Feeding corals

[Shaun]

Too many posts to read, but is there a "list" of what time of day or night do certain corals feed ?

 

[DragonReef]

Too many posts to read,

Get a cup of coffee or a Peroni, and have a read. There is some excellent info in here

but is there a "list" of what time of day or night do certain corals feed ?

Feeding at night after the light cycle has wound down would be when most corals go into predator mode and extend their polyps in ancipation of capturing food.

 

[calvin]

anthony what is the reason for corals mainly feeding at night?

 

[Shaun]

In SPS when 1 polyp gets food does it nourish the entire coral or just that polyp?

 

[Mekaeel]

anthony what is the reason for corals mainly feeding at night?

thats when their polyps are fully extended reaching out for food.go with a torch a few hours at lights out and check out some of your SPS and brain corals and stuff like that and check out the PE

 

[calvin]

i know that its when they have the greatest pe but why at night?

 

[viper357]

Good question, maybe because most of the fish (butterflies/angels) are less active at night so the corals have less chance of their polyps being eaten ???

I'm pretty sure there is no difference between the availability of food in the ocean during daytime or night time.

 

[Kanga]

Good question, maybe because most of the fish (butterflies/angels) are less active at night so the corals have less chance of their polyps being eaten ???

I'm pretty sure there is no difference between the availability of food in the ocean during daytime or night time.

I think currents are gentler at night time as well, which means it is easier to "catch" food

 

[Mekaeel]

or maybe they just like us,get PE at night and in the morning its gone

 

[calvin]

ha ha ha hit the nail on the head

 

[irie ivan]

Good question, maybe because most of the fish (butterflies/angels) are less active at night so the corals have less chance of their polyps being eaten ???

Possible, makes sense.......

I'm pretty sure there is no difference between the availability of food in the ocean during daytime or night time.

Actually there is quite a significant difference. At night, zooplancton rise from the sediments, substrates, etc. Corals (well at least the stony ones) don't actually feed on phytoplankton, but rather zooplancton. In relation to what viper said, less predation on the zooplankton at night................ Although I would like to see a study of zooplanktion consumption during the day by fish, compared to the consumption of zooplankton at night by corals. I suspect we might just be pleasantly surprised at just how efficiently those millions of polyps can be at capturing food.

I think currents are gentler at night time as well, which means it is easier to "catch" food

I very much doubt it. Personally I think that misconception was created by aquarium product manufacturers (and lapped up by eager aquarists not familiar with the ocean) purely for profit profit reasons.

or maybe they just like us,get PE at night and in the morning its gone

CLASSIC!!!!

 

[irie ivan]

In SPS when 1 polyp gets food does it nourish the entire coral or just that polyp?

The entire colony, BUT doubt if it will be enough..........

 

[mantisfreak]

The entire colony, BUT doubt if it will be enough..........

Not even CLOSE to being enough.

Actually, feeding time is my favorite time of the day. I turn off all of the shop lights, close the register, take care of paperwork, and then after about an hour, turn on my LED flashlight and target feed the LPS and broadcast feed the SPS.

 

[Shaun]

or maybe they just like us,get PE at night and in the morning its gone

Maybe we can pop a pill into the tank and they will get PE for longer.

About the current been less as night ?? Don't certain things only rise from deeper water at night when the moon come out ? or something like that.

 

[dbdouble™]

The following is from Part 4 of Eric's series "Food of Reefs" found here"
http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-12/eb/index.php

The majority of reef zooplankton is demersal, and rises into the water column from the benthos at night when levels of predation are lower. But, perhaps the degree to which variations in the relative amounts of zooplankton occur at night by comparison with levels during the day might be surprising (Table 2). While some corals feed during the day, and some feed day and night, the majority feed at night. This corresponds to when zooplankton is most abundant. In this way, corals can gain energy from light during the daytime and feed at night when zooplankton is most abundant. This is the most energy efficient way for corals to maximize their energy intake. Of course, exceptions arise over time, and even night feeding corals may feed during the day, although it is likely they will only do this if there is sufficient prey to warrant the considerable energy expense of prey capture. In aquariums, since there is such a relative paucity of zooplankton and a concurrent lack of nightly migration, coupled with the normal daytime feeding of the tank, many normally night-feeding corals extend to feed during the day. Tentacle extension, it should be noted, is not always related to food capture, and may also be indicative of competition or to expose corals with zooxanthellae in the tentacles to light. Generally, corals with transparent tentacles (tentacles lacking zooxanthellae), are night feeders.[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Taxonomic group[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]day (mg/m-3) [/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]night (mg/m-3)[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]copepods [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]174[/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]1574[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]appendicularians[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]4[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]34[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]chaetognaths [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]2[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]70[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]amphipods [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]0[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]26[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]ostracods [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]2.5[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]138[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]decapods [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]0.7[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]43[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]veligers[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]15[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]382[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]foraminferans [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]4[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]10[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]fish larvae[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]13[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]70[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]mysids [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]6[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]701[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]crab zoe[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]0[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]237[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]polychaetes [/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]4[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]38[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Total Haloplankton/Meroplankton[/SIZE][/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]130[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]2346[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Total Microplankton [/SIZE][/FONT]


[SIZE=-1][FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif](zooflagellates, ciliates, nauplii) [/FONT][/SIZE]

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]11[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]181[/SIZE][/FONT]​

[FONT=Georgia, Times New Roman, Times, serif][SIZE=-1]Table 2. Composition and amounts of zooplankton by time of day.[/SIZE][/FONT]​

Because it is not known what the energy budgets of corals in aquariums are, it is difficult to say whether or not there is an advantage or disadvantage to the often abnormal feeding behaviors in aquariums. If corals meet their energy needs through various combinations available at various times of the day, there is probably little disadvantage. Nor am I comfortable suggesting the feeding at night is "better" than feeding during the day. However, it is more natural, and it may be stressful for those corals that feed almost exclusively at night in the wild to feed during the day. The possible deleterious effects of strong lighting on normally withdrawn tentacles may also be injurious since they probably lack the photoprotective pigments of the rest of the tissue and the zooxanthellae.

Although I would like to see a study of zooplanktion consumption during the day by fish, compared to the consumption of zooplankton at night by corals. I suspect we might just be pleasantly surprised at just how efficiently those millions of polyps can be at capturing food.

Ivan, I can't recall there being any mention about the effect of feeding by fish during the day time but what an awesome series to read.

 

[sihaya]

anthony what is the reason for corals mainly feeding at night?

Just a note... a lot of corals switch in captivity (and/or can be induced to switch) from night to day feeders or vice versa.

 

[sihaya]

or maybe they just like us,get PE at night and in the morning its gone

Funny you should say that. I knew of this one guy whose corals would put out feeders every time he put his hand in the water. LOL

 

[sunburst]

Good question, maybe because most of the fish (butterflies/angels) are less active at night so the corals have less chance of their polyps being eaten ???

I'm pretty sure there is no difference between the availability of food in the ocean during daytime or night time.

Less active at night is assured, and after watching my Copperband's feeding habits those PE (mainly LPS) are snapped up immediately. Needless to say these corals which in my old tank opened randomly, have now reverted back to their nocturnal hunting. I have noticed that my Copperband keeps on lurking long after lights out; which is a skill that was not honed in my tank.

I think currents are gentler at night time as well, which means it is easier to "catch" food

IMO I also believe that currents have something to do with it. Currents are more subdued at night, but the current that would be important would be the cold upwelling s at night caused by off shore breezes. These push the warmer shallower water out to sea and this is replaced by your deeper colder water which is richer in nutrients and therefore plankton life.

 

[Alan]

I would imagine in the oceans there is far more to hunt at night as all the small and micro organisms make their appearances at night.

 

[Shaun]

Is their any sea weed like kelp that we can grow that we can use to feed fish?