how do you know if coral is eating, i feed them coral food... Options

[RyanR1212]

hey.. i have a quick questions for you guys... i have a coral food that i mix with water and then i pour it into the water... the thing is, i dont know if they are exactly getting the food. like with zoas am i supposed to see them close up around it?? and like sps how do i know they are getting it?? if you guys know what corals eating look like and if they are getting the food i would love the help...

Thanks,
-Ryan

[Kylebeano]

what is the 'coral food' you are using? And if youre just dumping it into the water, chances are slim that the corals are getting much of it unless youre using an absurd amount.

Target feeding corals is the easiest way to see them actually take food. Turn off all your pumps and use a turkey baster to allow the food to drop onto the corals.

It also depends on what corals you are feeding. LPS will be the most prominent with long tentacles or sweepers to catch food and bring to their oral discs or mouths. Softies like zoanthids wont really eat anything very large, just things a few microns in length like phyto and zooplankton. Palythoas on the other hand can enclose on brine or mysis shrimp. SPS can only eat these small portions as well. Spot feeding them phyto enriched with amino acids using a pipette works for me.

Here is a PE Palythoa eating a live brine shrimp with a copepod attached to it


This post has been edited by Kylebeano: Nov 1 2009, 08:14 PM

[disaster999]

I feed my tank oyster eggs and i can see an almost instant reaction from my corals. acans and sun coral have their tentacles all extended, my palys have their mouths open a bit. the mushroom all ball up, my clam takes in a few "breaths" even my GSP have their polyps bunched up like its making a fist. the SPS is the hardest to see an reaction, but look closer and you see their polyps extend out a lot more than usual.

i usually turn off my pump, but leave my koralia in the tank running and dose the oyster eggs. i let it sit to 15 mins- half an hour (sometimes i forget i have the pump off) to make sure they absorb as much of the oyster eggs.

[RyanR1212]

idk its some small micro stuff that i mix with some water and then pour it into the water.. i was just wondering if the corals like zoas and such would pick up the food that was put in

where do you get oyster eggs?

[zjharva]

oyster eggs can be found most places where you get food, search them on marinedepot. my zoas even eat some brine and mysis.