So i have 2 damsals, a firefish, a goby and i bought some frozen brine shrimp. I was wondering how many cubes do i feed a week? Is one a day too many? should i feed half a cube a day? cause i dont have that many fish. the cubes look big too. I dont want to have an excess of nutrients and start to have algae agian..
Frozen Brine Shrimp Feeding?
- Thread starter petzerman
- Start date
Teen Aquarist
New member
I have never rinsed the brine shrimp that I fed my fish. I have been feeding my reef tank with brine shrimp, blood worms and mysis all mixed together and its worked quite well.
Indymann99
New member
I use brine as a "treat" in the DT or in the QT to induce a picky eater.
other than that Mysis, flake, etc.
other than that Mysis, flake, etc.
Brine shrimp have no place on the aquarist's shopping list, aside from growing live enriched as a treat or stimulant to induce feeding. Even as a first food for fry (Like P. kauderni or Clownfish fry) they are not great and lead to deficiencies that cause shock syndrome. Mysis are great as a purchased frozen food, or finely chopped fresh seafood home-made brew can save you a lot of money. Enrich that with Zoe or Selcon before freezing. This can be made into fomula-type frozen food by adding a regular gelatin packet. Add chopped sushi nori for the vegi-fish.
smootie
Member
Start with half a cube, but stick around and watch them eat the first few times. If there are leftovers then feed a little less.
I feed my guys Hikari Mysis and brine. In the morning I take a scoop of water from the tank and thaw out the cube for a few minutes. Then I use a little plastic sieve (about 2" across, you can buy them at the dollar store in the kitchen area) and scoop out the food and put it in the tank. The leftovers go into the fridge for their dinner.
I used to pour the thawing water into the tank but had algae problems, and I thought rinsing the food washed away too much "good" stuff (the Hikari foods are enriched with vitamins and whatnot) so the sieve was the compromise.
p.s. Don't write off an LFS because of one piece of "bad" advice. My favorite LFS is run by old school guys. They say to feed brine, too. And they mix salt for water changes by DUMPING SALT IN THE TANK AND ADDING WATER. But they also have the healthiest, most colorful fish I've ever seen, and everything I get from them thrives. I don't necessarily take their advice all the time, but I still think they're a great shop.
abulgin
Premium Member
One clarification to the above--don't just dump 1/2 or 1/3 of a cube in the tank. Let it melt in a cup, and add a little at a time until it's been eaten, then add some more.
Definitely rinse the cube, as frozen foods carry a lot of phosphates with them. When you put the frozen cube in your cup, just put some water in there, swirl it around real quick, and then pour the water out.
I second ditching the brine. Worthless except in emergencies.
Definitely rinse the cube, as frozen foods carry a lot of phosphates with them. When you put the frozen cube in your cup, just put some water in there, swirl it around real quick, and then pour the water out.
I second ditching the brine. Worthless except in emergencies.
Similar threads
