gdm42001
02/12/2007, 01:20 PM
Hey guys,
In case any of you are interested, here is the recipe for the Coral Food I spoke about at the meeting. Besides using the freshest possible seafood, make sure it is COLD. I would also try making ice cubes out of the R.O. water. Spinning this stuff for this long generates heat, between each 5 min run I stuck mine in the freezer and during the last run I wrapped a jell ice pack around the blender container and held it there with a rubber band. I picked up some Mini Ice Cube trays at Kmart, they are about the size of a big gum drop.
I started dosing once a week and have moved to twice a week (Friday and Tuesdays). I am however not using the Aminos.
I picked up the spirulina (Nutrex organic Hawaiian) 5 oz. at the Vitamin Shoppe. That is enough to last a long time, and was about $14 or $15
10 grams is around 2 teaspoons http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm
Here is the Thread Italy's Best! Matured SPS Aquariums (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=971190)
<hr>
“Pappone” Recipe – Italian Coral Food (Updated 12/20/2006)
Materials:
5 Oysters
5 Mussels
5 Clams
5 Shrimp (NOT cocktail shrimp, the big scampi type w/o the head and the shell)
1 Tablespoon of Sugar
200 mL of RO/DI water
10 g of Red Algae (Palmaria palmata; Bisck uses Julian Sprung's brand)
and/or 10 g of Spirulina, 10 g of Nori (spirulina is what Bisck prefers)
Methods: Make SURE that all ingredients are the freshest possible and DO NOT use frozen foods (unless it is impossible for you). Make sure everything "live" is rinsed and cleaned before putting it into the blender. Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend for 5 min, wait 2 min for it to cool, 5 more min blending, 2 min of waiting again, then finally another 5 min of blending (the pausing is so that the solution doesn't get too hot and "cook" from the heat of the blender/blades). Pour into cube forms (approx 10 mL each). Then freeze it all—you want to minimize how long everything is at room temperature.
Procedure: One hour prior to turning off your lights, you have the option of adding Amino acids to the tank*. (For example, 11pm Halides off, add AA’s, 12am, actinics off, then add pappone). Take off the cup of your skimmer, but leave the skimmer running (so you don’t have a massive drop in O2 levels overnight). After the lights are off, start with only a ¼ of a cube per WEEK for every 400 L of tank water (approx 100 gallons). Be sure to measure NO3 and PO4 the next morning so that these parameters don't spike after feeding. You can reduce the amount fed if you are having nutrient problems. Also don’t forget to put the skimmer cup back on the next morning before the lights go back on.
*If everything is going well. It is good to wait and see how the tank is doing for awhile before trying this. The whole point here is that you don't want to change anything too fast, because nothing good happens quickly in this hobby. (Another method to grind up amino acid pills in the next batch of food; however Bisck found that it sometimes causes diatom outbreaks in his tank).
In case any of you are interested, here is the recipe for the Coral Food I spoke about at the meeting. Besides using the freshest possible seafood, make sure it is COLD. I would also try making ice cubes out of the R.O. water. Spinning this stuff for this long generates heat, between each 5 min run I stuck mine in the freezer and during the last run I wrapped a jell ice pack around the blender container and held it there with a rubber band. I picked up some Mini Ice Cube trays at Kmart, they are about the size of a big gum drop.
I started dosing once a week and have moved to twice a week (Friday and Tuesdays). I am however not using the Aminos.
I picked up the spirulina (Nutrex organic Hawaiian) 5 oz. at the Vitamin Shoppe. That is enough to last a long time, and was about $14 or $15
10 grams is around 2 teaspoons http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/gram_calc.htm
Here is the Thread Italy's Best! Matured SPS Aquariums (http://archive.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=971190)
<hr>
“Pappone” Recipe – Italian Coral Food (Updated 12/20/2006)
Materials:
5 Oysters
5 Mussels
5 Clams
5 Shrimp (NOT cocktail shrimp, the big scampi type w/o the head and the shell)
1 Tablespoon of Sugar
200 mL of RO/DI water
10 g of Red Algae (Palmaria palmata; Bisck uses Julian Sprung's brand)
and/or 10 g of Spirulina, 10 g of Nori (spirulina is what Bisck prefers)
Methods: Make SURE that all ingredients are the freshest possible and DO NOT use frozen foods (unless it is impossible for you). Make sure everything "live" is rinsed and cleaned before putting it into the blender. Put all the ingredients into the blender and blend for 5 min, wait 2 min for it to cool, 5 more min blending, 2 min of waiting again, then finally another 5 min of blending (the pausing is so that the solution doesn't get too hot and "cook" from the heat of the blender/blades). Pour into cube forms (approx 10 mL each). Then freeze it all—you want to minimize how long everything is at room temperature.
Procedure: One hour prior to turning off your lights, you have the option of adding Amino acids to the tank*. (For example, 11pm Halides off, add AA’s, 12am, actinics off, then add pappone). Take off the cup of your skimmer, but leave the skimmer running (so you don’t have a massive drop in O2 levels overnight). After the lights are off, start with only a ¼ of a cube per WEEK for every 400 L of tank water (approx 100 gallons). Be sure to measure NO3 and PO4 the next morning so that these parameters don't spike after feeding. You can reduce the amount fed if you are having nutrient problems. Also don’t forget to put the skimmer cup back on the next morning before the lights go back on.
*If everything is going well. It is good to wait and see how the tank is doing for awhile before trying this. The whole point here is that you don't want to change anything too fast, because nothing good happens quickly in this hobby. (Another method to grind up amino acid pills in the next batch of food; however Bisck found that it sometimes causes diatom outbreaks in his tank).