Heavy Feeding Regimen

[Alex T.]

I know many out there who have SPS tanks claim that they feed heavy and rely on fish poop only to feed their corals. I'd like to know exactly what is considered "heavy feeding". I'm not pointing fingers at anyone in particular, but someone who posts quite frequently states that they feed heavy and has a tang that is almost paper thin. I feed a minimum of 4 cubes a day plus pellet to my SPS tank (150 gallons). I still think they could eat more. The food is given split between two feedings and is gone in under a minute, so I really don't think they're over fed. . This is why I feel there is a huge misconception in feeding. If I had half that fish load and fed the same amount, I assume this would be considered overfeeding. Am I wrong? Does anyone believe that I am currently overfeeding? Should we feed until it starts to affect water quality?

I have the following fish:

Juvenile Clown tang
Yellow Tang
4 Chromis
2 Lyretail Anthias
Blue Devil Damsel
Sixline Wrasse
Maroon Clownfish
Pink Skunk Clownfish
Coral Beauty Angelfish

My parameters are as follows:

Nitrate .02
Phosphate: undetectable
Ca: 430
Alk: 7 - 8
Ph: 8.1 - 8.2
SG: 1.025 - 1.026

[smtank]

I would consider how the corals look. Are they growing and maintainning colors. Water volumn, size of tank, skimmer, water changes......Too many varibles. If it is working don't.........

[Stanley-Reefer]

I feed both tanks alot:

Daily
Round of pellets of NLS 1,2,3mm sizes 2 pinches of each, a pinch of form 1 small and large, a pinch of Hikari A at 530 (pinches vary larger for 175) and a pinch of freezed dried cyclopeeze.

7pm I feed one of: PE, Rogers Reef, H20 life 1-2, brine, marine cuisine, frozen form 1-2 ON, 50/50 b;end

just before lights out either marine quisine/rods if it wasn't fed at 7pm

Once a week I do a mixed clip of green, red, purple, and brown seaweed sheets in place of the daily dry.
http://i56.*******.com/2j68scw.jpg
That's pretty heavy right?
http://i52.*******.com/2cdajxh.jpg

[Alex T.]

Wow Stanley! I'm in love with your Sohal. How big is the tank?

I'm feeling like there's a paradox in the "heavy feeding" crowd. Say for instance someone feeds 10 small fish 4 cubes a day. I'm sure they will be pooping quite a bit and this could constitute overfeeding. On the other hand, if I have 8 small fish and three large tangs, the waste will be less with even one or two more cubes per day. It's only waste in the form of nitrate and phosphate if they poop more right? Otherwise they take up the nutrients and discard much less back into the tank. If you throw a Super Bowl party for 20 hungry/thirsty people and have 20 pizzas and a keg of beer, that would be a lot of trips to the bathroom. On the otherhand, if it's the same amount of food and drink for 50 people that's a lot less waste.

I'm just trying to wrap my head around a happy medium that keeps my fish very well fed as they are on a natural reef with plump stomachs while not polluting the water quality that supports SPS. Actually, I'm trying to see what the upper limit of fish food is before water quality and coral growth and color is hampered.

[twelvejewelz]

I feed my tank 5-10 times a day. I also dose Vodka and phosphates and nitrates are undetectable. This is in a 20 gallon sps/zoa nano with 4 fish... It seems to me that the "norm" feeding is 1-3 times a day..

[Stanley-Reefer]

Thanks--he was about 1/2 that size a year and half ago...tank is 175 bow

Just remember that any amount of food is the same amount of food in a closed system whether 5 or 500 are eating it.....what goes in must come out.

I dose vodka and mb7 in both tanks myself.

[Alex T.]

Stanley, not to hijack and reroute my own thread but I'd love to hear more about your tank set up! That looks incredible!

How do the Sohal, Naso, Yellow and Pyramid Butterflies get along? Also, what's your lighting scheme?

[aquavista99]

I feed my SPS reef heavy about five times a day (frozen cyclopleeze, frozen mysis shrimp, dry flake foods and frozen Formula One)...Keep in mind that I also run a large skimmer and have a large 125g macro algae sump working to keep the water super clean at all times as well. I feed just the fish, not the corals. I do 30g water changes weekly and also use activated carbon, which is replaced weekly as well.

[MammothReefer]

I'm kinda in this inbetween messy state. I was feeding VERY light, but finally got my fish, now I'm some what of an irregular heavy feeder. A couple nites a week I will make sure every fish gets food as some of the new fishes are still a bit shy. This can involve anywhere between a combination of approximately 2-3 cubes of mysis or the equivalent amount of rods, cyclops and pellets. I also try to spot feed all my LPS at least once a week and my dendros a couple times a week. The other nites I just feed a half cube and some pellets. I also add oyster eggs 3-4 nites a week. This may not sound like alot but I've got only a 65 now, and roughly 75-80 gallons of total water volume between my tank and sump.

Although surprisingly, with the combination of wet skimming, water changes and pellets (which are kinda half working..not getting a tumble anymore.), and gfo. I haven't seen to terrible of a spike in my stats. Nitrates seem to wander between 0-2.5 (which is fine w/me) and phosphates seem to keep typically .05 - 0 if I make sure I'm getting proper flow threw the pellets and gfo.

Just yesterday I swapped out my old Octopus for a new SRO 2000 cone. which is rated for 4 times my tank volume. It's already hard at work and im' hoping will do a good job of polishing off water. I've also started to use filter socks as well which I'm hoping will help catch any uneaten food before it can break down.

[Alex T.]

Thanks Mammoth,

I used to feed Oyster Feast and some Zooplankton supplements but found that the oil in these foods would shut down my skimmer for a few days, which ultimately resulted in hair algae and unwanted phosphates. I found that feeding my fish heavily has resulted in much better growth and coloration in my sps than trying to feed the corals directly.

Plus, the fish just look so much better with full, rounded bellies like you see in the wild. Just take a look at Stanley's Sohal....awesome!!

[CarltonsReef]

Heavy feeding heavy skimming and a varied diet seems like the best answer

[Stanley-Reefer]

You can't hijack your own thread:thumbsup:

If you think the sohal is fat...meet big blue:fun2:
http://i54.*******.com/118j0c3.jpg
you can barely see the "small" sohal behind the radiant wrass in this pic from 9/09
http://i36.*******.com/ezpi4n.jpg

[Toadally]

You can't hijack your own thread:thumbsup:

If you think the sohal is fat...meet big blue:fun2:
http://i54.*******.com/118j0c3.jpg
you can barely see the "small" sohal behind the radiant wrass in this pic from 9/09
http://i36.*******.com/ezpi4n.jpg

That is one fat powder blue... lol Do you live near three mile island???

[Stanley-Reefer]

Guess I'm close enough to Mcguire Nuclear Sation at the lincoln/Meck county line---that PBT will eat all the 3mm NLS pellets it can get.

[Alex T.]

Holy #$%! Stanley!

Big Blue must make some big poo!!! That is truly the fattest Powder Blue I've ever seen. I think it's great that you aren't afraid to feed your fish the amount of food they would eat in the wild, and still maintain that caliber of a reef. A testament to your skills.:thumbsup:

That's actually the mantra I try to live by. Don't buy them if you can't feed them what they need.

I'm trying to figure out how to get my camera to take a more clear picture of "Old Yeller" and "King".

Old Yeller is my Yellow Tang that looks more like a football than a fish, and King is the meanest, fattest Maroon Clown I've yet to see in anyone's tank. I had to frag a birdsnest last year that was getting too close to his bubble tip anemone and he drew blood while I was fragging. I didn't even think they had teeth!

[Stanley-Reefer]

I make sure all the fish get some of whatever I'm feeding from my tangs, 12"rabbit, to my litle psuedochromis, clowns and cardinals that are all in there. If it means I have to drop a little extra in for it to make down to them so be it. A 2 Tbs medicine cup full of thawed PE mysis dumped in full current is comepletely gone in less than 20sec.

Remember I have all these fish (30ish total) in 170net gallons so vodka, mb7 and weekly 30gal water changes are my friend.

Sadly my Euroreef RS250 has peaked and as my fish and thier nutritional needs have begun to exceed its capabilities.

My Deltec SC2560 will be here 12/9:bounce3::bounce2::lolspin: