What is your procedure on feeding?

[Stidd]

I'm curious as I have not yet found a method that works for me.

Do you turn off your pumps?
Do you turn off your skimmer?
What if your skimmer is in the sump?

Most of the food floats around and gets sucked up by the overflow right? So How do you avoid losing food to the overflow/sump?

If you turn off your pumps, how long are they off for?
How often do you feed?

Ocean Nutrition seemed to be adding to my Cyano problem because of Dissolved Organic Compounds (DOC). I've switched to Hikari because of this. Seems like cyano is being tamed.

Do you leave your flow pumps on to keep the water moving the food around so nothing gets stuck in the rocks?

Guy

[sharky_steve]

if you're having those problems you're probably feeding way too much.

[SDguy]

Well, since I got sick of turning off pumps and skimmers, I just chose food that I can control. I only use frozen food, so it doesn't float. I would always chop it into bite sized pieces. I would always feed using a long piece of airline tubing like a straw, and only add small portions of food at a time, so every piece is consumed. The airline tubing also allowed for target feeding of shyer fish and/or corals without having to dump food throughout the whole tank. It also allowed to expell food in places where I know the current wouldn't immediately blow it behind a rock.

hth

[lfjewett]

I turn off all my pumps ( closed loop and return ) about 2 minutes before feeding. I mix up a batch of flake/brine/mysis and optionally cyclopeeze twice a week in a small cup with tank water. I pour 1/2 of the mixture in the tank in 2 spots and watch to see how much the fishies eat. After about 2 minutes if there is nothing left floating I add the rest.. The first dose got the attention of my serpant star and nass snails and I let some of the second batch float to the floor. I leave the pumps off for about 15 minutes. I kick on the Closed loop for 5 minutes more, this will cause any leftovers to get thrown all around and the fish normally make quick work of the leftovers. Then the return pump goes back on.

[rhiggsbear]

When I used "dry" food, I would soak it in Selcon or plain tank water. Then i would use a long piece of plastic tubing and a syringe to feed small portions at a time. I would l the pumps and skimmer running.

As a matter of fact, I used the same procedure for fresh and frozen food.

[Fountainhead]

I only turn off the pumps when I feed frozen foods (such as mysis shrimp). I leave the pumps on when I feed flake. I take a pinch of the flake food between my thumb and forefinger and hold it under the water in line with the return. I let it go in the flow of the return and it just flies all over the tank. (Holding it beneath the water for 3 or 4 seconds insures that it won't float in the surface and go down the overflow right away.) The fish (a pair of clowns, a yellow tang, a flame angel, and some green chromis) go absolutely nuts chasing it down from one end of the tank to the other.

It's great exercise for them. Who wants fat lazy fish?

[Ciarán]

Most of the food floats around and gets sucked up by the overflow right? So How do you avoid losing food to the overflow/sump?

I feed every little morsel of food seperately and every single bit is eaten by either a fish, shrimp or coral. My inverts get pretty much nothing as it is all gone - IMHO their job is to eat algae, not expensive food (If i have an invert that is carnivorous, then obviously ill feed it too). I add flake/frozen/dried foods bite by bite either by a pipette or feeding stick. I dont let float around whatsoever - why? Wasted money as its not being eaten, wasted time in cleaning the extra algae it will produce on decomposing and it will reduce the effectiveness of your filtration by adding nutrients that are pointlessly thrown in. I turn all my pumps off for about 5-10 mins for fish and anemone feeding and about 20-30 for corals and filter feeders.

[Stidd]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7998056#post7998056 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sharky_steve
if you're having those problems you're probably feeding way too much.

1/4 of a cube of frozen with a pinch of flake... Every other day...

Thanks everyone for sharing your techniques!

Good Stuff

[maddyfish]

I put the food into a medium size net, put the net into the tank, the fish swim into the net, get their food, swim out. No lost food, and it makes it very easy to remove or inspect a fish.

[oldsaltman]

I have one powerhead near the corner where I feed. I put it on a switch where I can turn it on/off. When I turn it off everyone knows it's time. I mix flake/krill/pellet together with some liquid garlic and it sinks into the water. After that is gone I feed the frozen mixture (desert). Then I turn the powerhead back on...:smokin: