Milk,honey, vinegar, vodka, bananas and o.j....?

[Boom]

I remember a time when reefers felt anything non-oceanic was risky or unsavory for use in a marine tank. We've come a long way, baby!
Just an informal survey to see what products of land-based origin people are using in their tanks and WHY. You won't be criticized especially if you share the main virtues of the substance you're using.
For instance:
my fish love bananas (melevs reef tip) adding fructose and cellulose (carbon) and intrinsically easily digestible. I add a variety of other handy stuff in SMALL quantities: mango, beet or carrot juice (vitamin A, carotenoids, fructose,sucrose), soymilk (asparginine, DHEA, calcium, carageenan), o.j. (citric acid, ascorbic acid), coconut milk (potassium,oils), corn syrup, raw egg yolk or white, brewer's yeast, pulverized dried crickets, live earthworms and live assorted insect larvae... Show us YOUR list!

[Boom]

And grape juice ( carotenoids, fructose)

[Pwnm30rdi3]

Very interesting. Subscribed! I'd love to hear what others are doing too!

[mr9iron]

Boom, your idea seems interesting. Would you share some pictures of your tank for us to see?

[odj22sailor]

I too have heard wild concoctions I can't wait to hear about stuff being used.

[C.Eymann]

Interesting, I have heard some reefers say that when ever they get a cut or scrape they try to add a few drops of blood to their tanks, never heard of grape juice, mango, egg white, coconut etc etc though

[jayball]

Originally Posted by C.Eymann

Interesting, I have heard some reefers say that when ever they get a cut or scrape they try to add a few drops of blood to their tanks.

I do not think I want to encourage my female clown by giving her the smell of my blood. Right now it is about 50/50 on whether she wants to snuggle in the cup of my hand or rip the skin from between my fingers so I do not want to tip the scales. We have a complicated relationship...

On a more serious note Boom, what is that list of stuff doing that a marine food or a pure(ish) chemical based dosing would not do better. I can not imagine (for example) that any fish would benefit from the huge amount of sugar in a banana.

[mikluha]

I add daily homemade amino acid mixture. Use to be aspartic amino acid but now I started to use complete amino powder mix. I see immediate "feeding" response from corals when I target feed aminos.

I feed my coral twice a week using soymilk+aminos and mix of reefroids/coral frenzy/etc. Fish swims in this milky water, so they get their share as well.

I made my own cichlid food (shrimp + broccoli +carrots + garlic + tons of other green stuff). Feed reef tank as well. Everyone loves it.

[Pwnm30rdi3]

I do often clean tanks when I have cuts on my hands. I find the cuts normally heal faster when I do so.

[ichthyogeek]

Before we all start going on a "feed the vampire tank" phase, I just want y'all to know that tanks CAN contain very harmful bacteria and toxins that are VERY detrimental to our health. Zoanthids=toxic. You also don't want flesh eating bacteria (staph infection), or fish TB either.

I like to add freshwater blackworms whenever I can get them in. They're rich in lipids, and give a very nice feeding response to otherwise picky fish. There's a guy here, can't remember his name, but he only feeds clams and blackworms. If I can find a saltwater equivalent, I'll switch to that, but for now, I'm going to use blackworms whenever I can get them in.

[Rybren]

Originally Posted by ichthyogeek

There's a guy here, can't remember his name, but he only feeds clams and blackworms.

PaulB. He also feeds newly hatched brine on a daily basis.

[jreinhold]

I dose weekly with nascent iodine and an organic raw mineral liquid complex that has every trace mineral in the world in it. Pure ultra fine vitamin C powder and organic apple cider vinegar on occasion. Been doing this for a couple years now. Seems to keep all the fish extra healthy. I also take all those products myself lol

[mikluha]

I add daily homemade amino acid mixture. Use to be aspartic amino acid but now I started to use complete amino powder mix. I see immediate "feeding" response from corals when I target feed aminos.

I feed my coral twice a week using soymilk+aminos and mix of reefroids/coral frenzy/etc. Fish swims in this milky water, so they get their share as well.

Many people asked me about DIY amino recipy, so here is what I use:

My motivation was "acro-power". Many people around kept telling me about amazing results after using it. I tried it myself. Did not see results right away but it's all about patience, right. I couldn't get over one thing - it's price. So I decided to experiment myself.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/5/corals - good article about aminoacid in corals.
Aspartic acid mentioned as most common in corals, so I started with it (you can buy it at amazon/ebay - make sure it's pure powder, not a tablets). $10 bought me a triple-lifetime supply.

I saw immediate feeding response in corals when I target fed them.

Later I decided to use complete amino mix. Few places sell it online. I use cheapest mix I found - CompleteAminos powder (Gematria.com).

Human amino-mix is not optimized for corals. However, it's not important IMHO:

1) It's dirt cheap. If I decide to make custom mix (it's easy since all aminos are sold online in powdered form) then it'll cost me much more

2) 99.99% of aminos are eaten by bacteria anyway. Not used aminos provides extra DOC


Mixed teaspoon complete mix + 1/4 tsp of aspartic (I have it and I don't want to trow it away) with 500 ml of RO water. Had to use warm water to completely dissolve the mix.

Interestingly, I was able to keep solution of aspartic acid for couple of month in dark closet but complete mix solution went cloudy within couple of weeks (yammi organics for bacteria?).

So I bought sodium benzoate (same preservative used in coca-cola). Again, $10 (or cheaper) bought a more than I can possible use in next 500 years. Add it at 0.1% (max FDA permitted dosage). Have no spoilage problem anymore.

I started adding about 5 ml daily per 200 gal. Slowly increased dosage to 10 ml. No problem so far.

Mix is used for target feeding twice a week (no water added):

1) Cheapest unsweetened soy-milk - 50-100 ml
2) Reef-roid/coral frenzy/any other mix
3) DIY aminos - 10-20 ml
4) Clam juice/blended shrimps (sometimes, if I have it)
5) DIY Selco (make it myself as well)

[BlackTip]

You guys must be nuts feeding your fish bananas and milk....

[rovster]

I use vodka and vinegar. I add garlic, aloe, and sometimes broccoli to my homemade fish food. Sometimes a little sugar to sweeten it up too, LOL! (Its not for sweet, its for carbon people.....)

[Boom]

Originally Posted by ichthyogeek

Before we all start going on a "feed the vampire tank" phase, I just want y'all to know that tanks CAN contain very harmful bacteria and toxins that are VERY detrimental to our health. Zoanthids=toxic. You also don't want flesh eating bacteria (staph infection), or fish TB either.

I like to add freshwater blackworms whenever I can get them in. They're rich in lipids, and give a very nice feeding response to otherwise picky fish. There's a guy here, can't remember his name, but he only feeds clams and blackworms. If I can find a saltwater equivalent, I'll switch to that, but for now, I'm going to use blackworms whenever I can get them in.

I think I might have sucked a little palytoxin last week I disturbed (actually dropped) a hand sized colony of polpyps while cleaning. Mucus everywhere. Later on, silly me had to suck out the bubble in the overflow's u-tube. Yes folks, with my mouth. That was a loooong night... It was so insidious, I didn't make the connection until the next day!

I going to try blackworms.

[Boom]

Originally Posted by mikluha

Many people asked me about DIY amino recipy, so here is what I use:

My motivation was "acro-power". Many people around kept telling me about amazing results after using it. I tried it myself. Did not see results right away but it's all about patience, right. I couldn't get over one thing - it's price. So I decided to experiment myself.

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2015/5/corals - good article about aminoacid in corals.
Aspartic acid mentioned as most common in corals, so I started with it (you can buy it at amazon/ebay - make sure it's pure powder, not a tablets). $10 bought me a triple-lifetime supply.

I saw immediate feeding response in corals when I target fed them.

Later I decided to use complete amino mix. Few places sell it online. I use cheapest mix I found - CompleteAminos powder (Gematria.com).

Human amino-mix is not optimized for corals. However, it's not important IMHO:

1) It's dirt cheap. If I decide to make custom mix (it's easy since all aminos are sold online in powdered form) then it'll cost me much more

2) 99.99% of aminos are eaten by bacteria anyway. Not used aminos provides extra DOC


Mixed teaspoon complete mix + 1/4 tsp of aspartic (I have it and I don't want to trow it away) with 500 ml of RO water. Had to use warm water to completely dissolve the mix.

Interestingly, I was able to keep solution of aspartic acid for couple of month in dark closet but complete mix solution went cloudy within couple of weeks (yammi organics for bacteria?).

So I bought sodium benzoate (same preservative used in coca-cola). Again, $10 (or cheaper) bought a more than I can possible use in next 500 years. Add it at 0.1% (max FDA permitted dosage). Have no spoilage problem anymore.

I started adding about 5 ml daily per 200 gal. Slowly increased dosage to 10 ml. No problem so far.

Mix is used for target feeding twice a week (no water added):

1) Cheapest unsweetened soy-milk - 50-100 ml
2) Reef-roid/coral frenzy/any other mix
3) DIY aminos - 10-20 ml
4) Clam juice/blended shrimps (sometimes, if I have it)
5) DIY Selco (make it myself as well)

Would you tell us your diy selco recipe please?

[kalosbios]

Hi Boom,

"I think I might have sucked a little palytoxin last week I disturbed (actually dropped) a hand sized colony of polpyps while cleaning. Mucus everywhere. Later on, silly me had to suck out the bubble in the overflow's u-tube. Yes folks, with my mouth. That was a loooong night... It was so insidious, I didn't make the connection until the next day!"

Laughed hard on this one--a good belly laugh! Thanks for the smile....

Gordon

[drysea]

In the summer I feed mosquito larvae.

[H2OCulture]

I wonder about injecting soft corals with simple syrup. Just a tiny amount, using a syringe, and observing if it boosts coral growth, color, activity, etc.

+1 for brewer's yeast! The poor man's broadcast coral food.

[Boom]

Originally Posted by H2OCulture

I wonder about injecting soft corals with simple syrup. Just a tiny amount, using a syringe, and observing if it boosts coral growth, color, activity, etc.

+1 for brewer's yeast! The poor man's broadcast coral food.

Interesting. I have used a hypodermic to inject air or vinegar into invasive sponges and ball hydroids. Are you planning to inject the syrup into the corals flesh or just around the polyp? Have you considered diluted corn syrup? Would really like to hear your results.

Honestly, I haven't directly fed Brewer's yeast to my DT... At least not on purpose. I also activate dry yeast with warm water and anything sweet to feed my rotifers, copepods, and adult brine shrimp. I'm sure a little yeast remains in solution when I feed those to the main tank.

H2Oculture, when you say "broadcast", are you feeding corals the Brewers dry or in solution? When I use it dry outside, the slightest breeze takes half before it hits the water
In that application I have to use it dry so it doesn't sink too quickly and foul my cultures before the animals consume it.

[Boom]

Im also curious as to how Le Chatelier's principle can be your CUC. (?)

[lashoskin]

I had no idea that you can give fish all of those options. Awesome!

[NotYoNano]

Before we get further, I need someone to make a list of every single fruit, vegetable, protein, chemical, solvent, and element, that comes in contact with the ocean from the shore.

Yup, the ocean is like that.

[Boom]

Originally Posted by NotYoNano

Before we get further, I need someone to make a list of every single fruit, vegetable, protein, chemical, solvent, and element, that comes in contact with the ocean from the shore.

Yup, the ocean is like that.

Deep.