Mysis vs. Brine shrimp

[JayinToronto]

Mysis has meat. Brine shrimp are mostly shell.

Hmm. Ok, let’s go down that rabbit hole a bit. You are saying the majority of the protein and fat content as listed on the package of the brine comes from their shell, but that’s not the case for mysis? So what percentage do you think comes from shell vs other in each species? and also, does it matter where the source of protein comes from? Are the fishes GI tract not able to break down and digest the chitin from the brine?
When I calculate nutritional content in terms of calories from fat and protein the brine actually comes out ahead.

 

[lapin]

I based my comment on observing the actual volume that comes out of cube. The shrimp seem like there is nothing to them just shell and a lot of water. The mysis seem to be mostly meat and more per cube.

 

[ca1ore]

I too have compared the nutritional content on the packages and concluded that the reputation of brine is mostly perpetuated myth ..... shocking in this hobby, I know.

One of my LFS would always say to USE PE mysis because the protein content was orders of magnitude higher. Makes no sense, of course. PE Mysis reports nutritional value as a % of dry weight ... in other words, without accounting for the 70% that is water.

I had an Achilles a few years ago that would only eat spirulina brine for the first 6-7 months I had it. Put on weight just fine.

 

[JayinToronto]

I too have compared the nutritional content on the packages and concluded that the reputation of brine is mostly perpetuated myth ..... shocking in this hobby, I know.

One of my LFS would always say to USE PE mysis because the protein content was orders of magnitude higher. Makes no sense, of course. PE Mysis reports nutritional value as a % of dry weight ... in other words, without accounting for the 70% that is water.

I had an Achilles a few years ago that would only eat spirulina brine for the first 6-7 months I had it. Put on weight just fine.

I've had the same experience with using omega brine and Mysis interchangeably. Both have the same effect on the fish and on the nutrient load on the aquarium. For about a 2 years omega brine and nori were the staple foods in my aquarium and kept 4 large tangs and a ton of other fish happy. The reason I used it almost exclusively was that was the only food every singe fish in my aquarium would eat.