Marine Foods...........

[Stampos]

I'm just deliberating over which foods to add to my current selection, as I believe a varied diet is essential in maintaining healthy fish!

I currently feed:

New Era marine flake

Mysis (frozen)

Brine shrimp (frozen)

Gamma enriched seaweed

Nori

All of the above are used in various cycles, the flake is the staple diet (although I'm thinking of changing to pellet as I find I need to get my hands wet to stop the flake staying of the surface!) and once I have more tangs the Nori will be available for them to graze upon daily.

I most definitely want to add the D&D reef paste to my regime as this will benefit all of my tank inhabitants, being that the fish break it up and micro particles are released which in turn feed the corals etc.

Does anyone use the New Era Aegis range? They claim to boost immunity when cycled over an 8 week period.

I am also toying with the idea of making my own frozen foods, combining the most nutritious frozen foods and thawing them to remove phosphates, then re-freezing in RO to make them a simple to deliver yet wholesome feed.

Any recommendations?

 

[clay]

i use omega one marine flakes and they seem to work pretty good.

 

[demasonisrule]

I feed only frozen, I rotate through:
brine enriched with omega
marine cuisine (krill, brine, mysis)
emerald entrée (mysis, garlic, shredded seaweed)
mysis

with nori fed daily for my tang and angel.

 

[fishguy2727]

What are you feeding?

I feed New Life Spectrum exclusively.

Most of those frozen foods are just protein sources and lack everything else vital to a proper diet. The goal is complete and balanced nutrtion, not a physically varied diet.

 

[Stampos]

I agree, a staple flake/pellet is needed for essential nutrients.

I purchased some more variations of frozen today, chopped mussels, chopped prawns, razor clam and spirulina enriched brine shrimp. I'll see which is best received and adjust the diet accordingly

One thing I do avoid is garlic enriched foods - you wouldn't find garlic on a reef!

 

[fishguy2727]

I disagree about the garlic (not that you would find it on a reef, but to avoid it). It is a great way to get fish eating and eating well. Studies have shown that the allicin in garlic actively kills some parasites. I have talked to people who have used a certain garlic enriched food to treat white spot disease in reef tanks (something there are little to no other safe options for).

You also wouldn't find almost anything we feed our fish in a reef, or at least not part of the natural diet of what we are feeding it to (like mussels and clams fed to clownfish, spirulina, or brine shrimp).

 

[Stampos]

Very interesting.

I have read that fish do not have the enzymes to correctly digest terrestrial lipids, meaning the fishes organs can get fatty deposits within them.

I have also read that garlic is proven to kill parasites, so I am torn as what is in the best interests of my fish - perhaps limited use when illness is suspected?

 

[fishguy2727]

If they couldn't digest terrestrial lipids then they would just pass out the other end as feces, not be absorbed into the body at excessive levels and cause fatty deposits. Fatty deposits are usually caused by hgih fat levels in the food overall, generally over 10%. This is one reason I feed NLS, it has lower fat levels than most foods to prevent fatty deposits.

 

[fishy55599]

Very interesting.

I have read that fish do not have the enzymes to correctly digest terrestrial lipids, meaning the fishes organs can get fatty deposits within them.

I have also read that garlic is proven to kill parasites, so I am torn as what is in the best interests of my fish - perhaps limited use when illness is suspected?

i heard this so i am just really not sure aswell

 

[Donya]

Did you guys read the articles that attempted to explain the fat buildup? I recall that there is a mechanism given in at least one of the papers. I don't recall it off the top of my head; I'm about to fall asleep face first into my tea right about now.

 

[fishguy2727]

If I remember correctly the study did NOT include garlic and therefore 'terrestrial lipids' may be a hige overstatement when the reality is 'a few terrestrial lipids'.