Does all the goodness just float away??

[Feet4Fish]

So this just crossed my head. We soak dry food, nori and even frozen food in various liquids (garlic, aminos, vitamins, etc). If we go back to middle school science and recall the principle of dilution wouldn’t our soaks just drift away? For example if I soak dry nori in garlic for 15 minutes and then stick it in the tank wouldn’t water flow in to replace the garlic to equalize the concentration of garlic both inside and outside the nori?

 

[Josh_boss]

So this just crossed my head. We soak dry food, nori and even frozen food in various liquids (garlic, aminos, vitamins, etc). If we go back to middle school science and recall the principle of dilution wouldn’t our soaks just drift away? For example if I soak dry nori in garlic for 15 minutes and then stick it in the tank wouldn’t water flow in to replace the garlic to equalize the concentration of garlic both inside and outside the nori?

Not if your fish consumes it in the first 5 mins or less lol you shouldn’t leave it in the tank for hours. I’d say buy good quality foods and no need for soaks

 

[Feet4Fish]

Agreed but many do use soaks and some even soak nori which typically isn’t gone super fast

Not if your fish consumes it in the first 5 mins or less lol you shouldn’t leave it in the tank for hours. I’d say buy good quality foods and no need for soaks

 

[Josh_boss]

Agreed but many do use soaks and some even soak nori which typically isn’t gone super fast

Yes true but you should add nori accordingly. I have a chevron, yellow and orange shoulder tang and if I use the omega brand nori about half a strip is gone in less than 5 mins. Don’t over feed and also don’t over think it lol just feed them and they will love you

 

[TriggerFinger]

Focus is used by many to bind medication and vitamins to the food so it doesn’t immediately disburse in the water. You could try focus if you are concerned about any meds leaching into the water.

 

[Feet4Fish]

Thanks for the responses! My fish seem to do well and have full bellies with little smiles. Some have been around for nearly 10 years. Understandably much of the practices we follow in this hobby are based on anecdote and much less on higher levels of validation. Aquarist anecdote IMO holds much more weight than manufacturers’ claims as there is less inherent bias. So, if you bought some Selcon or growth factors, how quickly do your fish need to consume it before water has essentially replaced the additive...30 seconds, a minute? Then what happens if you add Focus? Does this time extend to 2 minutes...5? I have reached out to Seachem as the poetry the image that the are a science based company. I am in hopes they have a white paper showing the dissolution times with and without Focus? Seems like a straight forward study but as every study costs money who knows.

 

[WVNed]

I don't think of it that way. I dont use garlic but with Selcon I put it on the food and it goes in the tank.
If the fish don't eat it something else will so it goes into the food chain in the tank.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Thanks for the responses! My fish seem to do well and have full bellies with little smiles. Some have been around for nearly 10 years. Understandably much of the practices we follow in this hobby are based on anecdote and much less on higher levels of validation. Aquarist anecdote IMO holds much more weight than manufacturers’ claims as there is less inherent bias. So, if you bought some Selcon or growth factors, how quickly do your fish need to consume it before water has essentially replaced the additive...30 seconds, a minute? Then what happens if you add Focus? Does this time extend to 2 minutes...5? I have reached out to Seachem as the poetry the image that the are a science based company. I am in hopes they have a white paper showing the dissolution times with and without Focus? Seems like a straight forward study but as every study costs money who knows.

I don’t know how long the focus works or even if it does anything. That being said, I do use it and I only feed small bits at a time so it’s not left to the water to breakdown and leave meds in the water. I’m interested in what Seachem says, please post what they reply with.