Rinsing Frozen Food - Page 2

carlso63 · 07/28/2008, 04:48 PM

I think you have to balance the positives against the potential negatives re: not rinsing...

Meaning, you have to consider tank size / water volume, skimming capacity, fuge or not, amount of frozen food being introduced, benefit to corals, clams etc. from the "juices" as you put it - are they being filtered out of the water column naturally as a desirable food source?

In my case large water volume (approx 240g total) excellent skimming combined with a GFO reactor and a large fuge and a full plenumed display, talking about 2 "cubes" per day 2 days on, 1 day off (no feeding), fair amount of Xenia, Softies and LPS plus 3 clams to "inhale" and benefit from those juices...

So - for me - not rinsing is not going to affect my pO4 levels to any extent and the "juices" provide a valuable food source to many of my inverts instead of just collecting in the water column.

If I had say, a 55g tank with only a halfway decent skimmer, no fuge and no GFO then I would probably rinse just to minimize any pO4 import as best as I could...

FWIW, if you are really worried about pO4 introduction then reduce or cut out altogether flaked foods and pellets - by far, the greatest concetration of pO4 in any foods we might normally feed our Reef...

down and outman · 07/29/2008, 06:33 AM

For me it's not the PO4 issue, it's my skimmer over-reacting if I don't. At my fav LFS, the owner (biology major, etc,), said there's a lot of oils and junk in the water, so rinse it out. In some cases it's not an issue, so that's a good thing, but others like me, it's a necessity. My fish and all my inhabitants don't mind a bit. Gee, what pigs they are. I could feed them all day and they wouldn't stop eating. Gotta say no every now and then.

ReeferAl · 07/29/2008, 08:42 AM

When I've thawed out frozen foods most of the time the water is pretty clean looking. I know that doesn't mean it doesn't contain nutrients, but it suggests the food is fairly intact.
OTOH, every time I thaw "Sally's San Francisco Bay" brine shrimp the water is brown. That stuff I would definitely rinse. I have not seen the same with other brine shrimp brands I have used.
I've quit buying that brand and now I don't rinse.

Allen

BuddhaKiss · 07/29/2008, 05:58 PM

there have been times that I rinsed mysis into a cup. (Hey sometimes i get lazy and don't feel like walking over to the sink to do it). anyway, sometimes I'll forget to dump out the mixture of juices and ro water. The next day I'll get some terrible funk coming out of that cup.

07/28/2008, 04:48 PM	#26
carlso63 Reefkeeping since 1977 Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Lehi, Utah Posts: 948	I think you have to balance the positives against the potential negatives re: not rinsing... Meaning, you have to consider tank size / water volume, skimming capacity, fuge or not, amount of frozen food being introduced, benefit to corals, clams etc. from the "juices" as you put it - are they being filtered out of the water column naturally as a desirable food source? In my case large water volume (approx 240g total) excellent skimming combined with a GFO reactor and a large fuge and a full plenumed display, talking about 2 "cubes" per day 2 days on, 1 day off (no feeding), fair amount of Xenia, Softies and LPS plus 3 clams to "inhale" and benefit from those juices... So - for me - not rinsing is not going to affect my pO4 levels to any extent and the "juices" provide a valuable food source to many of my inverts instead of just collecting in the water column. If I had say, a 55g tank with only a halfway decent skimmer, no fuge and no GFO then I would probably rinse just to minimize any pO4 import as best as I could... FWIW, if you are really worried about pO4 introduction then reduce or cut out altogether flaked foods and pellets - by far, the greatest concetration of pO4 in any foods we might normally feed our Reef... __________________ -Member of the 35 & Over Club- Wanna see my tank? Go to www.utahreefs.com Current Tank Info: 150g Reef: 3 X 250 Halides (LumenMax3 / IceCap / Pheonix 14K DE), 2 X Gyre 150s, Elite Aquatics sump, dc9000 return, Curve 7, RKE, BRS Dual Reactor, Chaeto / Caulerpa Fuge

07/29/2008, 06:33 AM	#27
down and outman Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: LaGrange GA Posts: 480	For me it's not the PO4 issue, it's my skimmer over-reacting if I don't. At my fav LFS, the owner (biology major, etc,), said there's a lot of oils and junk in the water, so rinse it out. In some cases it's not an issue, so that's a good thing, but others like me, it's a necessity. My fish and all my inhabitants don't mind a bit. Gee, what pigs they are. I could feed them all day and they wouldn't stop eating. Gotta say no every now and then. __________________ " There you go, Lad. Keep as cool as you can. Face piles of trials with smiles..." Moody Blues (Thanks Homegrown for keeping me straight!) Current Tank Info: 90Gal AGA, 25 g sump, Mag 7, Koralia 4's

07/29/2008, 08:42 AM	#28
ReeferAl Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Fond du Lac, WI Posts: 2,040	When I've thawed out frozen foods most of the time the water is pretty clean looking. I know that doesn't mean it doesn't contain nutrients, but it suggests the food is fairly intact. OTOH, every time I thaw "Sally's San Francisco Bay" brine shrimp the water is brown. That stuff I would definitely rinse. I have not seen the same with other brine shrimp brands I have used. I've quit buying that brand and now I don't rinse. Allen

07/29/2008, 05:58 PM	#29
BuddhaKiss Registered Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Northern Va Posts: 1,068	there have been times that I rinsed mysis into a cup. (Hey sometimes i get lazy and don't feel like walking over to the sink to do it). anyway, sometimes I'll forget to dump out the mixture of juices and ro water. The next day I'll get some terrible funk coming out of that cup.