I feed once a week...

[ChunkyMunky Pengopus]

For quite some time now, I have been feeding only once a week. I always monitored the fish to make sure that they were not starving, and you can read more about my setup here: ChunkyMunky Pengopus's 63 gallon reef

However, I have come upon the realisation that feeding once a week is probably not a good idea, and I would actually like to change this practice and increase feeding. For example, many of my corals do not grow nearly as much as I hear others say they do, and I actively want my green star to spread more, but for the most part they stay the same size. I have 3 bubble tip anemonies, and they have actually shrunk by a dramatic amount and stay very small, despite my attempts to spot feed them. My hammer corals have also begun shrinking.
I am thinking that this may be the root of the cause, but will inquire in the other threads about the specific coral and anemonies later as well in their respective forums.

Only now am I coming across the realization that I should probably increase my feeding, but I am worried about causing disruptions to the tank's chemistry. How can I increase feeding without damaging my tank, and could this be the cause of some of my issues?

 

[CMMorgan]

I would gradually increase the feeding, so as not to overburden the biofiltration too quickly. You did not mention fish. are there fish involved? Politely put, many would agree with me that the best thing to feed your corals and nems is top quality fish poo. You need to consider WHAT you are feeding, as well as how much.

 

[ChunkyMunky Pengopus]

I would gradually increase the feeding, so as not to overburden the biofiltration too quickly. You did not mention fish. are there fish involved? Politely put, many would agree with me that the best thing to feed your corals and nems is top quality fish poo. You need to consider WHAT you are feeding, as well as how much.

Currently there is only one Yellow Watchman goby, as well as many corals and 3 anemones.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I have a mixed 125 gallon reef that is about two years old. I have 6 tangs and feed quite a bit 3 to 4 times a day. Corals are all doing well and have great color. But to answer your question, just gradually increase over the course of many weeks. You might consider adding a few more fish

 

[mdb_talon]

I agree with cmmorgan fish poop is great coral food. I have always fed my corals(every other day), but adding fish seemed to significantly increase there health. Never had really been too interested in the fish side of hobby, but added to make my wife and kids happy years ago and saw great improvement.

 

[ChunkyMunky Pengopus]

I would gradually increase the feeding, so as not to overburden the biofiltration too quickly. You did not mention fish. are there fish involved? Politely put, many would agree with me that the best thing to feed your corals and nems is top quality fish poo. You need to consider WHAT you are feeding, as well as how much.

I have a mixed 125 gallon reef that is about two years old. I have 6 tangs and feed quite a bit 3 to 4 times a day. Corals are all doing well and have great color. But to answer your question, just gradually increase over the course of many weeks. You might consider adding a few more fish

I agree with cmmorgan fish poop is great coral food. I have always fed my corals(every other day), but adding fish seemed to significantly increase there health. Never had really been too interested in the fish side of hobby, but added to make my wife and kids happy years ago and saw great improvement.

I think I will slowly take off a couple days between feedings (I will feed in 6 instead of 7, then maybe 5 or 4) in that case.

Also, I have been wanting to add more fish but have been worried that the increased bioload will cause damage to the tank. However, what you have been saying makes sense, and adding fish may have the opposite effect.

Currently, I don't have a skimmer and don't make very many water changes. I have a sump with a phosphate reactor and some carbon and that is pretty much it. I wouldn't mind adding a skimmer and starting to do water changes, but do you think that with that low amount of filtration, adding more food and fish would cause problems?

I am probably thinking about either adding a pair of clownfish (Ocellaris or Percula, leaning toward Ocellaris) or a cardinal fish or royal gramma

 

[mdb_talon]

I wouldn't mind adding a skimmer and starting to do water changes, but do you think that with that low amount of filtration, adding more food and fish would cause problems?

Hard to say without knowing your current nutrient levels. If the levels right now are rock bottom and corals are starving then a higher bioload may be no issue at all. Personally i find a skimmer absolutely necessary....but can find pleanty of examples of beautiful tanks without it.

 

[sarcophytonIndy]

I'm a big fan of growing/harvesting chaeto in the sump/fuge as a means of nutrient export. It works well because it is self regulating in that the chaeto will grow according to the nutrients available. And you would no longer need the reactor. In fact it would be counter-productive to growing the chaeto.

 

[Bruce60]

"Currently there is only one Yellow Watchman goby, as well as many corals and 3 anemones." You actually have a bit more since you mention in your build thread the refugium with the "copious amounts of amphipods and algae." This is actually good, since it represents more complexity of life in your system. The pods should help to feed the larger life in the system.

You ask why no copepods. It may be the flow is too strong...if so, you can provide quiet flow areas where they will thrive. You could also cut back on the fuge light to provide some darkness below. There are plenty of high quality pods available to purchase and you need to feed them with phytoplankton if you want them to thrive. Also, the sock after the fuge will filter out much of the smaller life before it gets to the main display. Consider whether the sock is necessary after the fuge or at all.

I see you don't have a skimmer and I wonder whether this represents part of your reluctance to add more fish or more frequent feedings. I agree with your go slow approach with your current setup but I suspect that you could support additional fish in your system. Your sump and stand look just too tight to consider fitting in a skimmer or other filtration, so unless you wanted an external skimmer or canister filter outside the stand I see little you can add.

Best wishes!

 

[ChunkyMunky Pengopus]

Hard to say without knowing your current nutrient levels. If the levels right now are rock bottom and corals are starving then a higher bioload may be no issue at all. Personally i find a skimmer absolutely necessary....but can find pleanty of examples of beautiful tanks without it.

My current levels:

Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.1
Phosphate: 0
Kh: 8 Dkh
Ammonia: Near 0
Nitrate: 0

 

[mdb_talon]

My current levels:

Salinity: 1.025
PH: 8.1
Phosphate: 0
Kh: 8 Dkh
Ammonia: Near 0
Nitrate: 0

If nitrates and phosphates are really zero then that is a problem unless you are running a ULNS and dosing appropriately.

I know you stated you dont want to disrupt your tanks chemistry, but i would say you need to. Your corals are not growing well and some are shrinking and you feed once a week with 0 detectable nitrate/phosphate. Sounds like the current chemistry is starving your system. Feed more(increase slowly). Maybe you get a bit of algae...its really not so bad

 

[ChunkyMunky Pengopus]

If nitrates and phosphates are really zero then that is a problem unless you are running a ULNS and dosing appropriately.

I know you stated you dont want to disrupt your tanks chemistry, but i would say you need to. Your corals are not growing well and some are shrinking and you feed once a week with 0 detectable nitrate/phosphate. Sounds like the current chemistry is starving your system. Feed more(increase slowly). Maybe you get a bit of algae...its really not so bad

Thank you, I have have been thinking about it more and I have come to the realisation that the worst that could happen is probably algae blooms, right?

I should have clarified that the '0' levels really mean undetectable, as all I have right now are the API test kits. I will start increasing feeding, gradually getting rid of a day between feedings. This past week I fed slightly more often and already some GSP and hammers are happier.

My plan is to ramp up feeding and if the corals are happier I'll add a chromis and perhaps a peppermint shrimp as I do have a few too many aiptasia that may be draining nutrients.

 

[sagedrake690]

No joke, I have never fed my freshwater tank. I actually have gotten lazy and haven't changed the filter over to a new one. Its been sitting there for 5 days lol.

So the trick is to have an ecosphere design. You need plants and cleaning crew and don't skimp the microfauna. Get wild water and add it to the tank. Only like 1-2 oz and try to get the samples from deep near the mud. You need to stay on top of it for a few months to pick unwanted things out like hair algae or unwanted snails etc but having a fully functioning ecosystem has basically allowed me to be able to have power go out for over 2 weeks and the fish dont notice. I just top it with rodi water from evaporation and thats it. They eat the plants and tiny snails and the cycle is self sustaining. I can probably seal that tank up to be airtight and let it go to see what happens like a real ecosphere. I actually could have done that within the last 6 months I haven't touched it. I broke the streak today when I pulled out some hair algae that began growing due to lack of flow the last 5 days lol. Ive changed the filter now but as for feeding...they always looked preggers so I never fed them. I have an unopened bag of food from when I fist set it up over a year ago...probably bad now lol. Its just a beta female and a gudgeon peacock with some guppies and shrimp with a pleco and snails. Not a lot but its quaint. Been thinking of getting something else for it...I want some more kinds of crustaceans in there.