Tips for feeding more

[DarkReefer]

Just wondering if anyone has some tips for feeding more or how you went about finding the right balance for your tank?

I've got a One spot foxface which is apparently a bit of a pig and reminded me that they're 'reef safe with caution' recently after it devoured nearly $200 aud worth of zoas.

Currently I feed pellets once in the morning using an auto feeder around 8am (1 spin) and once in the evening around 5.30 (2 spins). This food is eaten up very quickly both times by the inhabitants and I don't think too much if anything is left behind.
I also try and feed a sheet of nori 4cm x 8cm (approx) in the morning and again in the afternoon.
When it actually did start eating the zoas I even upped it to 3 sheets (adding one during the middle of the day) as I was WFH for a week.

I've rarely been able to feed it to the point where it wasn't crazy for nori and left it, I think this happened one time during that WFH week. Yet still it managed to eat most of my zoas.
The fish is what I consider a nice size and definitely not skinny, maybe borderline plump but not fat. Every other fish in the tank also looks to be well fed and not skinny so I suspect everyone's getting enough ?

My nitrates seem to sit around 12-18ish ppm currently and phosphate around 0.11. I don't want to increase the nitrates and phosphates anymore than they are.

Is it worth trying to increase the feeding frequency by adding another feeding in the middle of the day with the auto feeder?
Should I increase the size of the feedings from the auto feeder?
Do I try and increase the output of the skim? (lately I usually only empty maybe once a week-ish?)
Or do I just leave it as is because it seems to work well (apart from the eating zoas part) and just don't buy zoas in future ? haha
Have any of you had this issue with a fish and were you able to overcome it?

 

[Ocean_Queenie]

ooops

 

[SALTY 75]

Just wondering if anyone has some tips for feeding more or how you went about finding the right balance for your tank?

I've got a One spot foxface which is apparently a bit of a pig and reminded me that they're 'reef safe with caution' recently after it devoured nearly $200 aud worth of zoas.

Currently I feed pellets once in the morning using an auto feeder around 8am (1 spin) and once in the evening around 5.30 (2 spins). This food is eaten up very quickly both times by the inhabitants and I don't think too much if anything is left behind.
I also try and feed a sheet of nori 4cm x 8cm (approx) in the morning and again in the afternoon.
When it actually did start eating the zoas I even upped it to 3 sheets (adding one during the middle of the day) as I was WFH for a week.

I've rarely been able to feed it to the point where it wasn't crazy for nori and left it, I think this happened one time during that WFH week. Yet still it managed to eat most of my zoas.
The fish is what I consider a nice size and definitely not skinny, maybe borderline plump but not fat. Every other fish in the tank also looks to be well fed and not skinny so I suspect everyone's getting enough ?

My nitrates seem to sit around 12-18ish ppm currently and phosphate around 0.11. I don't want to increase the nitrates and phosphates anymore than they are.

Is it worth trying to increase the feeding frequency by adding another feeding in the middle of the day with the auto feeder?
Should I increase the size of the feedings from the auto feeder?
Do I try and increase the output of the skim? (lately I usually only empty maybe once a week-ish?)
Or do I just leave it as is because it seems to work well (apart from the eating zoas part) and just don't buy zoas in future ? haha
Have any of you had this issue with a fish and were you able to overcome it?

So I can’t say much on the feeding more side of things because I usually just look for signs of health and if everyone seems healthy and acting normally then I keep chugging along. I have had a one spot foxface before and I will say I 100% think they have little personalities and even taste preferences. My foxface lived in a tank with a cleaner shrimp for years with no problem at all, the shrimp would clean him he loved it they were buddies. Well one day my shrimp died out of the blue and I saw his body laying in the sand. I evidently caught it right after he died because I left into my garage to get a net and when I came back my foxface was chowing down on that little dead shrimp. EVERY SINGLE SHRIMP that was in that tank at the time and any I added to that tank after wards became lunch to my foxface. I can only assume that he had gotten a taste for shrimp after years of being shrimp safe and started going to town.

 

[ninjamyst]

Once a fish develops a taste of corals, no amount of extra feeding will stop it from eating corals. Hippos and foxface are notorious for eating zoas. I rehome two hippos and one foxface already. Your only choice now is to rehome the fish. Sorry bud.

 

[Reef By Steele]

Just wondering if anyone has some tips for feeding more or how you went about finding the right balance for your tank?

I've got a One spot foxface which is apparently a bit of a pig and reminded me that they're 'reef safe with caution' recently after it devoured nearly $200 aud worth of zoas.

Currently I feed pellets once in the morning using an auto feeder around 8am (1 spin) and once in the evening around 5.30 (2 spins). This food is eaten up very quickly both times by the inhabitants and I don't think too much if anything is left behind.
I also try and feed a sheet of nori 4cm x 8cm (approx) in the morning and again in the afternoon.
When it actually did start eating the zoas I even upped it to 3 sheets (adding one during the middle of the day) as I was WFH for a week.

I've rarely been able to feed it to the point where it wasn't crazy for nori and left it, I think this happened one time during that WFH week. Yet still it managed to eat most of my zoas.
The fish is what I consider a nice size and definitely not skinny, maybe borderline plump but not fat. Every other fish in the tank also looks to be well fed and not skinny so I suspect everyone's getting enough ?

My nitrates seem to sit around 12-18ish ppm currently and phosphate around 0.11. I don't want to increase the nitrates and phosphates anymore than they are.

Is it worth trying to increase the feeding frequency by adding another feeding in the middle of the day with the auto feeder?
Should I increase the size of the feedings from the auto feeder?
Do I try and increase the output of the skim? (lately I usually only empty maybe once a week-ish?)
Or do I just leave it as is because it seems to work well (apart from the eating zoas part) and just don't buy zoas in future ? haha
Have any of you had this issue with a fish and were you able to overcome it?

What I would recommend is feeding nori at least a couple of times a day. I found some sheets on Amazon that are garlic enriched and hold together better than buying the oriental nori for wrapping sushi. It works also and is cheaper but doesn’t seem to hold its shape as well. I will get links. Also I use a my 2 fishies nori magnetic holder vs a clip as it works really nice.

I see a lot about pellets raising phosphates especially maybe nitrates also so I personally hold t increase those feedings, but your fish may take less interest if you feed them a more varied diet including some fresh (haha frozen) foods. For the fox face I would recommend spirulina enriched brine shrimp and frozen mysis, avoid the large mysis as I don’t find my fish particularly excited about it.

I went to making my own frozen by buying a mixture of salmon, tuna, shrimp, squid or octopus (from the Asian market in Omaha) silversides (from same place) and grinding it in a food processor and freezing in silicone miniature ice cube trays (you can search my thread under @HankstankXXL750) to see what I did. Being omnivorous your rabbit (fox face) may not feel a need to eat your zoas if he has a meaty offering.

 

[Reef By Steele]

Nori holder

Two Little Fishies Pouch Feeder https://a.co/d/d28cADF

Nori

Ocean Nutrition Seaweed Selects...

Here are the links.

 

[DarkReefer]

So I can’t say much on the feeding more side of things because I usually just look for signs of health and if everyone seems healthy and acting normally then I keep chugging along. I have had a one spot foxface before and I will say I 100% think they have little personalities and even taste preferences. My foxface lived in a tank with a cleaner shrimp for years with no problem at all, the shrimp would clean him he loved it they were buddies. Well one day my shrimp died out of the blue and I saw his body laying in the sand. I evidently caught it right after he died because I left into my garage to get a net and when I came back my foxface was chowing down on that little dead shrimp. EVERY SINGLE SHRIMP that was in that tank at the time and any I added to that tank after wards became lunch to my foxface. I can only assume that he had gotten a taste for shrimp after years of being shrimp safe and started going to town.

Wow that would've been crazy to experience. Suddenly it decides to go postal and just massacre it's tank mates haha, sorry to hear though!
I do agree though that they (and all fish) seem to have their own personalities.

Once a fish develops a taste of corals, no amount of extra feeding will stop it from eating corals. Hippos and foxface are notorious for eating zoas. I rehome two hippos and one foxface already. Your only choice now is to rehome the fish. Sorry bud.

I kind of wondered this also. I've got a hippo as well and I don't think it's big enough to eat those.
Funnily enough there a frag in there that I put in a month or two prior to this recent batch which hasn't been touched at all *touch wood* and has doubled in it's size since. The others were bought from another place, so unless there was something else algae wise on there that attracted it compared to the other ones or if it's something to do with the colour etc.

Might also explain where my other zoas disappeared to a year ago when I thought it was dinos.
I'm not so sure I want to rehome. Literally bought a 6ft tank for it and the hippo to go into rather than selling them off and just keeping the small one. (Also to add extra fish/corals but they were more of a motivating factor as they're getting too large for the existing tank).

What I would recommend is feeding nori at least a couple of times a day. I found some sheets on Amazon that are garlic enriched and hold together better than buying the oriental nori for wrapping sushi. It works also and is cheaper but doesn’t seem to hold its shape as well. I will get links. Also I use a my 2 fishies nori magnetic holder vs a clip as it works really nice.

I see a lot about pellets raising phosphates especially maybe nitrates also so I personally hold t increase those feedings, but your fish may take less interest if you feed them a more varied diet including some fresh (haha frozen) foods. For the fox face I would recommend spirulina enriched brine shrimp and frozen mysis, avoid the large mysis as I don’t find my fish particularly excited about it.

I went to making my own frozen by buying a mixture of salmon, tuna, shrimp, squid or octopus (from the Asian market in Omaha) silversides (from same place) and grinding it in a food processor and freezing in silicone miniature ice cube trays (you can search my thread under @HankstankXXL750) to see what I did. Being omnivorous your rabbit (fox face) may not feel a need to eat your zoas if he has a meaty offering.

Yeah the sheets I've already been doing, perhaps I need larger ones though? I've currently got an ocean nutrition suction clip that I've had for over a year now which worked very well but the suction cup is getting a bit old and funny now. I did see those pouches recently but I think the magnet on them is only rated to the 12mm glass which would be useless on the next tank in a few weeks or so.
I do have some frozen brine/mysis but I only feed that once every so often.
Appreciate the input though.

 

[Reef By Steele]

Wow that would've been crazy to experience. Suddenly it decides to go postal and just massacre it's tank mates haha, sorry to hear though!
I do agree though that they (and all fish) seem to have their own personalities.



I kind of wondered this also. I've got a hippo as well and I don't think it's big enough to eat those.
Funnily enough there a frag in there that I put in a month or two prior to this recent batch which hasn't been touched at all *touch wood* and has doubled in it's size since. The others were bought from another place, so unless there was something else algae wise on there that attracted it compared to the other ones or if it's something to do with the colour etc.

Might also explain where my other zoas disappeared to a year ago when I thought it was dinos.
I'm not so sure I want to rehome. Literally bought a 6ft tank for it and the hippo to go into rather than selling them off and just keeping the small one. (Also to add extra fish/corals but they were more of a motivating factor as they're getting too large for the existing tank).



Yeah the sheets I've already been doing, perhaps I need larger ones though? I've currently got an ocean nutrition suction clip that I've had for over a year now which worked very well but the suction cup is getting a bit old and funny now. I did see those pouches recently but I think the magnet on them is only rated to the 12mm glass which would be useless on the next tank in a few weeks or so.
I do have some frozen brine/mysis but I only feed that once every so often.
Appreciate the input though.

I use the magnets on a Red Sea S1000 with no problem whatsoever. Have three in it and I cut the sheets into fourths the long way and then in half and they fit pretty much perfectly. A little small but easy to get in. Just punch them to open then slide in with your fingers.

 

[DarkReefer]

I use the magnets on a Red Sea S1000 with no problem whatsoever. Have three in it and I cut the sheets into fourths the long way and then in half and they fit pretty much perfectly. A little small but easy to get in. Just punch them to open then slide in with your fingers.

Ah good to know, thank you.
When I'd looked into those pouches before I thought they were a good idea and then saw that it seemed to be noted for 12mm glass so I thought ' there goes that idea'.
Might look at giving it a go. Would certainly keep the fish busy for longer as currently they seem to take off with the sheet I give them and within 5-10 mins they've completely finished it.

 

[Reef By Steele]

I have seen them actually pull the sheet through the hole (believe it or not), but I think that was when I was buying the cheaper human version.