On average, how many times a day does food drop into your tank?

[H2OPlayar]

Alright reefers. How much do you feed, and more importantly, how often?

Let's go with an average. I say I feed 6x a day. 4 rotations of an auto-feeder throughout the day, a breakfast of fresh or frozen often with a half sheet of nori, then a dinner.

Sometimes it is 7 or more because I am home more. I do coral foods too, but let's just count fish feedings here. Sometimes I use flakes also, but no auto feeder for the flakes.

I believe most people underfeed so lets see the results.

 

[Arvin R]

I'm currently at 2 heavy feedings plus nori anytime I see the clip empty. I need to start using my autofeeders and get a food ring for pellets. Reef nutrition TDO states to store in a fridge. Would it be ok to keep an auto feeder stocked with these or must they remain in a fridge until you throw them into the tank?

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Alright reefers. How much do you feed, and more importantly, how often?

Let's go with an average. I say I feed 6x a day. 4 rotations of an auto-feeder throughout the day, a breakfast of fresh or frozen often with a half sheet of nori, then a dinner.

Sometimes it is 7 because I am home more. I do coral foods too, but let's just count fish feedings here.

I believe most people underfeed so lets see the results.

What you said...

 

[NickRoseSN1985]

I don't have a specific amount a day. I put 2 cubes of homemade frozen food in a cup and feed small amounts from this through out the day. On my days off that's from 10am to 7pm, on my work days that can be from 12pm or 3pm to 7pm. Half Sheet of Nori each day. AB+, DR. Tim's EcoBalance each night. Twice a week at 9pm I feed 2 teaspoons of baby brine shrimp, 1 teaspoon of yeast, half teaspoon of coral food (I have 4 to pick from, Benereef, Coral Frenzy Powder, Reef roids, Goniopwer).

 

[Darkxerox]

I'm currently at 2 heavy feedings plus nori anytime I see the clip empty. I need to start using my autofeeders and get a food ring for pellets. Reef nutrition TDO states to store in a fridge. Would it be ok to keep an auto feeder stocked with these or must they remain in a fridge until you throw them into the tank?

TDO is fine for up to two weeks at RT according to their rep and website: https://reefnutrition.com/pages/tdo-faq

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Everything has everything

 

[Blaise006]

Display

3 sheets of nori daily

6 auto feeder pellet spins per day

3-5 cubes of frozen

Frag tank

9 auto feeder pellet spins smallest setting

6 auto feeder coral food spins smaller setting

2-4 frozen cubes

 

[H2OPlayar]

Display

3 sheets of nori daily

6 auto feeder pellet spins per day

3-5 cubes of frozen

Frag tank

9 auto feeder pellet spins smallest setting

6 auto feeder coral food spins smaller setting

2-4 frozen cubes

Hey, you do feed your tanks now! Nice!

 

[Marcus H]

I have 10 small fish so I feed a 1 cube of frozen or 1/2 with a some pellets plus either rotifers, phyto, oyster or reef roids. I split it up over 2-3 feedings a day. Couple times a week I'll do nori rubber banded to a rock.

I haven't tested in a long time but Santa brought me some Hanna checkers. Nitrate was at zero (phos was 0.02). Probably will feed the same but shorten the light cycle on the fuge.

 

[L/B Block]

I'm currently at 2 heavy feedings plus nori anytime I see the clip empty. I need to start using my autofeeders and get a food ring for pellets. Reef nutrition TDO states to store in a fridge. Would it be ok to keep an auto feeder stocked with these or must they remain in a fridge until you throw them into the tank?

You can keep the pellets in an auto feeder per the rep I met at reeefapooloza this summer. He says you will know if they ever go bad as they will go rank on you.

not sure which auto feeder you are using. Gave up on the neptune AFS as it was really unpredictable in terms of dropping food. Sometimes the proper amount. Sometimes too little and sometimes dumped a ton of food.

 

[L/B Block]

Alright reefers. How much do you feed, and more importantly, how often?

Let's go with an average. I say I feed 6x a day. 4 rotations of an auto-feeder throughout the day, a breakfast of fresh or frozen often with a half sheet of nori, then a dinner.

Sometimes it is 7 or more because I am home more. I do coral foods too, but let's just count fish feedings here. Sometimes I use flakes also, but no auto feeder for the flakes.

I believe most people underfeed so lets see the results.

5x a day with the avast autofeeder.

 

[derek_SR]

Frozen for breakfast and dinner, nori on a clip in the morning, and 2x TDO auto feeds on the avast. Sometimes they get frozen for lunch too if I'm home

Average about 5.5 probs...

 

[H2OPlayar]

Follow up question for those of you only feeding 1-3 times a day, are you having trouble keeping your nutrients (nitrates/phosphates) up?

For those of you in the 5-7 range, do you have plenty of nutrients (nitrates/phosphates)?

 

[Arvin R]

My nutrients are on the higher side on all my tanks even with just the 2 feedings a day. I haven't tested nutrients on my 225 yet but just upped that to 5 feedings a day and got tdo in my autofeeder. 2 feedings of a bunch of frozen. 2 feedings of tdo and nori all day so I consider nori as 1 feeding

 

[Blaise006]

I test 3x a week. Keeping nutrients up is challenging and still being supplemented with dosing nutrients. Mid test right now actually

 

[NickRoseSN1985]

I started dosing vinegar 2+ months ago because of high Po4/No3. The Po4 was over 1ppm and No3 was over 100ppm. Right now Po4 is .07ppm but No3 is still near 100ppm. I’ve backed off the vinegar so I don’t bottom out Po4.

 

[Arvin R]

Feeding time!

 

[Kensington Reefer]

Yummy!
more variety at once
and I would leave the flow on

 

[derek_SR]

Follow up question for those of you only feeding 1-3 times a day, are you having trouble keeping your nutrients (nitrates/phosphates) up?

For those of you in the 5-7 range, do you have plenty of nutrients (nitrates/phosphates)?

As a 5-6/day feeder, my Nitrates are rock steady around 10p, but my phosphates are .13 and always climbing - which I try to manage with GFO. Not that I'm a huge believer in nutrient ratios, my natrate : phosphate seems really low compared to others, and it's odd that I struggle to keep phosphate down while Nitrates don't move. I'm considering just doing away with GFO and seeing how high the phosphates actually go...

Anyone else have experience with this? or thoughts?

 

[Blaise006]

I test

As a 5-6/day feeder, my Nitrates are rock steady around 10p, but my phosphates are .13 and always climbing - which I try to manage with GFO. Not that I'm a huge believer in nutrient ratios, my natrate : phosphate seems really low compared to others, and it's odd that I struggle to keep phosphate down while Nitrates don't move. I'm considering just doing away with GFO and seeing how high the phosphates actually go...

Anyone else have experience with this? or thoughts?

I test my nutrients very frequently. My experience is that PO4 will move independently of no3. Some days no3 is not changed and po4 will increase by 50%, or any number of combinations inbetween. Here are my charts. Maybe I should check my correlation coefficient sometime to see if it’s significant.

Frag tank

Display: a bit more trendy than the frag tank