beta glucan question

[parshmar]

Is anyone familiar with this? What supplements contain this?

Has anyone tried it in breeding situations/larval tanks?

I know there is some interesting debate ongoing about it's merits but i'd like to hear if anyone has any first hand experience with it.

[Kathy55g]

I though it was for arthritis....

[FMarini]

you might want to read the www.reefkeeping.com article by Terry B a yr or so back. Kelly jedlicki (puffer queen) is a huge propoent, you might wanna contact her

[ediaz]

Not experience myself

but though about it

Beta glucan is a carbohydrate that enhances the macrophage phagocytic function. You can buy capsules at a health store and sprinkle the foods with the powder. Some larval feed can be costumized with it and some foods come with it already.

http://www.marinedepot.com/aquarium_fish_food_azoo.asp?CartId=

Ed

[parshmar]

Thanks Ed, do you know if the first foods could be "enriched" with it? Could it possibly improve the success rate?

FMarini, thank you. I am familiar with Kelley Jedlicki, but I wanted to hear other opinions about it.

[ediaz]

Theorically it should help the fish with their inmune system, the food is "coated" with it. It should help post metamorphosis fish that feed heavily on dry foods. If you are inpliying to enrich the rotifers or the like, don't know, may be worth trying, but enriching the live foods with Hufa helps in many nesesary ways and not just the inmune system.

Ed

[parshmar]

I know that brine shrimp can consume the beta glucan but I don't know if rotifers can. There is no chance that nanochlorpsis (or others) would be able to take this in, thus passing it onto the rots is there?

[ediaz]

Rotifers might take it in in a similar way. I suggest you try it with the rots first, but remenber that mortalities during the first days are not associated with disease in most cases. Physical parameters , nutrition etc. are to blame. Boosting the inmune system of the larvae since day one will help? I don't know, maybe, good topic for research.



Ed