I purposely didn't call this "feeding the fish" or "feeding the corals"
because we all know we have to feed those.
I use an automatic feeder to feed the "tank" itself.
Much of the livestock in a well established tank is not fish or corals. There are all sorts of things living in there that came by accident that we should strive to cultivate. I have always felt that most tanks are much too sterile. I know a lot of people like that look but IMO it is not healthy. I also know about nitrate but that is a different thing for a different thread.
In "my" tank at least there are hundreds or maybe thousands of brittlestars, tube worms, amphipods, copepods, spaghetti worms, bristle worms etc. I like these creatures as much or more than the animals I paid for. A healthy population of "free" organisms provide food and filtration for a tank with the added benefit of making it much more natural.
When I feed my tank, I see numerous arms poking out of every crevace. Tiny snails that I can hardly see start slinking around and the spaghetti worms
come to life. Of course the larger hermit crabs have excellent odor receptors and head straight for the food.
In my automatic feeder I put some flakes and pellets. Of course the fish eat some of it, but the rest manages to make it to all the crevaces to feed these other, (more interesting in my opinion) animals.
If they were larger and we could see them better, they are many times more interesting than fish. Much of this stuff is right out of science fiction.
If it were not for these organisms I would not be able to keep tiny clown gobies, blue stripe pipefish and mandarins.
They grow naturally in the sea and I feel theuy should populate our tanks.
They, of course have to be added from somewhere and a portion of them come on good quality live rock but they must be fed.
Just my opinion of course. How do you feel about this?
because we all know we have to feed those.
I use an automatic feeder to feed the "tank" itself.
Much of the livestock in a well established tank is not fish or corals. There are all sorts of things living in there that came by accident that we should strive to cultivate. I have always felt that most tanks are much too sterile. I know a lot of people like that look but IMO it is not healthy. I also know about nitrate but that is a different thing for a different thread.
In "my" tank at least there are hundreds or maybe thousands of brittlestars, tube worms, amphipods, copepods, spaghetti worms, bristle worms etc. I like these creatures as much or more than the animals I paid for. A healthy population of "free" organisms provide food and filtration for a tank with the added benefit of making it much more natural.
When I feed my tank, I see numerous arms poking out of every crevace. Tiny snails that I can hardly see start slinking around and the spaghetti worms
come to life. Of course the larger hermit crabs have excellent odor receptors and head straight for the food.
In my automatic feeder I put some flakes and pellets. Of course the fish eat some of it, but the rest manages to make it to all the crevaces to feed these other, (more interesting in my opinion) animals.
If they were larger and we could see them better, they are many times more interesting than fish. Much of this stuff is right out of science fiction.
If it were not for these organisms I would not be able to keep tiny clown gobies, blue stripe pipefish and mandarins.
They grow naturally in the sea and I feel theuy should populate our tanks.
They, of course have to be added from somewhere and a portion of them come on good quality live rock but they must be fed.
Just my opinion of course. How do you feel about this?
