Phytoplankton/Zooplankton feeding

[csloffer]

Does pretty much everyone add phyto, zoo, or both to their tanks to feed the filter feeders such as the live rock? How early should one start this? This tank is about 6 months old

In brief, 75 g tank, 150# LR, 75# LS, Only corals are one mushroom, one anthelia, one bubble coral. I feed the bubble directly with shrimp or fish pieces.

There are a few barnacles alive on the LR, and numerous porcelin crabs, and a few mollusks still alive. That's about it for the filter feeders.


Chris

[aquaman67]

You could use some of the foods out there, like DTs but I think you will end up polluting your water because you really don't have much of a bioload that needs it.

If you choose to feed, be careful not to add too much, which is easy to do.

You can also use "cyclop eeze"

The porcelain crabs will eat it. They also like frozen brine shrimp. Speaking of brine shimp, you can use frozen baby brine shrimp to feed filter feeders.

Sounds like you have florida rock...

[der_wille_zur_macht]

In a tank that big, with such a small amount of "filter" feeders, I'd skip any sort of food targeted at them - especially with that much live rock. Out of the livestock you've listed, the only thing I would bother to target feed would be the bubble, and you're already doing that.

If you do want to feed them, do it in very small amounts.

[csloffer]

I was told by one person that phyto might compete with other algae in the tank and decrease the amount of glass scraping required as well as guarantee nutrition for the tank residents. Thoughts?

Chris

[aquaman67]

ummm...no.

[iCam]

Originally posted by csloffer
Does pretty much everyone add phyto, zoo, or both to their tanks to feed the filter feeders such as the live rock?

I do feed my tank a little DT's phyto every now and then, but I usually restrict feeding it to my clam, and when I do, I put it in a bowl of water to feed.

[dragon_slayer]

Originally posted by aquaman67
ummm...no.

that would better be said as:

'Yes Live phytoplankton will compete with other algae in the system for nutrients in the water column, but tank conditions don't allow for a long lived life and the phyto then becomes a food source for these algae as well as tank inhabitants.' so don't dose live phyto thinking it's going to help with tank husbandry.

FWIW some of the scrapeings from the glass are phytoplankton

kc