Kent Phytoplex

[rbergmandc]

Hey all..

quick question, picked up some Kent Phytoplex to feed my Sinulara, kenya, anemone, and GSP.

I have a 65g reef.. The question is .. Do i remove the filter sock before feeding? Will this stuff get caught up in it? Also.. turnoff the Protein Skimmer?

Some say yes, some say no.. can't get a straight answer.

Also.. read on some other boards that people have had serious algae blooms after using this stuff..

Any reefers have experience here?

ps. feed at night with the lights off? or actinics?

Thanking in advance !

RLB

[peacetypes6]

i feed whenever, turn off return pump and keep circ. pumps going. leave off for approx 45 mins (in my case) that up to you though and let your corals thrive. if you want something better culture your own, higher concentration and lower costs in the long run.

[Palting]

I target feed all my LPS and NPS. These are my corals that let out feeding tentacles, and they usuualy let these out at night. So, I target feed at night with all the lights off. I also turn ALL the pumps and powerheads off. I cover the coral with a food "cloud" for about 20-30 minutes. Then I turn the pumps back on. Any residual food gets caught by the mechaincal filters, and I rinse these once a week in tap water.

Sinularia, Kenya, GSP I do not target feed. They get whatever they get when I feed the fish or the other coral.

Anemone I target feed with silversides or shrimp. I spike these like a barbecue, touch it to the anemone and let the anemone take it. Pretty cool to see them swallow it. I have a BTA, several mini-maxis and several flower anemones.

[rbergmandc]

Thanks for the replies.. so being that I have only what I mentioned there for corals.. I don't need to target feed..

I'm hesitant to turn off ALL pumps as once i fell asleep and woke up to a dead tank..

SO… again.. remove filter sock? turnoff Skimmer?

[Palting]

If you still want to broadcast feed what coral you have, I would turn off just the return pump. With no circulation going to the sump, turn off the skimmer and leave the sock on. After 30 minutes of the food being circulated in-tank, turn the return pump and the skimmer on. You want to get the excess food out via the skimmer and the filter sock, otherwise they become detritus and lead to problems. IMO, HTH!

[rbergmandc]

Perfect explanation. Thank you.

I prefer to do it when the actinics are on so I dot forget to turn the pumps back on!

As well. Can I concurrently feed Cyclipeze shavings?

[IslandCrow]

Unfortunately, all of your questions are a bit moot, because your corals and your anemone do not consume phytoplankton. At best, it's going to act as a food source for other plankton and invertebrates in your tank (like copepods). But even there, phytoplankton tends to start clumping when the cells are dead, so the particulates may be too large for anything that would normally eat them. I'd recommend shaking it vigorously before use and also inbetween uses. Personally, I wouldn't use it at all. Live phytoplankton is far more suitable, and even that won't be consumed directly by your corals.

[rbergmandc]

Wow.. Excellent point.. It is unopened and I can return/exchange it for something else..

What would you recommend (bottles) to use for the corals mentioned.. i'd like to target the kenya and sinulara as they need it.. i currently target feed my BTA with krill.. 1-2x weekly..

[Palting]

Phyto of any type works best as food at the bottom of the food chain. Its is food for zooplankton and rotifers. And almost all coral will eat zooplankton and rotifers. So, I wouldn't get rid of it just yet. Do you have a refugium?

Sinularia derive most of their food by photosynthesis from their zooxanthellae. If your sinularia is not doing well, best to look at location and amount of light received. No amount of bottle feeding can compensate for inadequate light.

Kenya tree (Capnella sp.), OTOH, derive less of their nutrition from photosynthesis and more from gathering outside food. One of the available bottled products is Zooplanktos S or M or L. I use the S as part of the slurry I make, along with mysis, clam, and Coral Frenzy, for the LPS and NPS.

[rbergmandc]

Thanks Palting.. so you are saying a good Zooplanton food would be best.. I also use Reef Snow..

I need this to be a bit easier.. don't have time or resources to mix up "slurry's"

Thoughts?

[rbergmandc]

Thanks Palting.. so you are saying a good Zooplanton food would be best.. I also use Reef Snow..

I need this to be a bit easier.. don't have time or resources to mix up "slurry's"

Thoughts?

[Palting]

Don't mistake me for an expert :). I just muddle along like everybody else. For all I know, the coral may do fine just eating fish poop!! :D I just happen to have a mixed reef, and they all seem to be doing well with what I am doing. And what I am doing is make a hodge-podge food to feed anything and everything. Phyto, zoo, fozen food, powdered "coral food" that the LFS carries which just happens to be called Coral Frenzy, give it twice a week. Sometimes I change the combinations as the mood strikes me, not because of any scientific reason. I've also seeded my refugium and my DT with live pods and live phyto, and those are propagating and also providing food. If I were to chose just one bottled product, I would go with the smallest size zooplankton preparation available at your lfs for convenience and ease to feed your kenya tree. Just get 5 cc into a srynge and give it slowly upstream over the kenya tree.