Rinsing frozen cubes?

[kissman]

I have a nutrient problem and I am looking for ideas on how people rinse there frozen cubes of food to see if there is a better way I can do it to help remove phosphates. Currently I place a coffee filter upside down slightly push it down in to glass, tie a rubberband around outside to hold. Place cube in middle squirt tank water till the water level is at rim of glass in filter and let it filter through till thawed them put food in tank. Is this the best method? What are others doing? can I improve my method?

[jscarlata]

I use a brs mesh filter sock; I cut the bottom end off, about 5" worth. I defrost the cubes in a cup of tank water, then pour it all into the filter sock. Usually I pour another cup of either tank water or RO water thru the sock to rinse again. Them I turn the sock inside out and dump the food into the cup, add selcon, vitamin c etc.
I read on here elsewhere people using tea leaf strainers as well, something I want to try as my method is a little bit of a pain, but it works well.

[jerpa]

You should read this article: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

Rinsing your food removes a negligible amount of phosphates when compared to the amount in the food itself and has next to no effect on your phosphate levels. Im afraid rinsing isn't going to help your nutrient problems to any measurable degree. Try less feeding or more export.

[jdpiii3]

How often do you do water changes and at what %?
How often do you change your filter socks and what micron?
Do you do any vodka or vinegar dosing?
What are your NO3 and PO4 readings?

[Ron Reefman]

You should read this article: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

Rinsing your food removes a negligible amount of phosphates when compared to the amount in the food itself and has next to no effect on your phosphate levels. Im afraid rinsing isn't going to help your nutrient problems to any measurable degree. Try less feeding or more export.

+1 Read and then look for other potential contributors to your problem. The stuff your food is frozen in, isn't the issue.

[rhdoug]

Ditto to the above. I have always fed frozen foods quite heavily, and never rinsed them. The only time I have ran into problems is when my maintenance was lacking, when the RODI water was off, or when the skimmer wasn't running properly.

[MarcWeaver]

If you would like to rinse the foods anyway, a brine shrimp net works well and is a couple dollars and will last a long time.

[kissman]

How often do you do water changes and at what %?
How often do you change your filter socks and what micron?
Do you do any vodka or vinegar dosing?
What are your NO3 and PO4 readings?

I have been doing a 15g water every week. I am starting two 5g water changes and blow the rocks off twice a week instead of one. Don't use sock filters. NO3 is 0 and PO4 is 0 but thats because the algae is eating it up. I was dosing NOPOX by Red Sea which is like a vinager/sugar/vodka dose but stopped as the algae got worse.

[Raceimage]

I had algae, water chemistry, and coral problems since I set up my tank (5 years). I fed frozen cubes until Anthony Calfo discussed the amount of phosphates that I was introducing into my tank through not rinsing it. I switched to Rod's Food and my tank turned around within 2 weeks. Rod's does not need to be rinsed. Most people in the Pgh marine aquarium society use the tea strainers in RO water. Tupperware also has two types of strainers.

[jake koppen]

+1 rods and feed much less. Can feed a couple times a day if wanted. Fish don't need to eat allot. they are cold blooded and don't need nearly as much as a warm blooded animal. I have a few friends that only feed twice a week. I on the other hand feed throughout the day. My skimmer and filter system is over kill for the fish I have too

[TheFishTeen]

I have been doing a 15g water every week. I am starting two 5g water changes and blow the rocks off twice a week instead of one. Don't use sock filters. NO3 is 0 and PO4 is 0 but thats because the algae is eating it up. I was dosing NOPOX by Red Sea which is like a vinager/sugar/vodka dose but stopped as the algae got worse.

We need your tank's total volume to determine if 15g is adequate.

[kissman]

its a 55g tank

[Mussin]

I just throw the cubes in a small cup of tank water and let 'em eat.. Never knew you needed to rinse?

[kissman]

there are many debates about it. My thought is I have some algae and need to lower phosphates some people say its not enough phospahtes to worry about.

[jeffreylesser]

You should read this article: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2012/3/chemistry

Rinsing your food removes a negligible amount of phosphates when compared to the amount in the food itself and has next to no effect on your phosphate levels. Im afraid rinsing isn't going to help your nutrient problems to any measurable degree. Try less feeding or more export.

While this article is interesting, there really isn't any hard testing in the article to prove or disprove the P04 amount in the liquid of frozen foods. Some assumptions are made about values if you read it closely. The author also states his conclusion as his opinion.

To truly test this out not only would you want to test the rinse water in different frozen foods, but each brand would have to be looked at as well. I can say from experience some brands simply smell more than others, and it would not surprise me in the least if one brand had fewer phoshates in the rinse water than another.