Acan feeding question

xsdbs

xsdbs

AC Members
Oct 16, 2006
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people have said to feed acans (as well as other corals) after the lights go out and with all water movement devices off and squirt the food toward them. they have mentioned krill, mysis and other foods, my question is how small should these pieces be? I wouldn't think the would eat big chunks. do I really need to squirt the food onto them or can I just dribble it into the tank and let it sprinkle down onto them. Is cyclops also good for them. I get home from work between 3 - 4 am and in order for me to see what I am doing I would need to turn on room lights does this cause the coral tentacles to retract and cause them not to eat? sorry for all the questions
 
Acanthastrea can eat whole smaller mysids just fine. PE mysis may be a bit big for some.

Edit: sorry, I was rushed. Cyclops would also work just fine. Squirting it onto them is more efficient, since you are effectively targeting them. Corals with smaller food size requirements can be a bit more difficult when trying to feed this way. Turning on room lights temporarily is not a problem.
 
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I don't currently have Acans, but when I had them before and in the store, a turkey baster was my best friend. That's going to be the easiest way, IME. The LPS I have left, I simply feed a small piece of silverside by hand. SPS get broadcast-fed.
 
I got tired of turkey basters... Most of them don't hold their contents very well and everything starts to run out of them. They are pretty cheap though, and an easy pick-up from a dollar store when stopping to get super glue gel for fragging. I've grown to prefer using a 30 or 60 mL needless syringe (a smaller 5 - 10 mL one can work just as well) attached to a length of rigid airline by a short piece of flexible airline. It keeps me from having to reach so far into the tank (if at all), especially when feeding the corals near the bottom. I also feel it provides me with much more control over how much food I'm releasing.

I'm sure a pic better describes what I'm talking about than my words do...

FeedingSyringe_S.jpg
 
I was going to say I am a big fan of the 60ml syringe. I use it every time. I tried a turkey baster once and hated it. I do not have an extension on mine though, I stick my whole arm in the tank. The airline looks like a better idea.
 
Pharmacies usually carry the smaller ones (5 - 10 mL), but I think you'd have to get real lucky to find a 30 mL or 60 mL one at a pharmacy. If you know anyone that works in a lab, check with them and you may be able to get one for free. I got mine when I still worked in a lab where we filtered water out in the field. They'd wear out over time and become difficult to use for our purposes, and my boss would let me have the used ones.

To my surprise, you can buy them on Amazon.com... If you search "30 syringe slip" or "60 syringe slip" under Medical Supplies & Equipment, there's listings to buy as few as 1 to as many as 160. The "slip" part is for the slip style tip (which the pix themselves are not of -- they are generic syringe pix). The slip style tip is the kind that airline fits over nicely.
 
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