[nineball69]

I have australian acan and I was just wanting some ideas on how you would feed them. I was spot feeding every head but it is time consuming so now i just mix and put coral frenzy or oyster feast into the power heads for distribution in the tank. Should I shut off the circulation in the tank? Should I shut off the refugium while feeding? I do shut of my protein skimmer for a couple of hours post feeding. My acan has about 40heads..
My acan is doing very well spot feeding so I was hesitant on the feeding change. Suggestions from current acan reefers with success.

 

[iyachtuxivm]

If you want the best growth keep spot feeding it. Any of the things you list above can help when you broadcast feed. You really cant beat just feeding the acan though.

 

[nineball69]

I figured that spot feeding would be the best way. I will continue to spot feed them even though it is somewhat time consuming the growth in amazing. Before I made a bad decision I was indeed looking for some input so thank you.

 

[Jessemac]

You can always do both. I spot feed once or twice a week and tank feed daily. Though, the amounts are only a 2ml's a day. sometimes 3ml and sometimes none, completely random mix of Oyster feast and Phyto Feast. I target feed with Mysis Feast, Roti Feast and Cod Eggs.

 

[Dechamp]

acans

This may speed up the process. First you need to get a turkey baster. Mix your concoction in a small glass of tank water. Meaning add your favorite coral foods. ie. frozen mysis, coral frenzie, oyster eggs. Turn off all pumps and skimmers. Take your turkey baster and fill it with your concoction and lightly blast the mix over your acans. If you have other LPS/SPS/softies this works for them also. I like mixing up different sizes of foods (Microns) to keep everyone Happy. Try to keep those pumps off for at least 10 minutes. I would leave the skimmer off even longer.

Hope this helps

Bob

 

[Fade2White12]

This may speed up the process. First you need to get a turkey baster. Mix your concoction in a small glass of tank water. Meaning add your favorite coral foods. ie. frozen mysis, coral frenzie, oyster eggs. Turn off all pumps and skimmers. Take your turkey baster and fill it with your concoction and lightly blast the mix over your acans. If you have other LPS/SPS/softies this works for them also. I like mixing up different sizes of foods (Microns) to keep everyone Happy. Try to keep those pumps off for at least 10 minutes. I would leave the skimmer off even longer.

Hope this helps

Bob

Great advice. I take this one step farther, though. I like to take an empty 20 oz (or larger depending on the size of the colony) pop bottle, cut it, and place it over top of the colony. I then use the turkey baster technique and spray inside. This helps to keep the coral in a suspended "cloud" of food while protecting it from food-thieving shrimp, crabs, and fish. It also helps to ensure that all heads get fed - which is especially important if you're feeding a non-photosynthetic colony of dendros or sun corals.

 

[Spike]

Be careful, excess nutrients can become a BIG issue. Speaking from expereince the cyano took off like crazy when I fed my acans too much. Just keep an eye on things and perform water changes.

 

[Jessemac]

Great advice. I take this one step farther, though. I like to take an empty 20 oz (or larger depending on the size of the colony) pop bottle, cut it, and place it over top of the colony. I then use the turkey baster technique and spray inside. This helps to keep the coral in a suspended "cloud" of food while protecting it from food-thieving shrimp, crabs, and fish. It also helps to ensure that all heads get fed - which is especially important if you're feeding a non-photosynthetic colony of dendros or sun corals.

I have heard of others doing this too. I think it is a great idea but, I haven't implemented it yet. I may start to once I have more fish in my tank. I too agree that there is a risk of nutrient overload. Caution is always needed. I only target feed like this once a week sometimes twice.
Today for instance I turned off all my pumps minus my return which is only about 300gph. I mixed up of 1ml of each; Cod eggs, Mysis Feast, 2ml of Roti Feast, 1/2ml of Phyto Feast. Took a small turkey baster and gently covered each coral in a cloud of food, I left the pumps off for 30 minutes and then turned on back on every couple minutes until they were all running.

 

[nineball69]

Great advice, I'm going to try the pop bottle technique to compare its effectiveness against spot feeding every head. This seems to be a more efficient way of feeding my acans without the fear of scavangers eating up all my coral food.