Dry Food Recommendation

nauti1us · 11/12/2010, 07:33 AM

Looking for a recommendation on a good quality dry food for the fishes in my reef tank. I usually feed Roggers Food (similar to rod's food). Both of these foods are very expensive, but excellent in content as far as frozen foodds go.

I don't have the time or desire to make it myself...

I am looking for a dry food suppliment to feed a couple days a week that is low in phosphates and waste.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

jeff@zina.com · 11/12/2010, 07:41 AM

Ask 100 reefers about the best dry food and you'll get 120 opinions.

Currently, I like the new Instant Ocean gel foods, was given a sample and kind of fell in love. Otherwise, Cyclopeeze is a basic staple for me, and I have used the Ocean Nutrition pellets with success as well as their Seaweed Select. I hate flake foods, they just end up in the filter or skimmer.

Primarily I'm a fresh/frozen food guy though.

Jeff

sedor · 11/12/2010, 07:46 AM

I really like Formula 1 and 2. 1 is for meat eaters and 2 is for the vegetarians. I tried the pellets, but didn't like them because they sink to the bottom much to quickly. The flakes work great as long as you soak them a couple minutes prior to feeding.

cloak · 11/12/2010, 11:45 AM

I've had great results with Ocean Nutrition, New Life Spectrum, OSI, and Tetra when it comes down to dry foods. Soaking the food first is a really good idea too. It kind of takes the overflow out of the equation IME. Just feed small amounts until your fish/invertebrates have had enough and you should be set.

Stuart60611 · 11/12/2010, 11:52 AM

My favorite dry food is NLS pellets. I have found that even many finicky fish who normally do not accept pellet food like them. Plus, they have an excellent nutritional profile to the extent that some (not me) feed them exclusively.

89Foxbody · 11/12/2010, 11:56 AM

I feed my guys New Life Spectrum almost exclusively. I supplement with frozen a couple times a week. The nutritional profile is amazing as well as the ingredients (plus it has garlic for immune health and finicky eaters). I have never seen a fish that does not like this food. Even dwarf angels will eat it. It may take some time to convert them but every fish I've ever had devours this food. Their colors are fantastic. I feed my guys the .5 and 1mm pellets, and I use the 2mm pellets for my hermits. Their algae wafers are great as well because they are non-soluble, they stay solid in your tank and do not degrade so they are easy to remove if there is anything uneaten. My hermits and snails love them. Definitely one of the best choices on the market. Just look at the ingredients.

All my animals eat this food. Salts, freshies, inverts, bettas. Bottom, top, and mid level feeders alike. The .5mm pellets float, all others sink slowly making it perfect for timid or mid level feeders, as well as bottom feeders and scavengers. Even the corals will take the .5mm pieces if one lands on them.

Whisperer · 11/12/2010, 01:02 PM

Cyclop-eeze wafers, I like that I can easily break them into smaller pieces to suit all fishes bites. Just bought a lyretail anthias that refused to eat anything until I tried the wafer. The nutritional info on the canister looks pretty decent.

nauti1us · 11/12/2010, 04:08 PM

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

I do have and periodically use the IO Gel food. The fish seem to really like it. The only problem I see is that quite a bit of it seems to turn to liquid dust and nothing can eat that unless the filter feeders are working on it... makes me wonder about the amount of waste that goes into the tank...

Seeing a lot of praise for NLS... may have to try a small sample of that... simply trying to minimize the amounts of PO4 I'm adding to the tank...

Thanks again!

cloak · 11/12/2010, 06:56 PM

As far as phosphates go, I'm not sure if the PO4 is released as soon as the food hits the water or if it needs to sit for awhile. It's real easy to make sure every single bit of it get consumed if you have the time though.

The Velvet Sea · 11/12/2010, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jeff@zina.com

Currently, I like the new Instant Ocean gel foods, was given a sample and kind of fell in love.

I got a sample of the gel food in a bucket of salt. I gave it to a friend at work (my current reef is a fishless nano, but I have a larger build in the works). I'm not sure if she used it or not. I'll have to pester her about it. I figured it was a bit of a gimmick, but it is good to hear a favorable opinion. I might need to try this myself.

11/12/2010, 07:33 AM	#1
nauti1us ORCA President 2007~2008 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 989	Dry Food Recommendation Looking for a recommendation on a good quality dry food for the fishes in my reef tank. I usually feed Roggers Food (similar to rod's food). Both of these foods are very expensive, but excellent in content as far as frozen foodds go. I don't have the time or desire to make it myself... I am looking for a dry food suppliment to feed a couple days a week that is low in phosphates and waste. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks. __________________ What a long strange trip it's been... Current Tank Info: 90 Gal Mixed Reef

11/12/2010, 07:46 AM	#3
sedor Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 4,689	I really like Formula 1 and 2. 1 is for meat eaters and 2 is for the vegetarians. I tried the pellets, but didn't like them because they sink to the bottom much to quickly. The flakes work great as long as you soak them a couple minutes prior to feeding. __________________ Ryan

11/12/2010, 01:02 PM	#7
Whisperer Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Punta Gorda, FL Posts: 4,020	Cyclop-eeze wafers, I like that I can easily break them into smaller pieces to suit all fishes bites. Just bought a lyretail anthias that refused to eat anything until I tried the wafer. The nutritional info on the canister looks pretty decent. __________________ The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten. --------- No one is born with intellect and age guarantees wisdom to no one. Current Tank Info: 120G reef, 30G sump, 10G QT tank

11/12/2010, 04:08 PM	#8
nauti1us ORCA President 2007~2008 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Florida Posts: 989	Thanks to all for the suggestions. I do have and periodically use the IO Gel food. The fish seem to really like it. The only problem I see is that quite a bit of it seems to turn to liquid dust and nothing can eat that unless the filter feeders are working on it... makes me wonder about the amount of waste that goes into the tank... Seeing a lot of praise for NLS... may have to try a small sample of that... simply trying to minimize the amounts of PO4 I'm adding to the tank... Thanks again! __________________ What a long strange trip it's been... Current Tank Info: 90 Gal Mixed Reef

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11/12/2010, 07:41 AM	#2
jeff@zina.com Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 3,345	Ask 100 reefers about the best dry food and you'll get 120 opinions. Currently, I like the new Instant Ocean gel foods, was given a sample and kind of fell in love. Otherwise, Cyclopeeze is a basic staple for me, and I have used the Ocean Nutrition pellets with success as well as their Seaweed Select. I hate flake foods, they just end up in the filter or skimmer. Primarily I'm a fresh/frozen food guy though. Jeff

11/12/2010, 11:45 AM	#4
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	I've had great results with Ocean Nutrition, New Life Spectrum, OSI, and Tetra when it comes down to dry foods. Soaking the food first is a really good idea too. It kind of takes the overflow out of the equation IME. Just feed small amounts until your fish/invertebrates have had enough and you should be set.

11/12/2010, 11:52 AM	#5
Stuart60611 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 2,979	My favorite dry food is NLS pellets. I have found that even many finicky fish who normally do not accept pellet food like them. Plus, they have an excellent nutritional profile to the extent that some (not me) feed them exclusively.

11/12/2010, 11:56 AM	#6
89Foxbody Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Norwich, CT Posts: 1,532	I feed my guys New Life Spectrum almost exclusively. I supplement with frozen a couple times a week. The nutritional profile is amazing as well as the ingredients (plus it has garlic for immune health and finicky eaters). I have never seen a fish that does not like this food. Even dwarf angels will eat it. It may take some time to convert them but every fish I've ever had devours this food. Their colors are fantastic. I feed my guys the .5 and 1mm pellets, and I use the 2mm pellets for my hermits. Their algae wafers are great as well because they are non-soluble, they stay solid in your tank and do not degrade so they are easy to remove if there is anything uneaten. My hermits and snails love them. Definitely one of the best choices on the market. Just look at the ingredients. All my animals eat this food. Salts, freshies, inverts, bettas. Bottom, top, and mid level feeders alike. The .5mm pellets float, all others sink slowly making it perfect for timid or mid level feeders, as well as bottom feeders and scavengers. Even the corals will take the .5mm pieces if one lands on them.

11/12/2010, 06:56 PM	#9
cloak Moved On Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Stockton, CA Posts: 14,854	As far as phosphates go, I'm not sure if the PO4 is released as soon as the food hits the water or if it needs to sit for awhile. It's real easy to make sure every single bit of it get consumed if you have the time though.