is brine shrimp really that bad

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undulated guy

Guest
i mostly feed my undulated trigger krill or brine shrimp once a day, switching between the 2 every few days. i've read several posts where people say brine shrimp is the fish equivalent of fast food and that krill is not much better. i've had this fish for 2 years on the same diet with the occasional live fish. he is a very healthy happy fish, input on how im feedind him now and how i shoul feed him in the future is welcome.
 

sk8shorty01

Active Member
I would say that you should switch it up and give live fish more often then what you list above. You could live off of McDonalds for 2 years, and you might be happy, but that doesnt mean that your lifespan wont be affected later on down the road. I would say better safe then sorry. Just my .02 and I dont know much so it might only be worth a penny!
 

jonthefishguy

Active Member
what kind of live fish do you feed your trigger? If you are feeding FEEDER FISH, you are doing more harm than good. Feeder fish create havoc on the kidneys of other fish that eat them. Once in a while is okay as a treat but for the most part..not a good idea. You stick to what works for you and your fish. Forget what you read. If your fish looks happy and healthy and no signs of malnutrition, stick with it...frozen food is never good as fresh food but we dont have live krill or live brine so, what else is there. Every now and then we feed triggers live crab or shrimp from the local fisherman here but for those who dont have access to that, they use frozen or dead
 

miaheatlvr

Active Member
Brine shrimp alone has virtually no nutritional value, swith to mysis shrimp, or at least soak your B.S. in VITACHEM. vary your diet for your trigger, they are meat eaters, go for some clam, krill, silverslides, squid. This will keep him healty and happy for many years..
 
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undulated guy

Guest
i dont use gold fish i go to a saltwater only fish store and get live silver sides, he only gets these fish 2 times a month at the most.
 

rbaldino

Active Member
Originally Posted by MiaHeatLvr
Brine shrimp alone has virtually no nutritional value, swith to mysis shrimp, or at least soak your B.S. in VITACHEM. vary your diet for your trigger, they are meat eaters, go for some clam, krill, silverslides, squid. This will keep him healty and happy for many years..
I don't quite get this "Brine shrimp alone has virtually no nutritional value" thing. I've had fish live for over 10 years eating nothing but brine shrimp and the occassional bit of flakes. I'd just like to know where this dietary information is coming from...
 

miaheatlvr

Active Member
Originally Posted by rbaldino
I don't quite get this "Brine shrimp alone has virtually no nutritional value" thing. I've had fish live for over 10 years eating nothing but brine shrimp and the occassional bit of flakes. I'd just like to know where this dietary information is coming from...
ONLY baby newborn Brine really have any nutritional value but that is quickly disepated and become more of a "snack, candy" food! SEE what more "EXPERTS" think!
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/274306/spirulina-brine-shrimp
 

groupergenius

Active Member
Personally, I have always avoided live brine for fear of adding disease to my tanks. Triggers are not usually picky eaters. I have made my own mix before with shrimp, clam, crabmeat, squid, fish, krill, and iceberg lettuce. Mixed up in a blender, frozen, then fed in small pieces. Worked for me anyway. Most aggressors like the combo.
 

rbaldino

Active Member
Originally Posted by MiaHeatLvr
ONLY baby newborn Brine really have any nutritional value but that is quickly disepated and become more of a "snack, candy" food! SEE what more "EXPERTS" think!
https://forums.saltwaterfish.com/t/274306/spirulina-brine-shrimp
What makes these opinions "expert"? Unless someone can post scientific credentials and demonstrate to me that they've studied the actual nutritional value and long term effects of feeding brine shrimp, they're just more people posting opinions on a message board. It's not that I doubt that these opinions could be valid, but all I see is people repeating the same opinion without providing statistical data and real information to back it up. I'd like to know where this opinion originally came from, not who believes it.
Like I said, I've fed brine for years without any evidence to suggest that it's been detrimental. If it weren't for the fact that I keep coming across people who say it's bad I wouldn't think twice about it. And until I actually see that it's bad instead of just hearing about it, I'll be skeptical.
 

sk8shorty01

Active Member
Originally Posted by rbaldino
What makes these opinions "expert"? Unless someone can post scientific credentials and demonstrate to me that they've studied the actual nutritional value and long term effects of feeding brine shrimp, they're just more people posting opinions on a message board. It's not that I doubt that these opinions could be valid, but all I see is people repeating the same opinion without providing statistical data and real information to back it up. I'd like to know where this opinion originally came from, not who believes it.
Like I said, I've fed brine for years without any evidence to suggest that it's been detrimental. If it weren't for the fact that I keep coming across people who say it's bad I wouldn't think twice about it. And until I actually see that it's bad instead of just hearing about it, I'll be skeptical.
Well just because something can last years without any VISIBLE signs of problems does not mean that there are not any. Take for instance, smoking in humans. You can smoke for 10 years without any visible evidence of problems, but does that mean that there are none? I tend to listen to those that have been participating in this hobby longer than I have because in most cases they are well informed and are not going to lead anyone in the wrong direction. The people on these boards are very active in the aquarium hobby and are also very intelligent when it comes to most, if not all, aquarium subjects. Just because someone cannot give you statistical data in a quick post on an online message board does not mean that the information is not already proven. I would assume, based on those I have met on this board thus far, that the information is out there, and that this topic of discussion is not just brought out of thin air. I would research this topic more, and in the mean time try and suppliment other foods into your diet as a precautionary measure. Good luck!
 

rbaldino

Active Member
Originally Posted by sk8shorty01
check these informational sites out that I have found after a quick search through google. If these sites are not allowed, sorry, as I am just trying to give information to a fellow hobbiest in need....
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume.../nutrition.htm
http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...004/invert.htm
That first link doesn't really offer much information other than the standard "brine shrimp has very little nutritional value" stuff. The second link does contain some real information, though. I applaud you for finding real data and not just repeating the same old mantra. Still, brine must have some value because my fish have lived on it for years. Most people make it sound like it will do absolutely nothing and slowly kill your fish, which is just not true.
 

1journeyman

Active Member
Watch the links please. No sites that sell, have advertisements etc. allowed.
Feel free to summarize and even quote articles (please give credit to author).
 

sk8shorty01

Active Member
Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Watch the links please. No sites that sell, have advertisements etc. allowed.
Feel free to summarize and even quote articles (please give credit to author).
Ok sorry, wasnt sure on those. I will find them and summarize.
 
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undulated guy

Guest
thanx for all opinions. can a long time trigger owner give me some input since triggers are almost the only fish i would like to have for their whole life span. even though once grown they basically have to be in a tank by themselves they have the most quirky and oddball personalities. also i love the aggressive nature of these fish.
 

sk8shorty01

Active Member
Here are a few quotes I found after searching on yahoo....
"the nutritional value decreases as the brine shrimp consume their own "yolk sacks"."
-written by James Kaufman
"Adult brine shrimp have very little nutritional value (the newly hatched shrimp are good for fry, but they lose nutritional value as they grow)."
-found on YahooAnswers
 

vezina345

Member
I use brine shrimp on 1 of my tanks but I do soak them overnight in vitachem and garlic xtreme. This way I am getting the nutrition ( hopefully ) that my fish need, they also do get regular feedings of other foods as well.
If your trigger likes the brine shrimp my suggestion is to invest in some vitachem or another brand of vitamin suppliment. I would listen to the others that posted on here also and switch up your triggers diet by giving him other foods alittle more often, even we get tired of mcdonalds if we eat it too often.
 

petjunkie

Active Member
Why don't you just feed mysis instead? It's got a lot more protien but for a trigger you should be feeding a more varied diet, most grocery stores sell a mixed bag of seafood that would be better for him.
 
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undulated guy

Guest
Originally Posted by petjunkie
Why don't you just feed mysis instead? It's got a lot more protien but for a trigger you should be feeding a more varied diet, most grocery stores sell a mixed bag of seafood that would be better for him.
its not like hes been eating brine shrimp forever, i buy enough food for 2 to 4 weeks, when thats gone i buy something different. for instance, before brine shrimp he was eating krill, and a month or so before that it was frozen silver sides, also with live silver sides 1 or 2 times a month. also im alittle weery about frozen grocery store sea food, i may be wrong but it seems like grocery store sea food would've been handled by many more people than krill or silver sides as well as having alot more bactiria. regardless once this brine shrimp is gone i wont buy it anymore i'll stick with krill, silver sides, or mysis, although i've never seen mysis shrimp at my LFS maybe i'll go find one that carries it. i dont see the need for vitachem or anything similar unless you have a fish with a difficult care level because its not like they get vitachem in the ocean.
 
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