Prepared Aquarium Foods: They’re NOT All the Same by greg.chernoffMaintaining a saltwater aquarium–especially a really nice one–is a hell of a lot of work. And this is a workload that is added to our already impossibly busy lives. Is it really all that bad to rely heavily on the convenience of prepared foods? The answer, unfortunately, is probably. There are at least a couple of reasons for this. First, the prep process itself almost always degrades the food in some way. Important components such as vitamins, pigments and fatty acids are lost to heat, oxidation and other insults inflicted during these processes. Will a fish survive on a steady diet of heavily processed spirulina flakes? Sure, in many cases. But will it truly flourish? To be sure, an imbalanced or incomplete diet absolutely will adversely affect the animals’ health and appearance. It seems that a highly varied diet is most ideal. But, above all, the aquarist should ensure that any reef aquarium diet is not only balanced but also includes all vital nutrients. Undoubtedly, the surest way to accomplish this is to exclusively provide high-quality live foods–from phyto to pods to brine shrimp. That being said, some of us must rely on easy options for the most hectic days. The easiest options, of course, are prepared foods. When expertly prepared with the freshest ingredients, whole frozen items such as krill, clam flesh, mysis shrimp and silversides are satisfyingly close to the “real” live thing. As such, there is no reason that they should not be included on any aquarium menu. Still, it takes a considerable amount of time to properly thaw and feed these foods; ultimate convenience is the realm of the dry aquarium foods. [drygoods] There is a price to pay for the convenience. Dry fare is overall least balanced nutritionally as it is the most intensely processed. That does not, however, mean that it is all aquarium junk food; it simply means that if you must use prepared foods on occasion, you should be careful in your selection. For diverse fish, coral and invert species, we suggest the three fine dry and canned products featured below. As well as being eagerly accepted by aquarium animals, each is prepared in a manner that maximally preserves nutritional content. ELOS FRESCO This product contains bloodworms that are cultured in clean conditions, fed for optimum nutritional value and packaged just when they are most wholesome. They are packaged in a highly palatable moist form (this product never leaves a greasy residue). It is great for training picky, newly imported or severely stressed specimens to eat prepared items. ELOS FRESCO Chironomus may be offered to a large variety of marine and freshwater fish, invertebrates and corals. It is a perfect supplementary food item for green mandarins, seahorses and pipefish. The pickiest fish cannot resist it. BenePets BeneReef™ BenePets BeneReef™ is a great food supplement for LPS and SPS corals, soft corals and filter-feeding invertebrates. It is especially useful in systems that house densely stocked corals. Its three to three thousand micron particle size accommodates a broad range of reef animals. This nutrient-dense dry food contains a special blend of phytoplankton and organic superfoods that increase feeding response, coloration, growth and regeneration of stressed corals. It makes a great complement to the 5280 Pods + OceanMagik Phyto Combo Pack. Best of all, it is boosted with active probiotics (e.g. Lactobacillus) that make a great compliment to those in PNS Probio™. ZooMed Can-O-Cyclops Can O’ Cyclops provides excellent nutrition for small fishes such as captive bred mandarins. It consists of preserved whole copepods. As these are similar in appearance and size to live adult copepods, they promote a strong feeding response. Heavy copepod consumers can gorge on this product between periods of actively hunting for live prey, ensuring that your mandarins are consuming a sufficient number of calories to grow and develop. AlgaeBarn regularly feeds Can O’ Cyclops to their Biota captive bred mandarins; this helps to ensure that their mandarins will accept a readily available and storable dry food. Try some with your LPS corals! Apples and Orangutans For sure, when it comes to feeding a reef tank full of diverse, hungry critters, a highly varied diet is a good thing. But variety alone will not support their best health if every item in their diet is deficient in essential vitamins, biofactors, etc. And let us not forget that stressed, ill or plain old finicky fish will not even consider nibbling at items that do not look like their natural food. For these reasons and more, not all prepared aquarium foods are equal. Your life is super busy. So you don’t have to feel too guilty about using prepared foods–so long as you use the very best products available! A few, such as those described above, are not only suitably nourishing and palatable, but can significantly improve your reef inhabitants’ diets. [drygoods]
Asad Khan says November 25, 2019 at 3:04 pm I’ve recently learned about the importance of high-quality foods in reef tanks as I have had two tangs end up with velvet. Thanks for the recommendations! Reply
Kelly Tompkins says November 25, 2019 at 3:41 pm I worry about preservatives. I also think I tend to over feed. I do try to diversify. I wonder about cornmeal in flake food. http://bit.ly/2PTnrN2 Reply
robert vice says November 25, 2019 at 10:30 pm I always used the nyos foods and pods and every few days some reef frenzy Reply
Nickn says November 26, 2019 at 3:35 am My fish eat what I eat yesterday they enjoyed a chicken nugget ? no i try to do a diverse diet Reply
dartagnon_1965 says November 26, 2019 at 4:19 am I’ve used reef frenzy but usually just the “seamonkeys” lol I raise in a breeding tank. Reply
Joe car says November 26, 2019 at 7:28 am I totally agree, I was feeding flake food at first and my nutrient level was always super high! Reply
Becky says November 26, 2019 at 7:38 am I mix it up with Mysis frozen and a couple of types of pellet food. Reply
Wilfredo Robles says November 26, 2019 at 12:13 pm I mix it up with Mysis frozen,Gamarus, Amphipods, and a couple of types of pellet food. Reply
Richard Baer says November 26, 2019 at 1:09 pm I like the idea of making my own food with fresh seafood from the store. I think adding some of these individual food types would be beneficial since the large pieces of meat aren’t usable by many of the livestock in my tanks. Reply
Michgander reefer says November 26, 2019 at 5:42 pm I primarily feed pse mysis but mix in a fine made blend of krill clam and reef chilli Reply
cassi.klaasen says November 26, 2019 at 7:03 pm i try to keep a variety between frozen and freezedried Reply
Matt Blefeld says November 26, 2019 at 8:01 pm I stick to hikari mysis, lrs reef fenzy, rods frozen, and nori Reply
liesle_memmott says November 26, 2019 at 9:19 pm I have been hesitant but very interested in the value of can o’cyclops. I diversify. I’m still learning though. Hope to soon be culturing my own Phyto, copepods. I feed frozen cyclopods, mysis and LFS foods. I have some refrigerated items as well, like brine, roe. I have some Selcon. Also have reef roids and pellet foods too. Reply
Dallas Tippie says November 27, 2019 at 12:03 am I have been using Benereef for a couple of years now and I really like it! Reply
whwhunt says November 27, 2019 at 10:42 am I mix it up with mysis and brine shrimp mostly frozen but occasionally live. Reply
Liz McDaneld says November 27, 2019 at 4:11 pm Love food diversity and so do my mandarins suprisingly Reply
aaron says November 27, 2019 at 5:43 pm I like to feed my tank one different type of food every day Reply
Echo says November 28, 2019 at 9:28 pm I’ve mostly stuck to pellets, and frozen brine/mysis. Plus coral food. I might try the BeneReef. Reply
dcallahan56789 says November 29, 2019 at 8:44 am any thoughts on the yeast contained in BenePets? I am currently using this product in my reef tank. However, i saw the yeast on the label and wondered.. Reply
Wesley Spangler says November 29, 2019 at 8:51 pm SA hatchery pellets are my main food source. I feed frozen about every other day. Reply
Luis Aceves says November 30, 2019 at 3:12 pm Learning more about the hobby with your blog. Thanks. Reply
Richard says December 1, 2019 at 2:48 pm I usually feed a mix of frozen miss/enriched brine and pellets. The copepod food is interesting. Reply
Richard says December 1, 2019 at 2:48 pm I usually feed a mix of frozen mysis, enriched brine and pellets. The copepod food is interesting. Reply
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