1	“Feeding a Reef Tank” Adam Blundell Jake Pehrson
2	Presentation Layout Fishes What Do Fishes Eat? What Should You Feed Fishes? Corals What Do Corals Eat? What Should You Feed Corals
3	Presentation Layout Fishes What Do Fishes Eat? What Should You Feed Fishes? Corals What Do Corals Eat? What Should You Feed Corals
4	Two Ends of a Spectrum One end of the spectrum says…… Fishes are designed to eat specific foods. • The other end of the spectrum says… Fishes eat whatever they can find
5	Are Fishes Designed For Eating Patterns? Feeding is designed by locomotion and bone structure. Dentition types dictate eating and foraging behaviors (Helfman, Collette & Facey, 1997)
6	Sometimes The Food is Right There in Front of Them
7	Two Ends of a Spectrum Two Sides of a Reef
8	Two Ends of a Spectrum Two Sides of a Reef
9	Two Ends of a Spectrum Two Sides of a Reef
10	Diversity of Fishes There are over 24,000 species of fishes in the world. Fishes constitute over half of all the known vertebrates (Helfman, Collette & Facey, 1997) Fishes have been on Earth for approximately 400 million years.
11	Fishes Are Well Adapted For Finding Specific Types of Food
12	Fishes Move For Food
13	Fishes Move For Food
14	Fishes Move For Food
15	Fishes Move For Food
16	Fishes Move For Food
17	Fishes Move For Food
18	Fishes Move For Food
19	What Can They Eat? “In essence, although dietary specializations certainly exist, fishes are highly opportunistic and will eat available prey of the appropriate size” (Helfman, Collette & Facey,1997, p. 331)
20	Just What is “Appropriate Size” As Jake Pehrson would say…. “if you think it may physically fit in their mouth, think bigger than that”
21	Carnivores, Omnivores, Herbivores Herbivorous means that a fish eats around 25%-50% plant matter in their diet! Herbivory is relatively rare in fishes! However, it is popular in a reef with 30%-50% of reef fishes considered herbivores. Herbivory is intimately linked to shoaling and territoriality on a reef (Helfman, Collette & Facey, 1997).
22	Carnivores, Omnivores, Herbivores Herbivorous fishes either defend an area (damselfishes, blennies) shoal (rabbitfishes) or both (surgeonfishes, tangs). They eat by way of Browsing- eating leaves or blades Grazing- eat the base or substrate Herbivors have high ingestion rates, and need to eat more food, more often.
23	Carnivores, Omnivores, Herbivores Algae isn’t bad…… it’s WONDERFUL! Typically Chlorophyta is used in Aquariums, however….. Marine algae includes 2000 species brown algae 6000 species red algae 1200 species green algae
24	Carnivores, Omnivores, Herbivores Everything eats meat!!! Carnivores have slow ingestion rates, and eat smaller amounts of food, and eat less often.
25	Carnivores, Omnivores, Herbivores
26	A Look at Common Aquarium Fishes Acanthuridae- Tangs, Doctors, Surgeons Chaetodontidae- Butterflies Pomacanthidae- Angels Pomacentridae- Damsels, Clowns Labridae- Wrasse Scaridae- Parrots Gobiidae- Gobies Callionymidae- Dragons, Mandarins Opistognathidae- Jawfish Pseudochromidae- Dottybacks, Pseudos And many other families of fishes
27	Tangs- Acanthuridae Very Herbivorous Named after Greek word for seaweed Typically easy to keep Excellent Community Fishes
28	Angels- Pomacanthidae Very Omnivorous Eat algae, shrimp, sponge, meat May eat coral, in larger species Great Community Fishes
29	Wrasse- Labridae Typically carnivorous Eat anything with meat Typically good community fish, unless very large
30	Damsels- Pomacentridae Usually divided into two groups Damsels Clowns (Anemonefishes) •Eat Everything Eat Everything •Territorial Host Specific •Too Aggressive Great Community Fishes
31	Is it a Clownfish?
32	Is it a Clownfish?
33	The Sesame Street Test One of these things does not belong here, one of these things is not the same, one of these things is not like the others, one of these things is actually a clownfish… Now it’s time to play our game, it’s time to play our game!
34	Gobies- Gobiidae Carnivorous Eat small meat, especially shrimp Great Reef and Community Fishes
35	Butterflies- Chaetodontidae Carnivorous Usually eat small shrimp May eat coral polyps Good community, debatable reef fish
36	Parrots- Scaridae Omnivores Difficult to feed Eat meat, algae, shells, and CORALS Not recommended for reef tanks
37	Other Big Meat Eaters Puffers- Tetradontidae Triggers- Balistidae Lions- Scorpaenidae Eels- Muraenidae Sharks- Elasmobranchii All feed heavily on meat Can be kept in reef community tanks Usually avoided to prevent losing smaller fish
38	Presentation Layout Fishes What Do Fishes Eat? What Should You Feed Fishes? Corals What Do Corals Eat? What Should You Feed Corals
39	What Can Be Food, and What Should Be Food Although fishes may eat something, it doesn’t make it healthy.
40	Just What Can They Eat? D.A. Mann (1997) noted that doughnuts thrown onto the water surface will be eaten be butterflies, flounders, as well as herbivores like damselfishes and parrotfishes.
41	Proper vs. Improper Feeding With Proper Feeding Stay alive Maintain colors Grow Reproduce Without Proper Feeding Loss of Vigor Poor appearance Irritability Death
42	Proper vs. Improper Feeding In other words proper feeding is very important!
43	What is Proper Feeding The right time The right amount The right food
44	"The Right Time" The Right Time
45	When To Feed Your Fishes Avoid feeding them in the evening Regular feeding schedules are preferred Most people agree, early in the day is best somewhere around noon
46	"The Right Amount" The Right Amount
47	How Much To Feed The Golden Rule of Gardening Put in what you take out, and take out what you put in.
48	Harvest Time You must harvest your aquarium!!!
49	Benefits To Heavy Feeding Pushes Energy Balance into Fish’s Favor Promotes Health Adds Intensity to Fishes’ Color Reduces Aggressive Behavior Reduces Feeding Impact on Corals Stimulates Breeding May be (but may not be) More Natural
50	How Much To Feed Looking at a 30 gallon tank. One teaspoon of flake food fed to a 30 gallon aquarium adds 2.5mg of nitrite per liter. One teaspoon of flake food can destroy a 30 gallon tank in one day (Debelius, Baensch, 1994)!
51	How Much To Feed Fishes typically need half of their body weight in food each week (Debelius, Baensch, 1994). Sparse feeding is safer (Debelius, Baensch, 1994). According to Fenner (2001), when in doubt don’t feed.
52	To Sum It Up Some people say feed a lot (Adam) Some people say feed a little (Jake) Do whatever works for you!!!!
53	"The Right Food" The Right Food
54	The Right Food The Overlooked Aspect 15 years since the Encyclopedia of Aquarium Fish and where are we….. Nowhere
55	Common Types of Food For Marine Fishes Flake Food Frozen Food Gelatinized Food Irradiated Food Live Food Pelletized Food Dried Food Cultured Food
56	Using Additives Zoecon Zoe Garlic Baby Vitamins
57	The Simple Method Use prepared foods such as flake food, brine shrimp, frozen food, pellets, etc. Provide your fishes with a VARIETY! FOOD Copper ppm Fish 0.61 Scallops 0.27 Clams 6.1 Crab 7.4 Shrimp 1.8 Oysters 2.9 Mussels 4.8 Lobster 37.0
58	The Hobbyist Formula Steal a Blender (mom, wife, husband, neighbor) Mix Carrots Romaine Lettuce Peas Broccoli Shrimp Clams Trout Halibut
59	Aquarist Formula (Fenner’s Formula) Steal a Blender (mom, wife, husband, neighbor) Mix 4 ounces peeled shrimp 2 ounces clams or oysters 2 ounces seaweed 1 pack gelatin 1 ounce liquid vitamin (optional)
60	Adam’s Formula Pay attention, this is the secret key to keeping all your fish alive…. (yeah right) No Blender! Get a big bag and mix in it frozen…. 3 parts Spirulina 1 part Krill 1 part Brine Shrimp 1 part Mysis Shrimp 1 part Squid 1 part Shark/Ray 1 part Formula 1 1 part Formula 2
61	Tonight’s Demonstration 3 Ways of Making Food Fish Store, Grocery Store, Asian Market
62	Acknowledgements References Andy Casad- Cook Island photography Animals Pictures Archive- standard and motion pictures Jeff Jeffers- Dive gallery photographs Justin Sullivan- Sydney, Austraila Photographs Debelius, H., Baench, H.A. (1994). Marine Atlas. Melle, Germany. Verlag GmbH Hans A. Baench. Fenner, R.M., (2001). The Conscientious Marine Aquarist. Neptune City, NJ. T.F.H. Publications. Helfman, G.S., Collette, B.B., Facey, D.E. (1997). The Diversity of Fishes. Malden, MA. Blackwell Science. Sumich, J.L., (1992). An Introduction to the Biology of Marine Life. Dubuque, IA. Wm. C. Brown.
63	"Questions?" Questions?
64	"Break Time" Break Time
65	Presentation Layout Fishes What Do Fishes Eat? What Should You Feed Fishes? Corals What Do Corals Eat? What Should You Feed Corals
66	Types of Corals Reef Builders Stony Corals (Scleractinia) Fire Corals (Milleporina) Lace Corals (Stylasterina) Organ-Pipe Corals (Stolonifera) Blue Corals (Helioporacea) Black or Thorny Corals (Antipatharia) Red Corals (Coarallium sp.)
67	Types of “Corals” Hard or Stony Corals Soft Corals Gorgonians There are 3,000-5,000 species of corals depending on how you classify them. Most of these we will never see in the hobby. There are 206 species of Acropora sp.
68	Trace Elements Trace nutrients are those necessary for the organism's growth or well-being, but only necessary in very small amounts. They can include metal ions, inorganic mineral nutrients or organic materials. The actual trace nutrients necessary for coral metabolism are unknown. Simply put, no scientific research has been done on this topic. Aquarists have built up quite a mythology around additives to marine reef tanks, but in most cases there is no scientific rationale for adding most of these additives. (Ronald L. Shimek)
69	Additives Levels I think are important: Calcium (400-450) Important for invert calcification. Alkalinity (2.5-5.0 meq/l, 7-14dKH) Buffers against pH change, helps with calcification, seems to add to the over health of the system. pH (8.0-8.3) Biological processes can be speed up, slowed down, halted or destroyed altogether if the pH is not stable. Iodine = iodide (I-) + Iodate (IO3) (0.1-0.5 mg/l) Helps detoxify oxygen radicals in coral and clam tissue, helps produce colorful pigments, works as an antiseptic.
70	Iodine Experts thoughts on Iodine: Goods: Alf Nilsen has observed a link between coral bleaching/poor health and a lack of iodine. Peter Wilkens has noted the need for iodine in the development of certain pigments in corals and anemones. Julian Sprung has mixed one drop on iodine with some tank water and directly dosed a Xenia that was about to crash, successfully rejuvenating the specimen. Bob Fenner has used Lugol’s for 5 years with good results
71	Iodine Experts thoughts on Iodine: Bads: Mike Paletta notes excessive use of iodine can cause unwanted algae growth. Julian Sprung has also tried directly dosing other soft corals which led to some very unhappy specimens. Eric Borneman told me that there was no reason to dose iodine. Ron Shimek questions the usefulness of Iodine
72	Why Feed Your Corals? Corals spend energy for the following functions: respiration, mucus production, growth and reproduction. Research has shown that the total energy demand cannot be met by photosynthesis alone. (Sanjay Joshi, 1998) Most corals are heterotrophic not autotrophic.
73	What do Corals Eat? Most corals rely on the photosynthetic products of zooxanthellae for the majority of their nutrients, but this is not enough. To determine what other foods corals feed on in the wild, researchers evaluate the gut content of corals in the wild and also experiment with the animals in laboratory.
74	What do Corals Eat? Corals are planktivores (animals that eat plankton) Bacterial Plankton (Nitrosomonas sp., Marinomonas sp.) Nano and Microplankton (flagellates, diatoms, ciliates, rotifers) Phytoplankton (microscopic plants) Zooplankton (brine shrimp, copepods, etc.) Corals also eat: Detritus Fish Feces
75	What Do Corals Eat? Other interesting information: Prey size is correlated to polyp size. (Sebens and Johnson, 1991), yet the size of prey captured by the polyps can be larger than the polyps (Sanjay Joshi, 1998) Scleractinian (stony) corals rejected algae and other plant material. Research indicated that even if plant material was ingested it was not digested and regurgitated. (Sanjay Joshi, 1998)
76	How Do Corals Eat? 3 Modes of feeding Nematocyst Adhesion Nematocysts on the tentacles can be used to sting prey and move it into the mouth. Mucus Entrapment Some corals will trap prey in “mucus nets” and move the prey into the mouth using the mucus and cilia. Active Transport Active Transport of DOM (dissolved organic matter) through cell membranes. (Sebens and Johnson, 1991 and Sanjay Joshi, 1998)
77	Presentation Layout Fishes What Do Fishes Eat? What Should You Feed Fishes? Corals What Do Corals Eat? What Should You Feed Corals
78	What Should You Feed Corals? “Homemade foods” Food Cubes Commercial foods
79	What Should You Feed Corals? Jake’s homemade coral cubes Mix Together in Blender: 40-50% - Shrimp, squid, octopus, scallops, mussels, clams, etc. 20-30% - Brine shrimp, krill, silversides, etc. 10-20% - Nori, Seaweed, Green Water or Green Water Concentrate with water, spirulina. 10-20% - Flake Food and other commercial foods. Small amount of Selco or other vitamin supplement Push Mix Through Fine Strainer Place strained mix into ice cube trays, then freeze.
80	What Should You Feed Corals? Eric Borneman’s Recipe Fresh seafood 10-20% shrimp (I squeeze the heads and usually use the "meat" in the fish food) oysters - blend well and may have Vibriostatic properties various other shellfish (mussels, clams, periwinkles, etc. - the bloodier, the better...live is great (shucking sucks but gives a good final product) Fish roe (sometimes available at Asian markets) Frozen foods 20-30% Artemia – adult Artemia nauplii (baby brine shrimp) (enriched, if possible) Mysid shrimp Sea urchin roe Flying fish roe Dried Aquarium Foods40% Golden Pearls - all sizes available, but a majority of the smallest size Cyclop-Eze VibraGro Powdered marine flake Phytoplankton 2% Tahitian Blend (I use DT's seperately) Supplements 2-5% Super Selco ( a big squeeze) Sea Green Vitamin supplements - various brands, powdered, from Whole Foods market I have also been known to add Echinacea capsules, the skins of colorful vegetables and fruits, various pigment complexes of carotenoids, etc. and/or antioxidants from Whole Foods market. months.
81	What Should You Feed Corals? Stan & Debbie Hauter’s Recipe Seafoods: 6 fresh mussels 6 fresh clams 6 fresh oysters 3 whole shrimp (fresh or frozen) Frozen Aquarium Foods: 1/2 package frozen sea urchins (aquarium pack) 1/2 package frozen fish roe (aquarium pack) 4 oz. decapsulated Artemia nauplii Dried Seaweeds: 1/4 cup of red, green and brown seaweeds after soaking. Aquarium Foods & Supplements: 2 oz. (1 small container) Marine Flake Food 2 oz. (1 small container) Tiny food pellets 1 tbsp Liquid vitamins (Selco, or other vitamin/amino acid supplements) Feeding Recommendations Start by feeding small amounts (1/2 tsp per 50 gallons of system water per day) to begin with. You can gradually increase the amount, until you start to see water quality problems, then back off on the quantity a bit.
82	Hints Home Made Foods If you have more soft corals then add more algae to your mix. If you have more stonies then reduce the amount algae and add more meaty foods.
83	Feeding Techniques Direct feeding - is usually used for the larger polyped corals like open-brains, elegance, large mushrooms, etc. Semi-Direct Feeding – is usually used for smaller polyped corals like acropora sp. Indirect Feeding – is used by most corals.
84	Direct Feeding
85	Direct Feeding – Open Brain
86	Direct Feeding – Fuzzy Mushroom
87	Semi-Direct Feeding
88	Semi-Direct Feeding
89	Indirect Feeding Good for almost all corals. RDP or Refugium Light Plankton Fish Waste
90	How Much To Feed Looking at a 30 gallon tank. One teaspoon of flake food fed to a 30 gallon aquarium adds 2.5mg of nitrite per liter. One teaspoon of flake food can destroy a 30 gallon tank in one day (Debelius, Baensch, 1994)!
91	When to Feed? Temperature, the time of day, oxygen content of the water, water movement, the presence of food or sediment are influencing factors of when corals feed in the wild. As the sun sets on the reef and the zooxanthellae reduce their photosynthetic activity (which is used for fueling a high rate of calcification for growth), there isn’t much left for corals to do but eat. We can change the corals habits, but should we?
92	"Questions?" Questions?
93	"THE END" THE END