target feed at least once a week, usually try for twice. Generally just use frozen mysis and soak it in aminos or something, then pour the leftover cloudy mix over gonis and zoa.

Wrasses make it difficult, so i wait for one to go to bed and try scary off the other so they dont steal food from coral.
 

mattgsa

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I add Reef Chili and GoniPower to my LRS Reef Frenzy, and I over-feed the tank. I put my Goniapora in a spot that is sure to get hit by the cloud of food, that is about as close as I come to direct feeding it. I will also add Red Sea's AB+ about once a week, and that is cast over the whole tank.
 

Sunny in Miami

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I feed out of necessity a spotted mandarin dragonet. I have a 29 gallon sumpless reef that became infested with flatworms. In my quest and part panic attack of erradicating these pests my LFS recommended a spotted mandarine of which I didn't know much about but said they eat them. I have had this beautiful fish for 1 year now and have never seen her take a bite of one. The plague of flat worms persists to this day. Either way Mandi was not frozen food trained and I began target training feeding her frozen brine. With two clown fish and royal gramma and a skunk cleaner shrimp to make feeding a nightmare I now net Mandi and let her eat live brine inside the net while I feed the other fish to let her eat in peace. It works and she still has a back up of flat worms should she miss a feeding if I can't feed her.
 
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ReeferMadness01

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I direct feed once a week all nems, LPS, and clam. Anything left over gets broadcast. Phyto broadcast daily
 

Karen00

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I do it out of enjoyment and necessity. I love seeing my fish that used to go into hiding each time my hand went in the tank, to coming to me when they see the food dropper. Having said that they are shy/cryptic fish and burrowers so really don't go looking for their food so I make sure the food comes to them. I also introduced a couple corals and while they probably get enough food from the water column I love seeing their reaction when I squirt some there way. :)
 
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