Do you toss out frozen food left overnight?

[Jay Hemdal]

If the mysis were sealed in cubes or the packaging, bacterial decomposition in 12 hours may not be a huge concern, but for me, thawing and refreezing of whole seafoods like Artemia and Mysis is a problem because the refreezing process in your home freezer is too slow and allows for the creation of large ice particles which can rupture cells in the food item, allowing the internal material to leave. Remember - it is pretty common for frozen aquarium foods to have already thawed and been refrozen during shipment, possibly a few times. I'd toss it.....

Jay

 

[spsick]

I think fish are built differently than people.
Dogs eat raw meat cuz that's how there stomachs are built.
Sharks eat whale carcasses that have been sitting for days.
IMO, fish won't eat what they don't want, the rest of the CUC will take care of the rest.
I don't think equating food for people is the same as food for fish.

Right but the difference is neither of these situations involve adding the possibly rancid food to a closed system of water. That’s my concern.

 

[RSNJReef]

I would toss it.

Generally speaking with all animals, the bacterial flora of their gut is based on their typical diet, same as humans (it’s the reason why the tourist gets sick but the locals are just fine with local foods).

If your fish were fed day old thawed food on a regular basis then they wouldn’t be affected, but if they are fed freshly thawed on a regular basis, they might might not feel so well (it won’t kill them, they’ll just get the runs till the good food comes).

just like someone else said though, unless the fish are starving, if the food is rotten, the fish won’t eat it, and it’ll foul your water.

one other thing I learnt from seahorse keeping (you need to be more careful with seahorse foods), if you thaw the food in water, if the thawed food sinks, It’s more than likely ok, if it floats, then the bacterial load of the food is high and it’s already started decomposing. Unless it’s flake or floating pellet, if it floats, toss it.

 

[ozzy31]

Thawed mysis can quickly become a breeding ground for bacteria, which can be harmful to fish and tank environment.
It's always best to err on the side of caution and dispose of the mysis, rather than risking harm to your aquarium inhabitants. If you need to thaw the mysis, it's recommended to do so in the refrigerator and use it within a few hours.

 

[ReeferCO]

Not all of us just keep clownfish...

My clownfish treats my hand like I treat a bone in rib-eye. Delicious. Little *******!