Who feeds their SPS?

[Stretch]

I'm just wondering how many people feed their SPS on a regular basis, Golden Pearls, DT's.... Etc

I'm wondering if it's worth it? will it effect colors/grow rates?

[Canadian Man]

I feed ESV and blend it in tank water for 30 seconds. Don't notice a diffrence. just feed it for my clams and I guess my corals.

[Aquattro]

I feed frozen cyclop-eeze and GP. I see my acros eating it like crazy, so it must be good. They eat tons in the wild, so why not feed them in captivity? I feed once or twice a week. Many people don't feed at all, so who knows which is best. :rolleyes:

[StirCrazy]

I stopped feeding the coral as I had the opposite of Brad's experience.. I never see them eat anything and all I got was algae blooms.. couldn't tell the difference in the corals.

Steve

[Jack]

As long as your nutrient output is greater than your input it's gotta benifit feeding our corals. Live foods like rotifers and baby brine shrimp are ideal for sps but the new cyclop-eeze seems to work well for me too. I haven't picked up any frozen cyclop-eeze but I would imagine it is a little bit better. Brad, have you tried both types? Any difference?

[Aquattro]

Brad, have you tried both types? Any difference?

Jack, I have tried both the frozen and the freeze-dried. Big difference. Even after soaking for a long time, the dried doesn't travel as well in the tank. Also, a lot goes over the overflow.
The frozen seems to get captured more than the dried, but you need to be cautious of the extra food that doesn't get caught. I don't feed a lot, so it isn't a large input, but it's still input. Make sure you have good export and regular water changes to compensate.

[Jack]

Ok. I may have to pick some of that up. I really want to try it out.

[Quinn]

Are you guys seeing increased growth rates or better colour or anything empirical from feeding your corals?

[Aquattro]

Ok. I may have to pick some of that up. I really want to try it out.

Keep in mind that it only comes in huge bricks. Luckily Safari Pets over here sells portions cut from te large brick. Pretty expensive to buy the whole thing. :eek:

[Jack]

Crap, really? Maybe we can get a slab for the shop and do the same as Safari.

[Jack]

Are you guys seeing increased growth rates or better colour or anything empirical from feeding your corals?

Teevee there has been a bit of discussion on this. There are way to many other factors involved to say that yes feeding our corals improves colour and growth. IMO, it must help but you do see amazing tanks produced with no other extra feeding.

[ldzielak]

Jack,

When you know how much the brick is, I would chip in for a part of it. Never hurts to feed new foods.

Lee

[EmilyB]

I feed my fish and they feed the corals. :biggrin:

[StirCrazy]

I feed my fish and they feed the corals. :biggrin:

exactly!

for anyone who wants to read and try make there own desision there are a tone of articles
HERE (http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=44)

Steve

[Stretch]

Humm i was kind of hoping someone, would have never feed them... then seen an increse in growth and better color after beginning to feed them. Would help determine to know if it worth while. Since thats my situtation :neutral:

I'll have to read some of those articles

[Buccaneer]

Humm i was kind of hoping someone, would have never feed them... then seen an increse in growth and better color after beginning to feed them. Would help determine to know if it worth while. Since thats my situtation :neutral:

I'll have to read some of those articles

I did a phyto order with Kari and I did notice a milli that was brown w/ blue tips turn a reddish/pink colour w/ blue tips ... all other corals seemed otherwise unaffected and growth rates seem to be the same ( although I cant be a good judge of that cause I see it every day ... lots of friends have said the corals grew before and after the phyto and I hardly noticed ) circulation/lighting etc were all the same ... also the pod population exploded !

[Quinn]

Humm i was kind of hoping someone, would have never feed them... then seen an increse in growth and better color after beginning to feed them. Would help determine to know if it worth while. Since thats my situtation :neutral:

I'll have to read some of those articles

Yup, to really know that feeding does you'd have to have two identical setups with identical corals and feed one and not the other. Until then it's hard to really say "yes, it makes a difference".

[Aquattro]

Steve, keep in mind that phyto doesn't directly feed corals. And unless you could measure the amount of free swimming plankton before and after some time period, it would be hard to tell if the corals were in fact getting anything to eat as a result of the phyto.
With direct feeding of GP/Cyclopeeze, etc, you can actually see the corals eatng it.

[StirCrazy]

With direct feeding of GP/Cyclopeeze, etc, you can actually see the corals eatng it.

Damn now my corals are defective to :eek: .. as hard as I try to look I can never see them eating it.. :frown: next time your over Brad we will feed the tank then when you see one eating you can show me. :redface:

Steve

[Stretch]

Yup, to really know that feeding does you'd have to have two identical setups with identical corals and feed one and not the other. Until then it's hard to really say "yes, it makes a difference".

I realize that....... But i was hoping for someone that had a large change in color and growth rates after they began to feed on a regular basis.
Which could provided some basis wether or not feeding was worth while. But it seems that no one has this experience.

Right now as it seems that feeding is rather pointless. :confused: for sps anyways

[StirCrazy]

here is a new article

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/media.htm

Steve

[mpishi]

i've turkey basted fed toadstool, cabbage, polyps, brain, colts, shrooms phyto for a month
after no regular feeding in the couple of years i've had the tank
all look plump and healthy still, i'd say positive effect
no neg control run

[kari]

Can't comment on growth rates or color improvements but I have noticed a greater polyp extention on acro since feeding phyto and cyclops.

[Quinn]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/media.htm

[StirCrazy]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/april2004/media.htm

hmm you reposting that to reinforce my post? :mrgreen: but the problem with this article is that if you read the end of it, is because it was only done with one type of coral they still cannot guess about others and he even says for SPS they don't know.. so until more wide testing is done we won't know. Also in every article I have read no one mentions color.

Steve

[theshad]

In an effort to answer this exact question and to prove that what we provide does indeed work Reef Crew http://www.ReefCrew.com and Canadian reef http://www.CanadianReef.com have set up 2 identical tanks and have placed the same corals in the same place in each tank.

We have tried to have the most control over the conditions as possible in order to have the best results in the end. Canadian reef is in the process of getting the documentaion online so people can follow things as time progress.

You may want to check with site for updates but I will do my best to add to this post to let everyone know that the information is online.

There will be the process documentation as well as regular photographs so you can follow the growth rates of things.

Although I know this post was asking more twards the SPS side of things this partnership will be looking at various Zoanthids and GSP and clove polyps.

Hope this will help answer some of the questions that are out there.

[Quinn]

hmm you reposting that to reinforce my post? :mrgreen:

Ha I'm so brilliant. :rolleyes: :lol:

[LostMind]

hey theshad, sounds really cool.