novafishy Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 has anyone tried out this spirulina algae blend recipe? Does it work? and how do you find the success rate when fed to catfish fry? However the best food that I found was a spirulina algae blend that I made myself. This blend is made with spirulina powder and Agar. Both these products can be purchased from a health shop. To made the blend, all you have to do is mix the dry spirulina and dry Agar together and add boiling water while stirring until you have a smooth thick consistency. You can experiment with different combinations of spirulina and Agar, but a 3 part spirulina to 1 part Agar ratio seemed to work OK. You have to be attentive when mixing, as the Agar will turn lumpy very quickly. Place the blend into small zip-lock freezer bags before it sets. The finished product can then be stored in the freezer. Do not use gelatine as the resulting product will be like rubber, and the fry have great difficulty eating it or won't eat it at all. The Agar based product is a lot softer. When it's time to feed the catfish, just cut the blend into small squares and place in the aquarium. i'm willing to give it a go, just bought some Agar today, but the spirulina powder was quite expensive. $10 for 100g Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted February 23, 2005 Share Posted February 23, 2005 I've used seaweed (Nori) in various home mades for years . The fish, particularly, rift lake cichlids, seem to love it. I'd be concerned about the grade of spirulina in terms of size. Obviously veyr tiny particles arent good for larger fish.... but it depends what you are feeding it to and what sort of filtration you have in the tank! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novafishy Posted February 23, 2005 Author Share Posted February 23, 2005 Hi Dave, What sort of seaweed do you use? Just the normal ones found in the supermarket ideal for making sushi rolls? I was thinking of buying the spirulina tablets and crushing them myself, so it wouldnt be as fine as the powder, but bigger, so bigger fish can eat it. Filtration in the 16" tank is a small sponge filter. I'm just getting ready, as Ive got a clutch of whiptail eggs atm. Unfortunately, I havent been able to successfully raise the whiptail fry, as they die for no apparent reason. Upon surfing the net for some answers, I found a site which explained how the breeder used the above recipe and has had success with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungsta Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I feed my bn fry with the DIY frozen food that i feed my africans. It contains: -1 bunch of spinach -1kg of peas -1kg of prawns -1 fillet of salmon -5 teaspoon of spirulina powder -few tablets of vit C I personally wouldnt feed catfish fry purely on spirulina. Give them a varied diet. Why dun you try feeding them peas and zuchini or cucumber alongside with the spirulina/agar mix. Ppl use brine shrimp to condition adult bn into breeding, why not feed that to ur fry also to encourage growth... HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hungsta Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Oops Ignore the last comment, i didnt know u were feeding whiptails... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 Novafishy, You may want to check the tablets out a bit more. I am pretty sure the tablets would have some sort of bulking agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novafishy Posted February 24, 2005 Author Share Posted February 24, 2005 Josh, what would bulking agent do to the fish? is it harmful? and if the bottle does have bulking agent, what would the scientific name/ingredient be on the bottle? thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YeW Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 yup... sushi nori. Mbuna/veggie eating americans love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted February 24, 2005 Share Posted February 24, 2005 I dont know what it is made up off, thats why i said you should try to check the tablets out some more. Something has to be used to hold all the ingredients together and give the tablet its size and shape. What ever they use to bulk them up may not be harmfull to fish. Maybe someone with chemist type background could clear it up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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