Ocean Nutrition Frozen Formula 2. Marine Tank Feeding Applications, Gel-Binder Foods  3/3/07
Hi Gang.
<Hello.>
I have been a salt water aquarium hobbyist for a little over one year now.
<Cool.>
I have been using your book (The Conscientious Marine Aquarist) and site for information since day one when I started the tank.
<Great.>
Thanks to the crew and their wealth of information, I now have a healthy 72 gallon reef tank.  The FAQs are so complete that I was always able to find a question that someone else already asked.
<It does work!....>
Well, finally here is one that I can't find on your site.  What is the best feeding method for Ocean Nutrition frozen formula two?  I can't find any instructions on the packaging or on their website.  Is it better to thaw and drop the cube in and let the fish pick at it or crumple the cube using your hand and let the small pieces drop into the aquarium.  The cube doesn't break up easily because of the binder material.
<I find it easier to cut with a sharp knife when it is frozen and then to allow it to defrost, the smaller chunks can then easily be fed to the animals.  For smaller animals, put the chunks into a cup of water let them get very soft then break it up with a turkey baster (in the cup) and administer tot he fish this way. There are also small mesh clips that allow the fish to pick at leisure: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=4441&N=2004+112972. I have never used the latter though.>
If the method depends on the type of fish then the fish in my tank are a Regal Tang (4.5"), a Yellow Tang (2.5"), two Ocellaris Clown (1.5"), two Neon Goby (1").
Your experience opinion will be greatly value by me and the livestock in my tank.
<And do keep in mind that not every specialty food will fit every animals needs, variety is key when dealing with diet.>
Kind regards,
<To you as well.>
Vincent
<Adam J.>

Marine fishes getting "pumped up" on bloodworms!  9/27/06
Dear Crew,
<Brad>
I have read, in your frequently asked questions, that it is alright to feed blood worms to marine fish as long as they are part of a varied and balanced diet of true marine foods.  In a 130 gallon reef tank, I have a Lawnmower Blenny, a Yellow Tang, and 6 Blue/Green Chromis, lots of filter feeders (fan worms, jewelbox clams, turkey wing mollusks, porcelain crabs, tunicates, hydroids, alligator sponges...) and I have serpent stars and peppermint shrimp.  I also have various SPS corals, and a beaded anemone that came with my live rock.  I normally feed: hand-shucked deep sea clams (minced for the anemone), frozen Hikari rotifers, zooplankton, DT's Phyto plankton, DT's oyster eggs and Hikari Marine S on a rotating basis.  By mistake, I ordered some bloodworms, so I have been feeding these a few times a week lately.
<Sounds good>
Now for the questions:  Since introducing the blood worms to the tank my Lawnmower Blenny and my Yellow Tang have both become wildly carnivorous.  The now eat all the above any time I feed the tank (every evening about 7 p.m.).  The poor Blenny has become to fat that I fear for his health.  Have you seen this before?  Will the meaty foods harm these two herbivores?  
<Mmm, not likely harmful>
On another topic, one of my largest Blue-green Chromis has red tissue showing in the area just in front of the exit port for his left gill (ignorance - I don't know the proper term for this part of the fish).  It appears that about a dozen scales are missing, and a few are hanging loose.  It looks as though he has been wounded to me,
<Agreed>
but I am a sorry judge of such things.  Are there any diseases that would produce such an appearance?
<None that I'm aware of, no>
  My Tang has become more aggressive since eating meat, and often flips his scalpel at Blenny (but never have I seen him draw blood).
<Normal... shouldn't be a problem>
  We also have one remaining Mantis Shrimp that has been seen but not apprehended.
<Might be the perpetrator of the damsel injury...>
Whether sick or wounded, I would really appreciate your thoughts on how best to care for my poor little Chromis.
Thank you as always for all you do,
Brad in Basalt
<I would just leave as is... but try to remove the Mantis. Bob Fenner>

Frozen Rotifers as a Replacement for Live Cultures? - 09/09/06
Hello Ladies and Gents.
<<Hey Amanda!>>
Hope whoever gets this is having a fine day/night.
<<So far so good <grin> >>
It seems I have yet another question that I'm hoping someone there has an answer to.
<<Let's find >
For a bit of background.  I've been breeding my pair of black morph of Amphiprion ocellaris for about three years now.  I have had great success doing the age old green water rotifer culture then feeding the rotifers to my hatchlings.
<<Okay>>
Never really thought about how much time I put into maintaining these cultures, until my fianc?gave me a colt (as in a little baby horse).
<<What?!  Another hobby/interest that's not aquatic related!!!  Just razzing you Amanda...  What you say is true...my wife tells me I spend way too much time with my reef, and not near enough doing chores/working around the house.  Hmm, maybe that's not quite the same...>>
No don't get me wrong, I was tickled pink when he gave him to me, and I love him right to death, but I just don't seem to have enough time in my day anymore.
<<I do understand>>
(Just in case you wanted to know how my day goes) I get up at 5:30, walk the dogs, check on and generally potter about with all the fish tanks, shower, drive to work (this all happens before 7:30).  Work from 7:30 to 4 usually skipping lunch to try and get everything done so I can make it home to potter about with the green water/rotifer cultures.
<<Hee-hee!>>
Pick the fianc?up from work at 6 drive out to the property, feed brush and train my colt, get back home round about 8:30ish and pick up some nasty disgusting fast food on the way (I HATE FAST FOOD).  Walk the dogs, wolf down my now cold nasty disgusting fast food, and if I'm really lucky I make it to bed by 11:30.  This has been going like this for about 2 months now and I'm EXHAUSTED!!
<<Mmm, I think I see the problem...you need to find a fianc?that can drive and cook!>>
Just in case you thought I could sleep on the weekends, oh no, I can't.
<<But of course not...>>
My weekends are just as full.  So now that you know more then you ever wanted to know about my life I'll get to the question.
<<Thank you for sharing <grin> >>
It got to the point where I was going to stop my clownfish breeding.  I just couldn't find enough time in the day.
<<Mmm, yes...decisions>>
Then it hit me FROZEN ROTIFERS!!!!!!
<<Indeed!  I feed these to my reef tank daily>>
And I want to know if my plan might just work.  My clownfish larval tank is circular so there are no dead spots,
<<Ah yes, and no sharp corners for larvae to be trapped in...smart>>
I have a slow pump (fine filter mesh over the outflow so I don't lose my little fish) emptying the tank from the bottom going through all the filter media pumped up into a trickle filter resupplying the tank diagonally from the top so as to produce circular turbulent flow.
<<I see>>
Now if I rigged up a slow drip container with bubbler filled with frozen rotifers (that was surrounded by a sheath which could hold ice to keep the rotifers from going off) that dripped into this tank would the larval clownfish hit the rotifers or do they feed on a motion response.
<<Mmm, a good point/question...but one I think you'll only answer with some experimentation>>
And if they feed on a motion response would the circulation in the round tank keep them suspended for long enough and provide enough turbulence to give the rotifers a semblance of swimming to entice the larval clownfish to strike?
<<Is possible.  You may also want to consider adding a bubble-wand along the bottom of one long side of the tank.  This would provide a "gentle" flow pulling water (and rotifers) off the bottom and pushing to the top where it "rolls" across and down the other side to be pulled back across the bottom and then back up again.  This is a method used on DIY "Kreisel" tanks>>
Is it possible will they take the frozen rotifers so I won't have to maintain my green water and rotifer cultures anymore?  Or is it bye-bye to baby clownfish??
<<Hard to say...but worth a try I think.  The only real downside I see to this is the possible fowling of the larvae tank from an excess of frozen (dead) rotifers in the system due to the high rotifer-to-larvae ratio required for successfully raising the fry.  Maybe turning off all flow will allow the rotifers to be drawn to/collect on the filter screen for easier removal>>
Thanks,
Amanda
<<Happy to assist.  EricR>>

Cyclop-eeze question   1/22/06
Hello Crew, <Hi Vince>
First let me say your website is great!  Thanks for all of the posts and advice. <You're welcome>
I picked up some Cyclop-eeze (freezerbar.com) today and by accident left it outside of the freezer at room temperature for about 7 1/2 hours.  On the bag it says "Keep Frozen!  Do not allow product to thaw.  Will I harm my fish and corals if I use it now or should I throw it out and buy a new bag?  I've never used this stuff before and the warning seemed strange.
Thanks for any insight you can give. <Much like meat, would you make a Hamburg if the meat was sitting out for 7 1/2 hours?  To be on the safe side I wouldn't use it.  James (Salty Dog)>
Vince

Freezing live bloodworms 12/10/05
Hey!
I am from Bombay, India. In here we don't get Mysis or any other frozen food too frequently. I was wondering if t is safe to purchase live Blood Worms and then freeze them in the freezer and feed the salt water fish once or twice a week.
<If they accept the food, then this would work.>
<<Many saltwater fishes, butterfly fishes for example, go BERSERK when they see these worms hit the water.  Marina>>
Just a variety in diet would be good for the fish. My question is will the freezing help in getting rid of the unwanted infections present in the gutter born blood worms?
<It should get rid of most parasites. I would soak them in saltwater first before freezing.>
Thanks in advance.
<Welcome! Best regards from Shanghai, John.> 

Frozen food question 8/3/05
Hello,
<Hi there>
Been researching your site for the last couple of years as I've set up my marine system.  My question regards feeding frozen food with gel binder in it.  Normally with Mysis or a food like that without gel binder, I thaw it in RO water, drain the excess and feed.  The shrimp all separate and pour in as individuals.  If I'm using formula one or two with gel binder, am I supposed to leave it as a whole thawed cube and let the fish pick at it?
<You can... some folks advocate leaving out a few minutes, swishing in a net to defrost. Most binder residue is removed through vacuuming, water changes...>
I've searched the archives and can't find anything on this.  Thanks for all the help.
Brian
<Thank you for writing. Bob Fenner>

Frozen brine
Hi, 
<Hello Sara>
I am soaking my frozen brine shrimp cubes with Garlic Guard (by SeaChem) for my new very small blue regal tang. Can I thaw the shrimp and mix in the garlic guard and vitamin supplement and leave it in the fridge? And if so for how long?. Also can I refreeze the shrimp after mixing the supplements? 
<Sara, yes, you can mix the supplements in and leave it in the fridge, which is what I do. I wouldn't refreeze it, like anything else, not suppose to refreeze. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks 
<You're welcome>

Feeding Questions
<Hi, MikeD here>
Thanks for all your help in the past, but of course the questions keep coming!<THAT'S often what keeps us hooked on the hobby for decades as it's an ongoing learning process that's always a challenge to improve.>
In reading your PufferFaqs, it says we should freeze shrimp, clams, etc for 1 week to get rid of any bacteria.<There is a huge danger in generalizing, but basically this is correct, and often freezing can kill things far more detrimental than bacteria, such as true parasitic worms, flukes, etc.>  You also state that Puffers, mine is a dogface puffer, love live crawfish.  Is there any danger of bacteria if I feed Scooby Doo (my puffer) the live crawfish?<Here the answer is close to a definitive no. By being a freshwater crustacean, the odds of harboring a parasitic organism that can make the switch is almost nil, thus actually safer.  With many marine fish there is a real danger in feeding them freshwater foods due to a difference at the molecular level in fats, lipids and proteins, but this doesn't appear to be anywhere as severe in crustaceans as in fish.
An added benefit is that a puffer's teeth grow non-stop, like those of a rat, hamster or other rodent and actually NEED to be constantly worn to prevent them from overgrowing and causing eventual starvation.
In short, a good basic diet of frozen marine shrimp, crab, squid and mollusks with live treats such as the crayfish will keep the animal healthier and probably even happier.>
Also, our Naso Tang will only eat seaweed and we've been giving her Seaweed Selects (adding additional Selcon).  You have mentioned using Nori Seaweed and I was wondering if one was better than the other.<Actually, this is a yes and a no.  As much variety as possible is usually the key to the greatest success as in nature these fish browse on literally hundreds of different foodstuffs and we, as hobbyists, are trying to provided a suitable substitute.  A good flake would likely also be in order and I'd suggest trying so angel formula cubes w/sponge occasionally as well. In general tangs belonging to the genus Naso seem to include a much higher percentage of plankton than some of the others, thus need additional protein.>  Also, just as an FYI, when I originally started giving our Naso the seaweed, I was not putting Selcon on it.  She seemed to start losing some color and was developing white blotches.  It did not look like any illness and she was eating fine.  I think these were different than the spots Nasos get when stressed, since they were always there.   However, once I started adding the Selcon, her color came back and I believe the little white she has is just part of her coloring.<All of the Nasos are capable of some rather startling color changes, and in the wild it's been noticed that they often turn white or at least drastically lighten when approaching a "cleaning station" to be serviced by parasite removing animals like cleaner wrasses, gobies and shrimp. It's also just possible that you were seeing early warning signs of HLLE or "hole in the head/lateral line erosion" which is a condition resulting from improper diet rather than a true disease and you "nipped it in the bud">
Thanks for all your help.  I think I've become a WetWebMedia addict.<It also sounds like you're becoming an accomplished fish keeper and developing very nice powers of observation as well. Something many never learn is that there is a HUGE difference between looking at your charges and actually "seeing" them.   While it may sound corny, I feel that fish communicate  through both body language and coloration and once you start "listening" with your eyes they'll have quite a lot to tell you.>
Carol

Is this food good for my fish?
Hi WWMC,
<Hello Ron>
My wife recently purchased a package of frozen seafood at a grocery store.  It contains a combination of blanched octopus, cuttlefish, squid, shrimp and cooked mussels.  I won't give them the cooked mussels, but would it be alright to feed them the blanched food?
Thanks in advance, Ron
<Should be fine... take care to make sure the pieces are small (chopped up maybe) enough to swallow... and not overfeed. There are formulae for making foods by grinding up or using a blender with these sorts of seafood medleys... plus binder/s, terrestrial and aquatic "greens" as well. Bob Fenner>

Books, Aquariums, etc.
Morning Bob;
Just where were you 25 years ago anyway? **grin**
<Here in S. Cal. teaching H.S. science for a while>
Things kept rolling around the old noggin all night so I thought I'd
throw a couple of balls your way and see which way they bounce.
Are you familiar with the SCUBA diver identification books by Paul
Humann and Ned DeLoach?
<Yes. Have even met them at trade shows in the field (DEMA), and a friend in town (John Jackson, Odyssey Publishing) is the one who put them up to the "Pacific Fishes" title along with Gerald Allen and Roger Steene>
When I first started catching things and throwing them in aquariums, the
only book I had of any consequence was "The Fishes of the Northern Gulf of
Mexico", now out of print and I honestly don't remember the author....no
[photos, lots of line drawings, but good enough I could identify a 1/4"
transparent fry as a Great Barracuda (I raised it in a tank just to be
sure!).
MUCH later, the Humann books started coming out and IDing the fish
became a little easier, but I was always stuck with the same
problem.....great, now know WHAT it is, but how do you keep it alive?
<Yes... you can see a review of one of the earlier Kuiter TMC books in which I made the (to him) irritating comment that the works ought to have more "aquarium husbandry" material... after all, they are being published, distributed by an aquarium co.>
Which is pretty much what I've been doing for the last 25 years and
seems like a natural!
"The Great American Marine Aquarium" or some such.
In 1969 I thought any fish with 6 "legs" that runs across the bottom
like a lizard would HAVE to sell good, even if it wasn't as brilliant as
some of the reef fish that were dominating the market at the time, so when I
went back to Michigan and ended up managing a LFS I had a buddy send some
up, and I was right...they sold like hotcakes!
My point here, of course, is that the fishes from the Gulf of Mexico are
a largely unexploited market whose time may have finally come, not just the
reef fish, but many other warm water species as well, not to mention marine
snails, invertebrates, macroalgae, etc. (That's why my clean up crew works so
good....there are some GREAT scavengers that are rarely imported to the
trade but work much better than what is currently sold.)
Another thing about the hobby is that the foods offered in LFS are
woefully inadequate for fish that have grown up. Silversides, for example,
are some of the worst food for marine predators as a staple diet in the
ocean, as they are way too high in fats and oils.
The majority of marine predators offered for sale in the trade would
rarely, if ever, see a silverside in their life...mackerel, jacks, tuna,
etc., yes, but not most reef fish. The reason silversides are offered for
sale is because they can be easily trawled in large numbers using existing
technology already in place for sardines and anchovies, NOT because they are
a good food for marine aquarium fish.
Their natural prey is "rough" fish...grunts, pinfish, croakers, etc,
that are dark fleshed, low oil bottom species.
For 5 years I've been researching and experimenting and believe there's
a huge, unexploited cottage industry laying here that would bring in
$50,000-$100,00 the first year (no time in the red required) in packaging
and selling frozen feeders of the correct types, and a market actually
BEGGING already in place as well.
<Interesting possibility... you know of course the "reason" silversides et al. are sold as such... easy to catch (by others)...>
I even went so far as check on packaging and marketing costs.....zip
lock bags, styro freezing containers, cardboard boxes and such.
I also found what licenses were needed, the cost, etc., restrictions and
so on.
I had two major problems, 1) This old body just can't do it......I'm on
100% disability and heavy pain meds as a result of the spinal injury while
with the local PD, plus it's complicated by nerve damage from Agent Orange,
which the government still denies (there's an interesting story there
sometime), and 2) I can't find anyone with enough brains to listen to me
when I try to GIVE them the idea.
<Sometime let me relate to you how the "dried algae" concept came about in aquarium foods... friends at Tideline had dried product (Nori) going past human consumption quality/date... asked Chris Turk (Ocean Nutrition) to try out, a big hit, lifted by Julian Sprung (again)...>
I had one guy, a .com whiz kid that almost went into it with me on a
partnership, but ended up backing out because of the manual labor involved.
OK...hope you had your coffee already when you opened this.
Care to share any thoughts?
Any and all would be appreciated.
Mike D.
<I could/would solicit the idea about... maybe someone would "bite"... I too am otherwise too busy, don't need the money to start, participate in such adventures... Instead am very happy with "content provision" (magazine writing, photography, spieling, and books in our and natural history interests... and for money, established investments). Do like the idea, but sense that the current players in the fish food field would just lift it. Bob Fenner>

Feeding corals minced foods 2/22/04
Hi Anthony,
<hi Rick.  Adam here today.>
Is it ok to buy an entire package of Pacifica plankton and Mysid shrimp, thaw them out, mix them together, mince them in a blender, then refreeze them?  I want to do this for my corals, so I don't have to mince them a couple times a week when I feed them.  I was going to mix them just to vary the diet a little, I guess.  Bad idea? Regards, Rick
<Generally, thawing and re-freezing foods is quite damaging to their nutritional value.  That is why most DIY fish food recipes recommend only fresh seafoods be added.  Adding small amounts of thawed foods to a recipe of mostly fresh foods is probably fine.  Best Regards.  Adam>

Cyclop-eeze distributors? 2/13/04
Anthony, Were can I buy Cyclops-eeze at? Have been looking everywhere.  Thanks  Charlie
<It is  really an outstanding product... a great contribution to mariculture of fishes and invertebrates. It is dense and nutritious food and tiny enough for many coral polyps (unlike baby brine). Produced by Argent, it may be best to contact them for a larger list of distributors. But a keyword search on google turns up fine mail order companies like Premium Aquatics:
http://www.premiumaquatics.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PA&Product_Code=CYCLOP-FR2OZ&Category_Code=Mysis
note that it can be purchased in frozen, freeze dried or flakes... each has merits and disadvantages. For sps corals and inverts, seek the frozen... for LPS corals and small fishes... FD... and for the biggest mouths, the flakes. best regards, Anthony>

PO4 in Frozen food -An Informal Experiment
>Hi Marina/Bob,
>>Hello Jorell.  Marina today.
>I hope you guys are well...
>>Indeed, and yourself as well.
>I do not know if you should publish this as it may be half$$@& job, but, I just read something on the FAQ's just now talking about draining frozen foods to lower the risk of contaminating the water.  About a couple of years ago, I had a algae bloom in my tank and was trying to source where the PO4 was coming from (I found out eventually it was the bio load, duuhhh, missed the obvious).  Any way I started testing various things including the frozen food I had been feeding my fish by diluting it in a fixed measure of water.  While I know every batch may be different I did this over a few months and averaged the results so I have some kind of guideline to go by.
>>Interesting, and I like the idea.
>I used to feed my fish a mix of:
1) Hikari - Mysid Shrimp
2) Hikari - Brine Shrimp
3) Sally's spirulina enriched Brine Shrimp
4) A mixed frozen pack of Shrimp Mussel and squid.
I will have to find my book where I have the (brand name of the Mixed food pack) and figures, but I found that, the Sally's Brine Shrimp had the highest Po4 content followed by the Hikari Mysid shrimp and surprisingly the Hikari - Brine Shrimp had very little PO4, all tests were done with a Salifert test kit.
>>Yes, if you do find your results it would be interesting to see.  Thanks for the input!  Marina
>Regards, Jorell

Frozen Food Preparation 2/11/03
WW Crew,
<Howdy partner>
Thanks for all the support/advice you give us wanna-be conscientious aquarists.  
<our great pleasure, and in the same boat as you <G>>
I would appreciate an explanation of how you strain, or otherwise, prepare commercial frozen foods before feeding.  I understand that the "pack juices" should not be added to the aquarium but am unsure of a good technique to remove same.  
Respectfully, Barry
<good question, my friend. The pack juice from thawed frozen foods allowed into the aquarium is a significant source of nutrients and potential pollution. Although usable and nutritive to sponges, fanworms and other filter feeders... most aquariums have more than enough dissolved organics already to feed such creatures. This juice from daily or several times weekly feedings is an even bigger cause of nuisance alga than trace contaminants in source water IMO. For whole prey foods (krill, plankton, mysids, etc) simply thaw the frozen portion of meat in cold water (never warm water aquarium or tap as this denatures food value... no room temperature either for the same reason). After it is thawed sufficiently, simply strain the meat through an aquarium net, bit of cheese cloth or one of those handy little tea strainers. You can even squeeze a little of the juice out. I've seen Japanese's aquarists that feed frozen food heavily actually take it a step further and aerate their portion of food in cold water for more than an hour to strip proteins very efficiently... this is only necessary with extremely heavy feedings though. Gelatin based foods cannot be treated this way... of course, gelatin based foods are also catch-22 and arguably not the best fare either. Best regards, Anthony>

Frozen food is all they'll eat!
I have a trigger clown fish, a Naso Tang, a yellow FoxFace, 2 damsels, and a blenny. <I hope you have a large tank!> All they will eat is frozen food (Brine Shrimp is by far the favorite). The guy at Petlands Discount told me that the tang MUST eat the Spirulina in order to be healthy, but it won't eat the flakes, only the frozen food!
<Your LFS guy is on the right track, tangs do need lots of algae in their diets to stay healthy. Spirulina is just one of the many different kinds of algae that you can feed them. If the tang actively grazes, buy some dried seaweed from your LFS or some nori from the local sushi bar. A small sheet of this stuff can be rubber banded to a rock for the tang to graze on during the day.>
What should I do? The fish eat like CRAZY!!! It's like they are always hungry, but only for the meaty foods!
<Try an algae based frozen food>
I do see the tang nibbling at the algae on the live rocks from time to time.
Is the brine shrimp enough nutrition for them?
<Alone, no. Brine shrimp is pretty nutritionally deficient by itself. SFBB has frozen Spirulina gut-loaded brine shrimp called "Spirulina enriched brine shrimp" that your shop could easily get. Please, do find several other varieties of food that they will like including mysis shrimp and plenty of algae based foods. If your store only has brine, you need to find another store! Happy reefing, -Kevin>

-Frozen food juice, does it do a body good?-
While reading the daily FAQs this morning, I came across a response by Kevin to a phosphate question that suggests draining the juice from the Hikari mysis shrimp the person is feeding the fish. <Well, if the incredibly handsome and intelligent Kevin said it, then you better believe it. ;) > I feed my fish different foods but one type is Aqua-Yums mysis shrimp.  Is the draining of the juice an across the board technique or just for Hikari brand foods. <It's always recommended that you ditch the packing juice.> I had never considered draining the juice before and was also wondering if this techniques is supposed to be performed on all foods? <It would be a good idea, but I've been a non-juice drainer for years and have had no problem. That said, I don't use Hikari mysis shrimp. I believe in that question, the aquarist couldn't figure out where the po4 was coming from, and he had apparently done everything right except that he fed an entire cube per day.> My water parameters have always been acceptable NH3 and NO2  0, NO3 10, ALK 10,  Ca 400, pH 8.2, temp 79-80, and salinity 1.023 - 1.024 but I don't test for phosphates or any of the other more specialized parameters as I just keep fish and a few crabs. <There's nothing toxic about phosphate to your critters, it's just an algae fuel and a problem for people with calcium depositing inverts. Have your LFS test your tank for phosphate, you could be on your way to an algae bloom and not even know it! -Kevin> Thanks, Ray

Feeding Frozen Food
hi!!
<HI!>
Is it okay to feed frozen foods to my tang, clownfish and damsel or do I have to defrost it? Thanx
<Either way will work, it is best to defrost it in some tank water and then toss the water before feeding.  The packing juices can affect your water quality.  I will admit that I am guilty of running through the house on my way out the door throwing frozen cubes in all my tanks. -Gage>

Frozen Food & Skimming
Dear WWM Crew,
Hope everyone had a good holiday. I have a question about some frozen foods I had ordered. I decided to stock up on some frozen foods from an online retailer and everything had arrived defrosted. Probably not a
good idea to order in 95 degree heat. The Formula One, Two, Spirulina and Angel Formulas were still cool, but they were almost like soup. The clams and squid were pretty much thawed as well. The dry ice was completely evaporated also. I have re-froze everything and it looks fine but I called two pet shops and they both told me to dump it. So, valuing your advice more I'm asking: Can this food be salvaged or should I dump it?
<Dump it my friend.>
One more question if you would. I started using a Polyfilter about a month ago, and ever since my skimmers produce very little skimmate now. Would I be better off not using the Polyfilter and let the skimmers go to work?
<This maybe unrelated. Do try cleaning your skimmer and its pump thoroughly, including a run in a hot water and vinegar bath to remove deposits. This usually vastly improves performance on skimmers that have been running for over six months.>
The Polyfilter is not necessary so I'm wondering if it would be better to let the skimmers take the crud out before it has a chance to break down. Thanks in advance, Mike
<Have a nice evening. -Steven Pro>

Feeding with frozen food
I currently put a cube of Formula 1 in a plastic container in the
refrigerator to thaw out before feeding it to my fish. 
<a good idea>
I usually takes about
a week to go through 1 cube due to the fact that I only have a couple of
fish. Is this ok? 
<it is a bit of a long time... and it really sounds like underfeeding no matter how small your fishes are>
Will the food go bad in the refrigerator if left in there
to long? 
<I suspect that you are OK, but I'd honestly suggest using a little more food or just by the flat packs in stead of the cubes so that you can break and thaw smaller pieces daily. It just sounds like a bad idea to keep it thawed that long>
If this is not good what is the best way to feed my fish and corals
with frozen food?
Shaun Nelson
<best regards, Anthony>

Thawed Fish Food
Mr. Fenner,
I've emailed in the past about more serious fish matters, but this is a minor one. I thank you in advance for your help.
I seem to have a bad habit of leaving frozen shrimp packages out. This evening, I left a full package of frozen plankton, and a mostly full package of brine shrimp out for ~5 hours. They thawed through, but are packaged in plastic bubbles with aluminum foil sealing them. In the past I've thrown them out, but is that really necessary?
<In general not in my opinion. Unless there is obvious "rot" as in smelly decomposition, I suspect marine and freshwater animals encounter such states of "freshness" in the wild>
I feel silly about having to ask, but with the frequency I do this, it could get quite costly.
Thanks very much,
John Sanders
<No question asked in sincerity is silly. Be chatting my friend. Bob Fenner>
John M. Sanders