Nutrient source in a low fish load softy tank

puddleglum

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2024
Messages
72
Reaction score
48
Location
Sheboygan, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Hi all,

I am setting up a 30 gallon (36Lx12Wx16H) tank that will be mostly zoas/palys, some "islands" of clove/GS polyps, some mushrooms, a couple sinularia/nepthea leathers, and maybe a few hardy LPS down the line.

I really like the six line wrasse, know they are a good predator for many of the pests I could encounter, and am more interested in keeping corals than fish so I plan to keep just the sixline to avoid having to remedy fish aggression.

If I only have one smaller fish in my tank, and I am trying to keep corals that enjoy levels of nitrate and phosphate in a "not super close to zero" range, I guess I will need to feed the corals a bit. I read palythoas and rhodactis mushrooms will be decent feeders, while zoanthus and discosoma are less aggressive feeders, and I get the impression that leathers and GSP/clove polyps are not aggressive feeders either.

Anyone have suggestions on feeding corals when the fish load is very low?
Spot feed the ones that do eat, and do an occasional broadcast feed of reef roids/chilli for the less responsive eaters?
Anyone have a frequency for feeding corals that you find keeps nutrients up a little, without over polluting?

Thanks
-pg
 

Tamberav

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
10,580
Reaction score
15,932
Location
Duluth, MN
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When you feed, you will be feeding the good guys too, pods and worms. Something will eat it.

Nutrients are pretty easy to get in nanos even without fish. At least once the rock isn’t sucking up po4 assuming you start with dry.
 

bobnicaragua

Valuable Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 28, 2019
Messages
1,186
Reaction score
1,270
Location
Dallas, TX
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I suggest more small fish. My fish are there to feed my acros, but they definitely enhance the reef and make it more interesting. Most people don't care about the corals anyways.
 

VintageReefer

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 16, 2023
Messages
9,136
Reaction score
14,383
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Lps like torches, Cynarina, Scolymia, trachy, acans, Duncan’s…all these are easy to feed

Palythoa grandis is one of my favorites…not the craziest of colors, but the largest of the palys, and very easy to feed. They eat flake, pellet, mysis, powdered foods.

This started off as a 6-8 polyp frag and now it’s 50+ Many polyps are over 1”
8C8CAE66-6E8A-4AED-975D-047F989F3716.jpeg
D18A4A02-6CFD-47BD-840A-086818346A23.jpeg
 
OP
OP
puddleglum

puddleglum

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2024
Messages
72
Reaction score
48
Location
Sheboygan, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When you feed, you will be feeding the good guys too, pods and worms. Something will eat it.

Nutrients are pretty easy to get in nanos even without fish. At least once the rock isn’t sucking up po4 assuming you start with dry.
Yeah I also figure the clean up crew will need a little feeding as well, not that I want to over feed them, but they will get a little as well, and I guess I can back off a little if the stuff they are there to clean up is noticeable.

Lps like torches, Cynarina, Scolymia, trachy, acans, Duncan’s…all these are easy to feed

Palythoa grandis is one of my favorites…not the craziest of colors, but the largest of the palys, and very easy to feed. They eat flake, pellet, mysis, powdered foods.

This started off as a 6-8 polyp frag and now it’s 50+ Many polyps are over 1”
8C8CAE66-6E8A-4AED-975D-047F989F3716.jpeg
D18A4A02-6CFD-47BD-840A-086818346A23.jpeg
I really like paly grandis and I like the nuclear palys with the long tentacles. Definitely want a rock or two with them.

I want a Duncan for sure and maybe a blasto and candy cane, all of which I think are easy to feed.
 

exnisstech

Grumpy old man
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Messages
10,302
Reaction score
14,630
Location
Ashland Ohio
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Lps like torches, Cynarina, Scolymia, trachy, acans, Duncan’s…all these are easy to feed

Palythoa grandis is one of my favorites…not the craziest of colors, but the largest of the palys, and very easy to feed. They eat flake, pellet, mysis, powdered foods.

This started off as a 6-8 polyp frag and now it’s 50+ Many polyps are over 1”
8C8CAE66-6E8A-4AED-975D-047F989F3716.jpeg
D18A4A02-6CFD-47BD-840A-086818346A23.jpeg

Thanks for posting, I need motivation lol. I really need to bring my paly grandis up from the basement and put them in the new tank. I have a couple of rocks of them from my tear down. They have been indestructible for me. I had some in a dark brute for a several months and they came back. Maybe I'll just grab this rock :thinking-face: I've seen mine eat while PE mysis.
PXL_20240920_212034246.jpg

EDIT : these look sad because they've been in the dark for a while while I'm doing some rearranging.
 
Last edited:

twentyleagues

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 27, 2023
Messages
3,252
Reaction score
3,473
Location
Flint
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Duncans are really easy to feed and are great eaters. My blastos will eat but take forever to do it. If you catch the candy canes with their tentacles out they will feed if not kind of like the blastos.
 
OP
OP
puddleglum

puddleglum

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2024
Messages
72
Reaction score
48
Location
Sheboygan, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I suggest more small fish. My fish are there to feed my acros, but they definitely enhance the reef and make it more interesting. Most people don't care about the corals anyways.
I can definitely see the appeal of many fish, but I had a buddy with a six line years ago and I was just fascinated by it. Add in that it will eat zoa nudis and flatworms, and that they are such an active fish, like a little hummingbird, I think I will be happy with just it.

I personally am much more interested in the corals than the fish, and i am going to be the only one enjoying the tank 320+ days of the year. The other days, when I have guests, if they think the tank is boring, I can just silently judge them for not appreciating my genius corals scape. I kid of course… mostly…
 

exnisstech

Grumpy old man
View Badges
Joined
Feb 11, 2019
Messages
10,302
Reaction score
14,630
Location
Ashland Ohio
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Duncans are really easy to feed and are great eaters. My blastos will eat but take forever to do it. If you catch the candy canes with their tentacles out they will feed if not kind of like the blastos.
Got duncans also in storage. To bad your not closer OP, I could hook you up.
PXL_20240920_213231383.jpg


These ricordia (?) love to eat too.
PXL_20240920_213702872.jpg
 

VintageReefer

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 16, 2023
Messages
9,136
Reaction score
14,383
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
Thanks for posting, I need motivation lol. I really need to bring my paly grandis up from the basement and put them in the new tank. I have a couple of rocks of them from my tear down. They have been indestructible for me. I had some in a dark brute for a several months and they came back. Maybe I'll just grab this rock :thinking-face: I've seen mine eat while PE mysis.
PXL_20240920_212034246.jpg

EDIT : these look sad because they've been in the dark for a while while I'm doing some rearranging.
Mine got neglected a while also

87AE0702-D93A-480B-9D87-FD5590393A42.jpeg


But they recovered when food and lighting were introduced
9CD9CDD5-1810-460D-B01B-6F47A82CB57D.png

935D9C55-6E15-4D05-8146-DCACF305CFF6.jpeg


6B89E39E-29AA-4F2D-AF6E-CFD12D30259B.jpeg
 

twentyleagues

2500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Mar 27, 2023
Messages
3,252
Reaction score
3,473
Location
Flint
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
Mine got neglected a while also

87AE0702-D93A-480B-9D87-FD5590393A42.jpeg


But they recovered when food and lighting were introduced
9CD9CDD5-1810-460D-B01B-6F47A82CB57D.png

935D9C55-6E15-4D05-8146-DCACF305CFF6.jpeg


6B89E39E-29AA-4F2D-AF6E-CFD12D30259B.jpeg
I have always loved grandis such an understated coral. Cant wait until I get my colony to a monster size. I had a 75g years ago that I did an agracrete back ground on, half of it was covered in grandis the other half was raptors rainbows and candy apple reds. Think of pretty much an 18x18 sheet of them. Over flow was in the middle of the tank when they started growing on it I would cut the mat and scrape them off and glue them to a frag plug, easy fragging.
 

Tamberav

10K Club member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 4, 2014
Messages
10,580
Reaction score
15,932
Location
Duluth, MN
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I have them too, they are also neglected atm. They are in a bin in the garage with some rock and poor lighting. Paly abuser club member.
 

VintageReefer

7500 Club Member
View Badges
Joined
Nov 16, 2023
Messages
9,136
Reaction score
14,383
Location
USA
Rating - 100%
2   0   0
I have always loved grandis such an understated coral. Cant wait until I get my colony to a monster size. I had a 75g years ago that I did an agracrete back ground on, half of it was covered in grandis the other half was raptors rainbows and candy apple reds. Think of pretty much an 18x18 sheet of them. Over flow was in the middle of the tank when they started growing on it I would cut the mat and scrape them off and glue them to a frag plug, easy fragging.
I would love to get these on the back glass! These started as a 6 polyp frag, I have 50+ now
 

Sharbuckles Reef

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 26, 2018
Messages
38
Reaction score
109
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I wouldn’t be too concerned about the nutrients with just one fish. My 9 gallon soft coral tank does incredibly well with just one blood shrimp in it. I only feed about once a week.

If nutrients become an issue, feed more, less water changes, or even less skimming.

I don’t think you’ll need to stress too much about it. You can also just add some more fish that can hold their own. Some damsels, maybe a dottyback, even some of the larger species of clownfish. Tomato, Clarkii, etc.
 
OP
OP
puddleglum

puddleglum

Community Member
View Badges
Joined
Jul 31, 2024
Messages
72
Reaction score
48
Location
Sheboygan, WI
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
When you feed, you will be feeding the good guys too, pods and worms. Something will eat it.

Nutrients are pretty easy to get in nanos even without fish. At least once the rock isn’t sucking up po4 assuming you start with dry.
I am soaking about 35-40 lbs of dry pukani with 100% weekly water changes to leech out the phosphates in the rock. I bleached it before, so there isn't any noticable nitrates from the curing. Started at about 0.3ppm phosphate after a week of soaking, that was 5 weeks ago. It is down below 0.2 and above 0.1ppm after a week of soaking now. Planning to keep up the water changes until I am reading around 0.05 to try to minimize nuisance algae when I do cycle the tank and then turn the lights on.
IMG_0805.JPG
 

TOP 10 Trending Threads

IF YOU HAD A CAREER IN REEF-KEEPING, WHAT WOULD YOU BE DOING? AND WHY?

  • Selling and distributing livestock!

    Votes: 57 33.3%
  • Selling and distributing equipment!

    Votes: 16 9.4%
  • Breeding and Aquaculture!

    Votes: 85 49.7%
  • Livestock Disease and Treatment!

    Votes: 11 6.4%
  • Chemistry!

    Votes: 16 9.4%
  • Designing and Maintenance of tanks!

    Votes: 35 20.5%
  • Research and Education!

    Votes: 41 24.0%
  • Reefing Equipment and Dry Goods Creation and Manufacturing!

    Votes: 20 11.7%
  • Conservation!

    Votes: 45 26.3%
  • Other (please explain)!

    Votes: 6 3.5%
Back
Top