Fish & Reef #2:

A Fresh Seafood Special Mix for Herbivores (algae eaters)   This is the second of the two special mixes in our range – the most sophisticated frozen products that we produce - which are blended with a delicate alginate gel binder.

The concept is similar to that of Formula Two from OCEAN NUTRITION, but the product is totally different. The primary ingredients are Rotifers, Cyclops, Krill, Daphnia, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, lots of green and brown seaweed and Spirulina algae (also referred to as a cyanobacteria).  We add 2 types of PHYTOPLANKTON concentrate – Tetraselmis and Nannochloropsis.  We then add Krill Oil, GARLIC, STABILIZED VITAMIN C, and all manner of supplemented Vitamins, Amino Acids, and minerals.  Again, there is nothing else like it on the market!

The alginate binder holds all of these ingredients together so that when the fish take a bite they get the full package of nutrition.  THIS IS KEY!  – there is no partial leaching of the food into the aquarium water as with other foods which do not have the binder. 

Our gel binder is a very delicate ALGINATE extracted directly from brown seaweed and kelp. (Other manufacturers use Gelatin which is actually made from rendered parts of beef or pork.)  Because of this specialized natural binder, the cubes are NOT like little “RUBBER BALLS”.   They are soft and very palatable so that even the smaller fish can nip at the product until the cube is fully consumed.  These cubes are not intended for larger aggressive fish but rather for small to medium-sized reef aquarium fish.

The purpose of this specialty food is to blend many of the natural foods of marine coral reef fish in order to very closely duplicate what these fish eat in their natural environment.  The natural food items found on a coral reef include many exotic things such as zooplankton, seaweed, larval fish and invertebrates, sponges, tunicates, coral polyps, tiny shrimps, crabs, mussels and clams, sea urchins, fish eggs, and so on.   Some of these items are impossible to gather and use as commercial ingredients, but we can usually come very close to the “real thing” by using common seafoods such as shrimp, clams, mussels, scallops, fresh krill, etc..  (Other manufacturers use the flesh of fish, but we do not because this is not part of the natural diet of small coral reef fish.)

In  the case of Fish & Reef #2, we pack the food recipe with as many VEGI INGREDIENTS that we can.  We start with the phytoplankton – Tetralselmis and Nannochloropsis, as mentioned.  Next we add copious amounts of Spirulina, a blue-green algae (or cyanobacteria) formed of long spiral chains of small green cells.  This species is a variant of phytoplankton that is very high in protein as well as carotenoid pigments.  Finally, we add lots of MACRO-ALGAE including Porphyra and Gracilaria.

The principal use for the Fish & Reef #2 is to feed the marine tropical fish which are the natural herbivores (plant-eaters) on the coral reef and surrounding lagoon and shallow-water areas.  The primary family in this group are the well-known SURGEONFISH – the Acanthurids – the most popular being the Hippo Blue Tangs, Powder-Blue tangs, Yellow tangs, Achilles tangs, etc..  These are the primary herbivores on the coral reef which harvest and help to regulate the growth of natural macro-algae.  Without the Surgeonfish, our reefs would be covered over with algae.

SIDE NOTE – The sea urchins, especially the Diadema of the Caribbean, are also primary herbivores on the reef.  Unfortunately, most of the population of Diadema have been decimated by disease and this has allowed the macro-algae to flourish and the coral populations of Acropora and the hydrozoan “Fire Coral” to be greatly diminished.  Fortunately, conservation programs such as CORAL RESTORATION in the Florida Keys are working hard to grow new coral colonies and plant them in the bare reef areas.  Recovery is happening but at a slow pace.

Other families of marine tropicals that feed heavily on macroalgae are not as well known as the Surgeonfish.   These include the Parrotfish, the Centropyge or “pygmy” angelfish, and many damselfish which are almost total herbivores.  On the other hand, a very large variety of species are OMNIVORES, meaning they feed on algae as part of their diet but they are not obligated to do so.   They can mix it up with all manner of small critters, worms, crustaceans, fish eggs, sponges, tunicates soft corals.   These groups include the Triggerfish, Filefish, larger Pomacanthid Angelfish, Butterflyfish, etc..

Spirulina, Nannochloropsis and Tetraselmis phytoplankton are naturally very high in carotenoid pigment content.  These ingredients are members of the microalgae, which together with macroalgae (seaweed), bacteria and fungi, are the primary pigment producers in all of the oceans.  Of course we also incorporate the excellent color-enhancing ingredients such as Krill superba, Krill pacifica, zooplankton, copepods, fish eggs, and krill oil, salmon oil and krill protein meal, not to mention the direct supplementation of astaxanthin and other carotenoid pigments.

As with the Fish & Reef #1, the factors of Omega-3 fatty acid content and color enhancing ingredients are prime considerations in the food recipe, resulting in the production of the finest, healthiest and most vividly colored aquarium specimens.

A Fresh Seafood Special Mix for Herbivores (algae eaters)  The concept is similar to that of Formula Two but the product is totally different. The primary ingredients are Rotifers, Cyclops, Krill, Daphnia, Mysis Shrimp, Brine Shrimp, lots of green and brown seaweed and Spirulina algae.  We add 2 types of PHYTOPLANKTON concentrate, Krill Oil, GARLIC, STABILIZED VITAMIN C, and all manner of supplemented Vitamins, Amino Acids, and minerals.  There is nothing else like it on the market!   The gel binder is a very delicate alginate extracted directly from brown seaweed, and smaller fish can nip at this product one small piece at a time until the cube is eventually consumed.

Available in 100 g, 200g, and 1lb. bulk