Feeding the Imaginary Fish

[PlaneReefer]

So I'm in the middle of my cycle, and just want to make sure I'm doing things right.

When you feed these so called imaginary fishes, are you supposed to turn off your pumps? I have some IO flakes and I notice most of it gets sucked into the overflow.

What is the proper way to feed these imaginary fishes?

[tanzer16]

+1 on that

i've been doing the same......been ghost feeding and many get sucked right down overflow.......i've been trying to poke some under water before they get sucked up......seems to work somewhat.

[PlaneReefer]

I posted this on another forum that is more local to me. I got the response that it doesn't matter because the goal is to get the ammonia cycle going. Actual fish would require the pumps off so they could actually eat the food.

I'll let you know if I hear different.

[tanzer16]

thanks....appreciate that. i kinda of figured that it would all create ammonia no matter where it ends up, but wasn't sure. thanks for the post.

how far along in cycle are you?

[Breadman03]

Howdy Tanzer! I'm all of 20 minutes from you in Freeland. We're saving to buy a place in Mt. Top.

The main thing is allowing organic material to break down in the water. As long as your skimmer isn't pulling it out right away, don't worry about it.

[hogfanreefer]

Everything I've read said the skimmer should be off till the cycle is finished and you add real life livestock?

[wooden_reefer]

So I'm in the middle of my cycle, and just want to make sure I'm doing things right.

When you feed these so called imaginary fishes, are you supposed to turn off your pumps? I have some IO flakes and I notice most of it gets sucked into the overflow.

What is the proper way to feed these imaginary fishes?

The purpose of feeding the imaginery fish is to sustain or create high population of good bacteria.

All it takes is for the food to decay.

I should say two things.

1. If there is livestock in the tank of concern, you have to be careful. First, you can play the game to their detriment if ammonia is really too much and if they eat too much. Some fish can die from overeating, not just ammonia generated by excess food. If there is livestock already, be sure you overfeed just by very little and the excess food should be placed into the sump.

2. If there is no livestock now, best to administer ammonia in a rather large pulse. That is, to allow a significant amount to decay and in very finely chopped or blended form.

[wooden_reefer]

If there is already livestock, I prefer to never ghost feed.

I prefer to cycle in a separate container and then add cycled medium into the tank.

Ghost feeding with livestock often works well, if you are careful, but I just don't do it. I find cycling separately very easy and riskless.

[rwb500]

you might as well start learning to push the flake food underwater. no reef fish naturally feeds from the surface, and if you let flakes float many fish will not eat any before they get down the overflow.

[keithhays]

Planereefer, I haven't laughed like that in a while. Keep everything running, except the lights, let the skimmer run back into the sump.

This reminds of a story: about 25 years ago, I was a chef in restaurant training a new cook. She was making a sauce, I told her to add a bottle wine and reduce it by 2/3rds. She dumped in the bottle of wine stirred it up and promptly dumped out 2/3rds.

[PlaneReefer]

Planereefer, I haven't laughed like that in a while. Keep everything running, except the lights, let the skimmer run back into the sump.

This reminds of a story: about 25 years ago, I was a chef in restaurant training a new cook. She was making a sauce, I told her to add a bottle wine and reduce it by 2/3rds. She dumped in the bottle of wine stirred it up and promptly dumped out 2/3rds.

What's funny about what I'm asking?

thanks....appreciate that. i kinda of figured that it would all create ammonia no matter where it ends up, but wasn't sure. thanks for the post.

how far along in cycle are you?

About 14 or 15 days, Ammonia is between .5 and 1ppm, still 0 on the Nitrates and Nitrites...I'm using the API tests, but I'm going to pick up some elos kits later this week.

you might as well start learning to push the flake food underwater. no reef fish naturally feeds from the surface, and if you let flakes float many fish will not eat any before they get down the overflow.

Would you suggest pellets instead?

[Breadman03]

Would you suggest pellets instead?

None of my fish are interested in my flake food, unless I refuse to give them anything else. I feed pellets, frozen mysis, Marine Cuisine, and nori (a marine algae). I plan on getting some Cyclopeeze on my next trip to the LFS. There are many good foods, but offering a variety is more likely to meet the nutritional needs of your livestock. Of course, that doesn't mean to feed a greater volume than necessary.

[keithhays]

I appologize for the funny remark, it was not right. The turning off the pumps idea has to do with giving the fish the ability to eat the food before it is washed into the filter system. Since you actually have no fish, that rule is not needed. Everything will function exactly the way it is supposed to if running except lights and the protein skimmer. With the protein skimmer, leave it on full bore letting it just run back into your sump. This will aerate the water and not filter out what you are trying to turn into ammonia.

Speaking of ammonia: better than fish food would be either ammonium chloride or pure white janitorial ammonia from the hardware store dosed to 3ppm and maintained until the tank cycles it and the resulting nitrite in 24 hours.

Also, if you do use food, it doesn't really matter what kind.

[Olof]

Back to the floating flakes issue.... dip a small cup into your tank - put your flakes in - swirl for a few seconds - dump into tank. Problem solved.

[worm5406]

Ya know... just get in the habbit of turning things off.

Practice makes perfect. That way you can also determine where the switch/items are even in the darkest of night.

When ever ghost feeding I turn off the skimmer... But leave the other running. I turn off the tank/feed mode every other time I feed. That give me a chance to look and see the flow slow down and find dead spots or what ever.