NPS/Filter feeder recipe from Birch aquarium

[redmangrove]

Pics are from another behind the scenes tour I organzied of the Birch aquarium at Scripps. I wanted to share one of their NPS/ filter feeder recipes. Gorgs in pictures are new and local (San Diego).
http://www.realagentmarketing.com/photos/scripps/scripps_4.jpg

http://www.realagentmarketing.com/photos/scripps/scripps_5.jpg

http://www.realagentmarketing.com/photos/scripps/scripps_15.jpg

http://www.realagentmarketing.com/photos/scripps/scripps_16.jpg

[mesocosm]

Many thanks for posting this information, redgroveman. It's always interesting to see what the public aquaria operators are doing.

:thumbsup:

[aninjaatemyshoe]

It seems that they are dosing much smaller quantities of food than we are. I'm assuming they feed this maybe 3 times a day at most.

[cmlloveless]

If you will notice that they do not feed a ton of food, but the right kind of food IMO. I was noteing this on another thread that I started.

Here is Link (http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1341295&perpage=25&pagenumber=2)

I have noticed that alot of the people that have been having success with NPS corals have not been feeding huge regiments of food, but have been using the right kinds of food. I am starting to believe that they filter feed but on much smaller particals than I thought. If you stir a DSB you will see that you get a reaction from your NPS corals. As well as if you just add the "juice" from thawed frozen food or phyto.

[Whalehead9]

Just because there is a reaction, does not mean that there is actually feeding taking place. The right kinds of food are of utmost importance, and because what dictates "Right kind of food" is still almost all trial and error it is still a crap shoot.

I have been researching this topic for quite some time, and there are very few people who have had real documented success with NPS(Over one year with documented polyp growth). All those who have are constant feeders, of small quanties to keep a constant food supply. I cannot remember who said it but our goal is not to have the coral polyps extand every once in a while when we feed, but to be constantly out and feeding. Just like every other coral.