Artificial Algae-Covered Rocks

[davidkozak]

I read several months ago on the site here about making artificial "feeding rocks" for hard to feed pleco fry. Obviously not a concern with most types of ancistrus, but I've been concerned about my latest spawn of chaetostoma fry eating enough.
How it works is you mix pure spirulina powder with egg whites and then "paint" the mixture onto rocks and dry them in the sun so that it's baked on. (rather than immediately dissolving into the water column) I had several concerns re: drying them in the sun:
A) we currently have no sun where I live
B) I wanted them to dry quickly and not spoil


So I've decided to bake them on low heat in the oven... I also substituted rocks for varying sized shards of broken clay pot. I mixed the eggwhites from one large egg with approx. 1 tsp of pure spirulina powder. After mixing it thoroughly, I tried painting some on a piece of clay pot. the mixture didn't seem to be thick enough, so I added a second tsp of powder, and that consistency was more to my liking. That much of the mixture covered more than two dozen varying sizes of clay shards. I painted some entirely, and others I just put a small splotch on the clay. My thinking behind the smaller splotches on some was that when the fry are really small they're not going to be able to eat a large amount before it spoils. I'm currently baking them in the oven at 175 F (that's the lowest setting on my oven) I'm at about 20 minutes( I keep checking regularly to make sure they don't burn) and it's looking like it will need quite a bit more time to bake thoroughly.

My plan is to test them on some of my Ancistrus, before risking the fry with an untested idea..David

[davidkozak]

About halfway through I upped the temp to 200 F and the paste seems to be baked on to the consistency of cement at about the 80 minutes mark...I'm going to leave them for another 10-20 minutes, and then shut off the oven and let them bake a little more on residual heat and slowly cool down..David
p.s. a hobbiest on another forum I frequent suggested doing the same thing with mashed peas and other vegetables..

[racoll]

Sounds like a neat idea. I'll be interested to know how it goes down with the fish.

[Firestorming]

Like what was suggested here:

http://www.planetcatfish.com/forum/view ... 70#p205586

The way you described it was pretty much how it looked and ended up for me.

Though we get the sun a bit more regular than you, I bake mine for 2-3 hours in summer on my back patio at around 30-40 degrees, pending on what the day throws my way.

I might try the oven for a faster result (when the boss is out that is).

[davidkozak]

The oven worked really nicely. I can't even scratch it off with my finger nail-like cement. I assume that will change after I submerge them in the tank water-but probably slow enough that they will be attracted to the 'algae" and eat it..testing one of them now..David

[davidkozak]

90 minutes since I dropped in the test piece. two different types of ancistrus, snails, and crystal red shrimp are all eating it. I can see places where they're rasped it away, but for the most part it's holding up really well being submerged in water(not quickly dissolving) David

[Firestorming]

Good results mate, I might have a go at baking tonight.

[apistomaster]

Making these baked on pastes seems like a lot of trouble to produce a relatively small amount of simulated algae growth on substrates when Spirulina Sticks are ready immediately and produce very good growth because you feed enough to satisfy the number of algae eating plecos or their fry with measured amounts of the sticks. They provide a more balanced diet and Bushy Nose, as an example, grow rapidly on a diet rich in Spirulina sticks. Baking the pastes at temps above about 175*F for very long will caramelize the sugars and other carbohydrates present.
This reduces the food value.

I understand these experiments are fun to try but if the least work, getting maximum growth rates and high survival rates are your primary goals, then Spirulina Sticks are better.

[davidkozak]

In my experience ancistrus will eat pretty much anything I throw in the tank. The purpose of trying this is to get fish that ignore sinking pellets to eat. I think it's worth the small inconvenience. *shrugs* David

[apistomaster]

I understand but all algae wafers and pellets are not equal.
Those Spirulina Sticks manufactured by bestflakes.com are sold by http://www.kensfish.com and http://www.aquaticeco.com in the USA are superior to all others I have tried.
I haven't found any algae eating Loricaridid or their fry that will not avidly eat these Spirulina Sticks.
There are many inferior products and not all fry can compete well enough to eat their fair share of a quality wafer like Hikari or perhaps NLS equivalent. The sticks soften to a mush quickly and smallest Pleco/Sturisoma fry can easily suck in the mush. The larger specimens vacuum them up whole then work over the area for any remnants. I have 25 common Otocinclus and 6 Farlowella in my planted 125 gal Tetra tank and they all swarm over these pellets. The Tetras love them too but they have trouble getting through the catfish pile but eat the bits the catfish scatter while they thrash around in the food area.

I am all for experimentation. When I had about 18 of the tiny

Parotocinclus cf_eppelyi

, I deliberately allowed a tank to become over grown with algae because I did not know if this delicate species would eat the Spirulina Sticks all that well since I had never kept them.
They polished every surface, glass or plant leaves completely free of algae in their 20 long within their first 72 hours. Their small size allowed me to grow the nicest and cleanest carpet of Singapore Moss in all my years in this hobby.
They kept that moss immaculately cleaned.
I added some Spirulina Sticks and they zeroed right in on them. I had them for nearly 2 years until the power head impeller stuck and cut off the circulation. They spent most of their time hanging on to the bare glass blasted clean by the power head, tails swaying in the strong current. All of my P. eppelyi died over that night before I knew I had a power head failure. Losing those meant almost as much to me as a 10 wild Zebra Pleco wipe out catastrophe over 2 years ago even though the P. eppelyi were each about 1/12 as expensive(~$15.00 each.) I really loved those little midget sucker mouths and truly hoped I would successfully breed them someday. The bottom line is that those little catfish lived and thrived on a diet of only the sticks. I would never have been able to provide them with enough live algae on rocks. If they had refused to eat the sticks I would have been among the rest of you trying to come up with a substitute algae food on a substrate.

[Roland]

This was a very good idea to my sturisoma babies. But it only sticks on clay. I tried on glas but here it fall off very rapidly when it came into the water.
But I have a question. Why only use the eggwhite? Why not the hole egg? I think there must be a lot off proteins in the yellow?
Regards Roland Dreinø

[Jools]

Such pastes also stick well on slate roof tiles.

Jools

[sidguppy]

egg yellow (yolk) contains a LOT of fat; it's the egg white that's almost pure protein

feeding a lot of fat can harm your fish and mess up the water quality

[Roland]

Oh, I thought it was the yolk that was nourishing? Thanks for the answer.

[MatsP]

Oh, I thought it was the yolk that was nourishing? Thanks for the answer.

The egg's main point is not nourishment (it's doing that too), but to hold the food in place on the piece of rock/ceramic/etc.

--
Mats

[Roland]

This last I knew. I just thought maybe I could add a litle more. Now when I anyway jused the egg. But I understand, this was not like that.

BUT:
Now I have a new problem.
My babies all in one day? It looked lied they were poissend. I saw some of them turned around, in the morning. I changes a buck of water. And when I came home. almost all where dead? I saved 3. They were about 3-4 weeks old, and about 2,5- 3 cm.
I have another hatch. In an aquarium next to these. A litle younger, same condition. Here was no dying. Same water, same food. ???

[Roland]

Now I lost yet another hatch ? Same like last time. 2,5-3 cm. and 3-4 weeks old ?
Does something happens about that time ?