How to Feed Carnivores & What is Cyclopeze

[crete456]

Hi lee thanks for the info...i read your thread about feeding marine fish...very interesting...but could you give some examples of how to properly feed marine fish...i have carnivores...do i go to the local fish market and chop up a whole fish... my fish are only juveniles...would appreciate an example..also do you recommened freeze dried foods, if so what type...you also metioned trace elements, what type and brand and how to administer and what is calopeze?...im not adding calium but would like to grow coralline algae instead of this brown junk that i have...thanks

[leebca]

Sorry crete456. I've been having 'subscribe' problems on Reefland and I didn't catch this post earlier.

I answered some of your questions in the Marine Fish: Care, Health, and Disease Treatment Forum, I think.

What I'll do is start a new thread with your recent post and move it to that forum.

[leebca]

Feeding carnivores is relatively easy. You can get some of the foods from the local super market that has an extensive fish section, and from various prepared foods.

From the market:
Live Clams (you open up without using heat) Freeze them for 48 hours after opening. Let thaw and drop into tank.

Whole small sea/ocean shrimp (head and all)

Fresh Squid (there is a preparation you have to do for this, which I won't go into now)

Fresh Scallops (frozen is okay)

From the fish store:
Ocean Nutrition VHP
Frozen whole plankton
Frozen whole clams
Frozen whole krill
Silversides
Feeder marine fish (e.g., damsels on sale)

There are procedures to follow in preparing the above. I'll go into it more if you want.

Regarding Cyclopeze:
Cyclopeze is a bio-engineered copepod. Very high in the right kinds of fats. It is very small, though. Not very good for big fish (they can't see it! ). But I can still get my big fish to eat it by mixing it with a binding agent, freezing it, and thawing it. Cut it into larger pieces and drop it into the tank. You'd be surprized how much even the larger fish love it!

[baobao]

What binding agent do you recommend?

[leebca]

I only use a sea binding material, of course!

I use natural agar agar made from sea kelp.

An afterthought on that list. You can also include in their diet some hermit crabs. Those carnivores that favor crustaceans go crazy being fed live hermit crabs.

In my book, that is the only thing hermit crabs have of value to the home marine aquarium. (They must be quarantined for no less than 6 weeks before cracking their shells (nut cracker) and dropping them into the tank with tweezer.)