New Food!!!!

[ReefMonger]

Does anyone want to try this out. It sounds promising. Its super expensive though at $80-$100 a jar.

http://www.zeiglerfeed.com/product_literature/aquaculture literature.shrimp hatchery/EZ_Larva_EN.pdf

 

[eyebedam]

Umm no. Crazy prices crazy I tell you.

 

[Aquabacs]

Does anyone want to try this out. It sounds promising. Its super expensive though at $80-$100 a jar.

http://www.zeiglerfeed.com/product_literature/aquaculture%20literature.shrimp%20hatchery/EZ_Larva_EN.pdf

For me, if it is liquid feed, it is Reef Nutrition only.

Mike

 

[GreshamH]

Best if used within six (6) month after manufacture. Can be refrigerated but not frozen. Opened
Jugs: Use within four (4) weeks.

Do they sell bottles under 1 gallon?

http://www.miami-aquaculture.com/shrimpdiets.htm

Wow that stuff is crazy expensive

 

[ReefMonger]

Hey Gresham,

Have you ever heard of the stuff? It sounds promising but is expensive. Im doubting they do smaller bottles since its marketed towards aquaculture

 

[Western_reefer]

Hey Gresham,

Have you ever heard of the stuff? It sounds promising but is expensive. Im doubting they do smaller bottles since its marketed towards aquaculture

No one is going to use it for a NPC tank. Its going to cost WAYYYYYYYY too much.

 

[LilRobb]

Geez,
at that price I won't even TRY if it is good...

 

[ReefMonger]

No one is going to use it for a NPC tank. Its going to cost WAYYYYYYYY too much.

Would you use it if it kept dendroneptheas alive?

 

[Western_reefer]

Would you use it if it kept dendroneptheas alive?

If I was a millionaire, sure.

 

[uhuru]

What is the cost on a per ounce basis?

 

[oldreefer76]

If my calculations are correct the 10-100 micron size is about $1.016 per ounce

 

[uhuru]

Roti-feast costs $2.1875 per ounce if you buy the 32 oz size, more if you order less. If your math is correct, I don't see how this is being called out as super expensive unless it is an inferior product.

 

[oldreefer76]

My math was off it is $1.10 per ounce the 4.32Kg jug = 9.5lb = 152 ounces @ $167.75

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

I don't like the fact that they include yeast and vegetable oil/starches among the ingredients in the mixture. My guess is that it is some sort of generic mix of food elements encapsulated within polymer microspheres, probably a sugar-based polymer such as alginate. The encapsulation of the food within microspheres is actually a rather easy thing to do and just involves vigorous mixing and the right ingredients. So, if we knew what polymer they are using to encapsulate their food, we could easily replicate it for much cheaper than what they sell it. The question is whether this system is really appropriate for feeding NPS corals and filter feeders. Will they actually accept the food? Does it have the right nutritional profile?

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

Here's an example of how simple it is. Using the same technique, but added while mixing with a blender, you can make "microspheres."

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[Western_reefer]

Here's an example of how simple it is. Using the same technique, but added while mixing with a blender, you can make "microspheres."

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/gV_oIuQEmGE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/gV_oIuQEmGE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

What is that? It looks like fish eggs.

 

[aninjaatemyshoe]

That's just blueberry syrup that has been encapsulated in alginate spheres. They mix the blueberry syrup with sodium alginate and drip it into a bath of calcium chloride solution, where the sodium alginate cross-links and goes from a low molecular weight monomer to a high molecular weight polymer. The same could be with a number of different foods, including a mash of various fish foods.

This technique actually has several advantages: it keeps the food and nutrients in one place so that the nutrients don't diffuse out directly into the water as quickly; the size of the spheres can be controlled to some degree, which is advantageous for corals that like to eat food of a particular size; and the food theoretically will keep from spoiling longer. However, I am unaware of any studies to show whether corals will actually accept food when it is encapsulated like this... I have a suspicion that a number of people have investigated using this technique for commercial purposes in our hobby. I just wish that we could have access to their findings, but then I suppose that information wouldn't be in their best interest to share.

 

[ReefMonger]

Well I have some alginate and chloride laying around. Maybe this weekend I will try mixing this with some Coral Frenzy and see what happens.

Sweet video ninja

 

[GreshamH]

Hey Gresham,

Have you ever heard of the stuff? It sounds promising but is expensive. Im doubting they do smaller bottles since its marketed towards aquaculture

Never used it but am familiar with it. With a 4 week opened shelf life it's pretty worthless to us.

 

[ReefMonger]

Do you think it would be possible to freeze the mixture or would that destroy the microencapsulation?