High Frequency feeding?

[forestsofkelp]

Currently I feed 1/2 a cube frozen daily and a tsp or two of reefroids spot fed M/W/F on a 180g display (200g total). My N and P are zero, I have to supplement. I currently stock mostly LPS and 2 clowns. There will be more fish coming; 5-6 anthias, firefish and a tang. Corals are increasing of course.

I am going to add an avast plank for frequent, daily, freeze dried feeding, which I understand is good for corals as well, and then feeding frozen on top of that daily, and spot feeding freeze dried once a week for the coral.

Does anyone have any experience/advice? Is it better to do larger 3-4 feeds a day or smaller hourly feeds?

I am also trying to figure out where to put all this stuff. I can put the feeder and the power filter in the display (more effective) or in the sump (cleaner look, I can program filtration off/return on during feeds) or one in the sump one in the display...any advice?

 

[minus9]

Smaller feeding throughout the day are better (if you're able to), but feed what your fish need, which may be less? Get an auto feeder and put some NLS or TDO pellets in there and feed a couple times a day when you get more fish. I put my auto feeder in the return section of the sump. It's out of sight and I don't use large pellets, so that's never an issue. I also use a small sicce powerhead on the opposite side of the return section to keep the pellets in suspension until they are drawn into the return pump. I haven't purposefully fed a coral, well, I can't remember when the last I did, but it was probably in the 90's?
Do your corals look pale or starving? Don't go by numbers alone, let your corals tell you what they need. I think this is something that often gets overlooked these days as we focus more on numbers, instead of what our corals are telling us. Observation is a skill that's required in this hobby and knowing what to look for is more important than test results.
But it may be necessary to dose some N & P to get a measurement if needed?
Here's a list of the foods that I feed, LRS reef frenzy, TDO chromaboost, NLS pellets (two types), CS Pro flakes, Cool Green and Cool Mysis flakes, with live baby brine on occasion. Some days I feed more flakes, other days, more pellets. If you skip a day, don't worry, keep them healthy, not fat and lazy.

 

[Timfish]

I use autofeeders feeding NLS pellets 4-16 times a day depending on the fish load in my systems. Deciding factor is do all the fish have a good body weight. I'd advise against trying to directly feed your corals. WHile all corals with photosynthetic simbionts will use dissolved inorganic nitrogen and dissloved inorganic phosphate feeding particulate foods can be problematic as what one species likes can be detrimental to another.

 

[forestsofkelp]

Smaller feeding throughout the day are better (if you're able to), but feed what your fish need, which may be less? Get an auto feeder and put some NLS or TDO pellets in there and feed a couple times a day when you get more fish. I put my auto feeder in the return section of the sump. It's out of sight and I don't use large pellets, so that's never an issue. I also use a small sicce powerhead on the opposite side of the return section to keep the pellets in suspension until they are drawn into the return pump. I haven't purposefully fed a coral, well, I can't remember when the last I did, but it was probably in the 90's?
Do your corals look pale or starving? Don't go by numbers alone, let your corals tell you what they need. I think this is something that often gets overlooked these days as we focus more on numbers, instead of what our corals are telling us. Observation is a skill that's required in this hobby and knowing what to look for is more important than test results.
But it may be necessary to dose some N & P to get a measurement if needed?
Here's a list of the foods that I feed, LRS reef frenzy, TDO chromaboost, NLS pellets (two types), CS Pro flakes, Cool Green and Cool Mysis flakes, with live baby brine on occasion. Some days I feed more flakes, other days, more pellets. If you skip a day, don't worry, keep them healthy, not fat and lazy.

haha thanks for the tip. A few of them look pale, but they are fed regularly. I think its a flow/nutrient issue as they are LPS and my numbers read like an ULNS system.

Right now I am trying to figure out the best way to have multiple small feed throughout the day and how many. I'll probably start with 3 then move up to more as my fish count increases.

 

[X-37B]

8-10 cubes total split into twice a day. 15 fish in my 120 and no need to feed the corals.

 

[minus9]

haha thanks for the tip. A few of them look pale, but they are fed regularly. I think its a flow/nutrient issue as they are LPS and my numbers read like an ULNS system.

Right now I am trying to figure out the best way to have multiple small feed throughout the day and how many. I'll probably start with 3 then move up to more as my fish count increases.

Just buy a couple cheap auto feeders and use flakes in one and pellets in the other. In the meantime, dose a little NO3 & PO4. You can make it yourself or buy off the shelf products for a little more, but get a little measurement and you'll be fine until you get more fish in there. I think Brightwell has one for both, but I've never used them.

 

[1stNoel]

I use two Eheim auto feeders to feed pellets throughout the day (BE SURE to buy ones with the tubes that release the food underwater. Otherwise, it will stay floating and go out the overflow.).

Great for a 300 gallon tank full of anthias, angels, tangs, and triggers.

 

[radiata]

I picked up 8 smallish female Squamapinnis Anthias 16 months ago. Today I have five larger females and two very larger males. (The eighth fish was the first female to change into a male, and it unfortunately developed a pop-eye infection that resulted in the fish's demise.)

I've been running an Avast Plank which is timed to feed hourly during daylight hours. I'm using an Apex controller to trigger the feeding. (I also use the Apex to coordinate with and increase the run time of a powerhead under the Plank when my hourly feeding cycle is running.) I've been feeding an assorted mixture of pellet foods that run between one and two mm. I've also added to the mix powdered food like Amazon spirulina, Two Little Fishies Calan-Eeze Freeze-Dried Arctic Copepods, etc. for my filter feeders. (I personally think the feeding of flake food with a Plank is foolhardy.) There's no way all my Anthias would be alive today if I only fed the tank 4 or 5 cubes of frozen food once a day (which I do in addition to the hourly pellet feeds). Thank you Avast...

Anthias downside: I've been keeping marine fish for going on 50 years, and these were actually my first anthias. However, I had no idea they'd get as large as they have.

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Smaller feeds in theory seem better because all the food has a better chance to be eaten. Less waste.

However, if you have aggressive eaters and non aggressive eaters in the same tank, and/or smaller cryptic fish/inverts that dont jump out for food--a feeding that does not blanket the tank with food can lead to starving and thin critters..

The aggressive eatens consume the bulk of the food is what i mean and the less agressive guys or cryptic ones, dont get any or as much...

Because i have a copperband and cave dwellers, non photosynthetic corals, and lots of inverts, i feed heavy twice a day. Sometimes a third time. If thought fish weren't being fed, i feed more. I want food getting to everyone. Part of the deal for me, taking em out of the wild and all...

You have to have adequate filtration though.

Some coral foods, like reefroids, lead to more phosphates than others. Switching to live phytoplankton and reef nutrition oyster feast gets corals fed for me with less rise in phosphates.

Get a hanna low range phosphate checker and high range nitrate checker. Makes keeping up nutrient levels quick and easy.

Filter rollers, big skimmers, macro, and or carbon dosing/bio pellets can let feed heavy and have heavy fish lloads. But keep a keen eye on water parameters.

Easier to have low fish loads for heavier feeding. But i just love a busy tank with lots of fish, inverts, and corals all over the place!

 

[Reef.]

I use a frozen food feeder, only does one day though.

Definitely more frequently would be better than just the one feeding, not many fish sit down to one meal a day.

 

[blaxsun]

My fish get four snacks a day consisting of Algae pellets and Nyos Sweet Aloe. They also get 1-1.5 sheets of green and red SeaVeggies and 5-6 cubes of frozen mysis, brine, bloodworms and calanus split between 2 daily feedings.

This is divvied up between 30 some odd fish and whatever scraps the cleanup crew snatches.

I should add that the snack feeding is by way of a Neptune AFS with a 3D printed feeder ring from Printed Reef. This contains all the pellets to quickly dispense them underwater. A must have!

 

[Avast Justin]

Smaller feeds in theory seem better because all the food has a better chance to be eaten. Less waste.

However, if you have aggressive eaters and non aggressive eaters in the same tank, and/or smaller cryptic fish/inverts that dont jump out for food--a feeding that does not blanket the tank with food can lead to starving and thin critters..

The aggressive eatens consume the bulk of the food is what i mean and the less agressive guys or cryptic ones, dont get any or as much...

If you position the output of the Plank's mixing tube directly over a circulation pump like a Vortech etc, it will disperse the food very quickly. I've found it will keep the schools of little fish like anthias in that current all day waiting for feed times, giving them lots of food and exercise. Even my little clowns that rarely come out of the bottom back corner (where they spawn) get plenty this way.