Coral is a marine organism that consists of numerous polyps. They are found in tropical oceans but can also be kept in saltwater aquariums. Coral are living animals and they need to eat. In addition to photosynthesis, most coral need to eat additional food directly from their environment. Learning how to feed coral will keep it healthy and thriving, resulting in a beautiful saltwater reef aquarium.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Feeding Your Coral Indirectly

  1. 1
    Use an aquarium lamp with a timer to simulate night and day. All coral rely on photosynthesis for part of their nutritional needs.[1] An aquarium light with a timer will allow your coral to feed itself.[2]
    • Coral photosynthesize through zooxanthellae algae, which grows on their surface and gives coral their vivid colors.[3]
    • Light alone will keep most coral alive but will not allow them to thrive.[4]
  2. 2
    Keep fish and other microfauna in your coral aquarium. The waste products of these creatures will be used to indirectly feed your coral.[5]
    • Damselfish, Clownfish, Blue Green Chromis, and Firefish all fit in well with a coral environment.[6]
    • Microfauna are the critters that live alongside coral in the ocean. Sponges, sea squirts, and marine worms are microfauna that will thrive alongside your coral and help to keep them healthy and well-fed.[7]
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  3. 3
    Purchase fish foods that can also be eaten by coral. These include phytoplankton, krill, shrimp, squid, or clams.[8]
  4. 4
    Feed your fish. Feed your fish using the instructions on the box. Small bits of the food will naturally drift in the water, allowing your coral to eat it up.[9]
  5. 5
    Leave your fish and other microfauna in the aquarium with your coral. The fish will digest the food and excrete detritus and dissolved organic compounds. Your coral will naturally feed on this residue.[10]
  6. 6
    Feed your coral directly if necessary. If you notice your coral looking unhealthy, you may need to feed them directly.[11]
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Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Feeding Your Coral Directly

  1. 1
    Feed your coral two to three times a week. Wait one to two days between each feeding. You should notice an improvement in your coral’s health.
  2. 2
    Purchase coral foods with different particle sizes. Coral polyps come in many different shapes and sizes. Smaller polyps will not be able to take in large particles of food, while larger polyps will prefer large particles of food. Mixing together a variety of foods with different particle sizes will give you the best results.[12]
    • Three foods with different particle sizes is enough to feed most coral.[13]
    • There are many options for coral foods. Any combination of copepods, rotifers, and marine plankton, will work.[14]
  3. 3
    Refer to the food containers for serving sizes. Different foods with different particle sizes will have different serving sizes. It’s important to get the serving sizes right so you don’t end up with extra food floating around in your tank.
    • Overfeeding your coral can lead to a buildup of nitrates in your aquarium. Nitrates are toxic to coral. If you stick to the serving sizes on the food containers, this won’t be a problem.[15]
  4. 4
    Mix the three foods together with saltwater from your aquarium. Measure out the serving sizes for each of your three foods. Place in a bowl or other container. Mix in enough salt water to soak all of the foods.[16]
  5. 5
    Let the food mixture soak for 10 minutes. This will allow the food to dissolve into the saltwater.[17]
    • It’s OK to let it soak for more than 10 minutes. Just don’t let it soak for less than 10 minutes.[18]
    • If you make extra food, you can store it in your refrigerator in a sealed container.[19]
  6. 6
    Turn off the flow in your tank. This will allow you to target feed each coral without the food drifting away.[20]
  7. 7
    Keep the lights on. Feed your coral at the end of the day when the daytime lights on your aquarium are still running.[21]
    • You want to mimic a natural environment as much as possible in your aquarium. Coral are most active in the evening before the sun goes down. Feeding your coral in the evening will ensure they absorb the most nutrients.[22]
    • If you forget to feed your coral in the evening, it’s OK to do a make-up feeding during the day.[23]
  8. 8
    Fill a baster or coral feeding pipette with the food mixture. You can use a regular cooking baster for this or purchase a specialized pipette.[24]
    • You can fill it all up at once or fill it with a small amount of food and feed one coral at a time.[25]
  9. 9
    Target feed your coral. Place the tip of the baster or pipette into the tank. Get the tip close to the individual polyps. Squirt a small amount of the food mixture near each polyp.[26]
    • Squirt the food mixture out gently so you don’t damage your coral.[27]
  10. 10
    Turn the flow back on in your tank. This will allow fish in your saltwater tank to feed on the leftover coral food and will help to keep the aquarium clean.[28]
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How to draw a food web with ten organisms including grass, fleas, a beetle and a baboon?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Those four organisms don't all directly interact with each other, but you could have grass at the bottom and then being eaten by fleas, beetles and baboons. Then, you could show that fleas bite baboons and that baboons eat fleas.
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Warnings

  • Most coral can be fed easily. However, some rare coral require very specific types of food and feeding schedules. If you have a rare coral, ask someone at an aquarium store for help on how to care for it.
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About This Article

Doug Ludemann
Co-authored by:
Professional Aquarist
This article was co-authored by Doug Ludemann. Doug Ludemann is the owner and operator of Fish Geeks, LLC, an aquarium services company based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Doug has worked in the aquarium and fish-care industry for over 20 years, including having worked as a professional aquarist for the Minnesota Zoo and Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. He received his Bachelor of Science in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Minnesota. This article has been viewed 57,556 times.
3 votes - 87%
Co-authors: 19
Updated: August 10, 2021
Views: 57,556
Categories: Aquariums | Pets and Animals
Article SummaryX

To feed your coral directly, first purchase some coral food, which you’ll use to feed it 2-3 times a week. When you buy the food, you’ll need to get at least 3 different types to mix together, such as copepods, rotifers, and marine plankton, which will give your coral some nutritional variety. Once you have your coral’s food, follow the serving size instructions and mix the 3 types together in a small bowl with a little bit of salt water from your aquarium. Then, let the food mixture soak for 10 minutes to allow it to dissolve into the water. When you’re ready to feed your coral, use a pipette to gently squirt a small amount of the food mixture near each polyp of your coral. To learn how to feed your coral indirectly, read more from our Veterinary co-author!

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