# in preperation for stock



## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

i have been considering a number of options in my stock list and one common theme for any life form is FOOD... and being the cheep guy that i am i have found a number of formulas for DIY frozen foods and found ways to make a month or two supply for under $30.. good deal... but i want to offer some variety and continue to keep the hobby as hands on as i am able to...

this brings to mind breeding my own brine shrimp and phytoplankton.... now i have found a ton of resources on brine shrimp and have only a few questions regarding set up...
i have a small tank i would like to use and i know that algae and flow are important.. would using a long air stone be better than a small one? my thought is that the long one will keep the gentle flow consistent through out the tank.
should i use a small heater or go with out? 
and finally would there be any benefit to a grow bulb on the tank to encourage algae growth? 

then come the Phyto.. can it be grown in the home aquarium?
should you set up a small tank to do it?
can you culture from one of the bottles you purchas at the LFS? of not how to obtain?
care etc.....


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

wow your actually trying to make food????


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

of course for one (as stated) i am a cheep guy
for two this way i know exactly what they are getting
and finally i can add variety as i tamper with techniques or recipes....


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

oh so thats it. you might wanna skip the cheap guy thing only smart guys take on things like this.


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

bearwithfish said:


> would using a long air stone be better than a small one? my thought is that the long one will keep the gentle flow consistent through out the tank.
> should i use a small heater or go with out?
> and finally would there be any benefit to a grow bulb on the tank to encourage algae growth?


I would go with no air stone. They cause surface bubbles which pop and create a ton of salt-creep. I would go with a small, nano type, powerhead for circulation. Along with the PS (or return if you are going sump...), this should be enough water movement through the tank.

During the summer a small heater will cause more problems than anyting, but in Northern America you will need a heater in the winter. But that is why they sell thermometers...lol.

I do not think that there will be any benefit to a grow bulb on the tank, aside from the normal lighting...


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

Wake - you know your post brings u a point i had not considered (i know i am random) but would i even need an other vessel for BS? i mean i could make the hatchery and then place them in the sump to grow out and feed as needed those that don't find the pump to the tank.... already plenty of flow, once macro is in there plenty to eat for them, and a safe zone with out the need to set up another tank!!!!! thoughts? comments?

KP - i thank you for the compliment and while i agree a certain amount of intelligence is required to find out how to make it i thin kits more of a desire to stay cost effective and to be as involved in the tank as possible with out monkeying with Chems and such non-sense.... (i get to play and they get to benefit!!!)


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

to a degree it's symbiotic


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

very good discription....


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## wake49 (Jul 2, 2008)

bearwithfish said:


> Wake - you know your post brings u a point i had not considered (i know i am random) but would i even need an other vessel for BS? i mean i could make the hatchery and then place them in the sump to grow out and feed as needed those that don't find the pump to the tank.... already plenty of flow, once macro is in there plenty to eat for them, and a safe zone with out the need to set up another tank!!!!! thoughts? comments?


I have no luck with Brine Shrimp. I hatch them, then feed them to the tank, and then after a day or so, no more Brine Shrimp. I don't think that they survive well enough to breed on their own. I have tried just putting them in the sump and also in the display. No luck. Do you have better luck than I do with these little guys?


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

never tried before LOL kinda tossing the idea around and researching a ton of info and attempting to see what the final plan would be long before any investment


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

your better off trying to culture pods IMO.

as for making food for a saltwater tank, thats easy. a local fish market is FULL of things to use. you can also check asian markets as they have algae sheets and other seafood. using actual fish foods too works as well and i suggest including some into the mix. 
PRE - RINSE EVERYTHING that can be pre-rinsed prior to mixing and blending. ( and blend when the wife isnt home as she'll freak about her food processor ) this includes pre-rinsing frozen fish food cubes which before being fed should be getting pre-rinsed anyways as they are full of nitrates and phosphates. its easy to do this, just use a fishing net and poor RO water over it, or put the net into a small pan of RO water until you see how nasty the water color turns, swish it around alittle, dump out that water and repeat. you will be SHOCKED how dirty those frozen cubes are BTW.
after pre-rinsing what you can ( you cant to planktons and finer foods obv ) you want to chop your fish, clams, shrimp, whatever it is you have into a mush with the food processor. i usually do this on a bulk scale and will add lots of other things like a can of saltwater flakes ( which i really think is like flavored cardboard ) which helps better hold the food mush together, a bottle of garlic and a bottle of selcon, a few of the reef nutrition bottles if i have them on hand too. a few algae sheets grinded up is good too.
after you have your mix put a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet, lay a sheet of eggcrate ontop of that, spread the mush into each of the squares of eggcrate and freeze. once frozen remove and pop the food squares out of the eggcrate. collect your squares and put them into a ziplock bag and back into the freezer.

the most important step is to immediately wash out the food processor before the wife returns home.

its that simple.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

LOL she is actually one who wants to help (for now LOL) i have seen similar recipes around and i like yours .. but i do have one noob like question.. while rinsing you are obviously thawing out the frozen product, its this a good thing? or would you put the frozen chip in the tank and let them nibble on it as it thaws out? just asking again i am here to learn...
about pods... i saw the thread from our Admin and i love the idea of growing out trigger pods in a bin or partially filled extra tank... again however once they have acclimated to the stagnant "pool" could you slowly drip acclimate them to the tank water and eventually populate the Refugium? 

at this point i have so many pods i can not look at a single inch of the tank with out seeing 15+ (and in some places 5x that) so i am sure things are going good but once i get some one eating the little buggers i want to maintain a LARGE population (my belief is that live is always better than prepared)


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i pre-rinse frozen cubes outside of the tank and it does thaw them. im sure this rinses some good stuff off with them ( esp the fine stuff that corals would eat ) but it helps keep nitrates and phosphates out of the tank. some of the finer foods this isnt possible because you would just be washing away to much food but it works with alot of them. im sure some food brands are dirtier then others but who knows.
i just have to give you an example with pictures i have of this small ammount of food in a net.









that is prob. 2 or 3 cubes if even that in this fish net. i soaked it in a small tupper-ware until thawed and this is the run off water in the picture below. keep in mind you'll want to rinse a few times until the water looks clear to semi clear.










now that you have a better idea how dirty your food is, i hope the 3-5 minutes it takes to pre-rinse becomes a habbit so your not pumping that nasty-ness into your tank.


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## bearwithfish (Sep 29, 2009)

not at all i actually only have two corrals and a few crabs that made it through the crash and into the new tank.... the crabs get a bit of left overs but i basically target feed the corals Phyto i bought.. again this is just in preparation of getting stock in....


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## kitten_penang (Mar 26, 2008)

smart move


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## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

i also failed to mention occasional feeding of live blackworms is a good idea. i wouldnt get to crazy with them as you may hook your fish on the live foods but they are great from time to time. i actually cultured them for awhile. i also know a guy who swears by feeding fish roe ( fish eggs ) from time to time but never to much as the oils whack out your skimmer for a day or two. the benefit of feeding the roe however will be better then a whacked out skimmer for that short time as it will help your fish achieve a better overall health and even help put them into breeding condition. i mean common sense, the better quality the food the better quality their health. IMO a $100 fish should have a pretty good diet, so keep rotating foods and offering a large mixture of things. a healthy saltwater fish will live for years and years.

and for the home-made food thing, never add any cooked foods. remember, there are no chefs under the ocean. :wink:


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