Feeding Corlas?

[tmelhiser]

I've always wondered, but guess it's about time to ask... I have several different types of corals that like meaty things.

1 Torch Coral with about 8-10 heads.

1 Candy Cane (Trumpet Coral) with about 17-18 heads

These two I figure I need to ultimately feed each head in order for the whole coral to get a full balanced diet.

Then there are the other types... ones that have interconnected tissue.

1 Red Lobo (I guess it's an open brain coral) with about 7-8 mouths

1 Green Favia with about 50 mouths

1 Purple Pineapple Coral also with about 80 mouths

1 Bubble Coral with about 6 mouths

These corals that have connected tissue, do you need to feed each of these mouths? Or will feeding a few nourish the whole creature?

Thanks,

-Travis

PS: Thanks Google Images for helping me find photo's...

PSS: Sure wish I knew how to spell Corals... but I suppose Corlas need love too.

[fishypets]

I like to feed my LPS at least twice a week. I've found that in my tank the LPS have their sweepers out 30 minutes to one hour after the lights go out. I target feed each coral via turkey baster coral food which I bought at Kingfish.

[subsea]

If I had to feed each coral head individually, "the thrill would be gone". While I do feed some LPS individually, I make my own coral food from an Erick Boreman recepie and I feed the whole tank heavily. I also rely on the refugium to continually feed coral and fish. Then again, I do not use a protein skimmer, so I am sure that what I do would probably not work for you.

Pat

[tmelhiser]

If I don't have the lights on, the shrimp and snails seem to steal all the food from the mouths of the corals. So I am constantly playing rodeo round-up cowboy, pulling the snails and shrimp off the corals.

I guess this goes back to my original question... do all the mouths need food?

I have one coral that had gotten a tip of it's flesh burried in sand for a few days and has started receding. I want to make sure that it gets enough nutrition to grow back... but does the mouth nearest the stress need the food, or will any mouth do?

thanks guys,

-Travis

[GKarshens]

If it is a coral with a common skeleton (aka brains, etc) I do not worry too much about hitting every mouth. If each head has it's own base (aka Candy canes, etc) I do. You can use a 2 liter coke bottle cut in half to put a dome over the coral after feeding it to keep the critters off of it until it has swallowed.