Cheese Posted August 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 I personally don't like to support Big box stores, but in this case, you can go to Petsmart or Petcetera or anyone who distibutes San Fransico Bay brand brine shrimp. SFBB offers cysts in 454g packages. They should be able to get that size with in a couple of weeks, if they don't already carry it. No shipping cost to worry about! It is worth looking into anyways. I've only seen 6gram bottles of the unmixed stuff at the petstores so far. I prefer to use the unmixed, so that I can just make up as much at a time as I want, and not waste. I have a friend that is from England, and she said it only takes 2-3 weeks for her to get small packages from her family still there...and sending stuff to my husband on tour overseas only takes three weeks as well...so I should have it by the next batch if I order it from eBay. It works out to approx. $40, including shipping, for 500grams of decapsulated cysts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 They told me I couldn't get anything there in under two weeks - which was by air. However, I haven't shipped anything to him in a year or more, so maybe something changed. I'd love to hear about how it goes if you decide to go that route. Omega One is one of my fave 'off the shelf' foods. I use their vegie formula and shrimp pellets a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ichthyosporidium Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Usually, you must request that size, It doesn't hurt to try. Most of those stores have a central warehouse that they store that type of 'oddball' item. It makes more sense to store an item of that nature, in a location that can usually ship in no more than two weeks. The store I was running, was a Hagen sponsored store. Hagen distributed SFBB. It was no more than one week away because I ordered weekly. Just ask for them to check a catalogue for you and price and delivery. Any decent clerk should have an answer within minutes, provided it is done on a weekday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Xpresspost International will usually land in the UK within 1 week. (Canada Post states 6 business days) I've shipped hundreds of items overseas, including the UK, but haven't had anything shipped to me, from the UK in a few years. Crushed up Omega One pellets will be fine, but keep in mind that those pellets are designed as an adult maintenance formula, and they will not provide optimum growth compared to a high quality formula designed specifically for fry/juvies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheese Posted August 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Crushed up Omega One pellets will be fine, but keep in mind that those pellets are designed as an adult maintenance formula, and they will not provide optimum growth compared to a high quality formula designed specifically for fry/juvies. Does the NLS have a fry food then? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Check out the website. They have quite a few different varieties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 Does the NLS have a fry food then? They have a growth forumula that many people use, but I don't know about a fry food. There are many brands of fry foods that you can get in stores while you wait to get whatever you choose as best for your fish. There's a brief review of some here: http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/otherfoods/tp/fry.htm Do be careful with them though, especially the liquid ones, as they can quickly foul the tank if overfed. If you have a store that carries Applesnails (preferrably P. Bridgesii), they'll perform clean-up duty, won't bother the fry and they produce infusoria. Most chain stores carry them if all else fails. Microworms are another option. If nobody has them around you, I'd be happy to give you a culture - they arrive the next day. I raise mine on baby cereal with a bit of cornmeal, yeast and powdered spirulina (available at many health food stores). I don't raise Cichlids, but Tetras, Rainbowfish and Livebearers have done wonderfully with them. A Google search for 'Fry food recipes aquarium' or the like will bring you recipes for making your own if you want to try that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toirtis Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 For what is available locally, I would crush some NLS Grow. Riverfront carries Artemia cysts, but only in small amounts...and they are not cheap like the online stuff, though. I recently had a small item posted from the UK that arrived by regular post within 5 days...but 10 business days is typical. Artemia cysts might be slowed up a bit in customs, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 NLS Growth formula was formulated for fry & small juvies. Depending on the species of fish, it may or not have to be crushed into a finer powder. For Angels, it will need to be crushed into a finer particle size for new born fry. Go see Henry at Nature's Corner Store, he should have some Growth formula in stock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheese Posted August 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 What about feeding the brine shrimp AND the NLS? I've read so many beneficial things for both...one thing being that the swimming action of the brine shrimp helps develop the hunting for food instinct in the cichlids... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 What about feeding the brine shrimp AND the NLS? I've read so many beneficial things for both...one thing being that the swimming action of the brine shrimp helps develop the hunting for food instinct in the cichlids... That is exactly what I meant about combining methods and covering my bases. When an old breeder talks, even I know to shut up and listen...lol. They have been doing this for eons and they know things that you'll never find in books. I can't dismiss that kind of experience so I took it under consideration. Then you have the latest research, which I eat up, so that had to be factored in. There is also the level of convenience and of course, cost. Then I focused on what was wrong - with livebearers, that was health/immunity. Bringing it all together into a varied diet has worked very well for me. That's why I enjoy hearing about everyone's experiences, because I can learn and edit my methods accordingly. So my advice is simply research it all and go with your gut. What I or anyone else does isn't necessarily the 'right' way, its just right for the individual and their fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheese Posted August 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 What can I do to raise the brine shrimp to adult stage to give to my bigger fish? They love the frozen or dried brine shrimp...I'd love to give them a treat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 My first post on page 1 covered that. BBS is a great food for angel fry for the first 1-3 weeks of their life, but after that your fish would be far better off being switched over to a high quality commercial feed. First bites certainly wouldn't be my first choice, due to the low lipid content in that formula. Due to their higher metabolic rates, fry/juvies require a higher crude fat content, or they will end up utilizing the protein content as an energy source. The end result is less than optimum growth. With certain species there is always a risk of fry mortality due to the fry not eating within the first week or two, and this is why many breeders use foods such as BBS, microworms, etc for certain species. The main goal is to get them to eat. These types of foods can be a good starter food to ensure that more finicky fry will indeed eat within those first few weeks, but they pale in comparision to the overall nutrient composition of a high quality commercial formula. You simply can't compare the amino acids, fatty acids, carbs, vitamins/minerals, or natural color enhancing agents found in a high quality commercial food such as NLS, with foods such as BBS, or microworms, whether they are gut loaded, or not. Many hobbyists that feed these types of food do so in the misguided belief that they are providing their fish with optimum nutrition via a natural food. I'm certain that Discus breeders who feed beefheart to their fish feel much the same way. Do they work, yes, and they have since mankind first started breeding fish. Are there better options available to present day hobbyists, absolutely. Now for the disclaimer ........ I've never raised angels from fry, so I'm not exactly certain as to how picky they are as small fry. If Jason or others have raised angel fry on finely crushed NLS Growth with no issues, then IMO I wouldn't even mess with BBS. My guess is that starting them off on BBS (or something similar) for their first 2 weeks would be your best bet against any fry mortality. Once the fry are large enough to eat the .35 mm Growth pellet then you are good to go until they get large enough to handle a larger pellet size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD. Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 (edited) The problem with some old breeders, is they are stuck in their old ways. Obviously many of the present day commercial foods were not available 30 years ago, and in some cases not even 10 years ago. Nor was much of the fish nutrition information that is currently available today. Try & tell an old hand like Jack Wattley that feeding beefheart to Discus is a pizz poor way of raising a fish, yet it's now common knowledge (even with many discus breeders) that beefheart is nothing more than a cheap way to provide bulk protein. Jack used it because it was dirt cheap, not because it was a superior protein source. Old breeders are like old dogs, the smart ones are still open minded enough to learn new tricks. Edited August 12, 2006 by RD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melody Posted August 12, 2006 Report Share Posted August 12, 2006 What can I do to raise the brine shrimp to adult stage to give to my bigger fish? They love the frozen or dried brine shrimp...I'd love to give them a treat. Newly hatched Brine Shrimp are most nutritious by comparison to adults. The older Brine Shrimp are used as more of a treat and I wouldn't suggest that they be used as part of a constant diet. They can be gutloaded with many nutritious foods to supplement their value, but still should only be part of a varied diet, in my opinion. I have never raised Brine Shrimp to adulthood but I do have an article about it bookmarked: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/manage...ine_Shrimp.html I'd be interested in hearing how that goes too, if you decide to go that route. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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