a bit worried...

[footballdude2k3]

so i target fed everything yesterday for the first time, i had done a very very little bit before. now today all day nothing really opened up the way it normally does....did i do something wrong? i target fed a mix of pellets and rods reef frozen. zoas, candy canes, euphyllia, gsp, kenya tree, none of that looked great like it usually does, the acans all looked good but that was it. also my clown has been sticking his head between the acans heads to get to the base and has bit a little bit of the acan head but has not ripped anything off...is it just trying to maybe get to food that was under the heads or is it about to piisssss me off?

[footballdude2k3]

bump

[thegrun]

I have never used pellets to target feed, perhaps the corals are having a difficult time digesting it. Fish will burrow into corals to get at food, but usually that is over within an hour or two because by then the corals have digested the food or at least pulled it into themselves where the fish know they can’t get it. Corals also tend to close up a little after eating, so it could be just their natural behavior. Next time you feed them, don't use the pellets and see if that makes a difference.

[Gdevine]

Target feeding will not harm the animals in your tank. Unless something else is wrong with the water (no harm in checking param's) I wouldn't worry a bit.

[sdc19982002]

Was the food ice cold when you fed them?

[footballdude2k3]

room temp, melted the frozen it water i was using to top off

[sslak]

room temp, melted the frozen it water i was using to top off

You sprayed the corals with freshwater.

They should recover, but you should use tank water (saltwater) to melt the food.

[footballdude2k3]

wow i cannot believe i did not think of that, i am an idiot. thanks.

[travis32]

football dude, I wouldn't beat yourself up too much. I originally used salt water to melt and feed frozen food. However, I then got to thinking, tank water builds ammonia if food is left to decay. So, I switched to freshwater thinking that the food would last longer in fresh than salt water. Not sure which is better. But, I sprayed food with fresh water at my bubble coral last night and I couldn't believe how fast the thing was grabbing onto food and pulling it in to it's mouth. It loved it.

It looks fine today. So, I would think the freshwater would mix quit rapidly with the salt water. I guess I'm not sure on the chemistry. But people do freshwater dips for a minute or two. I would think the few seconds the corals MIGHT be exposed to the freshwater before salt water mixes back in, I don't think would hurt them. I keep my melted food refridgerated so sudden changes in temps might not be good. Otherwise, I don't think that's an issue.

[sslak]

Don't beat yourself up man! It's not a big deal. SPS and other sensative corals won't like the change in PH/salinity.

It isn't any worse than doing a freshwater dip, it will all be fine.

Travis: Ideally you should just melt the food you intend to feed in tank water before you feed. I wouldn't store thawed food personally..it just starts to decompose as soon as it is no longer frozen. Even if you put it in the fridge, now you need to let it get to room temp before you feed. Not worth the hassle IMO.