IPSF Coral Heaven

[jhuntstl]

I got a sample of it with my recent order from Indo Pacific Sea Farms. Anyone have any experience with it? Mainly with SPS.

Their instructions make it sound like kind of a PITA. But maybe it's worth it? Curious how it effects nutrient levels as well.

Release a VERY SMALL amount - just a few drops initially - of Coral Heaven into the water column slightly above the coral or anemone polyps you are feeding. Important: Be VERY CONSERVATIVE in your initial feeding efforts until you have become familiar with Coral Heaven and the feeding behavior of your own coral specimens! Feed only as much as can be totally consumed by the polyps within 45 minutes. Any food remaining on the polyps after 45 minutes is unlikely to be consumed, and may actually be detrimental to the corals. In short, DO NOT OVERFEED. Turn on circulation pumps, skimmer, etc., 60 minutes after feeding.

 

[Timfish]

Yeah, it does seem like a hassle. But keep in mind Dick Perrin has been growing corals since the mid 90s without any of the pumps, skimmers or other gadgets so often claimed as essential now. And in one of their books Delbeek and Sprung write about food on reefs and particulate food in the form or zoo and phyto plankton can be 2-5 grams dry weight per square meter. I could be wrong but it seems like Coral Heaven might be the closest thing to a natural diet availalble. But not overfeeding does seem a major concern to me.

 

[jhuntstl]

Yeah, it does seem like a hassle. But keep in mind Dick Perrin has been growing corals since the mid 90s without any of the pumps, skimmers or other gadgets so often claimed as essential now. And in one of their books Delbeek and Sprung write about food on reefs and particulate food in the form or zoo and phyto plankton can be 2-5 grams dry weight per square meter. I could be wrong but it seems like Coral Heaven might be the closest thing to a natural diet availalble. But not overfeeding does seem a major concern to me.

Thanks for the response. I'm definitely intrigued by the research and experience behind it.

I used to turn off all pumps during feedings. My ATO included, which I would often forget to plug back in. For that reason I just started broadcasting full flow.

I'll give it a go this weekend per their instructions. I am curious if anyone is broadcasting it. I can't see any reason why you shouldn't other than significantly more going to waste.

 

[Timfish]

I would be very cautious broadcast feeding for a couple reason. As mentioned above it seems it might be something that can easily be overfed and if it's really good for corals it's probably really good for nuisance algae so I'd suspect leftover food might easily stimulate nuisance algae growth. The second is pointed out by this research done by University of Hawai'i which show species specific responses to feeding as well as a "goldilocks" response by species that did seem to do well with feeding. So feeding might be detrimental to a colony and a colony may have very specific amounts are beneficial and less or more than that is detrimental.

Coral farming: effects of light, water motion and artificial foods

Improved coral cultivation will facilitate the reduction of wild harvesting, reef restoration, preservation of biodiversity, and the use of corals as model experimental organisms. In this study, we examine species-specific responses in growth and

www.academia.edu

 

[jhuntstl]

I would be very cautious broadcast feeding for a couple reason. As mentioned above it seems it might be something that can easily be overfed and if it's really good for corals it's probably really good for nuisance algae so I'd suspect leftover food might easily stimulate nuisance algae growth. The second is pointed out by this research done by University of Hawai'i which show species specific responses to feeding as well as a "goldilocks" response by species that did seem to do well with feeding. So feeding might be detrimental to a colony and a colony may have very specific amounts are beneficial and less or more than that is detrimental.

Coral farming: effects of light, water motion and artificial foods

Improved coral cultivation will facilitate the reduction of wild harvesting, reef restoration, preservation of biodiversity, and the use of corals as model experimental organisms. In this study, we examine species-specific responses in growth and

www.academia.edu

Thanks again.

I tried it earlier mostly per their instruction. I didn't quite wait the whole 60 min, more like 30-40 before turning everything back on. I used very little. Less than a 1/8 tspn mixed in 20ml of tank water. There was a lot more variety in size than I was anticipating. Much of it is too big for my SPS. Hopefully the CUC snags the bigger chunks that went to waste. Maybe I'll try sifting out the bigger stuff next time. Everything seemed pretty accepting of it. One of my newer acros was showing sweeper like polyp extension.

I'll keep an eye on nutrients over the next few days. I tested this morning, so should be easy to identify a spike if there is one.

 

[jhuntstl]

Missed this little tidbit of info in the instructions. My technique will surely be improved next round. Shake, let the big stuff settle, and use a pipette to pull out what's suspended above.

Tips:
Small-polyp stony corals like Acropora, Pocillopora, Montipora and Stylophora should be fed primarily with the soluble component of Coral Heaven, by creating a visible feeding cloud around the coral heads.