Feeding Anemones

[flanque]

Hi,

The LFS told me to get some frozen fish bait, defrost it and feed that to my anemones, but I am concerned about disease.

Should I be? What else can I do to feed my anemones other than light?

Thanks.

 

[JG]

I buy cooked shrimp , crab , meat, and scallops and then freeze them. I feed small thawed pieces about 2X a week.

 

[flanque]

Cooked ones? Are there any benefits of cooked ones? I would have thought thawed ones would have been better?

 

[JG]

Cooked prevents the introduction of parasites and such. I've had great results so far. I believe that one of the advisors on this forum suggeted to cooked to me last year.

I am going to have to upgrade tank size soon as mu condy has tripled in size in about 4 months.

 

[lando]

you can feed silversides or krill once or twice a week. I have never target feed my anemnes, they just get what they get at feeding time.

 

[flanque]

So you just go to your local seafood store (for human consumption) and buy cooked bits of seafood and feed that?

 

[Fluff]

I've never fed cooked but yeah. Raw from any grocer seafood counter.

 

[thanew]

question.. about the krill, what kind of krill are you feeding ? I have some freeze dried krill and plankton.. will this work for him?

I also have a plethora of frozen food ranging from hikari marine food to brine shrimp and some various ocean nutrition cubes..

what would be best for it besides light (which seems to be nice for it)

 

[flanque]

Okay, so I am confused about whether or not to buy precooked fish from the seafood store, or to buy raw fish (say, anchovies, etc) and cook them myself to kill bacteria and parasites, etc.

??

 

[JG]

I just buy the precooked - keeps the house from smelling like seafood.

 

[klam]

I've only have used raw seafood when feeding my livestock

 

[thanew]

Ive started using cooked shrimp from the store... every fish in my house seems to love it... feed the anemone twice a week with it now... and everyone else gets a few pieces here and there, everyone from my fw fish (cichlids, and catfish) to my sw fish love it..

 

[MT79]

I would never feed cooked food to my tank. You never know what's in it-salt, seasoning, etc. Buy raw seafood and freeze it-that will kill any pathogens.

 

[Phyl]

Um... fish in the wild don't eat cooked seafood. I wouldn't be feeding stuff that's already been cooked to my tank, but that's just MHO. Freezer for me!

 

[jeff8183]

I feed mine silverslides and that seems to be working fine

 

[copi]

Um... fish in the wild don't eat cooked seafood.

In all fairness, the fish in our homes experience a lot that they wouldn't in the wild. But your point is well taken

 

[EJS4]

I would never feed cooked food to my tank. You never know what's in it-salt, seasoning, etc. Buy raw seafood and freeze it-that will kill any pathogens.

Freezing does not kill all pathogens, for bacteria and fungi it only slows their growth.
Cooked seafood can have additives but so can raw seafood. I know my local market posts a sign when the raw salmon has had color enhancer added.
Cooking does breakdown proteins which makes them more available.
Besides flaked foods are not raw.

 

[MT79]

Freezing does not kill all pathogens, for bacteria and fungi it only slows their growth.

"Fresh seafood should be frozen before use to kill potential pathogens that may be in the food". Source http://marineaquariumadvice.com/feed_your_fish_better.html

Cooking does breakdown proteins which makes them more available

I'll leave that to the fish/coral's digestive system. As far as raw food having additives, that is why it is always good to ask about what your buying, and to go somewhere you trust. Each is own, I guess. Cooked is definitely far from natural...

 

[MT79]

flaked foods are not raw.

It is also one of the worst types of food, if not THE worst IMO. It tends to pollute the water more effectively then it nourishes the fish.

 

[EJS4]

AS I said bacteria is not kill by freezing as to parasites, below are the FDA guidelines. I know my freezer does not get that cold.

Control Measures Contents

The process of heating raw fish sufficiently to kill bacterial pathogens is also sufficient to kill parasites.

Freezing (-20ºC [-4ºF] or below [internal or external] for 7 d or –35ºC [-31ºF] or below [internal] for 15 h) of fish intended for raw consumption also kills parasites. The Food Code recommends these freezing conditions to retailers who provide fish intended for raw consumption.

Brining and pickling may reduce the parasite hazard in a fish, but they do not eliminate it, nor do they minimize it to an acceptable level. Nematode larvae have been shown to survive 28 d in 80º salinometer brine (21% salt by weight).

Trimming away the belly flaps of fish or candling and physically removing parasites are effective methods for reducing the numbers of parasites. However, they do not completely eliminate the hazard, nor do they minimize it to an acceptable level (FDA, 1998).

FDA Guidelines Contents
FDA guidelines for freezing fish to kill parasites.
Freeze and store at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 7 days (total time); or
Freeze at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and store at -31°F (-35°C) or below for 15 hours; or
Freeze at -31°F (-35°C) or below until solid and store at -4°F (-20°C) or below for 24 hours.
Note: these conditions may not be suitable for freezing particularly large fish (e.g. thicker than six inches) (FDA, 2001).