Feeding Brine

[dinogeorge]

Hey all,
Would like your opinions please.
Do you think there is any value in soaking brine shrimp overnight in zoe, zoecon and garlic? Do these products actually soak into the brine shrimp and give them some sort of nutritional value?
I ask because brine shrimp is one of the few food items that I can get several of my more delicate butterflies to eat with any regularity. I feed it to them just to make sure that these fish are consuming “something” every other day. My hope is that the brine shrimp are able to absorb the additives so that my fish are getting something of value.
Your thoughts?????

 

[t316]

"fresh" garlic would give some medicinal value and build up immune system, but garlic extract out of the bottle is really just "flavoring" your food so that they will hit it more.

 

[jrthomas40]

dont know about frozen but have you tried to hatch your own brine and feed them live?

 

[dinogeorge]

Originally Posted by jrthomas40
dont know about frozen but have you tried to hatch your own brine and feed them live?
Yeah, I used to do that. But after reading several articles about the limited nutritional value in all but newly hatched brine shrimp, I stopped doing it. I just could not hatch enough quantities to make it worthwhile.

 

[dinogeorge]

Originally Posted by T316
"fresh" garlic would give some medicinal value and build up immune system, but garlic extract out of the bottle is really just "flavoring" your food so that they will hit it more.

Do you think it will soak into them?

 

[renogaw]

the only good brine shrimp is the stuff you hatch and then leave 12 more hours in a good mix of phyto plankton. they do not eat the phyto, but it gets stuck in their body.
brine = a treat and should not be a full time food IMO.

 

[dinogeorge]

Originally Posted by renogaw
brine = a treat and should not be a full time food IMO.

I completely agree, Renogaw. I have read research that show that there is practically no food value in adult frozen brine shrimp. But if they can soak up the additives, then at least they are getting something…at least that is what I hope.

 

[nereef]

well...i don't know for sure, but i could make a guess.
i would think that all water soluble vitamins: all the bs and c, would just stay in solution and wouldn't be absorbed by the tissue. other non-polar nutrients might make it in, along with minerals(since they're so small and would probably be diffused).
dinogeorge my man, you may have given me my idea for my undergraduate research project. a spec 20 could be used to measure the absorbance of specific vitamins in solution before and after shrimp was added and then taken away. anyone with a background in this?

 

[xdave]

Originally Posted by renogaw
the only good brine shrimp is the stuff you hatch and then leave 12 more hours in a good mix of phyto plankton. they do not eat the phyto, but it gets stuck in their body.
brine = a treat and should not be a full time food IMO.
I definitely agree, but... I've put live adult brine in very low salinity (almost fresh) water with high concentrations of supplements, as soon as they have changed color I use them. Not very scientific but I'd assume they have adsorbed the supplements and the fish eating them are getting at least some benefits. I got that tip from the aquarium director of our public zoo so he's a trusted source. They did it for the same reason you've asked, those persnikity butterflies. Try getting some scrap little pieces of live rock and putting it in their tank. A lot of times having something familiar and tasty to pick at improves their appetite.
.