Frozen food and phosphates

[Marsh980]

Does anyone defrost their frozen food cubes in tank water and store in the fridge? I place 2 days worth of food (krill, mysis, brine, Copepods and fish eggs) into a small tomato ketchup bottle and then half it during feeding time.

If so do you sieve the food to get rid of the waste water. I’ve read it can be high in phosphates?

Lastly, do you sieve the live food that comes out of those bags, for example Copepods and brine shrimp?

 

[andrewey]

Rinsing your frozen food has a very limited effect on phosphate. Randy has a great article about this topic.

"

So the hypothetical rinsing step has removed about 1 percent of the phosphate in that food. .....That amount washed away does not seem significant with respect to the "in tank" target level of about 50-100 times that level (say, 0.015 to 0.03 ppm), nor does it seem significant relative to the total amount of phosphate actually added each day in foods (which is perhaps 50-1000 times as much......Again, the conclusion I make is that rinsing is not really worthwhile, in my opinion.


"

 

[brmreefer]

I mildly heat a small amount of RODI and let the frozen mysis thaw. It does not take long before ready. I dumped the contents into a mesh strainer to seperate the water and mysis. Before adding to tank, I use tank water to make final preparations and it's dinner time for all the tank's inhabitants.

 

[brmreefer]

I don't do my method to remove phosphates, and is more a quick thawing method. I feed heavy, so everything is frozen up to feeding times.

 

[WIReefer]

Store in freezer grab a couple cubes thaw it in tank water in a cup for a few minutes then drop in tank that’s all I do. My phosphates are pretty low as well 0.03-0.05

 

[Reef.]

I sieve mine, people say there isn’t a lot of phosphate in the water, but I just can’t pour dark brown water into the tank.

just got some live pods yesterday, yes I sieved those too, more because I acclimatised them, the first time I added pods I just poured them in but again why pour unknown water in the tank when you don’t have to, to be fair the main reason was I want them to setup camp in the tank so wanted as many alive as possible, and acclimation was the best way.

 

[Gernader]

I don’t rinse the frozen cubes. I just put a cube in the cup, let it thaw in water, and broadcast feed it in the tank.

 

[Marsh980]

I don't do my method to remove phosphates, and is more a quick thawing method. I feed heavy, so everything is frozen up to feeding times.


I use 13 cubes every 2 days so my waste water is pretty nasty looking. I’ve ordered a mesh strainer just so I don’t pour in dirty brown water in each day. Glad to hear it barely has an impact on phosphates though

 

[Marsh980]

Store in freezer grab a couple cubes thaw it in tank water in a cup for a few minutes then drop in tank that’s all I do. My phosphates are pretty low as well 0.03-0.05

Cheers, I use 13 cubes every 2 days so try and batch it up to save time.