|
|
FAQs on Foods/Feeding/Nutrition 6
Related Articles:
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition, Basic
Fish Nutrition by Pablo Tepoot &
Marine Nutrition, Probably the most overlooked component of proper
fish keeping By Aaron Loboda,
Feeding a Reef Tank: A Progressive Recipe by Adam Blundell,
Making Vegetarian Gel Food for Fish: Five Minutes, Five Easy Steps
by Nicole Putnam,
Culturing Food Organisms,
Related FAQs: Foods/Feeding/Nutrition 1,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition 2,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition 3,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition 4,
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition 5, & FAQs on Foods/Feeding/Nutrition:
Kinds, Amounts,
Frequency, Feeding
Methods/Techniques/Tools, Automated
Feeding, Holiday/Vacation Feeding,
Medicated/Augmented Foods/Feeding,
Feeding/Food Problems, Products by Brand
Names/Manufacturers... & Brine Shrimp, Algae
as Food, Vitamins, Nutritional
Disease, Frozen Foods,
Coral Feeding, Anemone Feeding,
Growing Reef Corals, Culturing Food
Organisms, Butterflyfish
Foods/Feeding/Nutrition, | 
|
fish food bioaccumulation and
humans 6/24/09
crew,
slightly bizarre question, that I have not found an answer too, though
perhaps have been looking in all the wrong places. I have read on the
container of fish food "not to be fed to fish intended for human
consumption". Not being learned in the topic, I must assume that
whatever component it is that is harmful to humans is accumulated in the
flesh of the fish (it would seem organs being most likely but also
skeletal muscle). I have also read of many people, myself included, who
water their plants (mainly flowers) with the waste water from water
changes.
<Not a/to worry>
And now to the question:
Is there any reason, or risk in using the waste water to water plants
intended for human consumption?
<Only if it's marine/salt...>
further would the likely hood be greater in a fruit type plant, a leafy
vegetable or a root vegetable?
<Zip to nil>
It seemed to me very unlikely but since this is not my area of knowledge
and haven't seen any statement one way or the other I would ask the
crew.
Thanks again,
Forrest
<I suspect this is mainly an "avoiding liability" issue, though some
fish foods have had added medications (antibiotics, anti-protozoals),
others have incorporated beef/cow material that in a very tortuous way
could be associated with human health. I do not, would not worry. Bob
Fenner>
Is my food ok? 01/23/09
I first want to thank you so much
for your help so far! I am hoping that a few more questions aren't
overstepping my boundaries considering all the inquiries I am sure that
you get daily. I spend more time on your web site reading and soaking up
info to my sponge brain than I thought I ever would!
I appreciate
and value all that you have to offer! It is so great to have a reliable
source like yours! Hopefully a semi-long email will be ok....
<Great!>
I am new to the salty hobby about 4 months (been into fresh
h2o my whole life on and off, and back on for a year now with African
Cichlids, they are great btw!!:-) forgot how great the hobby was!).
I wrote in about a month ago with a list of my tank mates and a question
about my Trach. G, and a blue knuckle hermit that was digging into him.
I have since then returned my hermit to my LFS, for safety of ALL of my
corals being mowed (plowed this time of year in New England :-) ) down
by him. I was admittedly advised by one of your crew that I had a lot to
contend with considering my tank load. She was concerned of possible
chemical warfare in the future if not now.
<Yep>
Being a newbie,
with a ton of gift certificates from the holidays, I caved into my new
addiction, and want to know how to best take care of what I have until I
can upgrade to a 75-90g tank in which I plan on doing by spring-early
summer (I would now if I could, but plan on moving and want to set up
the big tank there before going).
To update you on what I have, this
is my list... In a 29g tank (I know really too small!!!), running a hob
filter good up to 50g (I've been running full power with new reef carbon
every 2 weeks), an AquaC Remora skimmer, a Current Dual Satellite 30"
65W daylight/actinic/moon light, 50lbs live rock, and 40lbs live pacific
black reef sand. My h20 quality tests out consistently at; pH 8.2, NH3 &
No2: 0, nitrates: 5, Ca :420-450 (supplement upon testing), KH: 7, SG
1.022, temp 78 degrees.
<Your salinity is too low for a reef tank
(should be 1.025 to 1.026). Your temp should also be a bit higher
(closer to 80 to 82).>
I have about 6-10 small Hermits, an Emerald
crab, one of each Trochus and Turbo snails, one of each Peppermint, and
Fire Shrimps, (and mini sea stars and bristle stars that came in on my
live rock, yippee!). I also found a Stomatella varia ID'd by your crew
the other day, who is about 1 cm big (another yippee!).
The rest of
the crew that came in on my live rock are a small colony of about 10 zoo
polyps, 12 mushrooms polyps, including 3 Pseudocorynactis babies that
your crew also ID'd the other day.
As I started my reef, I didn't
know about specializing, buying a small Xenia, and Nephthea under advise
of my LFS, while unknowingly gravitating towards LPS. As I've been
reading I am realizing that I shouldn't have these with my LPS'.
<True... LPS corals and leathers don't mix. The xenia might be ok, but
it will grow fast and crowd the LPS, especially in such a small tank.>
I promise, the LPS' will be transferred to my big tank once purchased,
while keeping the other soft corals, and inverts in the small 29g.
<Good idea.>
The rest of my reef consists of; Diaseris (on the sand),
Euphyllia divisa (in its own corner well away from the rest), Trach g
(also on the sand), one healthy (and snobby I might add, likes only
FRESH fish) Dendrophyllia polyp, Caulastrea furcata (20 polyps) ,
Micromussa (20 polyps) and an Echinopora lamellosa (about 4 1/2"
diameter). (any comment here is expected, but hopefully livable for a
few months).
So far each coral expands fully (even my Trach g. since
removing my hermit). Their feeder tentacles don't reach each other as of
yet... They all eat a mash of fresh shrimp, freeze dried krill, and
brine shrimp, and I feed the tank phytoplankton 2x/wk.
My
Dendrophyllia eats daily, and the rest at least weekly.
Today, I
went to the grocery store and bought squid (which they all readily ate),
baby octopus and oyster. I chopped all of it up into separate containers
in minced bits and froze them separately in plastic containers.
Is
freezing this going to completely deplete this food from all of their
nutrients?
<No, it should be fine... good work, making your own
food.>
I also bought Selcon today from my LFS to soak my freeze-dried
foods into to make them more appetizing. Is octopus and oyster an ok
food to feed these guys?
<Yes>
I do a regular weekly-10 day 3g
h20 change. Is this sufficient considering my bioload, or should I be
doing more like 5 gallons considering what I have here...
<Considering your setup/livestock, I would do 5g.>
Lastly and
finally, I have a fish question.. I can't keep a fish alive for the life
of me... Not like my Cichlid tank AT ALL! I bought a Banggai Cardinal,
which I was dreaming of for months. I had him for a week, he was eating
almost out of my hand. Unfortunately thinking since this was a new tank,
there was no need for QT. Hmmm, bad idea. I bought my Royal gramma a
week after my Banggai, and both were eating well at first, but by the
2nd week each, they were both dead after a night at the bottom of my
tank gasping for air. Heartbreak! I let the tank lay fallow for exactly
a month, and after not learning my lesson again, I put another Cardinal
and Gramma in my tank w/o QT. (please don't yell) My Cardinal lived a
week, never eating, dying with a white string of death, UGH! My Gramma
was still eating so, I thought it was just a fluke that the Cardinal
died. I added my flametail Goby(was in QT at my LFS for 8 wks for
me)last week. Now my Gramma is missing a gap in his Dorsal fin, not
eating anymore, flashing occasionally and hiding in his cave. My fire
shrimp has been quite attentive to him, but I am mostly concerned for my
new flametail. I bought a neon goby today hoping he would help with
whatever parasite I have in my tank, and have Erythromycin to feed them
as well. My Gramma is still not eating. What do I do????
<Hmm...
something is not right. Are you acclimating these fish properly?
Maybe your tank just doesn't have enough filtration. I would do a big
water change and see if that helps. Try feeding the fish what you are
feeding the corals. Please see these links also:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/mardisease.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/toxictk.htm>
My biggest concern is
keeping my corals happy, which they seem to be as of now. My Gobies are
eating and lively, and very fun! I would like to keep them that way as
well, and hopefully save my Gramma. Help! From, Newbie Nancy Learning
everyday!
<Well, don't add anything more to the tank... that's for
sure. Be patient, do water changes... is really all you can do now.>
ps. I attached a pic of my tank to show you how I've set everything up.
Thanks again WWM!!!!!
<Thank you and happy reefing,
Sara M.>
Feeding Your Reef 11/30/08
Hi Eric,
<<Hello
Michael>>
I am always a bit worried when it comes to overfeeding,
<<Mmm, yes… And the line between feeding enough and feeding too much can
be a fine one indeed. But it has become my opinion that feeding a little
too much is far better than not feeding enough. Though this needs to be
supported by feeding the proper/necessary foods (all the brine shrimp in
the world, if fed solely, is not going to do any good)>>
and it seems
like the general opinion among (reef) hobbyists is to underfeed.
<<This was popular opinion when I set up my first reef tank in the late
80s. But then the use of bleached coral and under-gravel filters was
common then as well. Underfeeding your livestock (read: starving) as a
means to control nutrient buildup is an outdated concept in my opinion.
I believe hobbyists who do so would experience fewer fish
illnesses/deaths if they simply fed them properly (assuming a healthy
environment overall)…thus making the fishes healthier/bolstering their
immune systems in the doing. I have some fishes often considered
difficult to keep (Tomini Tang, spawning pair of Leopard Wrasses, etc.)
to which I contribute a large measure of their success to the feeding of
a �large� and proper diet>>
But don't you think that too many people
overfeed their tanks? Or do think that it is actually the other way
around?
<<Each type system has differing needs re… But when it comes
to REEF systems then yes, I think many hobbyists underfeed their
systems, with a few overfeeding with the wrong foods>>
I always rinse
the frozen food in RO water, because I am thinking of phosphates. Is
this overkill?
<<Maybe… Maybe not… Phosphate is a required nutrient,
as is Nitrate (some advanced hobbyists actually administer Nitrate to
their reef systems to promote coral health/color/vigor). Both in excess
can be problematic for sure, but if your system is not expressing
problems re, then your livestock/system maintenance/husbandry practices
may well handle or be handling the load just fine. While sometimes a
necessity, and while also strongly advocated by some authors, I do not
routinely rinse my frozen foods as I believe this also robs the system
of some beneficial dissolved nutrients (remember, you are feeding more
than just the fishes in your reef tank). But that's not to say that if
an issue emerges that I think I can help deal with by rinsing for a
while, then I will. Each of us must assess our own situations re>>
By
the way what kind of fish do you have? I would like to know a bit more
of what you have in your tank including corals and invertebrates, if
that's okay?
<<Sure… I have a large and well stocked system (375g
display supported by a 75g sump and 55g vegetable refugium) comprised
mainly of Acroporids with a few Faviids scattered about, and a couple of
ever-growing hitchhiker colonies of neon-green Palythoa and orange
Ricordea (which I will not be able to ignore much longer). My fishes are
comprised of five Tangs from four genera (Blond Naso, Mimic, Powder
Blue, Tomini, and the ubiquitous Yellow Tang), the aforementioned pair
of Leopard Wrasse, a Strawberry Basslet, a Bullet Goby, an Orange-Tailed
Damsel, a Copperband Butterfly, a Scribbled Rabbitfish, and a dozen
Pajama Cardinals>>
On an entirely different note do you have a
quarantine tank?
<<I do… Though admittedly used primarily as a
�treatment� tank if/when needed. I generally use just a prophylactic
freshwater dip for new introductions>>
I don't know of any who does,
although I can clearly see the benefits of it. I freshwater dip new
arrivals, and run a UV filter.
<<Depending on your source/how your
fishes are acquired it may well be all you need, and the dips should
certainly be the minimum that you do. Interestingly, I have heard Bob
state more than once that if the trade
(collectors/shippers/wholesalers/retailers) would only adopt this simple
procedure as routine, that many fishes could be saved thus>><And
hobbyists! RMF>
I did have an outbreak of Ich a year and a half ago,
then I bought a UV filter, and it went away, and I have not seen it
since (knock on wood).
<<Mmm, this is likely attributable to more
than the UV device (lack of overcrowding, good husbandry, etc.). These
devices have their uses, but there's no single silver-bullet out there>>
After that I started to do freshwater dips of new arrivals.
<<This
probably has helped you more than the UV ever could. An ounce of
prevention…>>
But I would like to have a quarantine tank in the
future.
<<Very good>>
Michael, your friend in Denmark.
<<It's
good to have friends. Cheers from wet and dreary South Carolina…EricR>>
Honorable mention, Nice article on aquatic nutrition 5/1/08
Hi Bob,
<Neale>
You get a mention in one of pieces on Fish
Channel, here:
http://www.fishchannel.com/freshwater-aquariums/fish-food/feeding-fish.aspx
<Ahh! An excellent piece... I do like the "click to enlarge" aspect of
OliverL's photos>
Hope you don't mind!
<Not at all. A pleasure to
be mentioned in such extinguished co.>
Cheers, Neale
<Mmmm, and I
note in the bio. that you are an "exhibit designer"... Might I "prime
the proverbial pump" here and ask that you consider coming out years
hence... to Hawaii to aid our efforts in putting up the Kona Aquarium
and Education Center? A longstanding dream/project... coming more to the
fore in recent years. Bob Fenner>
Feeding / Nutrition, part. Spectrum foods 3/20/08
Crew
(Bob),
<Steven>
I came across a thread written by Pablo Teepot
(sp?)
<Tepoot>
regarding New Life Spectrum foods. Have you
seen this and what are your thoughts regarding his statements that
no one can really know what proportions of vitamins, etc. are really
in foods and that mixing foods can cause "vitamintosis in the
fish"???
Here is the article:
"""People who use Spectrum along
with many other foods might attribute their fish looking healthier
because of a varied diet. This is far from being the case. If
Spectrum is not incorporated into the diet, chances are the hobbyist
will notice the deterioration of both health and color within 30
days. If you want your fish to look their best, the key is to feed
New Life Spectrum exclusively. Spectrum is the only food that makes
a very specific guarantee: Feed New Life Spectrum exclusively for 10
days, and you will notice the enhancement in color and vitality of
your fish or we will refund your money. I want to emphasize the word
"notice" but it will take at least 30 days to show the full benefit
of feeding Spectrum exclusively.
Many people might wonder why
exclusively?
In order for the fish to thrive all nutrients have
to be met in the correct proportions, such as: Calcium, Iodine,
Phosphorus, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Copper, Zinc,
Manganese, Selenium, Chorine, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Vitamin A, B6 &
B12, C, D2 & D3, E, K2 & K3, Pantothetic Acid, Niacin, Biotin,
Thiamin, Riboflavin, folic Acid, Myoinositol, Omega 3 & 6, all amino
Acids: Arginine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Methionine,
Phenylalanine, Threonine, Trytophan, Valine.
If one uses vitamins
in excess it can cause vitamintosis in the fish, if too little is
used it will cause poor health. When you feed your fish with a
variety of food, somehow you hope to give them a balanced diet, but
do you honestly know what is in your "mix" of foods? In reality, it
is guesswork at best. At New Life we have painstakingly experimented
for many years to come up with the right proportions to produce
healthy fish, and the proof of the pudding is in the eating.
We
have conducted experiments for over 10 years at New Life
International. We have managed to keep Parrotfish, Angelfish,
Surgeonfish, Triggerfish, Butterfly fish, and even some of the more
difficult species such as Rock Beauty, Regal Angel, and Moorish Idol
just to name a few, and all exclusively fed with NLS. We have yet to
encounter lateral line and/or fin erosion, or hole in the head
syndrome.
If they will eat NLS, chances are they will thrive. We
also experimented with Malawi and Tanganyikan cichlids, as well as
numerous species of herbivore, omnivore, and carnivorous freshwater
tropical fish without encountering any dietary issues, including
bloat. Not even in the ultra-sensitive digestive track of species
such as Tropheus moorii and Labeotropheus!
This is why our
guarantee extends only to exclusive feeding. We know what the fish
is getting in their diet with NLS, but we simply cannot guarantee
other company's food, in most cases we don't even know exactly what
is in it. Krill and whole herring are the most easily digestible
sources of protein, and they have the best amino acid profile with
the added bonus of omega 3 fatty acids. It should be a no brainier
to use these ingredients as the main protein source, but good
ingredients cost money, and result is less profit for the
manufacturer.
Unfortunately like most things in life, it all
boils down to the bottom line...$$$$$$.""" End quote.
<I do
disagree with both stmt.s... There are well-established assays for
vitamins... and avitaminoses are not caused by mixing foods as far
as I'm aware. Nonetheless, Spectrum foods are obviously of high
value... Highly palatable and nutritious. BobF>
Should we be
nervous about mixing / or varied diets, or is one food that has it
all OK to use?
<This food appears to be completely nutritious...
ala such in the way of dog and cat foods of excellent quality (e.g.
Eukanuba, Science Diet et al.)>
I wouldn't want to eat the same
thing over and over, but have heard many raves about this food. Your
input is greatly appreciated. Maybe just a marketing ploy to scare
folks into thinking you only get all of the benefits if you use
exclusively (use more / buy more), but the thread did sound
convincing.
Best regards,
Steven
<Do please see/read
through my ppt pitch re: http://wetwebmedia.com/foodsppt1.htm
After long speculation, I am a "believer". Cheers, Bob Fenner> |
Spectrum Foods comment 6/17/08
Bob, Can you check this
link http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nutrfaqs6.htm again. I have
never imply mixing food will cause vitamintosis. I have no idea
where did the poster and you get this idea? Please read it
again-carefully, The statement I made was " If one uses vitamins
in excess it can cause vitamintosis in the fish, if too little
is used it will cause poor health" It has nothing to do with the
subject of mixing food. Do you think I am that lame to make such
blunder?
<Ah, no>
Pablo
<I do see where this fellow
(Steven) states such... I will interpolate your stmt. here re.
Cheers, BobF> |
Saltwater Aquarium Help, Stars, Jawfish 3/6/08
Hey guys,
sorry I'm asking more questions, your advice thus far has been much
appreciated and more helpful than many other sites I've e-mailed. I
have a few questions about my 125 gallon saltwater tank. Recently I
have noticed that one of my serpent stars has been disintegrating
from the tips of his arms. Could this be due to water quality or
from stress.
<I would bet water quality, they are sensitive to
changes.>
The only thing I think might be picking on it would be
blue-legged hermit crabs, but the other serpent star in the tank
seems fine. Also, I have noticed my sand sifting star has been
crawling on the glass recently, could this be due to a lack of food
in the sand?
<Could be, but most likely just roaming.>
I try
to feed a little extra in my tank so the crabs, stars, and shrimp
get food to eat.
<Better to occasionally target feed than add a
little too much daily.>
I have seen on your site that yellow head
jaw-fish like multiple grade sand to make their burrow. I only have
fine sand but there has been pieces of live and lava rock that has
started to break off onto the bottom. Is it possible for one to make
a burrow only from fine sand, and if not, will it incorporate the
rubble into the cave?
<It should be fine.>
Lastly, I just
added a six-line wrasse into the tank. It seemed interested in flake
and freeze dried blood worms at the pet store and even sampled some.
I added it to help keep bristle worms from getting out of control,
but is flake, and freeze dried blood worms a good choice?
<I
prefer pellet to flake food, holds its nutritional value longer, and
try some Mysid as well.>
I am considering getting raw, uncooked
shrimp from the store today. Thanks in advance.
<Go for it.>
<Chris>
Re: Saltwater Aquarium Help 3/6/08
I
actually work at a pet store, we don't stock saltwater fish, but we
do have a packet of Marine-A pellets, would these be fine, and if
they are, would they be small enough?
<If of small size...
smaller than mouth...>
Also, last question for a long time. I was
looking through my tank with a flashlight last night, and saw
something on my live rock. It was about 1 1/2 inches long, a pale
yellow and translucent color, tubular, and ended in a disk. When I
shined the light on it, it went into a hole. It resembled a leech in
my opinion, any clues?
<... a photo... Bob Fenner> |
Turn off Gen-X pumps for Feeding? 12/22/07
Hi Bob -
<Hello,
Scott V. here.>
We emailed a while back and you and your crew rule
the world!
<Just a small part of it!>
That being
said:
I
have a 100 gallon reef tank with a main pump (currently two Gen-X PCX-40
pumps) pushing my main water from the sump about 12 feet up and into the
display tank. There are also several pumps circulating water within the
display tank. I rigged up a timer system that turns off my main pump for
feeding. I can set it for 15, 30, 45, 60, or 75 minutes. Historically I
had been turning off the main pump for 15 minutes when feeding fish
food, and 30 minutes when feeding plankton. But recently my Sequence
3.5-amp main pump recently froze, after only about 3 years of use. (Yes
I know that pump was way too much for this system even moving water 12
feet). So I replaced it with the two Gen-X pumps.
Although I don't
really know why, I suspect that the Sequence froze because of turning it
on and off two to three times per day.
<Doesn’t help.>
What do you
think? Is it a bad idea to turn off my two Gen-X PCX-40 pumps for
feeding?
<Start up is the hardest thing on an electric motor in
service. But, a few times a day is not terribly significant. It will
shorten the life of the pump, but not significantly.>
Thanks,
Carl Beels
<Welcome, Scott V.>
Banded Catshark food thaw... Still okay? 12/15/2007
I
recently lost electricity due to the ice storms in my state and my
silversides thawed. Are they still usable to feed to my Banded Catshark,
or are they garbage?
<Should be fine if not "too stinky"... Bob
Fenner, too chilly even in S. California!>
Thank you for your time.
Kim
Phosphates in Pet Fish Food... 7/12/07
I have a 155 gal
reef tank I have fed my fish only frozen mysis shrimp foods for years
and about two months ago I bought a pellet food to feed with the frozen
foods,
<Good, variety is important with our critters diets.>
the
pellet foods say they have 0.8% phosphorus, can that make phosphate
levels go up I have read that foods other than frozen can do so.
<Many foods have phosphates in them which yet another reason not to
overfeed. If you want to get down to it, rotting food is just another
ammonia/nutrient source. It may also scare a few aquarists to know that
most aquarium foods have some level of copper in them. Again the key
here is not to overfeed, and with frozen foods do not put the defrosting
water into the tank along with the food, rinse with fresh RO water
several times.>
My phosphate levels use to be zero now they read
about 0.25,
<Not overly alarming.>
but I had not checked them for
about four or five months until now.
<If this a reef tank I would
encourage at least bi-weekly testing.>
Should I stop feeding my fish
with pellets or do you think the phosphate levels just go up on there
own,
<All foods are a source of dissolve nutrients, so the question
becomes how much should you be feeding? Only you can answer that
question to suit your tank.>
my tank has been set up for about five
years I have a wet dry filter
<That could be a source of your
nutrient problems too.>
with the skimmer built in for a tank up to
four hundred gal. My tank is not over stocked with fish, my corals are
doing great, but I have read that you want your phosphates to be zero.
Thank you.
<As cliché as this sounds, dilution is the solution to
pollution! Keep up with he water changes and consider testing your
source water for phosphates as well, if you're using an RODI or just RO
filter even it may be time to replace the inserts. Good Luck! Adam J.>
Feeding Regimen, reading... SW – 06/26/07
I have a couple
of questions about feeding regimens. If you have a link or site where
this information can be found you can direct me there but so far I have
found the recommendations lacking the specific information I am looking
for.
<... the indices, search tool on the site...>
I have a 90G
FOWLR tank with the following inhabitants 4" Majestic Angel,
<Misplaced here... this is not enough room for this species>
4"Porcupine Puffer,
<Ditto>
4" Yellow Tang, 7" Lutescens Wrasse, 1
1/2" Hawkfish, Two Starfish. Anyway I want to know how much food is
appropriate for them. I currently use frozen cubes of Mysis, enriched
brine, emerald entree, formula one and two, soon to add angelfish
formula. Anyway I soak in Zoecon and garlic until melted. I feed a total
of five cubes a day. All of the fish eat heartily and still beg for
more, as usual. Twice a week the tang and angel get seaweed, also. Also
a caveat for the puffer and wrasse. I also soak krill for the puffer, he
won't eat anything else. I have tried everything. Of course I do give
him special treats of small hermit crabs. And the
wrasse will always
grab a piece of krill. So is this amount of food suitable to sustain
their nutritional needs? They look healthy and well but certainly not
fat. I just want to make sure they are healthy. And is shrimp from the
supermarket more healthy for the finicky puffer? Feed him raw or cooked
human shrimp, if it is healthier? Finally the starfish, one is a red
general star, he will eat anything. I feed him whole silversides,
occasional freeze-dried krill or formula one or two. Is this healthy for
him? How often or much does he need to eat? Can inverts eat freeze dried
food? Like the fish he is also perpetually hungry. The other starfish is
commonly called a doughboy. He won't take anything I try to give him, is
there anything you might think has the potential to tantalize his taste
buds? He seems to survive off scavenging but of course supplemental food
must be necessary? Please advise.
Thank-you for all your help
<Please read here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marine/maintenance/index.htm
Scroll down
to the tray on foods/feeding/nutrition of marines. Bob Fenner>
New Tank, much reading ahead 6/14/07
Hi I’m Keith W.
<Hello,
Keith, for future reference please spell and grammar check your mails
before sending, it takes too long for us to correct them and keeps us
from answering other people's questions.>
I just started a 75 gallon
salty tank. I put together a crushed coral substrate, 2 1200 series
power heads by marineland, under gravel filter, AquaClear 110 gallon
filter, CoraLife turbo-twist 6x, 2 6 inch discs for aeration, 1 light
Odessea 130 watt fluorescent 2 bulbs 65 watts each blue and white?, just
over 60 lbs. Fiji live rock, and 300 watt heater. <You are using some
outdated methods for lack of a better description. It is going to be
difficult to maintain this system currently.> Allowed a little over 3
weeks for tank to mature before adding fish. Added two damsels blue to
start. Waited 10 days chemical balance looked good so started adding
fish periodically. Presently have 2 damsels 1 snowflake eel, 1 Volitans
lion, 1 dogface puffer, 1 long tentacle anemone <may become a puffer
snack>, 1 chocolate starfish <puffer food>, 2 urchins short spined, and
10 small hermits <puffer food>. Question is how to feed all of these
creatures to keep them healthy / no short-cuts. Any additional
information welcome above and beyond feeding. Thank you Keith w.
<Unfortunately there is way too much to cover in an e-mail format here.
I suggest checking out the articles here on WetWeb, picking up a couple
of good books, I suggest Bob's "The Conscientious Marine Aquarist" and
Michael Paletta's "The New Marine Aquarium", both are excellent books
for beginners.>
<Chris> Topic 2 Overfeeding
4/11/07
I recently had an outbreak of Cyanobacteria in my 125
gallon tank. This was resolved by changing my RO/DI filters and
phosphate reactor media. My nitrates were undetectable but I suspected
that the undetectable phosphates were due to an old test kit. Anyway,
despite the numerous references to overfeeding in the algae control
FAQ's, I have never really seen a good approximation of the dietary
requirements of fish.
<You can very likely appreciate the difficulty
of such a description... with variable quality foods... conditions...
even simple temperature as a factor...>
For instance, it seems like
a 5 inch tang (any species) would eat a similar amount of food as any
other 5 inch tang.
<Mmm, okay...>
Why aren't there recommended
serving sizes for fish food?
<Lack of valid information perhaps...
More likely the apparent lack of heed it would generate... the "bio
assay" of folks feeding, watching their livestock for "fullness" of
appearance, behavior of satiation are likely the most important...>
I assume that I probably overfeed but am not really sure. I feed twice a
day
and all food is rapidly consumed. My setup is as follows:
125 gallon display with 4-5 inch DSB 150+ lbs LR
20 gallon
sump/refugium 5" crushed coral substrate and grape Caulerpa in refugium
compartment
125 gallon refugium with 5" DSB, 75 lbs LR, Chaetomorpha
reverse daylight
ASM G3 skimmer in sump- empty 2x week
AquaC
Remora Pro w/ prefilter on big refugium- empty 1x week
Mag7 return
from refugium
Tunze Wavebox in display
<Sounds very nice>
Livestock (overstocked I know-planning upgrade to 210g)
Fish
Scribbled rabbitfish 7"
Purple tang 5"
Hippo tang 5"
Yellow
mimic tang 4"
Green chromis(5) 3"
Yellow "Coris" wrasse 3"
Canary blenny 3"
Percula clown pair 3" & 4"
Cherub pygmy angel
3"
Firefish 4"
Redheaded gobies(2) 2"
Neon goby 2"
Okinawa goby 2"
High fin goby 3"
Invertebrates
White striped
cleaner shrimp pair (Both always carry eggs)
Scarlet cleaner shrimp
pair
Pistol shrimp
Various snails, a few hermit crabs and one
small emerald crab I feed 2 cubes of mysis and 1/6 sheet of Nori (big
sheet from Asian food store) in AM, 1 cube of mysis and additional 1/6
sheet Nori in PM. I also substitute 1/10 of a block (the long bar type
package) of Cyclop-Eeze instead of mysis and target feed corals 2-3
times/week.
I think my big refugium minimizes the effects of the
overfeeding,
<Yes... to a large degree>
but any recommendations
would be appreciated.
Thanks
<I'd be upgrading to that 210...
soon/er. Perhaps using a chemical filtrant (e.g. a unit of Chemipure)
periodically... let's say, once a month. Considering adding an ozonizer
ahead of getting a calcium reactor (which I would also use) for the new
system. Bob Fenner> Sodium tripolyphosphate; Is supermarket
shrimp safe for marine fish? 4/5/07
Is the sodium
tripolyphosphate found in supermarket frozen raw shrimp safe for marine
fish?<I wouldn’t use anything with it in it. Depending on what livestock
you’re feeding, I’d go with frozen krill, or similar, available through
your local fish/pet store. Sodium tripolyphosphate, or STPP, is a
chemical preservative that has the added merchant bonus of increasing
the sellable weight of a product. It also makes seafood taste funny! We
don’t need it and neither do our little fishy friends!>Thank you for
your time.<You're welcome! -Lynn> Re: Some revisions on my article
<Fish foods, Pablo Tepoot... New Life Enterprises... Spectrum> 03/23/07
Good article, much to ponder there. You can tell he genuinely
cares about what he is doing, which I'm sure is not unrelated to why he
has such a great product. Do you know when/where this will be
published?
-Chris
<Pablo is passionate... about the trade, his
work... life en toto... He had told me where this would go first, but
can't recall... Pablo? BobF>
Bob, The watered down version will be
published on Oct. issue of Aquarium fish magazine, only 1/3 of the
length, as you know average readers might have a very short attention
span. After it is published, it will be an honor to put it on your site
with the more complete version.
Remember 2 years ago you asked me to
write an article about fish food? Well, this is the article.
Pablo
<Yes I do... and I do thank you for allowing us to post it after AFM.
BobF> Regal Angel HLLE 3/19/07
Hello Wet Web Crew. I hope
all is well.
<Quite well, thanks.>
I wanted to provide some
input (maybe beneficial to some reader out there is the same boat) about
a recent experience I had with a Regal Angel and IMO a 'miracle
product'. <I usually hate that term but I cheated and read ahead, and am
in agreement.> About 6 weeks ago, I obtained a regal angel from a tank
at a restaurant that I frequent. The little guy was not looking healthy
and had the beginning signs of HLLE. I spoke to the owner of the
establishment and provided my observations. I told him that these fish
are difficult at best to care for. He explained to me that they have a
company come in every two weeks to service that tanks and he would let
them know. I went back a week later and the situation was the same. I
spoke to the owner and asked if I could take the fish. He agreed and I
went the next day (before opening) and got the fish. <Good for you and
the owner.> I brought him home and placed him in QT for 3 weeks. <Good
to hear.> Initially, I could not get him to eat anything (I believe
this also to be the problem at the restaurant). I tried Mysis, frozen
angel formula, Nori, flakes, Formula products, fresh shrimp, clams, and
squid. He would not eat anything. He would pick at LR, but that is about
it. I was out of options, until I was cleaning out a cabinet where I
store my dry products and came across some New Life Spectrum Marine
Formula pellets. I think that these were about a year old, as I had not
been feeding them to any of my tanks at the time. I had nothing to lose
at this point and dropped a few in the QT tank. I watched them sink to
the bottom and the regal was uninterested. I came back a while later,
and noticed that they were gone. I dropped a few more in the tank and
the regal went nuts. I started feeding him 3 times a day with the
pellets. He was doing so well on the pellets, that I started feeding all
of my tanks the pellets. He has now been in my 210 gal main display tank
for 3 weeks now and is doing awesome. His color has returned, no signs
of HLLE, and he is now eating Cyclop-eeze along with his pellets. Aside
form that, all of my fish never looked so good. IMO, the New Life
Spectrum line is absolutely amazing stuff. This food should be a staple
for anyone who owns a marine tank period. I have also started feeding my
sun polyps the small fish formula and they seem to love it also. This
stuff is truly incredible. I hope that someone from the New Life Company
reads this. They should be proud of this product.
Best Regards,
Dean Oliver
<I agree, I really love this food. All our tanks, both
fresh and salt water get this line. Makes a great staple food, some
even claim to feed it exclusively, although I still won't go quite that
far. But don't minimize your work either, the QTing allowed the fish a
chance to start eating which would not have happened if competing with
tankmates. Congratulations on your success with this difficult fish and
thanks for sharing your story.>
<Chris> Advice on frozen
and canned foods 3/11/07
Hello crew and thanks
again for all of the great information.
<Hello Vince, Brandon here
tonight.>
I have read through the FAQs looking for some
advice on the suitability of some frozen and canned foods I would like
to feed my trigger fish, but couldn't find exactly what I was looking
for in the food section. The questions are 1) are canned mussels and
clams suitable if washed with tap water and then
<Canned
Mussels/Oysters usually have oil or something that they are canned
in. I would not use them. If you have to have Mussels/Oysters in the
fish’s diet, I will say use only fresh ones.>
frozen for regular
feedings and 2) I have been purchasing a multi-pack of frozen uncooked
seafood from my local grocery store which has shrimp, squid and
scallops, is there any concern feeding scallops?
<No. But,
additionally you might want to soak these in Selcon, or Zoe and Zoecon
once or twice a week.>
I assume the rule of thumb
applies, if its of marine origin its OK. Thanks again for your continued
help.
<You are welcome. I hope that this helps, Brandon.>
Your Spectrum (Foods) DVD - 03/10/07
Pablo... very
nice... Though... for the sake of contributing a bit to possible
improvement:
1) I would add the word "Fish Foods" to the opening
graphic... As "New Life Spectrum" by itself is not clear enough IMO,
doesn't hammer home what you're about, trying to sell...
2) I would
add a bit more (yes... artificial) light/ing to your tank video... esp.
your big home tank... as this will not only show the fishes color
better, but give people a much more realistic view of what you have
accomplished.
I do really think the mix of species, types of systems
(brackish, koi, predator...) that you show is outstanding...
3) and
lastly, my usual pitch re the term "fishes", versus fish for multiple
species...
Oh, actually not lastly. I would like to propose that you
and I produce a podcast of your foods... to make available on WWM... Are
you game? Bob F.
Mysterious Death (P. fuscus) & "Feeding
incompatibility" 2/4/07
Hi All,
<Go ahead, "caller">
Long time reader, first time emailer (always wanted to say that)
<Dork... ;)>
To the point: I woke up this morning with a dead
(floating) Blue Line <(Pseudobalistes fuscus)>
Trigger. <Perrrty.>
I've had him for about 6 months and during that time he's grown from
about 1 1/2" to 4".
<Wow! That's fast, indeed!>
He
was the boss of the tank and up to and including last night, was round,
robust, and very healthy. I tested the water today and everything was
fine as were the other fish.
<"Fine" water quality is
relative, or speculative at least. Need real numbers.>
He had no
visible marks on him. Besides some sort of random genetic internal
organ failure, <Mmm... yes, barring that...> two possibilities occurred
to me as causes; he could have smacked into the dwarf lionfish when
feeding and been envenomed (if that's the right word),
<Not
impossible, but you *should* be able to see puncture-wounds on the
trigger, and would've seen some very obvious signs of "envenomation" (I
like that word as much as any other...) in the form of erratic swimming,
pain, etc.>
or he could have gotten some of that wiry stuff from
muscles <mussels> that I feed caught in his gills or digestive system.
<Again, not impossible, though not likely IMO.>
Are either of these
possible causes of death?
<Not to me.>Is there something
else that comes to mind for this sort of thing?
<With what
information I have, I would rate water-quality as number one, with the
lionfish spine as a second. After these two, I would speculate about an
internal infection that killed your friend. >
While I'm emailing,
there's one other thing I've been wondering for a while. Having set up
a couple of 'predator' type tanks before this one<.> I've repeatedly run
into a stocking compatibility issue that seldom or never is mentioned in
books or on the web, yet in my experience is of critical importance.
<Ok, cough it up.>
Basically it's the issue of feeding
compatibility. What I mean by that is this: some fish like groupers and
lionfish should only be fed about twice per week depending on
size. Most other fish need to be fed once to twice per day. <Or
more...> However, the groupers and lions are able and willing to gulp
down vast quantities of food intended for other tankmates, even while
using sticks, nets or whatever to distract during feedings. <True.>
While trying to adequately feed the tankmates (wrasses, triggers,
angels), I have twice before ended up with the same problems: 1) Overfed
and rapidly growing lionfish and groupers (in one case a very aggressive
miniatus) 2) Minimally fed or under fed and slow growing tankmates
(including one Picasso trigger who was nearing bite size) 3) Diminished
water quality from having to throw more food in the tank than I wanted
and having the wrong fish eat it.
These situations both culminated
having to trade some of the livestock after a period of about 2
years. This is the reason in my new tank I have included a Dwarf
Lionfish which in terms of feeding has been working out much
better. <Ahh, yes. More "manageable."> In my opinion, the only good
companions for large Lions and Groupers are others who are able to feed
seldom, then wolf down their food in the same manner.
<I
disagree. I have had many systems thrive with both groupers and lionfish
housed with tangs, angels, triggers, eels, etc. I think the "key" here
is to teach your other aggressive fishes to feed from your hands. The
triggers should have no problem associating your hand with food, and the
lions are usually less-inclined to grab right from your hand. Wrasses
can be fed smaller chunks that would be less appealing to the
lions/groupers, too. As for the angels, they have different nutritional
needs from the lion/grouper combo, so I wouldn't think they would be
gulping down the angel-food. >
Morays and Sharks seem like good
choices though may have to be fed by a stick. Puffers might be
ok. However, the vast majority of fish often touted as being possible
Lion/Grouper companions (Large angels, wrasses, tangs, and butterflies,
and more peaceful triggers) all seem to have such dissimilar feeding
habits as to be very poor choices for the long term, period.
<Really haven't seen this to pose a problem in practice.>
Is feeding
compatibility an issue with other types
of tank setups?
<Can become a problem, but with the variety of foods that most
tank-mates thrive on, lions and groupers turn many of them down. Well,
at least the lions do. I find that the heavy-hitters prefer the bigger
hunks of food, and that they will ignore smaller stuff if there is big
food available.>
Why is it almost never discussed?
<Got me,
bub.>
Thanks in advance,
David
<You are welcome, and feel
free to send some more info on H2O-chemistry our way.
-GrahamT>
Feeding Frequency, Feeding grandma at the all you can eat buffet?!
1/8/07
Hello,
<Hi Jay! Mich here.>
In my aquarium I have
a Sailfin Tang a Maroon and Gold Clown, 2 Engineering Gobies, a six-line
wrasse, and a purple grandma.
<WOW! You have a purple
grandma in your tank! Where do you keep grandpa?>
Along with, some
zoos, some star polyps, a moon brain, a tree leather, and a candy.
Also a Sebae anemone and some other misc. inverts. I have been feeding
them a cube of prime reef, a cube of emerald mix, and 1/2 a cube of
brine shrimp twice daily.
<Holy all you can eat buffet
Batman! Grandma must be pretty hungry!>
From what I have read on
your site that is obviously too much, I was hoping you would be able to
suggest a proper feeding regimen, at least as a baseline to work from,
as my nitrates were 160ppm and after a water changed dropped to about
60ppm (I will probably be doing another 30% water change tomorrow.
<Yikes!>
My Nitrites however still present also dropped from 1 to
.25.
<You want to get this down and keep it at zero.>
Everything else tests perfect (can't test for ammonia, need to get a new
kit).
<Well, as you know you are overfeeding by several
orders. You should feed no more than what your fish will eat in five
minutes, while the tank circulation is shut down. I would suggest
starting with 1/4 of a cube of anything but the brine shrimp as they
have little to offer as far as nutritional value. You can feed twice
daily, but only what they can eat in five minutes. You may also want
occasionally offer your tang some Nori (available at grocery stores as
it is used for sushi) or other dried seaweed fish foods. I am hoping
you tank is quite large as Sailfin Tangs (Zebrasoma veliferum) can reach
up to 15.7 inches long and should be housed in tanks that are at least
135 gallons in volume.>
Thanks for your continued help.
<Welcome. -Mich>
Jay Question: Sweetwater Zooplankton is
fresh water Daphnia. 12/25/06
Any thoughts on feeding
freshwater plankton to Marine creatures ?
I've been using it for 4
years and my fish seem to like it.
<Is useful for marine use... has
a similar "laxative effect" if fed too often, exclusively... But
nutritious, pathogen-free... BobF>
Thank you,
Chris
WetWebCrew Rules !!! Catching own fish food
12/16/06
<Hi Kevin, Mich with you today.>
I was wondering if
bait fish that I can catch myself can be used to safely feed a moray eel
and lionfish.
<Possibly.>
I go saltwater fishing
quite often and we commonly catch jumping mullet, shrimp and small
minnows that resemble silversides to use as bait. If I catch a few fresh
ones right before we leave our fishing grounds, and then bring them back
home alive in aerated buckets, I was wondering if I could then package
and freeze them to use for feeding at a later time.
<Sounds good in theory.>
I have read that freezing fish for a length
of time will kill saltwater fish parasites, but perhaps not all
micro-organisms.
<This is true.>
It seems that I
have read where it is an accepted practice for feeding these types of
fish fresh seafood from the local fish market, so I don't know what the
difference would be between my netting some fish or a commercial trawler
doing so.
<Yours would be fresher! I imagine that food
quality fish may go through an inspection process of some sort, but I am
unaware for any other significant differences. RMF please comment.>
<<Can indeed be done... is worthwhile freezing to remove chance of
pathogenic introduction. RMF>
But perhaps it is not a good practice
to feed your fish food from the local fish market either, I read a lot
of mixed opinions on this......as with everything in this hobby it
seems.
<Yes, sometimes it seems
inconsistency is the only constant.>
These bait fish are taken from
good waters, not from the Hudson river!
<What, you
wouldn't eat fish out of the Hudson? Hehehe!>
Thanks for any
opinions you may have to offer on this.
<Welcome -Mich>
Kevin
A Grab Bag of Questions... Water changes/SW, UV use, Sponges as foods
11/19/06
Good evening WWM crew, hope all is well. I have a few
general questions for you, if you don't mind. First off, a good number
of aquatic-veterans agree that, in most properly planned and maintained
systems, smaller, more frequent water changes are more beneficial than
larger, less frequent changes. I was reading Scott F's article on doing
5% water changes twice a week, and was wondering if it would be just as
good, better, or worse to do 1 or 2% daily water changes?
<Mmm,
possibly... the ideal would be to continuously change out a bit... as in
dripping in/out>
Most of the information on daily water changes that
my search turned up referred to emergency situations and medicated
tanks. I currently live in an apartment and it would actually be easier
for me to mix up a quick
<Ahh... better by far to pre-mix, let
age... per WWM...>
2 gallon (tank is 90g) batch of saltwater. And by
"easier" I mean that my girlfriend does not like the idea of having a
Rubbermaid trashcan full of water in the living room.
<Can be
located elsewhere... pumped or bucketed...>
I'd estimate, three
weeks of daily changes a month, and one week of a single 10% water
change so I could actually have time to vacuum the gravel. Any thoughts
or downsides??
<Time, trouble, spilling... mostly>
Tank will be
(still in the planning process) a 90g FOWLR system, with a canister,
skimmer and maybe a UV sterilizer, (see next question.) I'm only picking
out 4 or 5 medium sized fish as Bob, Anthony, and others suggested in
various FAQs for this size tank. So, no major worries about the stocking
level.
My second question is... Any idea how a UV sterilizer would
impact tunicate populations in a tank?
<Mmm, possibly reduce
available foodstuffs... are filter feeders...>
I was given one as a
gift, and figured I might as well hook it up, but was curious/concerned
about its possible effect on the free-swimming young of tunicates.
<Oh! These will likely be readily removed by skimming, predation... if
produced at all>
My concern stems from the fact that I would like to
put a medium size angel in, and want there to be some live food
available. I love the Apolemichthys genus,
<Will very likely consume
ascidians...>
and it's not too hard to find retail specimens eating
prepared foods in my area.
<You are fortunate here>
But even if
it's eating, I'd like to provide the most complete diet possible. The
sterilizer takes a 9watt bulb and suggests 100 - 200gph for most
applications and I think around 50gph for parasites. I would prefer to
hook it up to my canister's output at 350gph, because in all honesty
this would make it much, much easier to clean, service, etc. Is it even
worth bothering at that flow rate?
<Yes>
I know that the extra
head (it's a "turbo-twist") will decrease the gph a bit, but I doubt
enough to meet ESU's recommended flow rate. Also, on the general subject
of feeding angels, is there any real risk to using most forms of "tree
sponges" as feeder sponge for angels??
<Mmm... some... many of
these... oh I see you address this below>
Any concerns about
toxicity or decay??
<Yes>
I have a small 36"x18" tank I'm using
to culture rock that I could quarantine the incoming sponge in. I've
read the warnings about most types of "ball sponges," but haven't heard
the same caveat about "tree sponges." If there are any major risks with
"tree sponges," is there any decent type of sponge to use as a feeder,
or is best to just rotate old live rock out and new live rock in?
<This last is more... preferable. Oriental food stores may be able to
supply you with useful Poriferans... in dried formats>
(Shouldn't be
a hassle with the extra tank.) Any ways, thank you again for your help,
this wonderful site and your contribution to the hobby.
<Welcome.
Bob Fenner> Zoo-
And Phytoplankton Products 11/10/06
Hello, Cam here,
<Hi
Cam, James with you today.>
If I May ask...What is your opinion
about the manufacturers Two Little Fishies? I am considering buying Two
Little Fishies Zoo-and Phytoplankton products namely: ZoPlan, PhytoPlan,
Marine Snow, Seaweed (red, green (Flakes)
<Never used any of their
products so I cannot comment here, nor have I heard anyone boast about
such.>
and/Or Aqua Medic's Plancto? What is the best choice liquid
dead?) plankton, dried or frozen? I think ZoPlan and PhytoPlan are dried
plankton, I cannot get live plankton?
What other supplements should
I give, I have mostly soft corals and stony corals? Thanks I appreciate
it. Thanks for answering all my previous questions.
<Cam, I'm not
familiar with, or have used any of these products, therefore it is best
for you to place this on our chat forum. In this regard, people who
have used these products can comment. You can find the link in the
lower right column on our home page. The products I use are made by
Liquid Life. There are three, Marine Plankton with Cyclop-Eeze (smaller
fish enjoy this also), Bio Plankton, which contains billions of
preserved green algae, green flagellate, and golden algae, varying in
sizes from 2-16 microns. Coral Plankton, contains 3,000 rotifers and 1
billion Pavlova algae per milliliter, ideal for carnivorous corals and
Tridacnid Clams. All must be keep frozen or refrigerated.
I find
these foods to be the least detrimental in increasing nitrate and/or
phosphate levels, and the most nutritious of products I have tried. I
purchase these at my LFS, but they can be ordered through Foster &
Smith or other etailers that carry them. James (Salty Dog)>
Fish Losing Color 10/17/06
Hi Crew. It has been more than three
years since my last question was posted here. <Long time no see
;)> Recently, I have got a 95 gallon new tank to replace my old
one. All my old fishes are doing ok in the last few years. <Good> Some
of them have already been with me for more than five years.
<Congratulations!> They are eating well and have no signs of diseases
except that some of them have lost their color. My yellow tang is almost
a white tang. My blue tang, powder blue tang and flame angel all have
similar problem. I understand that three tangs will be too packed in my
tank. And I am so lucky that they seem to get along quite ok in the last
few years. <Stress from this may be part of your problem, although
probably more related to diet.> My question is what sort of food I
should feed them in order to bring back their colour apart from
maintaining the good quality of water.
Thank you very much in
advance. Eric
<Variety is the key. Use a high quality pellet as a
base, I personally love New Life Spectrum. Then add to this algae
(Nori) sheets, algae flakes, and a variety of frozen foods, Mysid being
my personal favorite. Also make sure your water quality is good, this
can also have a big effect. Hopefully with a little time their color
will return.>
<Chris> Questions - Lettuce and Empty
Calories - 10/15/06
Aggression is very limited, fish
wise.
<For now. You have some fish that tend to grow up into
bullies.>
The Clowns for sure. If I can't have a Mac, would you
recommend a medium to large, easy care, easy going Angel that would
work?
<< I can’t remember your stocking list off hand (couple of
tangs, maroon clown pair etc?), but you should look for something that
stays under a foot in the wild. Large angels that are easy going are
often of the shy type who may feel threatened by the boisterous tangs
and grumpy clowns. >>
<It’s good to see your ph and temp are well
regulated. I’d also suggest skipping the lettuce and sticking with
seaweed/Nori soaked in Selcon.>
I fed lettuce after reading that
parboiled lettuce is ok for marine fish. Also, because the Tangs and
Angel seem to prefer it to seaweed. But will skip if it's still no good
for them. Thanks for the Selcon idea.
<< The lettuce isn’t
necessarily bad for them, but it’s not very nutritious either. >>
<Your fish list in its current form is reef safe. You could always turn
the 240 into your reef tank <G>.>
That would be awesome! But the
reason for the smaller reef tank, aside from not knowing anything about
them, is that it will be small enough to put in the living room, so I
can see more of whatever ends up in the tank. The big tank is in the
converted garage, off the kitchen. Get to see the fish half a dozen
times a day, but not the same as having them close in.
Thanks to Wet
Web and all the great advise I've gotten.
<< Most welcome, and have
a great day! – Emerson >>
Teresa Feeding Guidelines
10/2/06
You guys have been a true help for the
beginner. Everywhere I go I've tried 3 LFS's and all have differing
opinions so I once again come to you guys for a more definitive answer.
<Glad to hear that! Scott F. here tonight!>
I've searched the
website for rough guidelines on how much food is enough for fishes. I'm
afraid I've been overfeeding. I have a 30 gallon tank, 300 BioWheel
power filter, Prism Protein skimmer, and a power compact light:
Inhabitants
2 False Perculas (about 1") each
1 Flame Angel (2")
1 Green Chromis (1") soon to be going back to the fish store due to
concerns
of overstocking
2 Fire shrimp (2")
2 Peppermint
shrimp (3/4")
1 Skunk Cleaner (3/4")
12-16 snails (top and
Astrea)
1 small Open Brain
1 Fungia Plate Coral
1 Bubble
Coral
Various polyps, Zoanthids, and other soft corals and Frogspawn
<A caution here- this is a pretty serious combination of noxious corals
in a pretty confined space. Allelopathic issues will emerge, so be
prepared to move some of these corals in due time.>
I've been giving
the fish a pinch of flake food (Formula 1) twice a day they eat all of
it within a few minutes except for various pieces that float to the
bottom that are dispatched by my shrimp. I also feed pieces of frozen
silverside (finely minced to less that 1/4", I have been reading your
site) to my Open Brain, Bubble Coral, and Plate Coral 3-5 times a
week. I also feed the larger fire shrimp pieces of this fish at the
same time.
<Good that everyone is getting their fair share.>
I
also dose with a mixture of DT's phytoplankton with Cyclop-eeze every
other day (1 pump). Just typing this all out makes me realize it's too
much huh?
<Not in my opinion, actually. As long as the food is being
consumed, this is not too much of a problem. Keep up regular water
changes and stay at basic husbandry, and you can feed in good
quantities.>
I know from some of your other answers there are many
factors on how much food to feed them but I'm just looking for some
general guidelines.
<To be honest, I think that you're doing fine.
Better to keep you animals well fed, IMO. Too many of us tend to
underfeed our animals in an attempt to keep our systems "nutrient poor."
As long as you are doing frequent water changes, using chemical
filtration media (i.e.; activated carbon or Poly Filter), and observing
common sense husbandry rules, you should be fine.>
On a completely
different topic I have a 750 gpm powerhead in the upper corner of my
tank to agitate the surface and provide oxygenation and some current to
my tank. Is this necessary, or should I move it too the bottom and
provide more circulation and less aeration? I like the idea of agitating
the surface.>
My fish and I thank you in advance.
Paul
<Glad
to be of service! Regards, Scott F.>
Flake Food Question
9/17/06
Gentlemen,
<And some ladies...>
I
have been having trouble getting my Coral Beauty and my Tomato Clown to
eat anything other than "Omega One Marine Flakes", and "Marine Plankton
Gel". The fish turn their noses up at Mysis shrimp, "Nutrafin Max
morsels", and "Angel Formula".
<Interesting>
My question is, is
this enough?
<Nutritionally... likely so... If you have live rock
in/with these fishes I would not be concerned>
I originally had four
damsels in the tank left over from the cycling, but I have since removed
them due to aggressiveness. They were pretty, but not so nice. Well,
when the damsels were in the tank, the clownfish would eat the shrimp,
but now, not so much.
<Ahh!>
Both the clown and angel seem
healthy and active. My tank is a 55g FO, sg 1.022, ammonia, nitrites
both 0.0, nitrate around 5.0, pH 8.3. I am running an Emperor 400, plus
an 75gal wet/dry with skimmer. I think my parameters are O.K. My
problem is not that they won't eat, but that they seem very finicky.
You guys have a great website, I could (and have) spent hours going
over all the info presented.
Thank you,
Drew
<Thank you, Bob Fenner> Feeding/Schedule
7/28/06
Good morning.
<And to you.>
This is one of those
questions that I seem to find multiple different answers for (including
from your site), so I'm trying to tap your expertise to get a specific
answer for my system, if I may. I have a 36 gallon bowfront mini-reef
with HOB skimmer and filter, 2 powerheads in the back corners pointed
toward the front at roughly 90 degrees to each other, and 4 small fish
with 3.5" DSB, 50# live rock, with several softies (star polyps, yellow
polyps, mushroom), and a branching anchor. All is fine, but I have a
nagging question about feeding. I presently turn off the skimmer and
HOB filter for my one time daily feeding in the evening, and leave the
powerheads running which blows the food around. Should the powerheads
be on or off for feeding, and should it be the same routine everyday or
maybe one day with them off and another day on to vary the flow (and
food) distribution around the corals?
<I'd leave the powerheads on,
could shut the filter off...up to you. I do not shut anything off when
I feed.>
I've also read about putting the powerheads on timers for a
"tide" effect. I have some spare timers around, and I could do this if
it helps. Is there a benefit to alternating the powerhead flow, and is
there a benefit to a period of "quiet time" at night or in the early
morning to have both powerheads off?
<What you've read are about
"wave timers" which turns powerheads on/off at a user selected
frequency. They can be set to go on/off as much as 60 times per
hour. Household timers aren't much good in this regard. Aquarium
Systems makes a inexpensive wave timer ($50-60> that can run up to four
power heads. These units work best when using at least three
powerheads. In my opinion, wave timers are beneficial to corals as they
create a cleansing effect with to and fro motion of the water. If
considering a wave maker timer, it is not necessary to buy the expensive
units that are available. Just wasting money as they work no better
than the Aquarium Systems unit. Incidentally, most power heads do not
work well with frequent cycling. The Aquarium Systems powerheads do.>
I presently have plenty of flow between the 2 powerheads and HOB filters
(roughly 20x tank volume/hr). Thanks!!!
<You're welcome. James
(Salty Dog)>
PS> Thanks your for all your help, and for the easy
access to your accumulated knowledge. At this point, I've gotten into
this hobby solo out of a great deal of interest, and your website has
been my most reliable source of info, as I haven't had time to get
involved in any local clubs.... Fish and star
question, Marine Snow food opinion 7/22/06
Hello,
Great site!!!!! I have a 100g reef tank with mushrooms, a torch
coral, a frogspawn coral, two devils hands and tons of clean-up crew. I
have a purple and yellow tang, one powder blue chromis and a clown goby.
I want to add another fish that is cool looking and beautiful. I don't
know what to add. Any angel fish?
<A few possibilities... likely a
Centropyge... or Genicanthus species>
any other cool tangs.
<Mmm, not likely a good idea>
I would love an achilles tang or sohal
tang.
<Not good choices here... see WWM re temperament, hardiness,
size...>
Also, what is a cool starfish that would be reef safe?
<These genera, species are listed on WWM>
What do you think of
"marine snow" by two little fishes?
<It's "The Emperor's New Fish
Food" (like the story of the emperor's new clothes)... A scam...
non-nutritious, a waste of time. Don't know why Danny and Jules of Two
Li'l Fishies are involved in this gimmick>
I would love your
opinion. You guys have been a great help in the past.
Thanks,
Jeromy
<Glad to proffer them. RMF>
Monosodium Glutamate in Fish Food - Is it Safe? 7/19/06
Greetings WWM Crew,
<Cindy>
I recently began feeding my Pleco
Hikari Tropical Sinking Wafers and now it's the only food she wants to
eat. I read the ingredients and discovered it contained monosodium
glutamate. No wonder she loves this stuff so much, MSG makes everything
taste good. I try to feed my fish only the best foods (although I
confess I throw in a few so-so brands, occasionally, for variety). I
decided to read the ingredients on all the brands on my shelf (New Life
Spectrum, Ocean Nutrition, Omega One, HBH, Tetra, Marineland Bio Blend,
and Hikari). Every Hikari label I have (Tropical Sinking Wafers,
First Bites, and Tropical Micro Wafers) contain MSG. I get terrible
migraines from MSG and know there has been a lot of controversy about it
and was wondering what your thoughts are about feeding this to fish?
<Not much of a problem if any in aquatic use as far as I'm aware. Is
indeed added as an "appetite stimulant", as well as an essential amino
acid source (glutamine). Bob Fenner> Feeding New Life Spectrum
Foods...Solely? - 06/27/06
Hi Crew,
<<Hello Tom>>
I
started feeding Spectrum pellets almost a year ago after reading about
the product on WWM.
<<Ah yes, an excellent food indeed>>
Had
also been feeding Mysis a couple of times a week along with Nori, for
variety...sometimes other frozen foods.
<<As is usually
recommended...>>
Their label claims best results are obtained when
feeding Spectrum pellets exclusively, so as an experiment I started
doing just that about 3-4 months ago, a pinch 2-3 times a day.
<<Glad to see you feed small amounts multiple times per day>>
The
livestock seems to be in excellent health, basically fat, very active
and colorful.
<<Excellent>>
The fish are a purple
tang, pacific blue tang, flame angel, 2 Percs, yellow watchman goby,
royal Gramma, Twinspot/yellow hogfish, yellow Foxface.
<<Lucky for
you they all take to the pellets>>
Tank is a 2 year old 125G reef
with around 150lbs live rock, mostly SPS, some LPS, cleaner shrimp,
hermits, serpent stars. Also feeding phyto 2-3 times a week for a 5"
derasa and other inverts. Here's the question: What is your opinion of
long-term fish & invert health when feeding only Spectrum marine
pellets?
<<I have to admit Tom, I am skeptical that a single food
source/formulation can provide for long-term health for "every" marine
species...at least until "proven" otherwise (maybe you're on the way to
doing that!) I think the New Life Spectrum foods are an excellent, high
quality product and use them myself. I have a friend who claims to have
kept healthy breeding pairs of cichlids fed solely on this product...and
the seeming successes with Zanclus cornutus fed these pellets speaks
very highly. But even so, I still provide other foods to my fishes...as
well as vitamin/HUFA/amino supplements>>
It's a lot easier (almost
too easy) than frozen/meaty foods, but sure seems to be working well.
<<Agreed...but perhaps best used as a "primary" staple, supplemented
with the occasional and varied frozen "treat">>
Thanks,
Tom
Feeding In General...Mixed Bag - 06/07/06
I have a 225
gallon tank with (in tank ruler order) 1) 7" Male Naso Tang 2) 4" Blue
Dot Grouper 3) 5" Purple Tang 4) 5" Desjardini Tang
I have the
following questions.
1) How often should they be fed, and how much
food? Meaning specifically, how many sheets of seaweed selects (I feed
them the brown, red and green normally in combination) should I feed
daily and at what intervals?
<Fish should be fed slowly until not
interested, and twice a day would be fine. No set amount on number of
sheets to feed.>
2) How do you soak the algae, as I heard that you
should always soak it in garlic, Selcon and vita chem (to prevent
illness), but do you wring it out before placing it in the tank? Wont
the tank just wash the vitamins and garlic and Selcon out of the algae
within a minute or two of being on the clip in the tank?
<Not
necessary to use more than one vitamin supplement. Selcon would be my
choice, and I'd use the garlic twice a week. The fibers in the food
will retain some of the vitamin supplement. No need to wring it out.>
3) How many of New Life Spectrum's Thera +A for large fish pellets
should I feed them and how often?
<As above.>
Should I soak
these also as they don't break down to easy in water?
<You
can. What do the container instructions indicate?>
5) Is brine
shrimp not worth feeding the fish? I heard that they are like potato
chips for fish, and therefore not nutritious at all? Should I switch
them to mysis shrimp that is soaked in the Selcon, VitaChem and garlic?
If brine shrimp are ok to feed them, should I soak them as well?
<Very little nutritional value in brine shrimp. Mysis is fine and you
can soak in a vitamin complex.>
4) Is it possible to have too much
current in a tank? I have an Iwaki 100mdrlt pump for the return at 10'
of head, hooked to a wavy sea plus wavemaker (which I love). I also have
a Rio 2100+ powerhead in the tank pushing 692 gph. Is this too much
current?
<In your tank I would want a total water movement of at
least 2,300gph. Yes, you can have too much current. Total water flow
exceeding 15X the tank
volume isn't necessary.>
5) I have a sump
full of red Gracilaria and Chaetomorpha, should I feed them this as
well? I have tried the red Gracilaria (via hooking to a clip) but they
don't like it? What advise do you have in terms of how much to feed, and
how to feed? Should it be soaked in Selcon, vita chem, and garlic?
<Probably won't like the Chaeto either. You need to stop repeating
yourself..."how to feed, how much to feed".
6) My 7" male Naso has a
bloated belly always, I don't know if it is because I refill his clip 3
times a day with about 8 sheets of seaweed selects each day?
<Wowsie, way too much food. Tangs should look slightly round looking at
them head-on, not like a turkey.>
Is he over-eating?
<No, you
are overfeeding.>
If it is not, could it be dropsy? I will add
pictures to this post tomorrow.
<Please do, we love pics.>
7)
Should I add Zoecon to the list of pre-soaking items for the tang food?
<You have all you will need.>
8) I feed the 4" blue dot grouper 1
silverside a day stuffed with about 5 New Life Spectrum's Thera +A for
large fish pellets and I soak the fish in garlic extreme, vita chem and
Zoecon. I alternate days with krill done this way on one day, and the
next day it is a silverside. Is this enough food for him? Is this a
complete diet?
<Yes and Yes.>
Thanks again and I LOVE your site.
It is the best on the web by far!
<Thank you, continue to
enjoy. Keep in mind, there is much information on the site regarding
feeding...Do search/read. James (Salty Dog)>
Thanks
again for your help!
<You're welcome.>
Greg R.
Re: Feeding In General... Mixed Bag 6/8/06
How do I
measure the tank's total current to come up with the recommended amount?
If the return pump pumps at 1500 gph, the overflow is 1400 gph and a
692 gph power head on a 6' x 24" x 30" tank? Thanks again, you are an
asset to the fish community and should be carried through the streets as
a hero!
<Mmm, afraid of falling, Bob may want the honor.> <<Heeee,
though am "stature challenged", I too don't like heights... RMF>>
<It
will be the total flow in the display tank only. If you have a return
pump rated at 1500 and a power head at 692, you have a total flow of
2192, a little shy if we look at multiplying 225x15=3379 or
225x10=2250. Somewhere in this range would be ideal. Keep in mind, you
will have to subtract head pressure loss from your return pump. That
info should be in your user manual. If not, go here. http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/hlc2.php>
Thanks again
<You're welcome. James (Salty Dog)>
Dosing Kalkwasser/Inadequate Feeding/Falling pH - 06/02/06
Dear
crew,
<<Greetings>>
Thanks for doing us all an invaluable
service. Your time and effort with this site is greatly appreciated.
<<Ah, thank you for these words>>
I have a 30gal reef, 20gal sump,
with AquaC Remora Pro and a 10gal refugium with Chaetomorpha.
<<Very
nice>>
Lighting consists of 2x96 watt10k/actinic, and 65 watt 65k
lamps. My ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates 0, alk 10, cal 325, pH
7.9. I have about 4" DSB in my main tank and 6" in my sump. Substrate
is CaribSea Aragonite Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand Grain size 1.0 -
2.0 mm. I employ 5gal weekly water changes with RO and salinity is kept
about 1.025. Calcium is usually maintained around 400 using Seachem's
reef complete. Circulation is about 20x using a MAG 7.5 connected to a
SCWD and a Rio 600. The last few months I have been getting more and
more hair and BGA algae. I have a pajama cardinal and a royal
Gramma. I have an emerald crab, red and blue legged hermits, and a
serpent star. I also have some narcissus,
<<Nassarius>>
turbo,
and Astrea snails. I feed 1 cube of mysis shrimp or bloodworms every
other day and do not drain the packing juice.
<<You need to feed a
better selection in my opinion. The brine shrimp and bloodworms are
fine as a "supplement", but neither should be fed as a staple diet. The
bloodworms, being a non-marine organism, are lacking in those elements
needed by your fish...and the brine shrimp is sorely lacking in "any"
real nutritive value (mostly water). Please feed marine-based foods
such as frozen mysis/plankton/krill and a quality pelleted food such as
New Life Spectrum>>
Lately I started using Kalkwasser hoping for the
benefits. I use the slurry method using about 1/8th tsp every 2-3 days.
<<Hopefully you have an electronic meter to monitor pH as you
dose...strive to add enough to raise the existing pH by two-tenths (e.g.
- 7.8 to 8.0)>>
Now my pH has dropped to about 7.8 to 8.0 and it has
never done this before.
<<Mmm...how do you measure pH? If using a
test kit, perhaps it is time for new reagents. I would also stop dosing
the Seachem product and see if this affects you pH>>
Even when I
first started to use Kalkwasser it only elevated my pH.
<<It
would/is expected to do so, yes>>
So now I'm unsure what to do to
raise my pH back up other then trying to change about half of my water
to try and get back to par.
Any suggestions would be greatly
appreciated.
<<Do the water change, stop dosing the Seachem product
(the Kalkwasser should handle your calcium needs), renew your test kit,
and read here, being sure to follow the associated links:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/marphalk.htm >>
Thanks
Mark
<<Quite welcome, EricR>> My fish is addicted to Piscine Energetics
Mysis - 4/24/2006
Dear Mr. Fenner
<Nuri>
My fish
is addicted to PE MYSIS and won't eat anything else. He\she is a pig.
Can you please let me know where I can take my fish to a PEMA meeting
(piscine energetics Mysis anonymous meeting?)
<I ate some just last
night and saw God! Better than that, I woke up this AM and was that
self-samed entity! More power to Mysis relicta! BobF, levitating>
Copper Sulfate in Fish Foods 4/4/06
Hey
crew! Shout out to all those helping us amateurs achieve our
goals/dreams!
I have been researching fish foods to serve in my reef
tank. I plan on housing some inverts, 2 clowns, and corals
with my live rock.
I would like to use either flake or pellet food
and have read about how bad copper sulfate is for reef
tanks/inverts/live-rock.
Many/most of the pellet and flake foods
contain copper sulfate or 'trace elements' (which usually include copper
sulfate).
Are these products unsafe for a reef system?
<Yes>
Would the copper accumulate in the system over time?
<Not in a
"toxic format"... gets insolubly precipitated... quickly>
I do not
want to harm my inverts, live rock, or corals...but almost all the major
brands list copper sulfate in their ingredients?
Please advise...
Thanks much!
Eric B.
<As a preservative... in very low
concentration. No worries. Bob Fenner>
Re: Copper Sulfate in
Fish Foods - 04/05/2006
Bob,
Forgive my
confusion...but...you've answered 'yes' to whether pellet and flake food
products containing copper sulfate are unsafe for a reef.
Then after
this, you wrote that it won't accumulate in a toxic form and not to
worry....which to me says that these foods are ok.
<This latter is
correct... I mis-read your "unsafe" as "safe"... Copper sulfate is to be
avoided, but not long-term in the way of accumulation in foods>
These answers are contradictory and a little cryptic; and I know how
much clarity in expression is valued by you and your staff : ) I just
want to insure my investment won't be at risk because of the food I
provide.
<I understand. Sorry for the mistake. Categorically, I
would not be concerned with the amount of copper in prepared marine
aquarium foods>
New Line
<Life>
Spectrum Marine foods have
been recommended on your site but contain copper sulfate. Is it ok to
use fish food in a reef system that contain this, or not?
Thanks
again.
Eric B.
<Is ok. Bob Fenner> Dried fish foods
4/4/06
In the past, I have fed primarily frozen and fresh foods,
and some flakes. I have a large queen angel who has decided her favorite
fare is pellet food - really only picks at anything else. I have been
through a number of major brands, and now that I'm using a significant
volume, I'm noticing that it really doesn't assimilate well - there is a
lot of residue accumulating in the tank and in the prefilters, and its
not from anything uneaten.
<Yes>
Some brands are worse than
others, more "fillers" I guess; I've found Hikari to be the "cleanest",
so far; any thoughts on this? Thanks, Steve.
<Do look into the
Spectrum line... about as "clean" and almost totally nutritious and very
palatable to a huge range of fishes. Bob Fenner> Food Size
and Disasters - 03/29/2006
Hi guys. <and gals...> First of
all, I want to say that I LOVE your site. <I'm glad we could be of
service.> I've only had my saltwater tank for about 2 1/2 months, so
I'm still learning. It's great to be able to have someplace to go and
find trustworthy information from people as knowledgeable as
yourselves. <Wish every subject had a place for reliable info,
right? :)>
I have a question about the food I feed my saltwater
fish. I have:
1 rusty angel
2 percula clowns
3
yellow-tailed damsels
1 royal Gramma
<Did you say the size of
your tank? This seems to be a lot of fish for a tank as young as 2.5
months.>
The guy at the LFS said I should be feeding these guys
frozen Mysis shrimp, frozen brine shrimp, and flake food on alternate
nights (skipping feeding one day per week). The brine shrimp and the
flake food seem to be popular with all the fish and are small enough for
everyone. The problem is the Mysis shrimp. It has some kind of gel
binder in it that makes it very hard to cut down into small enough
particles for my smaller fish to be able to eat. As a result, I've been
putting only about 1/2 cube of the Mysis shrimp (cut up) in the tank,
and then adding a small pinch of pellets for the smaller guys.
My
questions are:
1. Is it possible for the small fish to eat the
larger pieces of Mysis shrimp without my having to add
pellets? <Probably not - thaw in some tank water, then blend it a bit
smaller. I use a Black and Decker handy chopper for mine - cut to the
size of the pellets that they like. This way you can add half normal
size, half blended.>
2. How long should I leave the chunks of
uneaten shrimp on the bottom of the tank? I want to give them enough
time to eat, without polluting the tank (and smelling it up, too). <I
wouldn't leave it more than 20 min.s at the most. Probably much shorter
period of time. You have to watch them - if they aren't going for it,
remove it immediately.>
Sorry for the dumb questions, but I want to
be sure I'm doing the right thing. Any advice? <No problem everyone
has questions sometime.>
P.S.: I had a major aquarium disaster the
other night. I was in the other room and heard a very loud crack. When
I ran into the room where I keep the aquarium, there was a huge crack in
the front panel and the water was gushing out at an alarming rate.
<AHHH!> Thanks to quick thinking by my husband and myself, we were able
to set up temporary housing in a Rubbermaid bin until we could get to
the store the next morning to buy a new tank. I'm extremely thrilled to
say that all of the fish survived <You're lucky.> and are looking good 4
days after the disaster. One question I did have about this, though, in
the event (God forbid) it should ever happen again. I have read that if
your tank leaks/breaks, you should save as much of the tank water as
possible and put that water back in the new tank when it's set up. We
were able to save all but about 7 gallons (luckily, I was RIGHT THERE
when this happened). However, the next day, when I checked the ammonia
levels in their new tank, they were elevated (about 0.2). I did a water
change and the ammonia levels went back down. For future reference,
should I have discarded the tank water that the fish were held in in
their Rubbermaid bin before transferring them back into the display
tank? <They were only in there overnight? I still would've put around
50-60% old tank water back in. If you start with all new you're asking
for it to have to cycle again... this time with the fish in it!> Do you
think that that water in the bin developed an elevated ammonia level due
to the fact that we were unable to set up the filter overnight (although
we did set up the aerator)? <Yes probably - no mechanical or chemical
filtration will do this. It's always good to have an extra filter on
hand for this.>
Sorry for all the dumb questions, <No dumb
ones.> but I'm still learning and want to be prepared. Thanks so
much! <Not a problem. Good luck! ~ Jen S.>
Pam
Fishmongers leftovers 3/29/06
Hi Crew,
<Johnny>
An opportunity may have just opened up next door to where I
work. A new fishmongers has opened for business. When I was a kid, we
used to ask the butcher on the way home from school for a few choice
bones for the mutt at home. Has anyone got a similar setup with their
local fishmonger? i.e. taking a few "off cuts" off their hands to blend
into a home made type of frozen food ... for a nominal donation of
course! Is this type of food safe, viable, healthy?
<Oh yes. Please
read here:
http://wetwebmedia.com/ca/cav1i3/Progressive_Recipe/Progressive_Recipe.htm
and the linked files above>
Best regards from sunny London!
Johnny
<Cheers, Bob Fenner> Mysids as food -
03/12/2006
Hi Bob,
<Nuri>
Nuri Fisher here with Piscine
Energetics. Hope this note finds you well.
<Yes, thank you>
I am
currently in the process of creating some new information pamphlets on
PEMYSIS and was wondering if you would be interested in sharing a quote,
or tip on PE MYSIS which we may include in the brochure.
<Mmm, what
sort of input are you looking for? Mysids are nutritious food organisms
for many captive marines... particularly where bolstered supplementally>
We are also in the process of redesigning our website which should be
relaunched in the next month or so. When the web is complete I would
like to explore the options of advertising on wetwebmedia.com
<If
this "makes sense">
Look forward to hearing from you,
Regards,
Nuri
<Bob Fenner> Feeding for Community Marine Tank 3/11/06
Thanks for all the help. I have a question about feeding. What foods
would you recommend for the following fish: yellow tang, velvet damsel,
yellow tail blue damsel, percula clown, blue spotted watchman goby and a
horned Heniochus? Thanks again.
<<In general, choose foods of marine
origin. I am a fan of Omega and Ocean Nutrition as well as Piscine
Energetics Mysis shrimp. I am especially fond of Ocean Nutrition's
frozen "Pygmy Angel Formula" because it contains marine algae as opposed
to terrestrial vegetables. Also.. when choosing dry foods, pellets are
preferable to flakes since it takes longer for water to penetrate the
pellets and dilute the nutritional value. Best Regards. AdamC.>>
Getting Double Saddle Butterfly to eat - 3/1/2006
Hi Bob and Crew....hope you're all keeping well.
<I am, thanks>
I acquired a Double Saddle Butterfly last weekend for my 55 Gall FOWLR.
<... a small world for this species>
I made sure I acclimated him
properly and added him to the tank on Saturday afternoon. Only other
inhabitants are a couple of Green Chromis.
<Can be bullies in such a
sized system, tankmate>
I was told by my LFS that he would eat
pretty much anything.....
<Mmm, when in good health, adjusted...
yes>
I'd done some research on your site first and found out that he
is one of the easier to keep butterflies. Anyways after he'd been in the
tank for around 5 hours, I added some Mysis for my Chromis and he seemed
to have a bit of a go at it as well (I'm not sure if he actually ate any
of it because the lights were out).
<Not likely to feed the first
day or two>
Day 2 I gave more Mysis and as soon as it hit the water
he was up looking for it, but turned his nose up at it when he saw what
it was. Next day I tried again, but added some Garlic Extreme before
feeding. He went into a frenzy but again never took any (I also added
some very finely chopped Mussel). Day 3 (today) and same...he was
actually at the front of the tank looking for food when I came home from
work.
<Mmm, might have damaged mouth... very common... from capture,
transport, bagging...>
I'm not overly concerned, because he looks a
really healthy specimen. He's about 3 inches and acting fine. I'm off to
my LFS tomorrow to pick up some live Brine Shrimp (does this sound OK?)
<For periodic use, yes>
....can you suggest anything else to get him
eating?
<Posted... on WWM...>
I've noticed he has a pick at the
LR so hopefully he's getting some goodness out of that for now.
Thanks in advance
Phil P
<I do hope/trust you have healthy live
rock in abundance as well. Bob Fenner> Re: Getting Double Saddle
Butterfly to eat - Part II 3/2/06
Bob, thanks
for the quick reply....
<Welcome>
I got the Live Brine shrimp on
my way home and added it to the tank. He takes the food in his mouth but
then spits it back out. It's as if he wants something else instead (but
I don't know what!!). His mouth looks perfectly healthy (no signs of any
reddening at all, or obvious damage).
<Good>
There's plenty of
Live Rock in there (about 60lbs, I'm adding another few pounds of cured
at the weekend)
<Also good>
I'm a bit confused over your comment
re the bullying in the tank. Do you mean the Chromis might be a bully,
or the Butterfly?
<The Chromis... though rare for the genus in
general (in comparison to many other Pomacentrids), in such a small
volume (four feet long is not much running room), even relatively
"peaceful" damsels can pester easily-disturbed fishes like most all
Butterflies to the point of non-feeding. This being said, it is not
uncommon for new Chaetodonts to not feed for a few days after arrival. I
would just keep offering an assortment of small meaty foods and
observing this specimen. Bob Fenner> Re: Getting Double Saddle
Butterfly to eat - Part III - 03/05/06
Bob,
<Phil>
Thought I'd give you an update. The DSB has been eating happily for the
last two days now. I concocted a finely chopped mix of Mysis, Cockle and
Lancefish tails and added two drops of extreme garlic per teaspoonful. I
feed about 1/4 teaspoon in one go. He takes some of it in the water
column and then picks the rest off the LR for a while later. The Chromis
seems to like it too. Hope this helps anyone else who is looking for
advice.
Many Thanks
Phil P
<Ah, outstanding. Congratulations
on your success... will post. Bob Fenner> Starkist? Canned
tuna is for nekkos, but not fish tanks 3/3/06
Hello WWM
Crew!
<Hello John - Tim answering your question today!>
Let
me assure you that as a court reporter, I will do my best to use
proper punctuation and grammar throughout my query. <As will I in
formulating my response!> I have a 30 gallon
marine setup with 5
small fish <Small fish as in they are small at present, or will stay
small even in a few years time? A 30G tank is small for 5 fish I should
imagine, though obviously this will depend on their type.> , a skunk
banded cleaner shrimp, 5 blue legged hermit crabs, some frogspawn and
two small Hawaiian feather dusters. The
tank has 3 power heads, a
UV sterilizer, and a filter with a bio-wheel. Now after researching
your site, I realize that they (the feather dusters)
ideally need to
be in a larger tank. This is great! I needed an excuse to justify a
larger tank purchase. <Haha - and a good excuse it is indeed!>
Sorry, enough blabbering. My question was this: Today as I was
getting ready to make a tuna fish sandwich ( I know, I know. I felt
guilty.) and
draining the can of tuna, I stopped to ponder whether
this juice is of any value to my frogspawn or feather dusters?
<Interesting thought but I would advise against this.> I've looked over
your site and could not find anything relating to the tuna juice. I know
it is an odd question, but one never knows unless he or she asks; right?
<Exactly! And I am sure others will have wondered the same thing but
have been too shy to ask!> The only things that I can think of as far as
immediate negatives are this: I have recently
read that some species
of tuna have shown elevated mercury levels due to human pollution in the
water and that this might cause a nitrate spike in my
tank water
<The mercury would not cause a nitrate spike, rather it is a toxin that
may poison your water. This may then result in the untimely death of
some occupants, their decomposition being the cause of an increase in
DOCs. It has also been suggested that the metal of the can leaches into
the food. I am no expert on food preservation or standards but frankly,
I would be concerned of introducing canned foods into my aquarium. If
you decide to try this, then be all means, do inform us of the outcome.
But my recommendation would be to avoid the risk.> Any ideas on this?
If I become brave enough/ignorant enough (your choice here) <Maybe a
little bit of both :o)> to try this would you like a report in a few
weeks? <Yes, please!>
I sincerely appreciate your time and
help. This is a great site and the time and devotion that you put in to
it should be evident and appreciated by
all. <Thank you ever so
kindly!>
John H. Starkist follow-up and featherduster beh.
3/16/06
Hey Crew!
Just wanted to give you a quick update
and ask another question. I have been trying some of the Tuna juice,
but on the advice of Tim saying not to use the can, I have tried some of
the juice (which is very little) that comes in the new tuna pouches
they are selling. I have not had any adverse reactions that I know of,
but I did notice that the one feather duster that I had been trying this
with has changed in the following ways: (whether or not this is a normal
change that I have not noticed or is a result of the feeding I am not
sure.)
1. The plume of the crown has expanded in size.
2. The
coloration has changed and is slightly more vibrant than before.
3.
The small cilia, for lack of a better word, that is on the longer pieces
of the crown is much more evident now. The hairs seen to be more
abundant and thicker than before.
4. The duster is open more often
than before.
Anyway, I am going to conclude my experiment now and
revert back to phyto plankton feedings supplemented with clam juice
every other day. My new question was this: My other feather duster
shed his crown about a day after he arrived from shipping. I know this
is normal and that it will grow back. However, this morning when I
looked in my tank I noticed that his tube is covered in a clearish white
substance on almost all of the tube except the top. It looks "bubbly"
in nature. Any ideas? I can try to get a pic but any help would be
appreciated!
<Mmm, maybe something growing over it... Perhaps an
observable change from the worm itself... Maybe this worm has perished
and the bit of organic lining inside the tube is decomposing, showing
itself outside? Bob Fenner>
John
Feeding question ... SW
- 3/1/2006
Hello there, fabulous WetWebMedia crew.
<Well!>
I currently have a longnose Hawkfish, lawnmower blenny,
Potter's angel, and maroon clown. I've had them all together now for
almost two months. I feed them Mysis, plankton, and flakes. I also put
a piece of an algae sheet in there sometimes (for the angel and
lawnmower) and Spirulina (esp. for the angel) but they don't seem to
take to those so much.
<Potter's are not easily kept>
The angel
and lawnmower blenny are constantly picking at the rocks, so I think
they're getting enough algae from there. My question is, how often
should I be feeding them?
<Mmm, twice a day... some live rock for
"casual munching" would be a very good idea...>
I always feed them
at night, but I'm wondering if you think I should feed them in the
morning as well. I don't want to overfeed. What do you think is best?
<In the AM and PM... Bob Fenner>
Thanks, as always, for your help!
Re: feeding question 3/2/06
Thanks, Bob. I
have about 45 lbs of live rock, which the Potter's and the lawnmower
both munch on often.
<Ah, good>
I've heard Potter's are hard
to keep, but mine does seem to be doing very well. He's very active,
his colors are bright, and he eats heartily. So I'm hoping he'll make
it... Anyway, I'll start feeding them smaller portions twice a
day. Thanks for the advice!
<Welcome my friend. Bob Fenner>
Foods... getting fish to eat new foods 1/22/06
Hi,
I recently purchased a large amount of frozen Ocean Nutrition foods
mostly Pygmy Angel formula and Spirulina. My problem is the fish won't
touch it. If this is not bad enough the aquarium is in a restaurant and
I just possibly wasted over 200 dollars of my bosses money. <You may
have to acquire a taste for it.> I know Ocean Nutrition is good stuff
<Yes> because my fish at home will eat it. This food is a much better
quality than the no name brand they have been eating, so it surprised me
when the fish refused to eat it. <Not what they normally eat.> The
yellow tangs won't eat it and even the greedy damsels won't touch it.
<Unusual> So far my only plan is to starve the fish for a day or two
and then see what happens, but other suggestions would definitely be
welcome. Also would garlic be appropriate to entice the fish to start
eating the new food? Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
<Could try the garlic or soak the food in a vitamin supplement. I would
mix just a little of the new food in with the old and as they go on
their feeding frenzy they are sure to grab a piece or two of the new
stuff. If so, then gradually increasing the amount of Ocean Nutrition
and less of the old stuff. See what happens, maybe the boss can use it
in a sea food dish.:):)>
Thanks so much, <You're welcome. James
(Salty Dog)>
Aron
Feeding schedule 12/14/05
Hi to our kind and knowledgeable aquarist!
<Hiya Joel! You got
crewmember Lorenzo today.>
Once again, I want to express how
grateful I am for the fountain of information on the WWM site. <We do
our best. Thanks for the kudos.>
I directly attribute much of my
success with my reef tank to the wealth of articles and FAQs on
WWM. My question is about feeding. Other than WWM, all my sources for
info about fish food are trying to sell me more food. So, I would love
for you to evaluate my feeding plan. I have a 55 gallon corner
tank (about 7 months old) with a 4" -5" DSB with sugar-fine aragonite
and 75 lbs of LR. I use SeaChem Reef Complete and Reef Plus twice a
week and 5 gallon water changes every two weeks. My stock is as
follows:
3" Diamond goby
1" yellow clown goby
3 turbo snails
4 Nassarius snails
emerald crab
3" crocea clam
pink and
green cucumber
brittle star
4 stalks pulsing xenia
blue
mushrooms
yellow and brown polyps
2 big feather dusters
pink
coco worm
green/ purple Fungia plate coral
Galaxea coral (about
2 1/2")
2 branching hammer coral heads (frags, about 1 1/2" to 2") I
feed the tank every other day (during which I shut off the sump
w/ filter sock and skimmer for one hour). I feed one cube of
Ocean nutrition frozen food <Wow! A whole cube, for two little fish and
a handful of inverts? That's quit a bit of food...> (alternating each
feeding between Formula One, Brine Shrimp Plus, and Prime Reef) <Good
idea, variety is important.> along with 1/2 ounce of DT phytoplankton
and 1/5 teaspoon DT oyster eggs. I use a turkey baster to make sure the
mix of foods gets spread throughout the tank. I just don't know whether
the Ocean Nutrition is good stuff <It certainly is.> and if the variety
is beneficial or not. <Definitely.> Is it ok to only feed every
other day? <Sure.> I know less is more when it comes to feeding <To a
certain degree...>, but I wonder if I should feed every day <Probably.>,
and just do phyto and frozen one day and oyster eggs the next.
<Alternation is good, but the fish will appreciate being fed every day.>
The skimmer works fine, and the only nuisance algae I have is some hair
algae on some of the LR. <Less food, but more frequently, might help
keep this under control.> I'd like a refugium, but my sump is just an
open aquarium with no dividers, so I am hesitant to grow algae down
there. <Not too hard to rig up a fenced-off area by putting a smaller
container into the sump. You just want to make sure the algae can't clog
the return pump.> Except for one xenia stalk (I think he was to close
to a hammer coral and got zapped) <Could be.>, everything seems
fine. Overall coral color has slightly improved with introduction of
the oyster eggs. <Glad to hear it!> I am going to add two
pajama cardinals from my quarantine tank <Good on you for performing
quarantine!> in two weeks, and I would love an informed analysis of my
techniques beforehand. <These guys would definitely like to eat every
day. No need to set the tank awash in food though!>
Thanks so much,
<Any time. Cheers, Zo.>
Joel Schwartz
Marine Fish Food
12/12/05
My fish include:
Yellow Tang
Blue Angel
Sixline Wrasse
Royal Gramma
Chalk Bass
Green Chromis
Lawnmower Blenny
I will likely add more, perhaps a Foxface, another
angel (maybe dwarf), and maybe a small goby.
<In what size tank?>
Also have my eye on a red Coris wrasse, but I'm not sure about
compatibility.
<And its potential size...an adult would
make a snack of your smaller fish.>
Anyway, what flake food would be
best for this group?
<I don't like to use one type of food...variety
is the key.>
Some foods are labeled carnivore, some herbivore, some
staple. Which is best?
<I am fond of the O.S.I Spirulina brands as
well as those made my Ocean Nutrition. You have a lot of herbivorous
animals so the formula 2 formulation would probably be better for you.>
Also, would flakes or pellets be better?
<I feed
both.>
What size?
<Depends on the size of your fish,
if you have different sized specimens you'll have to use different sized
pellets.>
Any preference of brand (Formula 1 or 2, Bio Blend, OSI,
Tetra, etc.)? Should any of these brands be avoided?
<I'm not a fan
of those that have a high concentration of brine and shrimp meal.>
I
also feed a rotation including frozen Mysis shrimp, S.F. Bay Saltwater
Multipack, and Sweetwater Zooplankton. I'm currently including
Nutrafin Max (both flake and pellet) in the rotation, but they are not
specifically for marine fish so I'm concerned that they may be
inappropriate for my tank.
<These foods are fine,
variety is the key.> <<Mmm, content and palatability are more "key".
RMF>>
Any opinion?
<See above, Adam J.>
Hawkfish
12/04/05
Hi,
<Hello Craig>
I just bought a flame Hawkfish,
it's about 2.5 inches long. During feeding, he snagged a 1/4 inch piece
of shrimp from my anemone. The issue is that about 3 hours later the
food looks stuck in his mouth, it's sticking out of his mouth a bit. He
does not look distressed. Is this normal?
<Like us humans, sometimes
fishes bite off more than they can chew:) Not to worry, the fish
probably regurgitated it by now. Hopefully you are not feeding shrimp
with the shells still on. James (Salty Dog)>
Thank you, Craig
Ellenwood See Food Seafood Fresh and Frozen 12/9/05
Hi-
<Hello... John here with you today.>
Recently some of the fish
in my tank recovered from some type of illness. (These are very hardy
guys who never get sick.) I feed them a variety of food: frozen smelts,
fresh calamari, shrimp, salmon, other filets, as well as pellets. I was
wondering if maybe these fresh or frozen foods could be carrying germs,
illness or fungus from when these foods were alive.
<Possibly.>
<<Don't ever feed fishes other fishes, for just this reason! Stick
to invertebrates. Marina>>
Maybe this is what made mine
sick. I just heard on public radio yesterday that a lot of the fish we
buy in markets for ourselves could have had health problems problems
because overfishing is causing fishermen to have to be catching less
healthy sea creatures.
<Undoubtedly.... we are fishing the seas
almost dry.>
<<This is not entirely true, what is far more
problematic (especially in the case of salmon) is the current state of
fish farming practices. Much has been written, reported, and the
data is showing that aquaculture can be QUITE detrimental - to the
environment, to the livestock being raised, and to the wild stock that
comes in contact with farmed stocks. Much more of a problem in
presentation of disease than overfishing. Marina>>
Whether
this is true or not, is there something we should be doing to make sure
the food is healthy for our aquariums? Cooking it can't be the answer,
I'm sure. A very long time ago a vet said that freezing fish for at
least three months can kill germs and fungus. What are your thoughts on
this?
<I freeze all fresh food for at least 24 hours, and then thaw
it out in a cup of tank water before feeding. This should kill most of
the parasites.>
<<Use human consumption standards - freeze to ZERO
degrees Fahrenheit at MINIMUM. Marina>>
Thank you so much-
Dana Mardaga.
PS- my fish are doing much better. I did lots of water
changes, upped the temperature, and added some salt to the tank. Tried a
couple antibiotics, but I don't know if that helped.
<I would avoid
treating fish if you cannot clearly identify the ailment. Do check your
water parameters - ammonia, nitrites and nitrates, and perform water
changes accordingly. Do not over-feed, especially with such messy, meaty
food. Best regards from Shanghai, John> Nutritional Considerations
11/30/05
Hi Guys:
After six months, I finally got my Dwarf
Zebra Lion to eat non-living food! He was on a diet primarily of live
ghost shrimp gut loaded with frozen marine foods. I fed him between one
and two shrimp every other day. He is really beautiful and in great
health. Now the bad news. The food he is now eating is Hikari freeze
dried krill. Considering Hikari's reputation for purity and vitamin
loaded food, I thought I was just fine. Then I read one of your posts
that stated that predators on a diet of krill can lose their eyesight
due to a missing nutrient. Is that the case with the vitamin loaded
krill as well? Can I add anything to it to compensate such as Zoe and
Selcon? This is really disappointing considering how long it to me to
wean him off of the live food. Your help is certainly appreciated.
Regards,
Rob
>>>Hello Rob,
There is no SINGLE, NON-WHOLE food
item that you can feed any predatory fish that will fulfill all of its
nutritional requirements. Consider this, when a lionfish eats a small
fish, it's not only getting meat, but blood, bone, organ tissue, etc.
Keepers of reptiles and certain birds also run into this issue when
feeding their charges. Soaking dried krill in a vitamin solution will
not account for these missing items totally. You MAY be OK soaking the
krill as you are doing, but long years of experience tell me this is
wishful thinking. My advice is to keep soaking the krill, but begin
conditioning the lion fish to accept other food items such as frozen
silversides, whole fresh shrimp, etc.
Best of luck. Jim<<<
Fish eggs as a Staple food 11/21/05
Hello, I was wondering
if frozen fish eggs are suitable as a staple food.
<Mmm, can be>
About 9 months ago, I bought a tiny (less than 1") Mitratus butterfly.
The fish ate live brine and frozen Mysis in the store with gusto. I
thought he would learn to accept other foods i.e.: flake, pellets,
Lifeline 'green' or 'red', but no. I hate to feed Mysis everyday, so I
bought some frozen fish eggs. They are pin-head sized and orange
in color. There is no identification on the jar. Well anyway he loves
them, and they aren't as messy as the Mysis. Are they a suitable
staple food?
<Not exclusively, no>
A couple of times a week I soak
them in Selcon or VitaChem. It has grown to about 2" and shares his 125
FOWLR tank with a flame angel, goldflake angel, solar wrasse, and
magnificent Foxface. Nitrates run about 10ppm, NH3
0ppm, Nitrite 0ppm. Thank you
<I would be on a bit of a crusade to
find, mix in other small, meaty foods here, in an effort to expand this
fish's diet. Bob Fenner> Copper sulfate in food
11/19/05
Hi,
<Hello>
I recently noticed that Dainichi has a
pellet food for marine fish. The label says that it contains copper
sulfate. Do you think this would be harmful to my cleaner shrimp?
<Mmm, nope. Not high concentration, and will become insolubilized
quickly...>
They often eat some of the food that I feed to the fish.
I was attracted to the product because it is formulated with
Cyclop-eeze. I currently feed a variety of foods- frozen Mysis shrimp,
krill, Cyclop-eeze, Ocean Nutrition Formula II and Prime Reef flake. I
e-mailed Dainichi and they said that the amount of copper sulfate was
too small to be harmful to shrimp or corals, but I wanted to get your
opinion before I tried it.
Thanks!
Joy
<I agree with them...
and have met one of the principals of the company... a mighty fine
woman, good products. Bob Fenner> Floaters, or Sinkers?
Floating food or sinking food 10/25/05
Hi crew,
<Hello Marc>
So my question for this week concerns the use of floating food vs.
sinking food in my reef tank? I notice that regular flake food floats
initially gets sucked into my overflow very quickly leaving little time
for the fish to get to it. Plus leaves a lot of uneaten food in the
sump! I've taken to sinking the flakes by hand and the fish seem to eat
better. However I now worry about pollution. I typically underfeed my
tank if anything (my fish are always ravenous).
The other problem I
face with this is, unfortunately I have no viable alternative but
automatic feeder for a few vacations I have coming up. (I bought a
LifeGuard and have tested it over a week per your recommendations). I'm
comfortable with its delivery and quantity, but not comfortable with the
fact that most of the food will simply get pulled down the overflow. Any
suggestions short of putting the main pump on a timer so water stops
overflowing when the auto feeder goes off? I thought about using sinking
pellets, but I'm not so sure on these either?
<I would suggest the
use of a timer to shut down the pump during feeding. I'd go with a good
quality flake food (Ocean Nutrition). Pellets can contribute more
dissolved protein than flake. James (Salty Dog)> Marine greens for
food 9/22/05
Hi Bob!
<Kris>
Thank you so much for
such a fast reply. Your answers were very helpful and I will look into
the subject more. I have a couple of other questions for you. I was
reading on your website about feeding marine herbivores and I saw that
you recommended feeding Nori soaked in vitamins. I was also reading an
aquarium book by Moe and he suggested feeding lettuce such as romaine.
What do you think about that?
<Bunk... not nutritious, often laced
with molecules to avoid>
Is that a good alternative to Nori? If not,
why is it not good? Is it harmful to the fish?
<Can add nitrate,
pesticides>
Thank you for letting me pick your brain a bit! I think
your website is fantastic! Thanks again!
Kristina
<Please see
here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/algfoodfaqs.htm
Bob Fenner>
Gobioides broussonettii in SW, Copper in foods 9/4/05
Hello, I have searched your FAQs for information on the Gobioides
broussonettii, also known as the violet goby, or dragon fish. I was
unable to obtain anything of help. I am aware that they are a brackish
fish. Mine is currently in a fresh water tank with two Apteronotus
albifrons, black ghost knife fish. I recently removed my snowflake eel
from my 55 gallon saltwater tank and was curious if the dragon fish can
be acclimated to the conditions of my reef tank.
<Can be done...
this fish is marine at times, in places. Here on fishbase.org:
http://www.fishbase.org/Summary/speciesSummary.php?ID=3856&genusname=Gobioides&speciesname=broussonettii>
The lack of the eel leads me wanting something of its character. If this
is possible, a procedure would be greatly appreciated.
<Slowly... a
few thousandths per week, raise the saltwater/salinity of the Goby's
environment (sans the knives of course)>
One more unrelated
question. I recently noticed that both the flake food I use in my reef
tank, (Wardley's) and the frozen brine shrimp, (Ocean Nutrition Brine
Shrimp Plus) have copper sulfate listed in the ingredients.
<A
common preservative>
I was under the impression this would kill
invertebrates and have discontinued use but have had no adverse side
affects. Any input on this matter also would be greatly devoured. I
thank you for your time.
<Can be problematical in "free"
concentration (cupric ion), but there is not much in the foods, and this
quickly "falls out of solution". Bob Fenner>
How to feed
everyone when you have one "pig fish"? 8/30/05
Hello,
crew!
<Good morning, you have Leslie here this morning.>
Sorry I've been bugging you guys a lot lately, thanks for all of the
wonderful advice.
<No worries and you are most welcome.>
The
latest conundrum we are encountering is that we seem to have fish that
eat at different speeds. In the 120 gal FOWLR right now are three small
damsels, a medium-sized longnose B/F, a 3-4" ornate ("Christmas")
wrasse, and a cute-as-can-be 1" dwarf fuzzy lion. I've been feeding
mostly Mysis shrimp, as well as San Francisco Bay brand omnivore and
carnivore formula frozen foods (usually a little of each). When the
food hits the water, the B/F is all over it, eating most of it. The
damsels jump right into the frenzy as well. By the time the wrasse and
the lion "wake up" and start noticing the
food, it's all gone. Add
more food, same deal. I swear I've put 20 lbs of Mysis in there today
(well, ok, maybe just most of a cube) and that darned butterfly eats it
all! The wrasse and lion aren't getting much, if anything. This is
obviously not sustainable! I tried feeding the lion with a feeding
stick today but it's so much bigger than he is, he runs away from it.
Certainly this is not a "new" or "unique" problem, but I read all of the
"feeding" FAQs and didn't find anything on this... any help would be
appreciated. Many thanks, Dan
<I would keep trying with the feeding
stick…..your little Lionfish may just need some time to get used to it.
As for the others try target feeding with a Turkey baster. Get your self
a couple of clear turkey basters. You want a clear rather than opaque
baster because they will not really see it, just the food inside it.
Defrost your food. Suck some up into the turkey baster. Feed the fast
eaters on one side of the tank somewhere away from the slow fish. While
they are in a feeding frenzy, use the turkey baster to direct the food,
releasing it as close to your slow eaters as they will allow. It will
not take them long to figure out where the food comes from. My seahorses
will eat right out of the tip of the baster. Hope this helps, Leslie>
Cyclop-eeze question 8/27/05
Hello and thank you for this
fine resource,
<Welcome>
I just purchased a can of freeze dried
Cyclop-eeze after reading about it on the forum. The only thing I cant
find is exactly how to use it. Should I mix it up before feeding or
drop a "pinch" in like flake food?
<Can, or could be fed directly if
your livestock can use such small foods... or it can be made into
homemade gels, frozen food concoctions...>
Also should I refrigerate
it?
<Is a good idea to refrigerate all such fish foods>
Sorry
for the simple questions, but the can has no directions concerning
feeding method/amounts, or anything.
Thanks,
Brian
<Good point... the manufacturer should provide an insert, point folks to
a website re. Bob Fenner>
Carnivores won't eat 8/5/05
Hello gang,
I've a 125 gal marine tank, with 50-70lbs of live
rock, currently housing, amongst others, a Dendrochirus zebra, and a
Diodon holocanthus. Not quite 2 weeks ago, the lion stopped eating, and
the porcupine followed 3 days ago.
<Bad sign...>
Both had
previously fed with considerable gusto on krill, ghost shrimp, pellets,
and the odd bit of chopped table shrimp.
<Bad diet...>
Both fish
attempt to eat, but either turn away as soon as they reach the food, or
spit it out as soon as they
get it in their mouths. None of the
other fish (lunar wrasse, 2 Fiji blue devils, 1 domino damsel, powder
blue tang, Foxface lo, snowflake moray, ocellaris clown) exhibit this
behavior, and usually rush in to
take what the other two
ignore. Also, the lion's gills seem to be a bit puffy. All water
chemistry
checks out ok, save a very high nitrate level I've been
fighting with.
<Bingo... need to fix this>
I've tried other
foods (silversides, Mysid shrimp, crab, and squid) but have had no
luck. Anything you could suggest would be very helpful.
Thank you,
Jacob
<Fix their environment Jacob. Read here please:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/nitratesmar.htm
And the linked files
above.
Bob Fenner> Terrestrial Snails As Trigger Treats....?
30 Jun 2005
Hi, can I feed my triggers snails from the front
yard if they are rinsed first? The big ones that crawl everywhere after
the sprinklers go off. Thanks, Dan.
<Yuck! Interesting
question...However, I think I'd avoid terrestrial snails, if for no
other reason than the fact that their nutritional profile may be
unsuitable for marine animals. Better to feed creatures of marine
origin, IMO. Regards, Scott F.> Gourmet Foods For
Butterflies... 6-28-05
Hi,
<Hey there! Scott F. with you
today!>
I've always heard people first feeding Butterflies or other
fish with clams or mussels and then slowly change its diet to frozen
food by attaching it to an empty shell.
<I've never tried it, but it
can be done, I guess.>
My question is- how do you attach the food to
the shell?? Won't, for example, frozen brine shrimp fall apart to
individual little shrimp and float away from the shell??
<Quite
possibly.>
How do I keep the frozen in the shell?? By the way, when
I go buy some clams or mussel in the market later, is there anything I
should be aware of? Or is any clams or mussel is fine??
<I think
that you might be confusing the technique/concept a bit. The practice of
using a fresh clam in the shell to help stimulate a finicky Butterfly
into eating has been used for some time with varying degrees of success.
I've tried it with Manila Clams, which you can get at a fish market or
grocery store. You simply split the clam and place it in the bottom of
the tank or on a rock...>
Also, before putting it in the tank, do I
need to do any preparation with the clam or mussel?? Thanks!!
<I
simply rinse 'em off before using...Best of luck! Regards, Scott F.>
Reef Chili?
Hi Bob,
< Bob at IMAC, Blundell here. >
Are
you familiar with Reef Chili, a zooplankton/phytoplankton formula for
coral feeding? < Yep. > It comes in a very, very fine powder-like form
which is to be shaken seriously with tank water (a blender would work
well) before feeding (includes a tiny spoon for precise measuring). I
believe this product was originally available in a frozen formula but
the expense of shipping drove it to the "powder" formula. The feeding
response appears to be good, but it's obviously difficult to determine
actual consumption. < Indeed, be careful to not overfeed as small
particles can become trapped in filters and breakdown. > Others appear
to have had good results (daughter colonies on LPS's, etc.) Care to
opine? < I think it is great food. Nothing bad to say about
it. However, I think you can get better food, or cheaper food, or just
make your own. But as for convenience and small size it is great. I'd
probably also use golden pearls (brineshrimpdirect.com) or Cyclop-eeze
or rotifers and things like that as well. >
Thanks.
< Blundell > - Fish Digestion -
Greetings! <Good
morning.> I recently added a 3" Yellow Tang into my tank. He's doing
pretty well and eats like a pig. Twice or three times a day I put a
reasonable chunk of Ocean Nutrition Seaweed Selects algae "paper" in
and it's shredded and consumed primarily by the tang, but also several
other tank mates. However, I've noticed while watching the tank that
when the Tang "relieves himself", it comes out looking pretty much like
it did when it went in. Like little flakes of algae. So much like the
algae that, rather disgustingly, my Sergeant Major routinely believes
that it's fresh food and eats it. Since he's started eating the algae,
the Sergeant Major is having the same occurrence as well. Algae is
consumed. Algae (seemingly) is defecated. <Nutrition has been passed
on... it just seems that it has not.> Perhaps this is a rather dumb
question, but shouldn't the fish waste be a little more...digested?
<Depends on the food-stuff. Generally speaking, greens are a little more
difficult to digest so they aren't always fully broken down. But they
are partially broken down, which is what you are seeing.> While I
honestly don't care what color/shape/form the excrement is, I'm a bit
concerned as to why it hasn't seemingly been digested. Could this mean
that the fish really aren't getting any nutritional benefit from the
algae? <Is worth keeping an eye on - if the fish aren't gaining any
weight for instance... but think this is pretty normal, and wouldn't be
overly concerned.> They graze on it like crazy, and accept brine shrimp
once a day as well. <Do try something other than brine - Mysis shrimp
would be an excellent substitute.> Overall, the tank seems to be doing
fine, and the fish behavior seems normal. The tang's gilling seems to be
a little fast but it acts normal otherwise, more aeration should fix
this (I hope). The tank is a 75 gal / pH 8.3 / Ammonia 0.0 / Nitrate 0.0
/ Nitrate 0.0 (yes...confirmed by several kits, I was surprised but
happy with this number) / S.G. 1.022
Thanks in advance for your
time. Love the website! Before I buy a critter I always log on here to
get some info on it :)
<Is nice to hear. Cheers, J -- >
Re: My mushroom shriveled up... Actually a question re TLF Marine Snow
Thanks for the reply. My shroom is doing well right now. I think getting
rid of the camel back shrimp did the job. I don't see the white tentacle
which tells me that its no longer stressed out. I am curious about your
comment with the Marine Snow. I take it you are not too fond of this
product. My LFS told me otherwise but I am curious about your opinion on
this and your recommendation.
<Ron Shimek did some simple nutritional
analysis of this "Two Little Fishies" product... It's the "Emperor's New
Food" (as in the Emperor's New (non-existent) Clothes story)... a
placebo, a sham, a non-food. You've been swindled. Bob Fenner>
Feeding a Tough Crowd!
I have a 7" Bluejaw Trigger, 6" Porcupine
Puffer, 5" Harlequin Tusk in a 100 gallon tank. How often should I feed?
I feed Spectrum pellets, Krill, Cuttlefish, Octopus, Mussels.
Thanks,
Dan North.
<Well, Dan- you're definitely going to want a much larger
tank for this crowd in the near future. These guys will get quite large
and produce copious amounts of metabolic waste in the process. I'd feed
them at least once daily, preferably twice. Make sure that your
filtration system and husbandry habits keep up with the fish's waste
production. Good luck with this rough crowd! Regards, Scott F.>
Help with Quarantine follow up 4/28/05
Hi Adam, Thanks for all
your advice. I lost one Anthias, but the other is doing really well.
Only problem now is that he won't eat anything except the brine shrimp
fry. He refuses Mysis and Cyclop-eeze. Any suggestions on how to get him
to take other food.
Thanks.
<Sorry for your loss. To coax your
remaining Anthias to take other foods, try offering the new foods mixed
in with the brine nauplii. Another good strategy is to invoke Pavlov...
Figure out a way to signify feeding time to the fish. A consistent
change in lighting, current, placing an object next to the tank, etc.
(even your approach can work if the tank is in a low traffic area) can
be used to train the fish to expect food when it sees that change occur.
The change must be consistent and must be unique to feeding time, and it
may take many days or a couple of weeks to work well. Best Regards.
AdamC.> Feeding Straight From the Sea, You got a Problem With
That?
I have a pair of Clark's Clowns. I have had them for about
two months now. I try to bring home something from the ocean and feed it
to them a few times a week.
<<Literally from the ocean? As in, you're
collecting stuff from the ocean?>>
They get mussels, limpets,
urchins, and what ever else I can find.
<<So it seems, you are.
Mikki, you should know that, depending on where you live, you could be
breaking a few laws that can net you large fines (thousands of dollars),
jail time, or BOTH. I cannot advise this action for this, and other
reasons.>>
They seem to love everything I put in the tank. Are there
any dangers of feeding them live food straight from the ocean, or any
creatures I should stay away from?
<<Indeed, as there is no way for
this food to be known to be completely free of pollutants, contaminants,
parasites, or other diseases. This can be VERY dangerous! Don't do it,
spend instead some money on restaurant quality seafoods - those intended
for human consumption - as these WILL be guaranteed to be of the highest
quality, freshness, and cleanliness. It is what is fed to all the fishes
at the local public aquarium I used to work at.>>
I'm hoping they
will breed for me, so I'm trying to give them as many different foods as
possible.
<<An absolutely WORTHWHILE endeavor, Mikki! Too many people
don't care a bit about providing nutritional variety or quality for
their pets, not realizing that this is where good health begins. Do as
above, round out feeds with Selcon supplement and good quality prepared
fish foods. These fish will be well on their way. Oh! Do get (if you
haven't already) Joyce Wilkerson's book on Clownfishes (sorry, the title
escapes me, but we should have it listed here, or search Amazon/Google).
Marina>> Spectrum Fish Food, Pablo Tepoot
Hi Bob, I thought
you might be interest in the reviews & article on NLS. How are you doing
these days? Pablo
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/new_life_spectrum.php
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/reviews/view_product_review.php?id=286
<Thank you for sending these links along... your foods are very well
regarded... and for good reasons. Di and I are fine (in Quito now,
coming back from the Galapagos). Sorry JasonC and I missed you... we
drove down from Ft. Lauderdale past Xmas, but you were out... And Di
asks re your books... in SD... is Suk Kim ready for these yet? Bob
Fenner> Spectrum Fish Food Forum
Bob, Just to let you
know. Pablo
http://forums.spectrumfishfood.com/
<Ah, very good! Bob Fenner> Food and Feeding
Hi Crew!
<Aaron>
Thank you for all
the info, and your dedication to the science, I've learned a lot, but
I'm still a little thick I guess.
<You're in good company>
On food
and feeding - I keep 6 Dispar Anthias, they are comprised of a male and
5 females, four of which are quite docile, but eat very well. I have
been feeding them many times every day - probably about 7 or so, I give
them a cube of Mysid in the morning, which everything devours. I
also have 6 Banggai Cardinals (they tend to be out during the evening,
and give the aquarium some eye candy for the late hours). So the
cardinals, Anthias, Midas blenny, scooter dragonet and palette
surgeonfish all eat the mysids - then throughout the day I feed a pinch
of crushed Prime Reef Flake, when the halides go off, I through in
another cube of Mysid.
Now, this seems like an awful lot, but they
eat all of it - I've had some spawning behavior among the cardinals and
neon gobies (not together!) and they seem happy. I can pull off
about 1/2 gallon of pretty nasty skimmate weekly, and my water
parameters are in check: no ammonia, no nitrite, no nitrate, pH goes
from 8.17 to 8.32 during a 24 hour period, ORP is 450 to 490, SG is
1.025, temp is 76.7 to 77.3. I have a little spot of slime algae in a
low circulation spot, I think it will dissipate in time, but other than
that, no algae. I worry that they (Anthias) don't get enough food - they
always eat every last bite in the tank, be it flake, frozen. Should I
feed them more?
<You could... but several times a day sounds fine...
do they appear thin? This is the best guide... their appearance,
behavior>
A second question is this: I setup a large refugium for the
main display, it's a 3 year old reef tank with all the corals taken out,
about 45 lbs of old live rock and couple inches of aragonite sand.
I covered the rocks with hair grass, Caulerpa, kelp, and something I
can't identify, might be Halimeda? I get some type of planktonic life
filling the tank once a month or so, the fuge empties to a 30 gallon
sump and is sent to both the fuge and the display. Are these
planktonic life forms getting into the main display?
<Very likely so>
There are no sponges (cleaning sponges) in the setup at all, and I was
hoping to provide zooplankton to the palette surgeonfish and Anthias' in
this fashion from time to time, but is it reasonable to assume that some
of this life ends up in the display and is eaten?
<Yes>
Or should
I manually transfer directly to the display via a dosing pump or such...
<No>
...live plankton really makes a difference to my corals, will it
help these delicate fishes?
<Yes>
I really don't have a problem
getting them to eat, but nutrition wise, I'm always concerned - it's so
much easier to keep them healthy than to make them better. Anyway,
thanks and take care.
Thanks,
Aaron
<Sounds like you're doing
fine. Bob Fenner> Blue cheeked goby needs bulking up
Dear
Bob,
<Michael>
I have written you before, and thanks for the
response. I have a new question. I was at a pet store looking at a blue
cheeked goby, aka yellow headed sleeper goby. When the clerk found out
that I had interest in the fish, she pleaded with me to take it, she
even gave it to me for free.
<!>
Apparently they had requested a
different fish, but were given this one as a replacement, and they were
not prepared to keep this fish. Since it was such a fussy eater
and they did not have the proper system, and a tank for itself, they
couldn't feed it properly, and it was slowly starving. I took it and
promised I would try my best to recuperate this poor fish. I have live
sand which it is sifting, and I read a suggestion of mixing food (Mysis,
brine, or chopped shrimps) into the sand, which I have been trying. I am
also, as soon as time or whether permits (at the moment I am in the
middle of the nor'easter in the northeast US, going to get live rock for
my tank.
<Good>
Do you have any other suggestions, tips, and/or
tricks I can use to get this fish healthy again?
Thanks, Mike
<Do
soak whatever small, meaty foods (whole or chopped) in Selcon or such
for a good ten, fifteen minutes and when you have time, use a plastic
"turkey baster" to carefully squirt some of this (mixed in water) toward
the area where this fish is sifting. Bob Fenner>
Supplements
Had a question. I just purchased the Kent
marine Zoe which I have been told is vitamins for salt water fish.
And I also purchased iodine concentrate by two little fishies name
brand. My question is: Is it safe to let both soak in the frozen
brine shrimp before feeding? Is mixing the Zoë and iodine together
safe?
<No, the addition of an iodine supplement should be monitored
with a test kit. Too much iodine in the system is not good.>
Would
it be beneficial?
<If the instructions on the Zoe bottle indicates
you can mix with food, then follow the instructions. If not, you may
want to email Kent Marine with that question since I do not know the
ingredients of this product.>
The fish that I have are as follows: 1
false percula clown, 1 orange tail damsel, 1 yellow watchman shrimp
goby, 2 skunk cleaner shrimp, 8 Mexican hermit crabs, and 3 snails?
<James (Salty Dog)>
|
|
