straining defrosted food

[TommyP]

What's up MR. I wanted to get a thread going for best practices about feeding fish. I feed my fish a mixture of frozen bloodworms/cyclopeeze, frozen brine shrimp, and frozen mysis. I cut the cube up in to 4 pieces to prevent over feeding and feed every night to every other night - it varies. I use those small white bathroom cups that you use when brushing your teeth. Ive been pinching the cup to prevent the food from pouring out when I slowly pour the tank water out of the cup into the skimmer cup. (to prevent from adding this water back to the tank).

I was wondering what everyone else does. How do you "strain" the frozen food after it thaws in tank water?

 

[fishman1069]

I put a cube in a fine net (the blue type) and dumped pitcher of rob water slowly over it until it melts. Then I just run the net in the water column to release the mysis. I also feed flakes and freeze dried cyclop-ez

 

[Tonyscoots84]

I let it thaw out on a paper towel in a strainer. Rinse it under tap water put it in a small cup with fish tank water and a squished piece of garlic. After it sat a little bit i take the garlic out and feed the fish

 

[Widdy]

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I1ZZ24/?tag=reefs04-20

 

[TommyP]

I put a cube in a fine net (the blue type) and dumped pitcher of rob water slowly over it until it melts. Then I just run the net in the water column to release the mysis. I also feed flakes and freeze dried cyclop-ez

Good idea. I will try to find a fine net like that. I just don't want to waste a lot of ro water while melting it. I thaw mine in tank water but it's just an inconvenience to strain the water everytime. Trying to think of something quick and easy when doing this just to make life a little bit easier. I was thinking about having the frozen food in the net and the net in a cup of tank water. This way, you can just take the net out of the water food still in it, all rinsed and ready to enter the tank.


Widdy- that's a good idea too. A little strainer tool

 

[SanmanReefer]

I cut the cube in 3 pieces then at feeding time I use 2 shot glasses, 1 with RO water and the other one with the frozen food. I mix the food with the RO water and then use a small syringe to try and catch the small particles, I repeat this process about 5 times or until the water with the food looks very clear. Then I proceed to feed with the syringe also very slowly. I try to prevent anything from hitting the sandbed. It ususally takes me 5-10 minutes to feed my fish. Has been working for me so far.

 

[Adamc1303]

I feel like the lazy reefer! I just rinse the food with tap water a few times and then let it dissolve in tank water for a few min and dump everything in. I have a 240g display tank I probably feed like 4 to 6 cubes daily. I don't have any nitrates or phosphates though. Completely undetected. I have a very aggressive filtration system though.

 

[KathyC]

I put the frozen food in a small plastic cup and thaw it out with RO water. Then I rinse it out in a Brine Shrimp Net (it's extremely fine net, they are white in color and sold as a 'brine shrimp net'), until the water runs clear, and then feed it to my tank.

 

[drej424]

I put the frozen food in a brine shrimp net and rinse with tank water. It defrosts faster that way. I feed cyclopeeze, mysis, sometimes clams or squid. I also use fish roe sometimes.

 

[TommyP]

I'm going to get the brine shrimp net like you guys are mentioning. Seems easier than what I'm going. Adam that's a really heavy feed. Seems like you have an awesome filtration system going for sure.

Sanman - good idea. I do the same for the most part. I feed slowly little by little until they eat it all and then dump some more in. Occasionally some will hit the sand but my cleaner shrimp run over to it right away - also the cuc gets to it too.

 

[ecchybridLE]

i use rod's food or frozen mysis , cut a piece into a fine fish net run that under tap till thawed and cleaned of any unnecessary residue then feed.

 

[Geraud]

I use a brine shrimp net too. More specifically this kind:

http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/Sieve-Artemia-Hatching-p181.html

 

[masterswimmer]

Been using the Brine Shrimp 3" Net method. Just put the frozen food into the net. Take a Dixie cup of tank water and place the Brine Shrimp Net with food into the tank water. Wait for it to thaw, lift net from Dixie Cup, swoosh net in display tank, voila. Tank has been fed.

Russ

 

[TommyP]

Yea russ that's what I was getting at. Just need to grab a net at petco or something this weekend. Thanks for the ideas guys - keep them comin!

 

[oh207]

I got a thingamajig called the aqua medic defroster. Prior to that I was adding Kent garlic to frozen cube, letting it sit and defrost, then serve everything.
After seeing concerns on MR similar to this thread, I started to defrost and wash first, then soak with garlic and serve.

 

[slideways03]

Interesting topic. I feed PE Mysis and have been defrosting it with warm tap water through a fine mesh net and place the defrosted food into a cup with RO water. I then use a small baster to feed.

Now the question i have is. Is defrosting the food necessary? Is it ok to just put a small piece of un-defrosted mysis into the tank and let the fish pick and break it apart?
Obviously that method releases a lot of small particles. I would think those small particles would be beneficial to the filter feeding corals and such.
I ask that question because i have been feeding that way for about a week now. Seems like no one else is doing it though.
1 thing i do notice that when i feed that way it makes the water level inside my skimmer to drop for about 2 hours.

 

[albano]

Interesting topic. I feed PE Mysis and have been defrosting it with warm tap water

IMO, If the 'warm tap water' comes from the 'hot tap water' faucet... you're adding more minerals/chemicals than if you used just cold tap water

 

[NYCEnglish]

Why use tap water at all??

 

[Tonyscoots84]

You can use cold tap water to rinse, i have been doing it forever with no problems here. As albano has stated do not use hot tap water from the faucet