Tiny treats: How do you feed powdered food?

[Peace River]

Tiny treats: How do you feed powdered food?

There are lots of different ways to feed corals. From live foods to light, from target feeding to relying on what is in the water column, corals may be able to get their nutrition from a wide variety of sources. Of course, it is important to do your research and find out what your corals need. If you choose to feed your corals with powdered coral food, how do you distribute the powdered food? Do you use a baster or pipette? Do you premix it in a cup and pour it in? Has anyone figured out a creative way to dose powdered food? Maybe you aren’t feeding your corals with the powdered food, but you are feeding powdered food to the fry or live food. Some people put containers over certain corals when they target feed, other broadcast generously to the whole tank, and still other reefers avoid powdered food completely because of their concern for the impact on water parameters. Tell us about your experience with feeding powdered food to your tank and please share any tips!

Photo by @Alpha Aquaculture

 

[vetteguy53081]

I use target feeder pipette stylr

 

[tunedtank]

I have powdered foods mixed with pellets in an avast auto feeder and it doses them a couple times a day.

 

[BuddyBonButt]

Depends on the food. My procedure for powdered food closely follows my daily phyto and pod dose. I use a pipette to direct feed corals with feeding tentacles out. I also use a pipette to direct feed pods to my mandarin every day(dont let anyone tell you that you cant direct feed mandarins. If its a food they like, theyll eat it. Had a spout with a lfs worker). But then I broadcast feed phyto/powdered food for corals that don't really need direct feeding

 

[vlangel]

Twice a week I use a small half tsp of powder that I mix in a jelly jar. When it is dissolved and we'll mixed I pour it in front of the gyre.

 

[shwareefer]

I originally used a syringe with a piece of ro tubing. Suck it up, squirt it out. Eventually the plunger died on the syringe so I took it out and just pour the mixture into the top with the tubing aimed where I want. It's so much better, I'll never do it differently again.

 

[Rob3D2018]

I use 36 inch long stainless steel needles with different size syringes. These needles allow me to get right onto the corals I want to feed.

 

[Metcho]

I make food for my tank from Publix I buy shrimp, scallops,lobster, salmon and crab clusters and garlic. Grind it all up in cheese grader then add my powder food I buy at Bulk Reef Suply reef roids, Copepod Powder, brs reef chili,
Spirulina Powder and Paracoccus Powder. Mix all together and freeze and feed chunk daily so fish and corals get feed at same time.

 

[zoomonster]

I use the $1 plastic ketchup/mustard squirt bottles you can usually find at Walmart.

 

[NanJ]

Start with Polyp Booster then follow with BeneReef powder mixed with tank water. Sometimes we broadcast feed, sometimes we spot feed with a long pipette. We feed once a week. We have a good many fish so they contribute in their own ways to feeding the corals.

 

[Knr499]

This is what I use. Absolutely love the control by using the thumb wheel.

 

[design.maddie]

I have two ways I do it and I find both equally effective.

1.) Mix and Pour.
I will do this if I am shutting off my return pump for an extended time. Requires a much longer 'stand around tank' time.

2.) Baster.
I do this much more often. direct feed every last drop. I turn off the wavemarkers and skimmer but leave the return pump on. I figure it is a boost of food for the pods in the fuge also. Plus, I do have zoas down there.


I personally find that the time of the day matters way more than which option here.

 

[tigre44]

I mix oyster eggs , phytoplankton , and reef roids with water mix together an pour in various places in the tank after turning off the sump return pump

 

[mucky1957]

can I piggy back this and ask..what powered foods do you all use...are any available in the UK

 

[Mortgaged Reefs]

In the ocean they feed on plankton, and micro organisms correct? I do feed mine every couple months or so but why do we feed them ground food powder? It’s like McDonald’s for corals… probably not the best choice lol. I overfeed my fish and dose a healthy amount of AB+ and that seems to do the trick.

 

[The_Skrimp]

I keep the leftover meaty bits that settle at the bottom of the cup from yesterday’s frozen fish food and mix that up with reefroids or coral frenzy powder and AB+. I use one of those 5 mil syringes from an old salifert testing kit if i want to spot feed everything directly. Otherwise to broadcast feed I just use a pipet and squirt it toward my coral as I feed. That said, some of these posts are giving me ideas!

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I use a syringe, with a long piece of Lee’s Rigid Airline, to be able to reach the back. Short piece of Silicone Air Line, for the syringe to tube, and short piece at the end in case I bump the Coral, while feeding.

 

[G Santana]

Target feed with a long thin baster

 

[shakacuz]

mix and pour.

 

[bud_rick]

I put a couple drops of oyster feast in the tank and wait 10 mins or until I see a good feeding response. Then I mix oyster feast phytofeast, reef roids, R.O.E. and 5x volume of water to spot feed or broadcast feed with. Everything in the tank loves the combo, even the hammers and frogspawn.