Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board

Direct from Mr. Eric Borneman's keyboard :lol:

Quote:

Eric's "famous" coral food recipe
As promised, here is my recipe for coral chow - with a bit of a preface.

I rarely have or use all of the ingredients listed, and I don't think it will make a difference over the long term. I also use this, or a variation of it, for my homemade fish food (I leave the fish food chunker and add various algae). Basically, I either use what is left over from the last round of food-making, or I go to a few stores and get whatever they might have at the time. I feed this to the tank at night, generally, and would add that for some of the ingredients, I have no idea if they have any specific role. Its just what I have done before. I have also changed a bit with some other foods now available (since I have written this last time)

I try to get a mix of particle sizes involved to accomodate not just all sizes of polyps, but also feed other inverts that filter feed.

Fresh seafood:

Some combination of the ingredients below and it makes up a relatively small percent of the total - maybe 10-20%?

shrimp (I squeeze the heads and usually use the "meat" in the fish food)
oysters - blend well and may have Vibriostatic properties
various other shellfish (mussels, clams, periwinkles, etc. - the bloodier, the better...live is great (shucking sucks but gives a good final product)
Fish roe (sometimes available at Asian markets)

Frozen foods

This makes up perhaps 20-30% of the mix - some are from an aquarium store, some from the grocer

Artemia - adult
Artemia nauplii (baby brine shrimp) (enriched, if possible)
Mysid shrimp
Sea urchin roe
Flying fish roe

Dried Aquarium Foods

this makes up the majority of my mix - probably 40%

Golden Pearls - all sizes available, but a majority of the smallest size
Cyclop-Eze
VibraGro
Powdered marine flake

Phytoplankton

makes up maybe 2% of mix or less?

Tahitian Blend (I use DT's seperately)

Supplements

makes up maybe 2-5% of mix?

Super Selco ( a big squeeze)
Sea Green Vitamin supplements - various brands, powdered, from Whole Foods market

I have also been known to add Echinacea capsules, the skins of colorful vegetables and fruits, various pigment complexes of carotenoids, etc. and/or antioxidants from Whole Foods market.

In terms of preparation, I puree the solid seaoods, mix in the frozen ingredients, soak the dry/powdered ingredients in the wet ingredients, combine them all together and let them sit for a few hours, and then freeze them into small flats in ziplocs in the freezer. I usually wind up with about 50.00 in foods per batch and make about a gallon or so of food that lasts a couple or more months.