The development of suitable feeds for coral recruits will underpin their health, growth, and development rates, thereby enhancing the feasibility and cost effectiveness of coral aquaculture operations. Uptake of live feeds (rotifers, copepods, Artemia) by fragments of coral species of varying polyp size and feeding behaviour was initially compared and quantified using histology and video approaches of coral fragments. An encapsulated coral diet (Prototype 1) was produced, and its ingestion confirmed via video analysis across recruits of Acropora tenuis, Platygyra sinensis, Platygyra daedalea, Lobophyllia sp, and Goniastrea retiformis. Capsules were captured and ingested more easily than the free-swimming live feeds, and recruits could therefore feed on capsules earlier in their development. Alternative encapsulated diets are being developed and trialled to facilitate improved acquisition of heterotrophic nutrition for coral recruits and asexually produced corals in captivity, thereby enhancing their growth and health metrics.