Feeding with clam shells...

[Congaken]

In Scott W. Michael's "Angelfish and Butterflyfishes", he recommends using live clams to get reluctant feeders to eat...and afterwords to substitute regular food in the empty shell...I have a 2 1/2" lattice bf who fits that category...he picks around, but I'm not sure what is left in the live rock to eat...he shares a 65 fowlr with a niger trigger, kole tang, some chromies, Singapore angell clc and a couple of other small fish...my problem is how to keep food from floating up out of the shell...there's something missing in this technique...I also feed mysis pellets, freeze dried bs and other things...the bf is not too willing to take food out of the watercolumn...any suggestions and advise would be welcome...pods?...but mainly how do I get this shell game to work...Thanks...

 

[eatbreakfast]

Ocean nutrition has some cubes that are a gel that you can press into place on the shell.

You can also make your own by mixing whatever foods you want to feed with gelatin.

 

[Congaken]

Ocean nutrition has some cubes that are a gel that you can press into place on the shell.

You can also make your own by mixing whatever foods you want to feed with gelatin.

gonna get me some gelatin and mix some up tomorrow...use the shell as the container...interesting experiment...

 

[Maritimer]

At the local public aquarium, the fellow in charge of reef fish smooshes gel-food into a coral skeleton, freezes it like that, and throws it into the tank for the entire day. (He's got them on strings, so he can pull them when he wants.) The fish nibble throughout the day, probing into the crevices with their snoots as they would in the wild. I have heard from several sources that fresh/frozen clam on the half-shell makes a great starter food.

~Bruce

 

[Congaken]

At the local public aquarium, the fellow in charge of reef fish smooshes gel-food into a coral skeleton, freezes it like that, and throws it into the tank for the entire day. (He's got them on strings, so he can pull them when he wants.) The fish nibble throughout the day, probing into the crevices with their snoots as they would in the wild. I have heard from several sources that fresh/frozen clam on the half-shell makes a great starter food.

~Bruce

I use little neck clams...great...so far "smooshing" gel food yields a mess...it all comes out of the crevices and floats around...I have not made my own yet...also won't the get soft and rise up...how will it stay in the crevices...thanks...

 

[Maritimer]

I'll have to ask his recipe ... but I don't think that it breaks up all that easily with the gelatin binder, once it's set. Kind of like the Ocean Nutrition "Formula One" and "Formula Two" foods, which can take an hour or more to break apart. (They're designed for the fish to nibble at the cubes as they drift about.) I think that what he does is to freeze - or at least refrigerate - the food _in_ the coral skeleton, so maybe it's a bit more locked-in? Not sure - I generally see it in the tank.

~Bruce

 

[Maritimer]

Hey, @Congaken - He's gotten back to me, and what he's using is "Mazuri Omnivore Gel Diet", which the Aquarium gets in bulk. It comes in a powder form, and mixes with hot water. He slathers it onto dry rock and puts it into the fridge for a few hours to harden. I'm thinking you could probably do something similar with fresh seafood, or even pellets/flakes/nori and a gelatin base.

~Bruce

 

[Congaken]

Hey, @Congaken - He's gotten back to me, and what he's using is "Mazuri Omnivore Gel Diet", which the Aquarium gets in bulk. It comes in a powder form, and mixes with hot water. He slathers it onto dry rock and puts it into the fridge for a few hours to harden. I'm thinking you could probably do something similar with fresh seafood, or even pellets/flakes/nori and a gelatin base.

~Bruce

Really appreciate all of your work...that's what I've done using my clam shells for starters...in the refrigerator as we speak...if this slides off too easily, I'll go to coral...keep you posted..Ken

 

[Congaken]

Really appreciate all of your work...that's what I've done using my clam shells for starters...in the refrigerator as we speak...if this slides off too easily, I'll go to coral...keep you posted..Ken

Put a "clam" in this AM...took a few minutes but the "switch and bait" so to speak...worked...the angel, everyone loved the food served on the half shell...next I'll try a coral skeleton...

 

[eatbreakfast]

Glad it worked for you.

 

[Empress]

Do you guys have a picture of this gel you're talk about? I don't understand. Stoopid me. How 'bout a video that can be shared with us? I'd like to try it, but not sure how. [emoji848]

 

[Congaken]

Do you guys have a picture of this gel you're talk about? I don't understand. Stoopid me. How 'bout a video that can be shared with us? I'd like to try it, but not sure how. [emoji848]

Easy...you not stoopid...I was feeding little-neck clams so I had some shells...got plain gelatin, boiled water, mixed in the gel, added chopped frozen clams, brine shrimp, some pellets and Selcon...and the kitchen sink...some algae or nori would be good...stir it up and lay the shells in a bowl...put the good stuff in the shells and the soup all around it...I fed in the
AM...by the way, the basic idea came from Scott W. Michael's book, Angelfishes and Butterflyfishes...everybody in the tank ate it...good luck...

 

[Paul B]

I feed my fish clams every day so I have plenty of shells

 

[Congaken]

I feed my fish clams every day so I have plenty of shells

Great food...I'm doing it because of a new lattice bf who needs to get used to the regimen...this way he gets more than just clams...more variety...

 

[Maritimer]

Excellent!

When you say "everybody", I'm assuming that includes the lattice . . .

~Bruce

 

[mcarroll]

Great food...I'm doing it because of a new lattice bf who needs to get used to the regimen...this way he gets more than just clams...more variety...

Maybe consider using blackworms or some other live or fresh-froze foods in place of all that dried food? Dried is missing a lot.

Also, do you have upgrade plans for this tank? That's a lotta fish if they're gonna grow up in there!

Once they're more receptive to aquarium food, maybe consider doing clams how @Paul B does his. In the freezer and the scrape/slice pieces out to feed? (Use the forum search to find pics he's posted before.)

 

[Congaken]

Excellent!

When you say "everybody", I'm assuming that includes the lattice . . .

~Bruce

Picking like a little pig...

Maybe consider using blackworms or some other live or fresh-froze foods in place of all that dried food? Dried is missing a lot.

Also, do you have upgrade plans for this tank? That's a lotta fish if they're gonna grow up in there!

Once they're more receptive to aquarium food, maybe consider doing clams how @Paul B does his. In the freezer and the scrape/slice pieces out to feed? (Use the forum search to find pics he's posted before.)

No plans...kole, lattice, Singapore and niger...few greenies and a black sail fin blenny...we'll see...

 

[mcarroll]

Seems like a good percentage of those fish are >100 gallon fish....the trigger almost qualifies at the 200 gallon level. Something to at least keep in mind.

100% for sure you have to get the nutrition up if you want to have a chance at succeeding in a tank 1/2 to 1/5 of the size recommended. Fully functional immune systems will be required.

Paul's tank seems to be pretty jammed with fish (not sure how his selection compares with yours though), but a great example of what's possible with the right feeding.

 

[Empress]

Easy...you not stoopid...I was feeding little-neck clams so I had some shells...got plain gelatin, boiled water, mixed in the gel, added chopped frozen clams, brine shrimp, some pellets and Selcon...and the kitchen sink...some algae or nori would be good...stir it up and lay the shells in a bowl...put the good stuff in the shells and the soup all around it...I fed in the
AM...by the way, the basic idea came from Scott W. Michael's book, Angelfishes and Butterflyfishes...everybody in the tank ate it...good luck...

Gelatin, as in Jello? That powdered stuff in a box?

 

[Congaken]

Picking like a little pig...

No plans...kole, lattice, Singapore and niger...few greenies and a black sail fin blenny...we'll see...

Gelatin, as in Jello? That powdered stuff in a box?

yup...unflavored...