So what's on the menu?

910 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by Reefdude5, Sep 19, 2003

Reefdude5

Discussion Starter · Sep 18, 2003

Hey everyone! First off, good luck to those in Isabell's path, including me

. Well after reading some of the archives I've decided that I want to reduce my feeding schedual down from 2xday to 1xday and eventually once every other day. This is probably contributing to the HORRIFIC hair algae problems that i'm having, I mean HORRIFIC

But my question is: does the green brittle star, red serpent star, Carpet anemone, and Bulb tip anemone need to be feed every day. Btw I found the BTA! :dance: I don't want to overfeed but I don't want to make any of those critters hungry enough to sneek up on the poor little sleeping gobies and dragonet!

So, any ideas? Oh, I forgot, I'm feeding Frozen formula 1. I've been trying to feed those critters with half a block to a full block every day. And I haven't had great luck with feeding the carpet, would feeding everyother day reduce this problem?

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tdwyatt

· #2 · Sep 18, 2003

Heh!!! Leading the menu on tonight's specials: SUSHI !!!

The sea star is the only potential problem, as it will search for sleeping fishes and if possible, entrap and eat them. Fortunately dragonets sleep in a mucous cocoon, so it will be at less risk, but the other fishes will be like Daffy Duck... ...it's always Duck Season for Elmer. Target feeding will help, I would suggest training it with a 0.5cm^2 piece of shrimp on a bamboo skewer to make sure that the sea star actually gets the shrimp. Every other day should be sufficient.

I might suggest that you try to drop your system's phosphate load (trust me, even though it doesn't show on the tests, with heavy feeding it is there...). I don't care for any of the products on the market for this with the exception of Julian's new stuff (uses Iron as Ferric oxide/hydroxide instead of Aluminum to remove the phosphate). Heavy filamentatious algae will lock up the nutrients including the excessive nitrates as well, so daily harvesting of as much biomass as you can get at the end of the photoperiod, along with replacing whatever seawater you remove with fresh SW will help end the nuisance bloom your system is experiencing.

HTH...

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Alice

· #3 · Sep 18, 2003

Prepared foods, even the frozen ones can be high in phosphates and other yucks you don't want in your tank. Think of the food like an additive because what you put in there stays in there, in some form or other, until it is removed by either skimming, syphoning or water changes.

Do a search for "blender mush" and you'll find some good recipes for home made frozen fish/coral food.

Alice

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Reefdude5

Discussion Starter · #4 · Sep 18, 2003

Kool! Thanks you all. Right now I'm using a phosphate sponge and rigourous water changes. The phosphate sponge has lowered my phosphate to 0. Are you suggesting that it is still there in an undetictible form? And my nitrates are 15 or so

NOt horrible but i'm still working on lowering them, primarily by feeding less, which i'll start tonight! And how often do the anemones need to be fed? Every once in a while?

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Doug1

· #5 · Sep 18, 2003

Ouch, if you have a reading of 15 with all that algae going on, the actual #'s must be scary

GOod luck defeating the algae, persistence and patience will pay off in time

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Alice

· #6 · Sep 18, 2003

Once or twice a week with the anemones should be enough. Try feeding them a small piece of shrimp, krill, fish or a small silverside. Silversides are tiny frozen fish usually available through LFS.

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Reefdude5

Discussion Starter · #7 · Sep 19, 2003

Can you get silversides at the grocery store, my LFS doesn't carry them. And ummm... what do they look like?

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