The Journal Of A Marine Beginner

[Musho3210]

oh and i would like to add that you may want to look into dosing phyto, this will feed your pods and stuff making the population higher. I wouldnt suggest making your own phyto though.... Put in 1 drop per gallon first then every once and a while add a few more drops than before, this way you wont overload your system. Make sure you turn off your protein skimmer for a few hours when you dose, and if you have a UV turn that off too.

You will see more filter feeders, more pods, and more life in the tank if you dose phyto. I use reef nutrition phyto, DT's and Reef nutrition are both great, they are american companies but im pretty sure Reef Nutrition went international.

 

[sophos9]

Musho - thanks for the help... I do actually dose 5ml of Marine Snow twice per week. Have you any feedback on Marine Snow, I was told its pretty good?

 

[Musho3210]

i dont think marine snow feeds pods and stuff, phyto is their main diet. Marine snow is meat i think and its mainly for corals rather than for filter feeders.

 

[sophos9]

Bummer... Where do you buy yours from? Can't find any UK shops...

 

[Musho3210]

i get mine at my lfs, it shouldnt be that hard to find. Here is some DT's, another good phyto brand

http/www.midlandreefs.co.uk/xcart/custom...cat=0&page=


but dont always order online, these things should be kept refrigerated to keep nutrient level high as well as making them last longer. And dont listen to the expiration date, go with smell, if it smells like rotten eggs dont use it, if it has this fresh, algae and saltwater smell (it doesnt smell good, but you'll know it when you smell it) then its good.

 

[sophos9]

Just looking around, Marine Snow says "MarineSnow is the first of its kind: a natural planktonic solution for filter-feeding marine invertebrates"... Are you sure this dont feed pods?

 

[Musho3210]

we had a chat at my LRC (local reef club) and the president of reef nutrition had a talk with us, he said dosing phyto is one of the greatest ways of feeding almost everything in your tank, the phyto feeds pods and rotifers, the rotifers feeds carnivorous filter feeders, the pods feed fish, and the phyto feeds herbivorous filter feeders. Rotifers main diet is phyto plankton and im pretty positive that pods main diet is phyto as well. Does marine snow contain phyto?

http/www.reed-mariculture.com/copepod/index.asp

http/www.reed-mariculture.com/copepod/index.asp

the second link states that: Copepods are relatively easy to care for and maintain. They feed primarily on brown microalgae and can be fed products such as Phyto-Feastâ„¢. They can also feed on green algae such as Nannochloropsis and Tetraselmis, however most of these algae will pass right through their digestive tracts and not provide any nutrition.

 

[sophos9]

Musho, thanks for the help....

This is the blurb on Marinesnow, it does contain phyto

Two Little Fishies MarineSnow Plankton Diet

Ingredients
Deionized Water, Phytoplankton, (Nannochloropsis, Tetraselmis, Isochrysis, Spirulina, Schyzochitrium, Dried Seaweed Meal, Zooplankton, Citric Acid.

Guaranteed Analysis
Protein min. 0.10%
Fat min. 0.01%
Fiber max. 0.3%
Moisture max. 99.6%

Directions for Use:
Refrigerate after opening. Always shake well before dosing. Maintain strong water circulation in aquarium when feeding this product, but discontinue mechanical filtration and protein skimming for an hour after feeding. Add to a strong current stream for rapid distribution in water.

Feed at least one capful per 20 gallons, per feeding. Larger doses can be added by feeding several times per day, or continuously via a drip-feed system or peristaltic dosing pump. DO NOT mix with trace elements or other chemical supplements in a dosing reservoir. MarineSnow can be mixed in an aerated dosing reservoir with live phytoplankton, rotifers, or brine shrimp, and is a suitable source of food for brine shrimp. Frequent feeding will not cause build-up of excess nutrients.

 

[SkiFletch]

I'm not a big fan of marine snow, then again I'm spoiled cause one of my LFS employees grows and sells live phyto.

As for the mandarin, I've heard many people have good success with feeding fish roe (fish eggs) as well as lobster eggs as you noted. Best bet to find those easily/affordably would be your local asian market. I feed roe to my tank and all my fish enjoy it, so it won't be wasted if you do buy it

 

[Musho3210]

Musho, thanks for the help....

This is the blurb on Marinesnow, it does contain phyto

Two Little Fishies MarineSnow Plankton Diet

Ingredients
Deionized Water, Phytoplankton, (Nannochloropsis, Tetraselmis, Isochrysis, Spirulina, Schyzochitrium, Dried Seaweed Meal, Zooplankton, Citric Acid.

Guaranteed Analysis
Protein min. 0.10%
Fat min. 0.01%
Fiber max. 0.3%
Moisture max. 99.6%

Directions for Use:
Refrigerate after opening. Always shake well before dosing. Maintain strong water circulation in aquarium when feeding this product, but discontinue mechanical filtration and protein skimming for an hour after feeding. Add to a strong current stream for rapid distribution in water.

Feed at least one capful per 20 gallons, per feeding. Larger doses can be added by feeding several times per day, or continuously via a drip-feed system or peristaltic dosing pump. DO NOT mix with trace elements or other chemical supplements in a dosing reservoir. MarineSnow can be mixed in an aerated dosing reservoir with live phytoplankton, rotifers, or brine shrimp, and is a suitable source of food for brine shrimp. Frequent feeding will not cause build-up of excess nutrients.

well it does contain Isochrysis which is a brown algae that copepods feed on, so it should feed them a bit, but i still think you will have better results with using only phytoplankton and not using any marine snow at all.

 

[sophos9]

Thanks for that - will look into getting some. In the time being, I'll use the MarineSnow at the stated dose (cannot bin it at £10 a go!!)

 

[sophos9]

My Urchin has disappeared....

I've looked everywhere for it and its gone, I think it must have gone into the rock work - how can that be, that thing is like a ball of steel

Freaky!?!

Also the parameters are in check,

Calc - 420ppm
Mag - 1350ppm
Alk 9.6dkh
PH - 8.2

 

[Musho3210]

wait, isnt that a bit high for dkh, are you mixed up with something else?

 

[idlefingers]

Congrats on getting your levels right, sophos.. now to keep 'em that way!

wait, isnt that a bit high for dkh, are you mixed up with something else?

9.6 a little high? The recommended range is 7-12dKH so 9.6 is hunky-dory according to everything I've read!

 

[sophos9]

wait, isnt that a bit high for dkh, are you mixed up with something else?

Do you think? Dont think I'm mixed up this time.... he heSeveral articles I've read recommend between 7 and 12 dKH - Randy Holmes-Farley recommends between 7 and 11 dKH

Congrats on getting your levels right, sophos.. now to keep 'em that way!

The recommended range is 7-12dKH so 9.6 is hunky-dory according to everything I've read!

Idle got in there before me. Cheers mate, will do! Now the tank is sorted and I know what to add to each fresh salt batch, things should stay stable.