recommend low phosphate/nitrate frozen foods?

[JohnH]

Anyone have any recommendations of frozen food brands with low phosphate and nitrates?

I am fighting a hair algae outbreak and in looking for possible sources of nutrients, just tested a sample of water before and after soaking frozen mysis in it. Before soaking, PO4 < .05, after soaking, PO4 > 2.0 ppm -- literally off the chart.

Recently I began soaking/rinsing foods before adding to my tank...should have been doing this all along. Also added a PhosBan Reactor about a week ago, and hair algae now seems to have a brown tint to it, so hopefully the end of this battle is in sight.

Any other suggestions regarding hair algae would be helpful, too. I am doing all the standard things (low nutrients, clean-up crew, manual removal, RO/DI water, new lights, etc).

 

[danmhippo]

I don't know of any frozen food that is not high in PO4. Perhaps you want to start making your own homemade seafood mix for your fish. It's really not that hard.

 

[Anonymous]

yep. buy what's on sale at the seafood counter, add some selcon, golden pearls, cyclopeze and blend! I vary the mixture every time I make it.

B

 

[Bucktronix]

how fine do you puree the food? and can you add stuff like the cooked shrip or should it all be raw?

 

[Len]

Ocean Nutrition products are designed to be low in NO3 and PO4. Whether it's true or not, I don't know. But it states so on the package. In any case, my fish love their Prime Reef.

 

[Anonymous]

FWIU, a lot of seafood in the supermarket contains phosphates and needs to be rinsed just as much as 'hobby' food.

 

[Anonymous]

Rinsing is a very important thing to do. When I get lazy, it shows.

Phosphates are present in all organisms that have nucleic acids (which they all do) so you can't avoid that, but you can avoid phosphate salts that are added as preservatives.

 

[danmhippo]

FWIU, a lot of seafood in the supermarket contains phosphates and needs to be rinsed just as much as 'hobby' food.

Really? I didn't know that!

Fresh raw seafood too?

 

[hillbilly]

I soak all food in RO water for a while before feeding. It really helps.

 

[Anonymous]

The simple solution would be get plant life you like thriving. And the hair algae being consumed with a cleaner crew.

That way you can feed your fish whatever you like and the resulting plant life is something you desire.

 

[Anonymous]

FWIU, a lot of seafood in the supermarket contains phosphates and needs to be rinsed just as much as 'hobby' food.

Really? I didn't know that!

Fresh raw seafood too?

Hmm, not sure. Let me dig around and see what I can find out.

 

[Anonymous]

The simple solution would be get plant life you like thriving. And the hair algae being consumed with a cleaner crew.

Like most 'simple' solutions regarding biological controls, this one is simply not that simple. 'Plant life' is not so straightforward - 'specially considering the different way people set up their systems, and 'cleaner' crews are far from reliable.

 

[Anonymous]

FWIU, a lot of seafood in the supermarket contains phosphates and needs to be rinsed just as much as 'hobby' food.

Really? I didn't know that!

Fresh raw seafood too?

Hmm, not sure. Let me dig around and see what I can find out.

No. The phosphates are used to preserve color.

(Got back late last night).

 

[Anonymous]

FWIU, a lot of seafood in the supermarket contains phosphates and needs to be rinsed just as much as 'hobby' food.

Really? I didn't know that!

Fresh raw seafood too?

Hmm, not sure. Let me dig around and see what I can find out.

No. The phosphates are used to preserve color.

(Got back late last night).

I was gonna bug you about this but figured you were still busy. How was it?

Whaddya think about these...
From 'Spanky' on TRT:

Did you know that freezing live things can cause a breakdown of organic phosphates making them released as inorganic?
That the seafood industry treats most packaged seafoods with inorganic orthophosphates as a preservative/flavor/color enhancer?

From 'cyberchef' on TRT:

About 98% of all processed fresh seafood it run through a rinse water containing Trisodiumphosphate (IIRC). It's a preservative that allows the seafood to stay fresher longer... Some seafoods are even soaked in it to increase thier weigh

And 'Spanky' again:

I think what's confusing a little bit is that they dip/soak/wash fresh seafood in a brine solution of water soluble phosphates (orthophosphates). It acts as a flavor, texture, and color preservative mostly (keeps it from turning color and getting mushy) even for "fresh" seafood.

All from http://www.thereeftank.com/forums/showt ... te+seafood

 

[Anonymous]

All protein is high in Phosphate therefore even fresh seafood will contain a lot of Phosphate. This organic Phosphate cannot be rinsed off because it's an intregal part of the proteins.

I think the point being made is to avoid introducing phosphate directly to the water column so your animals have a decent chance of consuming it.

It's obvious that introducing as little phosphate as possible is best but there are ways to remove phosphate.

- As Beaslbob points out, growing and harvesting algae is a fairly straight forward way.

- Growing excess bacteria using vinegar or vodka and then skimming the excess bacteria out is another. Zeovit users are claiming a lot of success with phosphate removal as well.

- Chemical removal using a phosphate sponge like a Phosban reactor.

- It's still not totally documented but for some reason dripping limewater also seems to lower phosphate levels.

 

[Anonymous]

- It's still not totally documented but for some reason dripping limewater also seems to lower phosphate levels.

addoiding to one source I read, calcium hydroxide precipitates out the phosphates. It is used to remove industrial wastes.