Dosing BLOOD in the reef tank!?!?!

[gentledental4u]

I saw this on a facebook reef group.

Sliced my finger last night while I was cooking dinner. Do I run for the medicine cabinet as the blood runs down my hand? No, I run to my tank and let the blood run into it for a good 2 minutes. My wife thinks I'm nuts but my corals love me! The polyp extension is incredible today, especially with my non photosynthetics. #HappyCorals 😊
Image may contain: one or more people and closeup

***Picture of his cut finger*****


First thing I do, check out his tank pics. He has a thriving reef tank, mixed softies, lps, and sps... Looks really beautiful... What do you think of this?

[Bpb]

I think it's positively silly and as a healthcare professional it sounds like a fantastic way to get an infection


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[fscmocsaj]

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[lagatbezan]

Not a smart thing to do. Read this if you haven't already specially the last two parts toward the bottom:
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-0...ture/index.php

[joyce322]

Maybe this is a troll? Or maybe he just let the blood drip into the tank and not his whole finger...let's hope so. Either way....not a good idea.

[ClownNut]

[rvareef]

blood is the new acropower

[rvareef]

I have a blood boy that comes over on the weekends and doses my tanks

[hegeh]

This mean corals are vampire?!

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[jubei2006]

FEED ME SEYMOUR! Um mycobacteria marinum, palytoxin, um other bad stuff?

[hecterma]

Originally Posted by ClownNut

😂

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[tmz]

Very bad idea. Many toxins in the water that can cause very severe infections and reactions even from a tiny break in the skin.Blood is more than 90%water but does contain some proteins, glucose, mineral ions Co2 and bicarbonate, some of which might be used by invertebrates but are otherwise readily available in a living reef tank.

[heathlindner25]

Can't you just cut your finger and let it drip in....avoiding water exposure

[JZinCO]

Originally Posted by heathlindner25

Can't you just cut your finger and let it drip in....avoiding water exposure

this is how I read the original post. Some foods contain cattle or fish blood. I've heard it causes PE, akin to a fish frenzy, but that's more rumor than established knowledge.

still, warnings about not putting fresh cuts into tank water are warranted.

edit: looking around, I didn't find much with exception of this: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/1...F%5D2.0.CO%3B2 interesting read

[vashawn]

so let me get this right, u can let your blood drip in the tank and thats ok for the corals??!!
but u cant have your cut exposed to the water??

[Brieninsac]

OP hasn't been back in 3-days. Probably unable to type due to the infection.

[Sk8r]

THat would be right. Biostuffs break down. Unfortunately, there are things you can contract from tank water and from the corals themselves that can have extreme medical consequences, not limited to hospitalization. Wear gloves, in fact, whenever you have a hangnail.

[Bpb]

Yeah I get it. Cut your finger. Drop it in the water, take care not to get your hand wet. It just seems ridiculous. How many years and how many amazing tanks exist in this hobby without such an extreme experiment being used for accelerated growth and PE. It's unnecessary. Just do you water changes, have stable chemistry, low waste, plenty of food, good flow, and good lighting. You don't need to mutilate yourself to have a successful tank.


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[JZinCO]

Originally Posted by Bpb

Yeah I get it. Cut your finger. Drop it in the water, take care not to get your hand wet. It just seems ridiculous.

It sounds crazy, but considering (1) blood is an ingredient in some commercial and hobby reefer recipes and (2) one can drive down to the butcher and pick up some pig or cattle blood, the question of adding blood to coral/fish food sounds less ridiculous.

[Sounds Fishy]

Originally Posted by Brieninsac

OP hasn't been back in 3-days. Probably unable to type due to the infection.

...maybe he bled to death?

[Bpb]

Originally Posted by JZinCO

It sounds crazy, but considering (1) blood is an ingredient in some commercial and hobby reefer recipes and (2) one can drive down to the butcher and pick up some pig or cattle blood, the question of adding blood to coral/fish food sounds less ridiculous.

To you perhaps. I still find it ridiculous. Especially to cut ones self.


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[tmz]

Yes, it is one of the silliest things I've heard in years on these boards..Fish and coral foods provide the same things and they aren't 90% water. Animal blood may be of some use but whether everything in it is useful is questionable.;certainly not a natural food to salt water animals.

[karimwassef]

well.. maybe to sharks... but really - have we descended into bodily fluids?

I mean if anyone said "hey, my puppy loves to lick blood" - what would the normal human reaction be?

[rvareef]

the blood of a virgin has been known to cure tanks of aefw

[JZinCO]

Originally Posted by Bpb

To you perhaps. I still find it ridiculous. Especially to cut ones self.


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Maybe I'm moving quickly past the injury because OP was interested in blood as coral food, not the act of blood letting. If you want to talk off topic about self mutilation, that convo can be had in the lounge.

If you think giving your fish the same food as someone else does is ridiculous, that's the conversation that can actually enlighten the topic.
I just can't, out of hand, dismiss blood as feed because blood is used as feed. Hell, it was in our meat cattle not too long ago.

At any rate, I don't think there's much to be said. Like I alluded to above, you can look at reefkeeping magazine articles and find coral food recipes with blood, but one is unlikely to find anything but anecdotes on the topic.