Soaking food... Garlic, etc.

Discussion in 'Fish Food' started by gabbagabbawill, Oct 19, 2010.

to remove this notice and enjoy 3reef content with less ads. 3reef membership is free.

  1. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2010
    Messages:
    1,401
    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    So, I read a lot about folks "soaking food in garlic".

    What exactly are you using?

    I'm assuming it's just minced whole clove garlic, and you soak the food in it?

    Specifically, I'm interested in soaking some Nori sheets in garlic... has anyone tried this before?

    I'm also interested in soaking the nori in something high in HUFA's for my tang like Selcon, etc. Since my tang only eats GHA, nori and live agardhiella, I can't soak other foods...

    Informed responses are appreciated.

    Thanks!

    Will
     
  2. Click Here!

  3. anpgp

    anpgp Dragon Wrasse

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2009
    Messages:
    2,161
    Location:
    Denver, CO
    I get the refrigerated jars of garlic from the grocery store. I usually try to get the organic stuff just because it doesn't have all of the extra stuff like the regular kinds do. I thaw my food in a little cup of tank water and then just add a drop or two of the juice in the cup.

    Not sure how doing it with Nori would work out.
     
  4. MoJoe

    MoJoe Dragon Wrasse

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    2,186
    Location:
    CT
    be careful with the frozen cubes, the water in them is foul, high in PO4/NA. I rinse my cubes in a tea strainer first now and then put them in a cup of tank water once fully rinsed. The less nutrients you are putting into the tank the better.
     
  5. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2010
    Messages:
    1,401
    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    Many of the top food manufacturers claim that they add only RO/DI water to their frozen food... (gel based foods being an exception). I'm not sure what would make the water in them "foul" once frozen... I believe that this would be a topic better left to another thread, but I'll put in my thoughts here anyway:

    My guess, is that the runoff water from the food just has fine particulate matter that doesn't get eaten by the larger livestock in many aquariums, and the reasons that most people claim it has higher phosphate and nitrate, is because this food is wasted, which turns into excess nutrients. Frozen food is high in nitrate and phosphate, as most foods are anyway... adding food happens to be the main way we add these two nutrients to our tanks.

    Personally, I believe that the fine particulate matter in the food is good for small mouths, of which I have many to feed, so I never rinse my food. I also have zero detectable nitrates and phosphates. If there is food that is wasted (and I'm sure there is) it will get taken out by one of my several means of nutrient export. But, the key point I'm trying to make is that many of the animals in my reef have the chance to get to this fine particulate matter since I'm not rinsing it off the food, which I think is better, IMHO.


    Now, can we please keep this thread on track? I am asking about food additives, specifically garlic and selcon.

    I would like to soak Nori sheets... has anyone had experience with this?

    And can I just use fresh, minced garlic? Do you only put the soaked food in, or do you feed actual garlic pieces as well? I can see how the stuff in the jar would have lots of juice, and be easier to soak food in than mincing it yourself...
     
  6. offensetaken

    offensetaken Montipora Digitata

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2009
    Messages:
    1,062
    Location:
    The Desert, AZ
    Interesting thread...following along
     
  7. MoJoe

    MoJoe Dragon Wrasse

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    2,186
    Location:
    CT
    My post wasn't meant to stray from the thread topic, just giving advice that I found benefited my tank & it's params. No need to get uppity over that, we're all here to help each other.

    You'll find more info on soaking with garlic in this older thread, consesus being that noone soaks seaweed though: http://www.3reef.com/forums/fish-food/how-do-you-soak-your-fish-food-67182.html You'll notice rinsing food does come up in that thread also, so there is a degree of relation.
     
    Last edited: Oct 19, 2010
  8. Click Here!

  9. gazog

    gazog Kole Tang

    Joined:
    Nov 26, 2007
    Messages:
    1,785
    You can use fresh garlic, you can use the bottles processed garlic also as long as there are no additives in it. I soak the pellets in it and just drop it in the tank.

    I do not see any issues with soaking Nori in it other than its going to get a little mushy and might be hard to get it into the tank that way.

    I have also found that Fresh Ginger root will turn a fish that is extremely sick completely around. One of my friends on another board posted this and I can tell you from personal experience it works great.

    Let me know if you can or cannot read it and if not I will ask him if I can post it here, I am sure he will not mind.
     
  10. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2010
    Messages:
    1,401
    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    I don't think I became uppity, I was just disagreeing with you... If my tone sounded uppity, then I apologize, I really just don't want to derail the thread with another topic. I have strong opinions regarding rinsing food, and unless we get brand/ food specific, then there is no reason to discuss rinsing. The brand of food I use claims that they don't add preservatives and there is no need to rinse, in fact doing so can wash away some of the good stuff that I want to feed my reef. I also make my own frozen food using fresh ingredients from the local fish market, so there is nothing to rinse away, as all that I put into it is food. But like I said, it's another topic and deserves it's own thread...

    I may just have to experiment myself, as no one who has posted in that other thread or this thread so far has mentioned specifically feeding a tang who only eats algae...

    This is what I'm going to try-

    Soaking nori in garlic juice (no pulp) and selcon. If the garlic juice and selcon soaks into it without making everything come apart in a mess, and the tang eats it right away, then we may have a winner! ;)

    EDIT: Just saw Gazog's post... very helpful, thanks! I'll try the ginger as well...
     
  11. gabbagabbawill

    gabbagabbawill Pajama Cardinal

    Joined:
    Feb 16, 2010
    Messages:
    1,401
    Location:
    Atlanta, GA
    BTW, as I pointed out before, my tang only eats algae... he has no interest in frozen foods... not sure about pellets, as I never feed them to my reef, but I could try it... is that weird that a tang only eats "natural" algae? I mean, it's their diet, but I'd think they'd at least go for the other stuff too...
     
    1 person likes this.
  12. MoJoe

    MoJoe Dragon Wrasse

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2010
    Messages:
    2,186
    Location:
    CT
    no harm no foul, sometimes words can seem sharper on a screen than in reality, doesn't help I haven't had much sleep (new baby) :), apologies if I came off rude.

    I had an Atlantic Blue Tang and for the time I had it, it would never touch the seaweed/nori I tried to give it, it would only just pick and pick, maybe mine was just a brat but I never tried soaking before.