Feeding with skimmate

dienerman · Jun 6, 2012

Hmmmm.......time for a test perhaps??????

Thatgrimguy · Jun 6, 2012

ezz1r said: ↑

Forum:
Just an observation ...Just the other day while doing maintenance in my sump i accidentally dropped the bottle brush i was using to clean the inside of my vertec skimmer's chamber and well the corals were let say HUGE! for about a day or so before returning to normal the minimal amount of skimate seemed to have an affect on the corals for sure....
E
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Stress causes poylp extension. Just saying. Many products add sugar to there mix too because it causes poylp extension. Polyp extension doesn't equal happy.

Anthony Calfo said: ↑

"Polyp extension is not a reliable sign of good health (or bad health). Store tanks often show better extension because of older or weaker lighting (the corals are panning for light when they overextend) or heavy bioloads (lots of extra carbon/sugars)

Some folks even cheat in their so-called coral vitamin products and the like by simply adding sugar. That will make your corals polyp out bigtime (though adding sugars is a bad long term habit). So when you hear people say "I LOVE the smell of X brand coral supplement...it smells like pear or apple juice!" Well..there is a reason wht it smells that way".
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Anthony Calfo said: ↑

Flow is only a mild influence in some cases (LPS receiving too much flow will stay retracted for safety, lest vessicles get torn from their bodies...LOL).

No...polyp extension is more about food/waste dynamics. Catching food, catching light (to an extent, as with the aforementioned panning for light all corals do in lower light environs), purging waste, etc

And keep in mind that one's hardware above the tank is not the end of the story. Just because the lights are big and bad doesn't mean they are good. A slight discoloration to the water from lack of carbon, ozone and or water changes can absolutely CRIPPLE light penetration at depth. So a bright looking fixture could still fail to support corals if the water its illuminating isn't maintained.

Also, a small amount of dust or debris, salt crust, etcetera on the bulbs or lenses is likewise crippling to light penetration.

For whatever reason, if the light doesnt reach the corals, they will stretch and pan for it in an attempt to spread out zoox and catch more of the weakly available light.

Same goes for feeding. If corals don't get enough food/nitrogen, they will starve and also stretch polyps with the hope of increasing their chances of catching prey or trapping more debris in the high surface area of mucous covered tissue.

Another reason is to purge waste. But also purge debris. A particularly scummy mfg sells a "coral supplement" that is basically fine sand packaged in the South Pacific and sold in overpriced little jars. It is insoluble calcium carbonate!!! But it claims to benefit corals and improve polyp extension. Only one of those two things is true...and that's still not good. This coral sand/powder is sediment(!) that sticks to coral tissues and they have to expand to slough it off! That is biologically expensive to an animal already not getting peak bacterioplankton, zooplankton, etc

When I see big polyp expansion, I'm usually looking to see whats wrong. Its usually not a healthy sign. Prime example in the every day is the sps enthusiasts that keep zero nitrates, a low fish load, no DSB and no other significant means of delivering nutrition to their corals. As such, those frags pan for light for some months (even over a year if enough fish waste lets them hang in long enough) before they ?mysteriously" die and the sps keeper is puzzled. I'm just puzzled that they are puzzled. LOL

Basic biology here, thankfully so.
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dienerman · Jun 6, 2012

Allreighty then....not even worthy of a test!

FatBastad · Jun 6, 2012

nice post from Anthony Calfo

sanchezkk · Jun 6, 2012

Tell this guy to post a picture of the corals so we can see them.

Slacking02 · Jun 6, 2012

i don’t think your suppose to dump the entire skim-mate cup back into the tank, but maybe use a small amount to target feed?

gcarroll · Jun 6, 2012

Slacking02 said: ↑

i don’t think your suppose to dump the entire skim-mate cup back into the tank, but maybe use a small amount to target feed?
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You would be much better off feeding that same amount of Reef Nutrition's Oyster Feast!!!

FatBastad · Jun 6, 2012

Feeding with skim, bahh

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Feeding with skimmate

dienerman Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

Thatgrimguy Flying Squid

dienerman Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

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sanchezkk Plankton

Slacking02 Astrea Snail

gcarroll Zoanthid

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Feeding with skimmate

dienerman Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

Thatgrimguy Flying Squid

dienerman Corkscrew Tentacle Anemone

FatBastad Zoanthid

sanchezkk Plankton

Slacking02 Astrea Snail

gcarroll Zoanthid

FatBastad Zoanthid

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