Can I feed clams/corals fertilizer?
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Category: Specialized Discussion
Forum Name: Invertebrates
Forum Description: This is the place to ask questions about invertebrates.
URL: http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=30069
Printed Date: January 06 2026 at 3:04pm
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Topic: Can I feed clams/corals fertilizer?
Posted By: MadReefer
Subject: Can I feed clams/corals fertilizer?
Date Posted: December 13 2008 at 5:04pm
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Can I feed a tank a bit of phyto fertilizer to make sure clams/corals have nitrate and phosphate?
The tank is small and has no fish. Macro in the display is not growing very fast.
The other option is to start feeding the fuge and display more fish food and maybe remove most the algae from the fuge. The algae in the fuge has doubled in less than a month. I have 4 times the light watts in the display than the fuge. Right now I feed the fuge more fish food than the display. I also add iron. I don't have the clams yet but I was thinking that it wouldn't be good to feed the display too much for fear of clogging the clams with fish food.
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Replies:
Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 13 2008 at 6:39pm
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I'm still thinking, and if I could get away with the fertilizer in the tank, I am talking tiny amounts, than I could probably do better with a phyto auto-doser of some kind. I could use a two liter bottle with a simple light bulb. About two-thirds up the two-liter bottle I could put a tube that drains into the display at a slow rate. If I filled it with phyto-filled saltwater it would drain to two-thirds, then I could add a tiny bit of fertilizer and let it grow. After some time I could remove some salt water from the tank and boil it to sterilize it and then cool it and add it to the phyto bottle, some phyto would drain into the tank over time. After it was back to two-thirds I could add fertilizer again to start the process over.
Has anyone done this? Does anyone have thoughts? Would it work? Is it worth the risk? Is there an easier way?
I should probably hide this just above the return pump in the sump., maybe I can make it part of the fuge and use the same fuge light.
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: December 13 2008 at 9:23pm
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I'd advise against it. Many hobbyists have tried before but the problem is that algae is so much better at competing for those nutrients. So if you dose fertilizer you will most likely see an algal bloom.
Couple thoughts- clams don't need to be fed so don't worry about them.
Corals do, although most are fed with small zooplankton.
Sooooo to sum up- Instead of adding fertilizer you'd be much better off growing rotifers to feed your tank.
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: mr_tongate
Date Posted: December 14 2008 at 3:48am
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im with adam rotifers.... you cant go wrong
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Posted By: MadReefer
Date Posted: December 15 2008 at 1:31am
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I don't think it will be easy for me to setup a rotifer grower where I am at. So, I was thinking about buying some Phyto-Feast ( http://www.reed-store.com/?category=57&subcategory=43&productid=PFC-MED:1 - http://www.reed-store.com/?category=57&subcategory=43&productid=PFC-MED:1 ) and feeding it regularly straight to the tank. Do you think natural live coral food, like rotifers, would grow in the tank with this feeding?
It should be less of a risk for polution and problem algaes. Also, this looks like it could help my mysid and other small crustaceans grow. Is this safe to say?
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Posted By: Adam Blundell
Date Posted: December 15 2008 at 8:40am
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Yes good idea. Some people prefer to turn off their skimmers for a day or two when dosing feast. I add it to my tank every once in a while.
Adam ------------- Come to a meeting, they�re fun! |
Posted By: Mike Savage
Date Posted: December 15 2008 at 1:04pm
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I use PhytoFeast too.
Mike -------------  |
Posted By: mr_tongate
Date Posted: December 16 2008 at 7:39pm
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phytofeast is great stuff i use it however im out i guess that will give me an excuse to go to fish 4 u ....lol
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Posted By: Mark Peterson
Date Posted: December 16 2008 at 11:20pm
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Phyto grows in my tank in the sun and I feed a lot of frozen and a lot of Macroalgae/Nori/Romaine almost every day. This seems to feed the coral and clam quite well.
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