Eric's "famous" coral food recipe

[Nitro Joe]

Michael and ToiletTank,

Thanks for answering my specific questions. Where are these DT's purchased? I live in a ho-dunk town with sparse aquarium resources, so I often need to buy online.


Eric,

How about the phosphates in the aquarium system? Has that question been answered?

 

[ToiletTank13]

I buy DT's locally for 17.99 a 15oz bottle. Most of the larger web vendors sell DT's, it's the shipping that kills ya! They have to be kept cold AND shipped ASAP. So you're better off stocking up on whatever you need in the way of livestock or coral and have it shipped with the load so the shipping is spread out more and the only real cost of the DT's is keeping them cold.

Good luck, we all need it!

 

[ToiletTank13]

BTW, I'm gonna find that info on metals & molluscs and post a small bit on the numbers when I can.

If you have the time to let us know of your opinion on the levels found in the samples, I know I'd appreciate the insight.

 

[Caribbean Soul]

Daphnia?

Daphnia?

I didn't find much info on daphnia in the forum. Brine Shrimp Direct is having a free shipping special on 2# of frozen. Would this be a good food source? Alternative to brine shrimp?

Thanks

 

[michaelg]

It's kind of big for corals imo, though am sure it would fit fine for some. There is a jarred product called "sweetwater zooplankton" that I have used in the past, and the fish seem to like it. It is sold in a fresh water and salt water variety, though I have no idea what the difference is...... Definately larger than baby brine shrimp, maybe about the same as adult brine??

 

[2socrates]

<b>
These are non-issues. All the big issues, at least in my mind, have very little thought paid to them, and relatively poor solutions available. </b>

Eric,

This should probably be in anther thread, but, I was wondering what you thought the big issues are.

 

[revjlw]

specifics please

specifics please

Where does everybody buy the non-grocery items? I do not have access to an LFS without a substaintial drive. Do you all mail order some of the stuff? Recommendations about where to do so? Also, what are reasonable prices on the various things? Is the tahitian blend the paste available through Brine Shrimp Direct and is that where you all get the Pearls and do you get all 7 sizes? Inquiring minds and all that....

 

[michaelg]

Outside of the "normal" grocery store, one of the best places is a good oriental market.

Here are a list of mail order places. I found all of them to be reasonably priced.
Selco can be found through most mail order places as can DTs phytoplankton. Shipping isn't bad on dry products, some liquids and definately frozen need to be shipped in a timely manner though. Jemco is on the east coast so they were able to ship standard UPS to my area and it came overnight (about $8 for a BIG order of stuff).

http://www.jehmco.com/PRODUCTS_/FISH_FOODS_/Cyclop-eeze/cyclop-eeze.html -cyclopeeze and mysis shrimp among other things. Frozen and dried.
Jemco sells in large quantities only, but still not expensive for what you get.

http://www.florida-aqua-farms.com/ - great for culture supplies

http://aquaculturestore.com/swinverts.html - some unique items for live cultures

www.aquaticeco.com - all around good place with a decent variety of items

www.brineshrimpdirect.com - was supplier of golden pearls, also spirulina powder, brine shrimp eggs, etc. Not sure on their status though......

www.instantalgae.com - supplier of "tahitian blend" and other concentrated algae pastes.

I'm sure there are others I have forgotten. Many of these I found through discussions with fish breeders, as they have been doing the live culturing and feeding little mouths for a while now

 

[revjlw]

Ok, so I'm too pickie, but a couple more questions

Ok, so I'm too pickie, but a couple more questions

Eric,
1. Are the percentages based on volume or weight in this recipe?
2. Can you get Golden Pearls anywhere besides BrineShrimpDirect?
3. Are REALLY big Krill and silversides okay for the fish part if I still add mussels and the like?
4. Where do you find roe? I've looked all over the nearest big city. I can find caviar - NO WAY - and I've checked the Asian markets we have - Hmong, not Japanese.
5. I found DTs at the nearest LFS, but it is $12 for 3.5 oz - isn't that a lot?

Sugestions? Thanks

 

[michaelg]

aquatic eco did have golden pearls and some similar products listed in their printed catalog. Might try there.

The roe I pick up at a korean market, though all the other oriental markets around me have it as well (but we have a fairly large oriental population in this area). I find it over in a cooler in the fish department. Orange round eggs in a plastic deli container. It is fresh, not preserved.

If I had to buy DT's, it wouldn't go into my food mix. I use nanochloropsis that I culture, so cost is minimal (about $0.50/liter ?) You might check some mail order places for DT's and compare prices. Keep in mind that the stuff is pretty sensative to heat, and doesn't keep long. By 6 months or so, it is shot (from a study Rob Toonen did a couple years back).

I would think Krill would be a great substitute for shrimp. Silversides for the fish portion......

One thing to keep in mind- one of the benefits of making your own mix (aside from knowing what is going in your tank and custom tailoring it) is the cost savings. If you have plenty of the krill and silversides and need to use it up, then by all means do. Otherwise, just get stuff at the store. I have estimated cost of making food to be about $12 for a full blender. That is a whole lot of food. I give away 5 baggies and keep 3, but my system is on the small side. I usually make it quarterly and take some of it my local clubs meetings to share.

No 2 batches ever come out exactly the same, but it is nothing to fret over.

 

[wasabi]

thanks, for the recipe update. ive been using it along with a variety of frozen for 18 months. i feed on average half a 16 oz cup a day along with 2 sheets of nori. i will skip a day or two on the food every week or two. the more food i add the more dramatic increase in sandbed life,also the more halimeda that is harvested. funny thing about fish they never get full.

 

[yrachmael]

Just to join the discussion late.

I tried the first batch. Gawd does it stink! I also blew the motors on two el cheapo food processors. Finally went and got a iron hand run meat grinder from my restaurant supply guy. Relatively cheap and given the little amount of use needed it works great and can be dedicated to this.

I added some dry kelp from the local Korean grocery and made the mistake of getting it wet before I put it into the grinder--it becomes very stringy and strong.

Otherwise this stuff is like serving Pizza to high school kids--stand back and watch everyone go crazy.

Thanks for the formula.

 

[Aaron]

Feed corals Ahi Tuna?

I got a great deal on some flash frozen Ahi Tuna. It says that all that is in there is Ahi & tasteless smoke to preserve color. Do you think this is reef safe?

 

[PoggiPJ]

Feeding Krill vs. Shrimp for human consumption

Feeding Krill vs. Shrimp for human consumption

Does feeding defrosted Krill offer any benefit over defrosted shrimp that we find in the supermarket? I can purchase smaller fresh or defrosted shrimp for less than frozen Krill from the pet store. Is there any nutritional reason that would justify paying more for the Krill?

 

[michaelg]

Sorry for responding to this so late. I would not use tuna- too fatty. The stuff you mention should definately NOT be used. You want to use only fresh or frozen fish- nothing with any sort of flavoring or preservatives. You want a lean fish.
Personally, I use whole shrimp for the most part. I haven't found much difference with krill.

 

[nancysnuwave]

..and when I die.. and when I'm gone...

..and when I die.. and when I'm gone...

__________________
When I die, cremate me and dump my ashes in my ââ"šÂ¬Ã…"œDeep Sand Bedââ"šÂ¬Ã‚.
Hobby Experience: 20+yrs/Reef/Fish/Species
Ed

Just in case you were serious...if I'm not mistaken, bone meal is a pretty good phosphorus fertilizer.... [I'm not sure you want to leave a legacy of diatoms and hair algae? ]

:>

chris

 

[floppyfish]

After I blend, then freeze my food I notice their seems to be bigger pieces than when it was just bended. After a fresh lending I poured some into my tank, nice and fine, real small particulate. Now after freezing it, it seems clumpier, not huge chunks but definately not as liquidy as before.

Is this a probem?

 

[kelhuffman]

hey floppyfish, I had the same issue. Over time the particles just don't break up to the fine size they were initially blended. Obviously they're adhering to each other so the invert food became fish food over the months. Probably need some kind of solution that keeps the particles more in suspension. I'm sure there's something that professional food manufacturers make. But regardless, it made me stop using Eric's stuff as much as it was healthy for the tank and now I just use Golden Pearls and crushed vibra gro.

 

[BecomesOcean]

Octopus and scallops...

Octopus and scallops...

I have a six gallon nano with a healthy amount of LPS, including tubastrea, bubble and pearl corals. I just got 33Ã"šÃ‚¢ worth of octopus and scallops from the grocery store, which should last for a month in my tank. I reread this thread and haven't seen any mention of octo or scallops. Are they safe/benificial for corals and fish?

 

[rockyd]

They're not mentioned, but I don't see any reason why they would'nt work fine. I have used scallops in my mix before, and nothing changed in my system, so.......