[jimw369]

I already have a flame scallop and would like to get a nice red sponge. I currently am adding phytoplankton for the Scallop. I have had him only 2 weeks and he has moved 1 time. Im taking this as a good sign he is getting the food needed. However, I notice the skimate (spelling?) has now changed from brown to green. I think Im skimming the phytoplankton out of the water now. I am currently running my skimmer 12 hours a day as all looks fine and my thinking is this will help keep phytoP in my tank longer. The sponge would also need phytoP to survive if I get one. Before I make another addition is my thinking correct on this and or am I headed down a difficult road trying to add these type of creatures?

[Six-line Wrasse]

First, always add phytoplankton sparingly. 75% of the time those feeding caps are so heavily concentrated you only need half or an even more diluted dose.

That being said, a skimmer set on a 12-hour time is perfectly fine and dandy for what you're trying to do. The idea is correct, he skimmer will pull food out of the tank for your scallop. If you don't already, invest in a timer, and have the skimmer run during the evening hours, or opposite your more opportunistic feeding time. You can even have the skimmer running 24 hours and simply just it off for 10 - 30 minutes between feedings. A good recirculation of 20x will definitely give the scallop enough time to feed over a 15 - 25 minute period.

[jimw369]

Once again! Thanks SixLine.