cyclopeze martini

[dela]

I was reading the TOTM article about the non-photosynthetic corals. The system includes a fridge filled with food, kept in suspension by magnetic stirrers, and then pumped slowly into the tank. Fresh food is made up daily.

Anyway, most of us don't have this type of set-up at our disposal. I keep a small eyedropper bottle with RO + dried cyclopeze in the fridge. When I think of it, I shake up the bottle and add a couple of drops to the tank. I try and do it before and after work. Unfortunately I sometimes forget and leave the bottle out. Even when I don't forget, I'm not sure how long it really stays "fresh". And if one were to use frozen instead of dried, it probably would not last more than a week!

Was not sure where to post this question, but is there something else that could be used instead of RO water to help keep the food longer? I was thinking vodka.. or maybe even vinegar since both can be stored at room temperature with out spoiling. And both are routinely added to people's tanks.

If I knew the food would not spoil as fast I would be more inclined to use a higher quality frozen food instead of the dried food (which I'm sure lacks.. everything).

What do you think? I'm pretty sure vinegar will cook the food (escabeche de cyclopeze?), but not sure about vodka.

 

[HighlandReefer]

This is a good question.

Personally I would keep it refrigerated or better yet frozen.

 

[tmz]

The vinegar would keep the ph low enough to disocourage bacteria. The alcohol in the vodka would do the same. Both are miscible , however, and would permeate the food making it less useful and/or appealing to fish and invertebrates , I think.

 

[bertoni]

I think that both those alternatives would alter the food, but it might still be acceptable. I just don't know.

 

[dela]

Maybe the cocktail's proof can be diluted by adding it to the sump and letting the return pump push it back into the tank.

Anyway, thanks for commenting. I'll stick to my eyedropper bottle in the fridge for now!

Mark

 

[radiata]

Why not just get one of those ice cube trays with the smaller cube size and make your own frozen cyclopeze cubes? Probably easier feeding than with a dropper too.

 

[doctorgori]

Why not just get one of those ice cube trays with the smaller cube size and make your own frozen cyclopeze cubes? Probably easier feeding than with a dropper too.

I mash my homemade food into that white eggcrate...makes for nice lil cute cubes :lol2:

BTW your fish like the freeze dried Cyclopeeze? ...odd b-cuz I never could get my wild killis & livebearer fry to touch it, yet they went nutz over the frozen

 

[dela]

Why not just get one of those ice cube trays with the smaller cube size and make your own frozen cyclopeze cubes? Probably easier feeding than with a dropper too.

I find the cold bottle to be way more convenient than frozen; just shake, open, squirt, close... And then of course, watch the fish go crazy over the tiny little specs... Instant gratification with not much effort! It's even easier than flake food! (no wet fingers)

I use frozen frood for the fish. This is really just intended to feed the suspension feeders.

 

[dela]

I mash my homemade food into that white eggcrate...makes for nice lil cute cubes :lol2:

BTW your fish like the freeze dried Cyclopeeze? ...odd b-cuz I never could get my wild killis & livebearer fry to touch it, yet they went nutz over the frozen

I find everything loves the dried C-E. I can't imagine how they must react to the real thing!

Then again, if they were exposed to the real thing, then maybe they would be less excited over the dried food...

Anyway, my current bottle has been in the fridge for about two weeks and it does not smell foul, so adding vodka to extend the "shelf life" of wet dried C-E is probably not really necessary unless you were to use tank water.