Help me feed a tank full of inverts

[BurlyWizard]

I'm nearing the end of cycle on a 25 gallon lagoon (build thread here), and plan to pick up my first tankmates in the coming days. The full eventual stock list is below. However, was looking for some recommendations on feeding options for everyone. I was thinking shrimp pellets could be a go-to, as they sink and should be easily cleaned up by the critters. Does anyone recommend a meaty option for essentially a large cleanup crew? And from my research, I think most of these are omnivores, so I'm not sure that I'll need to specifically add algae, except potentially for the urchin.

But, that's what this thread is all about. Thoughts, recommendations, concerns?


Wave 1:
- 1x Cleaner Shrimp
- 2x Emerald Crabs

Wave 2:
- 3x Camels/Peppermints
- 2x Pom pom crabs

Wave 3:
- 3x Damsels: Leaning Azure, Starcki, or Springeri
- 2x Sexy Shrimp

Wave 4:
- 2x Porcelain crabs
- Marine Plants

Wave 5: When algae is present for urchin & all other shrimp are in
- Tuxedo Urchin (Small)
- Fire Shrimp (As small as possible)

 

[TexanCanuck]

I have some Scarlet Cleaner Shrimp, Fire Shrimp, Peppermint Shrimp and Emerald crabs and they seem to eat ANYTHING I put in the tank!

PE pellets, frozen brine/mysis, Nori ... you name it.

 

[Sarcazian]

Same here on the Cleaner / Peppermint shrimp front. The cleaner actively fights with the 3 clown fish for the pellets - he swims upside down on the top of the tank and steals as many as he/she can. To that, it normally starts pacing and getting ready when it seems me nearly nose against the tank since the clowns are ferocious eaters. I guess I should consider feeding more than 1x a day.

Yesterday, it had at least 5 pieces of PE mysis pellets shoved in it's mouth. Never seen that before. The Pepperment comes out at feeding time for food as well, but it rarely swims to the top.

 

[BurlyWizard]

Sounds good! That's the hope of this tank, lower maintenance, lots of life moving around. Just didn't know if I should be looking at frozen, dried, or pelletized shrimp.

I'll probably stick with pellets as the main feeder with some frozen for fun.

Any reason PE instead of any other pellets? Or for that matter, how do the brands stack up?

 

[Sarcazian]

I personally use more pellets than frozen - just because it seems to make an absolute mess and nutrients go everywhere. If I had a lot of corals that could benefit from all of those nutrients then fine, but I don't yet.

I chose recommendations based on this BRS video - https://www.bulkreefsupply.com/content/post/best-of-2019-fish-foods. Unfortunately, I cannot find any of the good frozen options around me... and I refuse to pay overnight shipping for frozen food.

BRS recommends keeping an eye of Nitrate and Phosphates about once a week I think. If you see anything going wrong you can change the food - some release more nitrates and others phosphates.

On the pellet front, I ended up with PE Mysis and Reef Nutrition (TDO) that I loosely alternate between. I give New life probiotix once or twice a week as well depending on what I grab. The TDO is supposed to be kept in the fridge, so it's usually only feed 2x a week max.

Reef Nutrition

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.bulkreefsupply.com

PE Pellets Saltwater Fish Food

PE mysis has been used and loved by all types of saltwater aquarists. Now the power of fresh PE mysis has been encapsulated in a pellet form along with other essential nutrients and vitamins resulting in a nutritionally complete diet. Three Sizes Available: 1mm (2oz) - Perfect for pico and nano...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[TexanCanuck]

I find it very hard to objectively quantify the "quality" of many of the different food choices ... they all say the same thing and yet I know they all can't be equal.

As a result, like @Sarcazian, I watched all of the relevant BRS videos and surfed these forums to get an idea of what people trusted.

I came to the conclusion that when it came to pellets, Piscine Energetics and Reef Nutrition seemed to be the brands that could me most trusted to provide high quality food without undesirable fillers or by-products.

When it comes to frozen foods, I trust Hikari the most for similar reasons.

 

[BurlyWizard]

Thanks! Based on these primarily being for shrimp, based on your experience, what is a good size to keep them happy? I was thinking 2mm, but as the whole tank is scavengers, thought maybe 3mm would be better as any leftovers would get cleaned up by the night crew.

 

[TexanCanuck]

Either will be totally fine, as they are perfectly capable of pulling the pellets apart.

I only worry about the pellet size for my fish - they need to be small enough to fit in their mouths. Shrimp will use their front pincers to hold the pellet and nibble on it.

 

[LardLad]

Best shrimp chow I have encountered is Hikari Crab Cuisine. Shrimp go crazy for it.