View Full Version : Do you sieve your frozen food
As per the title - do you thaw out your frozen cubes and rinse them before feeding to the tank.
As bit of a mad experiment I washed my cubes and kept the water, poured the 'dirty' water into my sump with my circulation pump off - hay presto lots of skimmate in the collection cup of my skimmer within 5 minutes. That tells me in a basic way that there was lots of protein, phosphate and who knows what else in there. I am sure some of the contents of this water is used by filter feeders, but I am unsure as to weather it is better put in the tank or down the drain.
Never - as I don't like to waste anything and with the skimmer removing an non-useable stuff anyway I don't see the point of risking wasting the good stuff...
Never - as I don't like to waste anything and with the skimmer removing an non-useable stuff anyway I don't see the point of risking wasting the good stuff...
Just to play devils advocate - is the thawed out liquid "good stuff" or just the rubished left over from processing the food. Especially if it is not a whole food, it goes through a blending or choping process.
But its food for corals and little critters when its chopped up and diddy...
I just chuck the frozen cubes into the return section of my sump.
Ends up flying around the tank and the fish love the chase, and all the filter feeders in the tank get a look in as well.
The liquid is supposed to be a phosphate rich liquid however my NO3 is < 0.2ppm and my PO4 is < 0.008ppm, so it can't be too bad.
As I've only got 2 clowns ,its a bugger to chop a little bit off a cube,using a sharp pointed knife.Even so I rinse the small piece in some tank water in a small dish and use a test kit syringe to feed the clowns.Steve.
As I've only got 2 clowns ,its a bugger to chop a little bit off a cube,using a sharp pointed knife.Even so I rinse the small piece in some tank water in a small dish and use a test kit syringe to feed the clowns.Steve.
W O W, you love your clowns. I throw in a melted cube and let everything get on with it. They all seem fat and content. My nem seems to have figured out where to sit so some of the food is directed onto its tentacles.
I am truely suprised at how few people sieve there frozen food. I keep considering it but don't think I will bother now.
I sieve and rinse in RO all my frozen food except the micro plankton for the corals as they are too small for the sieve holes, it works for me anyway
I melt mine in a plastic cup of tank water then feed when thawed.I never seive or wash tbh.
Mike hudson
27-01-08, 20:11
never wash food. :D
i just melt mine in a tub of tank water and pour in tank,
I just melt it in some tank water then pippet it in, water and all.
Has anyone tried washing frozen cubes in RO Water, strain off the food and then test for phosphates and nitrates???????
Hi,
I use the New Era Marine and Aegis Liposome sprays. Instructions advise to strain the food when defrosted, which I do, but nothing mentioned about rinsing/washing so I don't.
Campbell
I thaw the forzen food with tank water, once it is done, I use that water to squirt my sun coral so that it expands its tentacles, then target feed it. The remaining food is poured into the tank for the fish.
Hi,
I use the New Era Marine and Aegis Liposome sprays. Instructions advise to strain the food when defrosted, which I do, but nothing mentioned about rinsing/washing so I don't.
Campbell
That is the main thing I ment; do you strain away the melted liquid. I don't mean literally wash it with Ro.
I thaw the forzen food with tank water, once it is done, I use that water to squirt my sun coral so that it expands its tentacles, then target feed it. The remaining food is poured into the tank for the fish.
I like your thinking
:applause:
Smitherington
27-01-08, 23:12
I answered no to washing but I always drain the liquid away.
It's liquid phosphate!
Makes my rowaphos last longer.
Hi
I have not conducted the testing of defrosted frozen foods in recent years but last time I tried, all brands I tested (gamma SFB Ruto) had a high level of phosphate in the defrost liquid. In a heavily stocked coral system you might find it would be utilised but in the average system it is absorbed into the rock or sand or phosphate remover.
As we all know you may not get a reading this week but a 12-18 months down the road when the rock and sand are saturated with phosphates and you suddenly get a huge jump as the system is saturated.
In any closed system you have to have method of phosphate export otherwise it just comes back and bites you in the backside.
Most of these work
Absorbers
Algaes
LNS
Grazers
DSB *(although unless very active these just seem to lock it away for a very rainy day IMHO)
So personally unless someone test here and says the food is now fine I would rinse the defrosted food in RO and then use something like the lipsome spray or other nutritional boost system.
Jez
Will make an effort to measure the thawed out liquid this week.
Results will be posted
Hi
I have not conducted the testing of defrosted frozen foods in recent years but last time I tried, all brands I tested (gamma SFB Ruto) had a high level of phosphate in the defrost liquid. In a heavily stocked coral system you might find it would be utilised but in the average system it is absorbed into the rock or sand or phosphate remover.
As we all know you may not get a reading this week but a 12-18 months down the road when the rock and sand are saturated with phosphates and you suddenly get a huge jump as the system is saturated.
In any closed system you have to have method of phosphate export otherwise it just comes back and bites you in the backside.
Most of these work
Absorbers
Algaes
LNS
Grazers
DSB *(although unless very active these just seem to lock it away for a very rainy day IMHO)
So personally unless someone test here and says the food is now fine I would rinse the defrosted food in RO and then use something like the lipsome spray or other nutritional boost system.
Jez
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