Overfeeding a BB tank.

[Geoff]

is it possible to overfeed a properly setup BB tank?

think about this for a minute.

G~

[Chief]

I don't thinks so. I think the key is to overskim with high turnover. In fact I think it is better to overfeed the BB. The system can become too clean. There were a few people having trouble with there BB tanks until the started to "overfeed". Now they are doing great.

jay

[Mike O'Brien]

Not IMO. Mine was fed a large pureed BTA once and had no problem.

[Wiskey]

That really depends on your export, it you are getting everything out, then you can't over feed, but if your skimming, flow, or overflow to sump rates are sub par then yes you definitally can over feed.

Plus if you feed so much at one shot that you get an ammonia spike, then you definitally over fed.

Yep, I think you can, but it is not as easy as a SB tank,
Whiskey

[Mike O'Brien]

Yeah, but he did say properly set up.

[Weatherman]

I’d be concerned about excess food sticking to rocks, and sticking to little things growing on the rocks. Without literally having pounding waves in your tank, stuff will stick to the rockwork and once stuck will start to decay.

I think it’s possible to feed a substrate-free tank much more than a tank with a sand bed (or filter pads, bioballs, bags of carbon, or anything else which might trap food), but unless you remove the rock, it is possible to over feed.

[REEF-DADDY]

Feeding my BB tank about 6 cubes or the like per day and trates are a non issue. I think may BB reefers get caught up in the " low nutrient" mentality and don't feed enough.

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by Weatherman

I’d be concerned about excess food sticking to rocks, and sticking to little things growing on the rocks. Without literally having pounding waves in your tank, stuff will stick to the rockwork and once stuck will start to decay.

I think it’s possible to feed a substrate-free tank much more than a tank with a sand bed (or filter pads, bioballs, bags of carbon, or anything else which might trap food), but unless you remove the rock, it is possible to over feed.

any larger chunks of food should be finished off by the bristleworms or any other micro predators that are in the system. anything really small should be processed by the bacteria and turgored out as detritus to be removed either by you and Mr. Siphon or the water change.

i feel that with BB systems we should be able to keep several of the feed often planktonivores more easily (some of the small stomached Anthias).

G~

[Hawkfish]

I would think that it is possible to overfeed any system, bb or not based on the amount of nutrient export.

[NoSchwag]

I don't know if it's possible to overfeed or not, but I know that reef daddy feeds a ton of frozen food, and like 2 sheets of nori a day.

I was scared to overfeed my tank until I saw what this guy feeds, I personally don't even eat that much in a day. Has anyone else seen someone feed a few sheets of nori a day?

[Weatherman]

A few sheets a day? You’ve got to be kidding.

I thought my two Rabbitfish were piggys, but they’d never finish off even one sheet in a day.


You know what a well known Florida Keys resident says about nori, don't you?

[NoSchwag]

He has like 5 huge tangs. Weatherman when I saw him feeding my eyes bugged out of my head.

[NoSchwag]

I'm probably eggaderating on the few sheets, but it's still more than I've ever seen anyone feed. Nuts I say!

I believe he says it's full of phospahtes I think. But you couldn't tell by looking at his tank.

[Weatherman]

"phosphates on a sheet"

[Geoff]

Originally Posted by Weatherman

"phosphates on a sheet"

i agree with this statement, but the question is, what do tangs need to survive? i am guessing that since they are herbivores anyway they must get a fair amount of energy from phosphates. if this is the case than these foods are needed for them to be healthy.

this brings up the next point. why have herbivores in the system if they need phosphates for energy?

G~