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View Full Version : Can u over feed corals?


Kgrizzle
11-26-2012, 12:17 AM
So I have a bubble coral that is always hungry...I thought it was normall to always have tentacles out but I learned yesterday that it means it's hungry so ive fed it 4 times today and yet it still has so many tentacles out... Can u over feed ur coral or should I keep feeding it

Zoaelite
11-26-2012, 12:49 AM
I don't think its possible to over feed, keep in mind digestion does take some time and these animals have a single anus/mouth so there is probably a reset time on how often it can be fed.

Over feeding can also lead to excess nutrients in the water which can be a detriment to your coral, so over feeding with out a nutrient sink could be bad.

windcoast reefs
11-26-2012, 12:49 AM
So I have a bubble coral that is always hungry...I thought it was normall to always have tentacles out but I learned yesterday that it means it's hungry so ive fed it 4 times today and yet it still has so many tentacles out... Can u over feed ur coral or should I keep feeding it

I don't think you can over feed a coral, but I do think that you can overfeed a tank. If your feeding that much you'll end up getting nitrate and phosphate problems in my opinion. I wouldn't feed it more than a few times a week, or once a day.

Kgrizzle
11-26-2012, 12:54 AM
Ok... I plan on doing a water change tommarow hopefully I haven't upset the balance to much... I don't feed too too much on a regular just feed the tank a little everyday and spot feed corals 2 times a week I just don't know why it's always hungry

Reef_Geek
11-26-2012, 01:16 AM
it's not always 'hungry' so much as natural reaction to something catchable in the vicinity.

there is a concept in aquaculture called assimilation efficiency, which is a measure of materials physiologically captured via digestion compared to what is ingested. Actually, it is easier to measure what is offered vs what is excreted in experiments. Anyway, the point is, whatever an animal eats does not equate to what is incorporated and used in their bodies. People can drink two glasses of orange juice a day but our bodies will only use so much vitamin C... we just pee out the rest. So there is merit to reducing your feedings... you're just putting it in the coral so your coral spits it out in a less digested state... and your water quality is reduced.

Additionally, (speculation only), I wonder if frequent feedings have any impact on whether a coral is more prone to expel their zooxanthellae. The reason for this suspicion is that as nitrogenous wastes are produced for their algal endosymbionts, they have to regulate their level (density) of zooxanthellae for optimal light capture efficiency, carbohydrate production, and zooxanthellae waste levels (oxygen toxicity?). Additionally, there's some indication that corals will first 'prefer' zooplankton captured energy followed secondarily by zooxanthellae photosynthates. Reference abstract here: http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/handle/10125/2241

Kgrizzle
11-26-2012, 01:30 AM
Ya that makes sense as to they will only use what they can physically take... Now as for the rest of the stuff u said I got that the waste product from them can be toxic?... There were a lot of big words hahah

dreef
11-26-2012, 01:36 AM
I have the worlds biggest pink bubble and i feed it light.Never ever fed it...it will take over my tank...it's HUGE.

Reef_Geek
11-26-2012, 01:37 AM
Ya that makes sense as to they will only use what they can physically take... Now as for the rest of the stuff u said I got that the waste product from them can be toxic?... There were a lot of big words hahah

kinda like if you get a new coral and put it too close to a bright light, it will 'bleach' (spit out its symbiotic algae). Something about too much photosynthesis that irritates the coral, it bugs out, spits out its algae.

When a coral eats and respires, the carbon dioxide and pee (dissolved wastes) also feed its symbiotic algae. If too much food to symbiotic algae, algae grows in numbers within coral tissues, that might also irritate the coral in the same way as putting a coral too close to a light too quickly... so "maybe" it can lead to them expelling their symbiotic algae... just a guess but in theory, it might happen if you feed too much over a prolonged period of time (4 times a day over weeks?). At the same time, the coral gets accustomed to getting fed... doesn't depend on its symbiotic algae that much... more dispensable (to be expelled). Reference shows corals prefer food to symbiotic algae when available, and also corals regulate their tissues' level of symbiotic algae based on what's optimal for conditions (light, food, waste levels).

best to just feed once in a while... I 'target' feed my corals for fun whenever I remember, have time, and have left over food from feeding fish. This is about 2-3 incidents a month. Just make sure you have a good reliable light and feeding should only be done on a supplementary basis for the sake of water quality (tank algae control).

mohammadali
11-26-2012, 08:09 PM
when i feed my frogspawn to much it threw it out same as my elephant ear but my neon candy cane eat all the food :D