some questions regarding soft corals & zooplankton

[angmoh]

OK i have a few questions here....

Currently i have a 2ft about 7-month year old tank ..

Corals i'm having now is gonipora,mushrooms and buttons.

1) Do i need to feed them on zooplankton ? If needed, what i saw in the market currently have a few types.. one is liquid another is powder form .. which one i should go for ? what's the difference? anything i have to take note before purchasing the zooplankton ? it cost about $20 per bottle...

2) i feed my fish on prawn meat everyday once.. sometimes i squeeze the prawn into almost mashed form.. wondering will this be one of the food source for those corals ? in this case, do i still need zooplankton ?

3) the fries of the cleaner shrimps, is it a source of food for those corals i mentioned above too ?

4) my buttons are not opening for 2 days !! i wondering what happened...

water para: ammonia unknown (no test kits), NO2 <0.1 , NO3 5-10 ppm ... and i found that there's quite a number of "snail like" thingy crawling over the tank.. i suspect is they discard the button shell and come out ? it looks like a nudibranch..

thanks for ur advice !

[FuEl]

1) Don't dose zooplankton. Most available forms are dead..being frozen or preserved. Water quality can be a problem even if slight overdose occurs especially in a 2ft tank. If you underdose, it's as good as not dosing as the efficiency at which the corals can catch zooplankton depends on the zooplankton density in the water. If you want live zooplankton, just dose phytoplankton and natural zooplankton blooms will occur in your tank. Live phytoplankton would be best as it will not deteriorate your water quality.

2) If you mash the prawn..your corals might take it. Different types of mushrooms have different ways of feeding. Some can trap and ingest large pieces of food while others either trap smaller particles or they absorb dissolved organic matter (D.O.M) from the water. Buttons rely mainly on light and D.O.M. As for goniopora no one knows for sure what they require in captivity.

3) Larvae of all crustaceans, molluscs and even fish...can be food for corals. LPS can catch these easily. As for your corals you are keeping, their prey capture ability (if any) is not as strong as LPS.

4) Dump the zoanthid. It has been infected with pest nudibranchs. These feed on the zoanthids. You could try a freshwater dip if it's an expensive specimen but if it's a normal one I suggest you dump it. Almost impossible to get rid of every nudibranch and every egg and chances of the nudis coming back are high.

[angmoh]

aiks.. i just bought one bottle of zooplankton ... which is in powder form ...

btw is there any other corals which is low requirements and doesnt really rely on plankton ?

[YzF]

What's the brand of the zooplankton? 20 bucks?

Like bro fuel suggested, dip and shake the zoo in freshwater for several minutes. MOST of the Nudi will fall out. However, some will still survive the dip. Dip again after a few days when the zoo recover from the shock. Try to catch as many nudi you can see.

Also, zoo need plenty of light to stay open. Try putting them at the highest level. Will have better chances to keep them growing.

Disclaimer: Above are based on personal experience. Will take no responsibility on lost of livestock.

Btw i can't help noticing your signature..

[angmoh]

what brand ? no brand ... i bought it at RM30, after a hard bargain.

anyway i'v been catching those nudi these days .. today cant find any at the moment.. button is opening.

I'm wondering will they grow back those tentacles which is eaten off by the nudi ?