Your favorite turkey baster

[DmitryB]

So what turkey basters are people using? Which are the best in the hobby and by "best" I mean THEY DON'T LEAK AND DRIP! I got one off Amazon that's branded for aquariums, but it drips the food out I'm trying to spot feed. So not great. Nobody likes a leaky baster.

 

[RobynR]

Depends on size? I have a giant one I use to clean rocks and stuff, and that one definitely drips, then I have a few smaller ones that I think are around 15” I use for feeding. I don’t do a lot of target feeding, just heavy broadcast. I did recently add a tiny yellow headed jawfish to the display and it requires target feeding, as it’s so timid. I find the 15” strong enough to blast it with food on the bottom ~22” deep tank, without getting my hands wet. It doesn’t seem to drip, but I don’t carry it around anywhere, it just goes from my food container into the tank, so I couldn’t say it’s safe to carry around full.

Aquarium Choice Coral Feeder Long Syringe Reef Feeder SPS HPS Marine Reef Coral Feeder Tool Fish Excreta Cleaner (1 Units 40CM/15.74 Inch)
https://a.co/d/0eqrhe7g

 

[DmitryB]

Depends on size? I have a giant one I use to clean rocks and stuff, and that one definitely drips, then I have a few smaller ones that I think are around 15” I use for feeding. I don’t do a lot of target feeding, just heavy broadcast. I did recently add a tiny yellow headed jawfish to the display and it requires target feeding, as it’s so timid. I find the 15” strong enough to blast it with food on the bottom ~22” deep tank, without getting my hands wet. It doesn’t seem to drip, but I don’t carry it around anywhere, it just goes from my food container into the tank, so I couldn’t say it’s safe to carry around full.

Aquarium Choice Coral Feeder Long Syringe Reef Feeder SPS HPS Marine Reef Coral Feeder Tool Fish Excreta Cleaner (1 Units 40CM/15.74 Inch)
https://a.co/d/0eqrhe7g

I'll check that one out!

The leakage happens inside the tank. I want to save the food for the corals I'm spot feeding but by the time I get to the coral 1/4 has already escaped.

With broadcast flow, do corals manage to catch it? Do you have flow set to the lowest setting when you do that?

 

[BeanAnimal]

I purchase them from Dirk's every few years when he shows up at a frag swap or event. They are more like long eye droppers with bulbs instead of large diameter turkey basters. The bulb eventually get brittle or I step on the acrylic tube and break it, but they are inexpensive and work well.

 

[RobynR]

Depends on size? I have a giant one I use to clean rocks and stuff, and that one definitely drips, then I have a few smaller ones that I think are around 15” I use for feeding. I don’t do a lot of target feeding, just heavy broadcast. I did recently add a tiny yellow headed jawfish to the display and it requires target feeding, as it’s so timid. I find the 15” strong enough to blast it with food on the bottom ~22” deep tank, without getting my hands wet. It doesn’t seem to drip, but I don’t carry it around anywhere, it just goes from my food container into the tank, so I couldn’t say it’s safe to carry around full.

Aquarium Choice Coral Feeder Long Syringe Reef Feeder SPS HPS Marine Reef Coral Feeder Tool Fish Excreta Cleaner (1 Units 40CM/15.74 Inch)
https://a.co/d/0eqrhe7g

I'll check that one out!

The leakage happens inside the tank. I want to save the food for the corals I'm spot feeding but by the time I get to the coral 1/4 has already escaped.

With broadcast flow, do corals manage to catch it? Do you have flow set to the lowest setting when you do that?

No, they do not seem to leak in the tank at all.

I have an Apex, so set it to feed mode, it leaves my mp40’s on at 10% for 10 min so a bit of movement in there.

I make my food blend from a mix of different frozen foods I chop up and thaw, along with garlic, spirulina, and vitamin supplement, sometimes a sprinkle of reefroids. As everyone in my tank is relatively small, I chop up the mysis and brine shrimp pretty fine. I never drain it or rinse anything before feeding, I want all the tiny bits flowing around to feed the coral and microorganisms. I thaw/make a couple days worth at a time. We don’t have easy access to LRF or other premixed foods (that I’ve found in Vancouver, and minimum online order from Ontario is 6 packs? That’s like multiple years worth for my tiny fish), so making my own has been working okay.

Because it’s so fine it flows everywhere and I only occasionally feel the need to spot feed, such as the new little yellow headed jawfish. Corals all seem to be happy, so it appears to be working.

 

[Paul B]

One of these. I wouldn't be in this hobby without one.

 

[exnisstech]

I've been using two of these extendable ones for a few years but I can't remember where I bought them. The hole is a little small so large food doesn't work but I use it more for blowing rocks and frag racks. I don't really target feed but i over feed the fish and I dump the food in front of a powerhead and it blows all over. I don't have a lot of fleshy LPS that appreciate being target fed a couple times a week.

 

[RobertK]

I got this one from amazon, it works pretty good but I just ordered an Avast Matey for target feeding pellet food, we'll see if that works better. I also have an Oxo turkey baster for blasting detritus off the rocks.