Another feeding question

[allan]

I target feed my coral as best as possible. Half the time I shut off my K4 pump to allow the target feeding to be more effective. I only do this 50% of the time because I am unsure as to whether this is a good practice or not.

Thoughts?

The other thing I was wondering about is whether I should turn off my skimmer for a period of time after I feed the coral. My thoughts are that if I have the skimmer running then I am removing the nutrients as I am adding them to the tank. I was thinking perhaps 24 hours off after a feeding...

Thoughts?

[vman181]

I like to turn off all my pumps including my return line. This way the food stays in the tank and not go in to the sump. Some times I will turn one pump on for just a bit to make sure I can get a good mixture around the tank. I don't leave them off for long, just enough to let everyone eat.

[Ping]

I myself do not believe in target feeding corals. Most of their energy comes from the symbiotic algae. The rest of their food will come from somewhere in the food chain you start when you feed your fish.

Too many nutrients in / may lead to long term problems.

[Bill S]

I'm also very careful about coral feeding. When my tank was loaded with SPS, I'd feed about once a week with coral food. Not a lot, either. Now, rarely.

My system is set up so that my return pump is on a timer. I shut it down for about 20 minutes when I feed.