feeding

[sap]

I am in the slow arduous task of setting up my 125 gallon currently salt water tank planning on when I can get the lights making it a reef tank. I have about 120 pounds of sand and 120 pounds of live rock. I have two shrimp, an emerald crab, 4-5 hermit crabs and 3-4 snails. I had a sand sifter but have not seen him for about three weeks, saw one of the shrimp with a big piece of meat, think that might be where he went, I also have two star fish a linkia and a sand cleaner. I feed them brine shrimp. Usually enough for them to finish in a few minutes. I had a problem with aptasia so I do not like to feed too much. Do I need to feed more, use a different kind of food. I had a crab and a shrimp die a while back and I was wandering if they are getting enough food.
Thanks

[Polkster13]

I think you are not only underfeeding, but you are also not feeding a balanced diet. The shrimp and crabs may be getting some additional diet supplements from the live rock, but you should really try and vary the diet. Feeding only one thing all of the time is not a good idea. I would vary the feedings with Marine snow, krill, phyloplankton, frozen food cubes (brine shrimp, mysid shrimp, marine formula, et cetera) and so forth to give your critters a balanced diet.

Just because you have sand in a tank, even "live sand", doesn't mean that your sand sifter fish and invertabrates were getting enough to eat. Their deathes could have been due to starvation or some other stress factor brought on by an imporper diet. It is hard to be definitive without knowing the tank parameters at the time of their deaths. Also, 1 creature dying can have a domino effect on a tank as well. Did all of these die at the same time or singlely over a period of time. Did you take measurements of your water when you first noticed the deaths? If so, what were they. What are the current water parameters (NH3, NH4, Ammonia, temp, PH, salinty, et cetera)?

Hope this helps and good luck in the future.

[KillBill75]

Well first off did you allow the 4-5 week period for the nitrite/nirate cycle before adding anything but hermits?
Also the critters that you added to your tank will feed on the bounty of your 120lbs. of live rock, Don't know how your linkia will fair though since this a creature of fragile constitution.
I would not feed anything, let them eat whats in your tank,Algea,Copepods,Even Aptasia will be eaten by your pepermint shrimp.
This tank seems to be very young but by the sound of it has a great foundation for sucess.
P.S.You'll want to add lots more tankcleaners i.e. Blue & Red leg hermits 40-50,Nasarius snails 15-20,and margarita snails or turbos 25-30. This a start but you need to include these great helpers to your tank for a healthy clean tank for years to come. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/peace.gif

[sap]

I received two very different responses one says I am not feeding enough and the other says not to feed at all. I did not check the levels when they died and no they did not die at the same time. I have also noticed some of my snails passing away. Since I do not have very much in the tank just mainly rock I have not been checking the levels but will start checking them. Forgot to mention I have a wet/dry filter in bottom with a protien skimmer. Does not seem like my protien skimmer fills up very much. I do like the idea of varying their diet. I have asked the guys at the fishstore about varying thier diet but they say no brine shrimp is fine. Also forgot to mention I have two damsels. What do yall think of refugiums I am saving up to buy one after I get my test kit.
Thanks for your responses.

[brody98]

I'm not a fan of feeding much. I give my fish flake food and let some hit the floor. What the fish don’t get seems to hold my hermits, brittle stars, snails, and emeralds just fine. I have had pretty much the same group of about 200 of them since I put the tank together about 5 yrs ago. I have 4 large brittles that when arms are stretched out are 2ft + that I had since they were only about 3 inches. And a lot of hermits that are now almost too big for the turbo snail shells they are in now. This is just my opinion but if you feed a "variety" of different foods you tend to way over feed which leads to a lot of trouble. As far as refugiums go, they are a great addition to an established system, I would get yours rock solid before adding one to it. Just my 2 cents