[MCsaxmaster]

Ron Shimek wrote an article a few years back pointing out that the way that people usually feed reef tanks (a few or less feedings per day of highly nutricious food) is literally backwards of the how reef organisms feed in nature. In nature food for most reef animals (save larger predators) comes in many, many tiny little pieces over the entire day (or night, as the case may be) and that the nutritional quality is relatively much lower. The animals digest the food better and produce less waste, though they get the same or better nutrition. Also, most reef animals just aren't very well designed to deal with larger, less frequent meals. Their digestive tracts are made for many small meals, not few big ones.

This is something that could/would make a huge difference in so many aspects of reef husbandry. Better fed fish are generally far less territorial. Better fed animals are generally much healthier and more productive (growth and reproduction). With smaller meals digestion is more thorough and excreted waste is reduced, reducing nutrient/algae problems.

There are a few pratical limitations to get this all to work exactly right, but think of how easy this could be if we did solve those few limitations. Most folks have their lights on timers. Why shouldn't we have automatic feeders too that provide good quality food at appropriately frequent intervals to give a least a closer approximation of what goes on in nature.

cj