Decomposition of food in SW aquariums

The setup I have was used, and the guy I bought it from gave me a test kit, but it's pretty old and I'm not sure how accurate. I've been working 12 hour days and just hurt my back at work last week so I haven't been able to get a kit yet. Planning on it this week.

Headed to bed for work tomorrow at 3am. Appreciate the advice (even though we sort of diverted from the original decomposition topic!!!) I'll respond more tomorrow.

 

i would do like 2in10 said and visit the reefcleaners website. they have a form you can fill out with information about your tank. They will suggest a clean up crew based on that information. if you hve food lying around, you are feeding too much, cut down on your feeding until everything you add is consumed within 3 minutes. i know it feels like you are starving them but overfeeding and polluting your water is much worse than underfeeding.

 

How often should I be feeding my fish... That is the first place to start. I currently feed them 2 times per day.

 

I feed once every 2 to 3 days.

 

That's it? Wow. I thought they would need fed more than that. Interested in seeing how often others feed theirs.

 

Ok so to answer your original question: the process is regulated by ORP or oxidation reduction process; it's just a big word that means how fast your bacteria can oxidize or break down the organic materials (food/fish poop) in your tank.
The more links you have in the chain, the faster you will get to the end product... Ex: More snails and shrimp or crabs to eat leftover chunks means it is broken down faster and then can be oxidized by bacteria easier.
As your tank matures, you will get more and more diversity in your bacteria and you can break stuff down faster.

Now to tie up the loose ends... Reefcleners.org is amazing... And if you want a small bag of some of my sand It will really up your diversity in your tank.

Fish can live for weeks without food. I have not fed my fish for over 2 weeks once on vacation. I typically feed 2-3 times a day, however this is acceptable because I keep an ULNS (ultra low nutrient system) and I like to feed that for coral growth.

 

it can also depend on the type of fish you have. fish like tangs that lean more towards the herbivore side are grazers. My understanding is that they have smaller stomachs and need to feed more often. the strictly carnivores might not have to eat as often. you will just need to research your fish.......Let me just say that this is just what i have read and have never actually compared the stomach size of any of my fish.

 

Can you not order off the internet. As comparison, I have around 200 snails in my 55... Food decomposing is a non-issue if you have a descent sized CuC.

I highly recommend 2in10 suggestion and agree with this post

 

And since it came up, I feed my fish 2x a week. Some weeks only once.

I have clownfish pair, damsel, blenny, pseudo.

 

I feed twice a week. Mondays and Fridays. Have been doing that for about a decade.