Marine Snow???

[budbreak96]

Is marine snow good or bad? I was told that along with the proper lighting and adding marine snow would boost corals to grow. Now someone else told me it was a waste of money and will only boost ha. Anyone with any knowledge????

[budbreak96]

I posted in the other section also but just incase i will post here too.
Is marine snow good or bad? I was told that along with the proper lighting and adding marine snow would boost corals to grow. Now someone else told me it was a waste of money and will only boost ha. Anyone with any knowledge????
Thanks everyone, This site is so helpful....

[Amphibious]

Marine Snow is made by a reliable company, Two Little Fishes, I believe. Whether you should use it or not depends on the size of your aquarium and the number of filter feeders you have. If, for instance, you have a 12 gallon Nano with one fish, one featherduster and one LPS coral. I would not recommend using MS or any other micro food. On the other hand it you have a larger aquarium loaded up with filter feeders then yes. In a small tank it is so easy to put too much food that then goes uneaten, breaking down and causes HA.

So, each case depends on several factors. How big is your tank? How many filters feeders? How many other critters are in there? Do you have an adequate clean-up crew?

Dick

[mps9506]

I'm not big on feeding that stuff. Would you pour a bunch of dead stuff in your tank that has been sitting in a bottle on the shelf at your store or the distributor for who knows how long?
But like Amphibious said above, what are you trying to feed with it? Keep inmind most soft corals won't be able to capture or digest the stuff, LPS corals would do better with larger fresher foods, SPS doesn't need that junk, Clams use smaller live phyto...
IMO, just something else to dirty up your water.

[mps9506]

merged threads

[mempho reefer]

I tried a bottle of Marine Snow a couple of years ago. I too had read mixed reviews on the product, from great to bad. I found that it created nitrate problems in my tank. I'd not had those issues prior to using the product. I went from 0 nitrates to 10-15 ppm after a couple of weeks of use. I was even using less than reccomended amounts for my tank size. I used it over about a three month period. I can't definitely say that Marine Snow was the sole reason for the spike but that was the only thing that was additionally added or had changed with my tank maintainence program during that time period. I stopped using any filter feeding food until I got my nitrates back under controll. I then tried DT's Phytoplankton, again less than reccomended for my tank size, and had no problems with nitrates. I still use DT's and DT's Oyster Eggs along with Cycloplese. Corals are all doing great and nitrates are not an issue.

[budbreak96]

Its a 75 gallon. I have around 50 shrooms, a frogspawn, and a hammer coral.
cuc is 15 hermits, 4 snails and 2 sand snails. Tanks been up for @ 2 months, but live rock is 5 years old, new sand, new rodi water. I only have two fish right now they are damsels, which will be a snack to my grouper and lion (when i get them). I was going to catch them and take them back but we will see how long they can surrive once ole grouper hits the tank. Im going to have a mixed predator tank. Fish will be maron and gold clown, lionfish, yellow tang, and pintaisis gouper. corals not really sure yet. I am looking for a protein skimmer right now as we speak, Hob. I want to make sure i get the right one. If anyone has any imput on that it would be great. Thanks everyone

[sambrinar]

I asked this same question some time ago, somewhere in this forum. I have 12 gal nano, ms caused massive ha and cyano. they all told me they never feed their feather dusters specifically just blowing off the rock and scraping the glass will feed filter feeders.

[BigAl07]

I've used it on several different tanks and had the same results... Massive Algae Blooms... the problem is that I used 1/2 suggested doses too. I've been MS free for over and year and most of our tanks are either Algae Free or at least it's "Under Control". Several factors lead to an "Algae Bloom" but adding MS sure "Fed" the blooms.

I wouldn't use it. Just too many chances for failure with it... I think it's more of a "Gimmick" than anything else. There are better and easier/safer things to do in order to feed your corals.

[budbreak96]

What do you do to feed your corals then. Everything and anything you can think of.

[Amphibious]

Here's what I do in my 135 mixed reef very heavily filled with corals of all types, SPS, LPS leathers, several types of mushrooms, pallies, zoanthids and featherdusters. In other words a tank loaded to the max. Oh, yes, three Tridacnid clams 6" that were 3" two years ago. My filter feeding regimen is as follows.

From Reef Nutrition I buy Phyto Feast and Roti Feast (16 oz) I mix them 50/50 in 3 previously emptied bottles. To them I add frozen Cyclopeze (thawed of course). Freeze-dried Cyclopeze is a waste, in my humble opinion. Two of the bottles are frozen for future use. These are all natural feeds. The Reef Nutrition products are widely used in aquaculture.

Three times a week I feed 90 ml of this mix to the tank. I turn off the main circulating pump which feeds the skimmer. There are two Koralia #3s that circulate the food around. After 30 minutes the main pump comes back on.

My Nitrates and Phosphates are 0 ppm. Clams and corals look great.

Dick

[mps9506]

I feed this to my fish and corals:
How to make homemade MUSH!

[CATALYST]

I got a bottle by mistake when I ordered some stuff. It's free to whoever wants it. PM me.

[rmlevasseur]

I use it very sparingly with no ill effect. Probably won't buy another bottle though.