Coral Feeding & Supplements Guide: How to Feed and Dose Your Reef Tank
Once your reef tank is established and your corals are settling in, two questions come up fast: do I need to feed my corals, and what supplements should I be dosing? At Tropical Treasures in Cheyenne, we hear these every week, and the honest answer is that it depends on your corals and your tank's chemistry.
This guide breaks down coral feeding and the core supplements in plain language so you can keep your reef growing without overcomplicating things or overspending. Not sure where to start? Call us at 307-369-1118.
Do corals need to be fed? ๐ฆ
Most corals get a lot of their energy from light, thanks to the symbiotic algae living in their tissue. But many also capture food from the water. Soft corals and LPS often respond well to feeding, while many SPS rely more on light and stable water. Feeding can boost growth and color, but it also adds waste, so start small.
What and how to feed ๐ฝ๏ธ
Coral foods come in a few forms: powdered or pellet foods, frozen foods like mysis and brine, and liquid amino acids or phytoplankton. Target-feed LPS corals a small amount once or twice a week with a turkey baster or feeding tool, and keep flow low for a few minutes so they can grab it. Less is more, uneaten food just fuels algae and nitrates. Browse our coral foods and feeding tools and we'll match them to your corals.
The core supplements: calcium, alkalinity, magnesium ๐งช
Growing corals pull calcium and alkalinity (carbonates) out of the water to build their skeletons, and magnesium keeps those two in balance. In a lightly stocked tank, regular water changes may replace enough. As coral demand grows, you'll start dosing to keep these stable. Test first, then dose to hold steady numbers, never chase a single high reading.
Trace elements and other additives โจ
Beyond the big three, corals use small amounts of trace elements like iodine, strontium, and potassium. Many of these are replenished by water changes, so you rarely need to dose them in a young tank. Be cautious with additives you can't test for, blind dosing causes more problems than it solves. When in doubt, do a water change and keep it simple.
How to dose without the chaos ๐
The golden rule: test, then dose to maintain, not to spike. Pick a consistent testing day, log your numbers, and adjust slowly. Dosing pumps and two-part solutions make this easy as your demand grows, but a beginner tank can often run on water changes alone. Our water parameters guide on The Tank Buddy Blog covers target ranges in detail.
Is dosing right for your tank? ๐ค
If you're keeping easy soft corals in a lightly stocked tank, you may never need more than salt and water changes. If you're moving into LPS and SPS and watching your calcium and alkalinity drop between tests, that's your cue to start feeding and dosing thoughtfully. Let the tank tell you what it needs.
The bottom line
Feed corals lightly and intentionally, keep calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium stable, and lean on water changes before reaching for extra additives. Test before you dose, every time. Stop by Tropical Treasures in Cheyenne or call 307-369-1118 and we'll help you build a simple feeding and dosing routine for your reef.