Eric's "famous" coral food recipe

I'm trying to make this coral food right now, and I was wondering... Do you do anything to the shrimp before pureeing them other than cutting off the heads and squeezing them to "use the meat?" I'm not sure how well all the other parts like the shell, tail, legs, etc. will blend, that's why I'm asking.

BTW- shucking oysters isn't easy!

Thanks for the recipe, Eric.
 
Shucking oysters is much easier with an oyster knife. I tried every knife in the kitchen, then borrowed my aunt's oyster knife - MUCH easier.
 
Whenever I make up my food using shrimp or other tough articles (tails and so forth) I chop them separately in the food processor.

I often add DT's Phytoplankton to the somewhat "dry" articles for moisture, just to keep them from sticking to the processor sides.


Ed
 
Well I just removed the exoskeletons before putting them in the blender. Maybe next time I'll try putting them in a food processor instead.

Wow, I just added a shot of this stuff to my tank and it *really* became cloudy fast! I guess you have to go easy on this stuff.
 
Start slow on the amount and build on a weekly basis or else you'll get an algae bloom.

It takes awhile for the tank to adjust.

I believe I fed too much and grew a tremendous amount of sponge.
Sponge is great as long as you never need to remove any rock.

Ed
 
Sponge grows as a result of too much feeding??? I have a bunch of yellow sponge growing in various places, I thought that was a good thing??
 
As I said it's a great thing provided you never have to disassemble the tank.

Sponge (most types) fouls when exposed to air.
Therefore you have to clean the rock and almost have to go through the curing process over again.

Granted it probably won't be near as drastic as the first process, however it all depends on how intricate the rock crevices and the amount of sponge within.

Ed
 
Hi Eric,

Just wanted to say i made up a little batch (3litres) of your recipe, much to the distaste of my partner's relatives who 'popped in' as was preparing the seafood.

The look on their faces was worth the world as I blended a feast of gourmet seafood, scallops, oysters, live cockles, New Zealand white bait, banana prawns etc, into a slimey gooey stinking mass, and proceeded to pour it into little ice cube trays. :eek1:

The in-laws always thought I was a 'little' around the bend...

But now they have concrete evidence! :D

At least my fish and corals are still talking to me... :rollface:
 
Hmmm i've been reading through this thread and its really informative, and i'm starting to think i should make some of this up as well.
The corals i have are:
Red Brain Open
Candy Cane
Green Star Polyp
Clove Polyp
Yellow Polyp
Cabbage Cora
Lots of Xenia
Hammer Coral
Leather ( Both finger and toadstool )
Sun Polyps ( Tubastrea )
Montipora Digitata
Pipe Organ

Would a feed like this help any or all of my corals ?
 
YES- the majority of them to be honest. Broadcast feeding will take care of most. Tubastrea should be target fed, and the brain (wesophyllia?) will likely prefer larger chunks after dark when the feeder tentacles are out. Xenia probably won't benefit directly- but might in an indirect way.
 
I feed the sun polyps a couple times a week with brine shrimp and its doubled in size in about 6 month the brain i feed when i feed my anemones with small chunks of scallop and it seems to love them.

I'll try a similar recipe, as i don't have access to alot ot the stuff on the list i'll mix and match i think

Also can we see some pics of erics tank on the site anywhere ? I'd love to see it!
 
There is absolutely nothing written in stone with that recipe. Mix and grind what you can find. IMO, varitey is the key.
 
To be honest- NO. Shellfish, scallops, shrimp, and some type of fresh fish are the basics. Seaweed is a bit optional dependant on the type of fish you have. I have always used what I could find on any given day at the local market, and don't sweat it if they are out of something. A good freezer section is worth checking as well. You just want stuff that is "unprepared/cooked". Also- keep in mind, the cost of the food should not be expensive for the amount being prepared.
There are numerous places you can pick up small particle stuff to add into the mix.
 
How about broadcast feeding with frozen cubes of Prime Reef and Mysis shrimp?
It is not that expensive and does have some variety.
 
eyedoc said:
How about broadcast feeding with frozen cubes of Prime Reef and Mysis shrimp?
It is not that expensive and does have some variety.
Click to expand...

Those have a lot of water in them. I mixed up a variation of Eric's food about 6 months ago and still have 3 sandwich bags left! It cost me about $12 for 5 Bags of food. The same at the lfs would have been around $40.
 
No reply to the tank question yet, i'd love to see some pics of erics tank if anyone knows where they can link to them ?
 
michaelg,
Wellsophyllia is a former name no longer recognized.
Open brain corals found in the trade fall under (for the most part) the family Trachyphylliidae.
An example is the T. radiata.

Where are the good shops in the DC/Northern Va. vicinity?
I would like to browse the LFS's when in the Front Royal area.

MarineMark,
don't recall any of Eric's pics here, although I'm sure there must be an archive somewhere. Try using the search button at the top of the page.
I do believe he has a couple of pics in his book, "Aquarium Corals".

Take care,
Ed
 
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