acro feeding

[t gallo]

i have read that most sps really dont feed on pyhto, and that zooplakton would be the ideal food for acro's , can i get some input on what i can use to keep the acro's fed and happy. im currently useing a product called selcon but would like to find something a little better if there is such a product or a home made recipe. thanks

 

[AF Founder]

i have read that most sps really dont feed on pyhto, and that zooplakton would be the ideal food for acro's , can i get some input on what i can use to keep the acro's fed and happy. im currently useing a product called selcon but would like to find something a little better if there is such a product or a home made recipe. thanks

I and many other experienced reef keepers grow Acropora spp very well without any attempt to target feed them. They get most of their nutrition from their symbiotic algae (zooxanthallae) and whatever they can get from the water column -- perhaps bacteria. Their growth rates under these conditions easily approximate growth rates in the wild. Their growth rates are especially influenced by low PO4 levels and intense light. IOW, the better the water quality and the brighter the illumination the faster the growth.

 

[t gallo]

thanks af founder, i agree with you about the symbiotic algae but im sure that they would be a lot healthier with zooplakton feedings . im not really trying to target feed them just would like to add some roti's or myasid shrimp larve to the water colum and keep them in suspension, and was wondering if there were any good sites to purchase them. :lol:

 

[Biogeek]

I agree with Terry that water conditions and lighting will ultimately be the most important factors for keeping these guys healthy in the aquarium, but there is also good evidence that particulate food does indeed increase growth rate in SPS. So, if you're looking to feed them, rotifers are easily available from numerous online suppliers, and easy to grow (e.g., info here). You're not going to find mysid nauplii anywhere, but Reed Mariculture now sells live rotifers, mysids (which are far too large for your corals) and copepods (your best choice) for feeding to aquaria. There is also an excellent freeze-dried copepod product (Cyclop-Eeze) for aquaculture applications that is likely to find its way into the hobby market before long...

Rob