Feeding Frozen Foods

[gear-head]

I have a question about how to feed frozen foods. I've been using Ocean Nutrition Formula One, Mysis Shrimp and [acronym="Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acid"]HUFA[/acronym] Super Shrimp.

I have two Clowns, an Orchid Dottyback and two Chromis. I have been feeding the frozen stuff not quite once a day, perhaps 2 out of every three, and using flake in between.

I thaw the stuff in a little cup of tank water, turn off the PH's and drop it in. Some stays suspended in the water column for a short while, but most of it sinks straight to the bottom.

(Bit long winded!) but here's my question:
Is it OK that it sinks to the bottom? I see the clowns grabbing some mid-tank level, but they never seem to go down to the bottom where most of it lands. I seem to be feeding my stars and hermits Formula One! Is there a better way to feed frozen foods?

Feed smaller amounts throughout the feeding. Introduce only enough for them to eat in a few seconds and then add a bit more until they stop greedily chasing the food. Generally speaking once they stop dive bombing for the foods, they've had enough. I use a small baby doser for frozen foods so I can control how much goes in at a given feeding. They look like a mini turkey baster (or giant eye dropper) and work quite well.

Cheers
Steve

[klam]

I leave the flow on so the food gets blown around and stays suspended longer in the water colum. I like to make them work for their food.

[Bearfan]

Originally Posted by klam

I leave the flow on so the food gets blown around and stays suspended longer in the water colum. I like to make them work for their food.

I do too, and I use a turkey baster to target feed.

[gear-head]

I leave the flow on

Now that's a good idea!

[blorkiemom]

Don't know if this helps, but I don't feed a whole cube (with 2 fish a cube lasts a week!) so I just scrape off bits with a dedicated vegetable peeler. The bits come off small enough for little fishy mouths and don't need to be defrosted as they are so thin.

I also use a pizza cutter if I need to chop stuff up. Seems less messy than a knife, somehow, and since the frozen stuff grosses me out I like that.

[malkore]

I only have 2 fish currently as well. I thaw a whole cube, and feed them some. the rest goes into my 75gallon FW tank. My tiger barbs love formula 1 and 2, as well as mysis shrimp.

My biggest comment on shrimp is thaw first, and strain thru a brine net. then you get all shrimp and no brine, which is supposedly loaded with phosphate-fuel. (i've been fighting cyano)

[KMyers18]

I never turn the flow off. I have never even heared of such a thing. Im no pro. but i have 5 pretty big meat eating fish in 125..Ifeed them silver sides and krill. Ijust thaw it and pour it in they fight and chase after there food.But thats the fun of having agressive fish. Im not going to hand feed. They either eat or they go hungry. In 10 months i never lost a fish so........

[gear-head]

Well, I turned the PH's off because the WaveMaker Pro has a feeding program, where you press a button, and the PH's shut down (except in Reef mode where one PH stays on)

I tried it this evening with flake and leaving everything on dispersed things around quite well. I guess I'll just leave everthing running for now.

(and I do mince up the Formula One frozen after it's thawed, before I give it to 'em)