Supplementing with Spirulina

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I used to use zoo med flakes mashed into tilapia or shrimp.... spirulina flake meatballs. It actually worked pretty well.

That's also a good idea to try Frank, Thx for input. Btw, with your gourmet meatballs after mashing up the fish or shrimp and adding the spirulina was it messy come feeding time? (I ask as someone at least borderline OCD about keeping my tanks clean; for better or worse I see every little flake of food drifting toward the bottom as a little nitrate bomb lol). Or did you use anything else to keep the flake + meatballs more firmly together?
 
How much different are superworms to normal mealworms? Mealworms are barely any maintenance...More than opening a can of dry food though.:)

No difference really you're right, it's just when I tried them before with my first aro, I was only feeding them sparingly to my fish, so most of the time they were sitting in their tray, munching away on pellets and just making a mess (but maybe I didn't have it properly set up) -- then after some of them had been there for a few days I always got to feeling kinda sorry for them lol and let them free in the next door field.
 
Btw for the record I would readily agree with anyone who said a fish kept in a healthy tank and properly fed doesn't really need any spirulina supplements, personally I just consider it as a kind of a natural beauty aid + health extra insurance :hearts::asianarow:hearts: (and likewise probably best not to be overdone). Occassional use as a supplement could only help appearance and constitution is my thinking.
 
Have you tried just making your own gel food and putting whatever ingredients you want in it? I am normally lazy that way, providing I can buy better food I can make but I did make some gel cubes for my hill stream loaches and I also put spirulina in it among other things. My clown loaches actually also loved it and gobbled the stuff quickly, then again they'd eat anything these days.
 
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Have you tried just making your own gel food and putting whatever ingredients you want in it? I am normally lazy that way, providing I can buy better food I can make but I did make some gel cubes for my hill stream loaches and I also put spirulina in it among other things. My clown loaches actually also loved it and gobbled the stuff quickly, then again they'd eat anything these days.

No, haven't gone that route, as you say it probably comes down to laziness and/or lack of time. Was basically looking for an easier and more convenient approach, some good ideas so far.
 
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That's also a good idea to try Frank, Thx for input. Btw, with your gourmet meatballs after mashing up the fish or shrimp and adding the spirulina was it messy come feeding time? (I ask as someone at least borderline OCD about keeping my tanks clean; for better or worse I see every little flake of food drifting toward the bottom as a little nitrate bomb lol). Or did you use anything else to keep the flake + meatballs more firmly together?
Not messy at all. Actually it should be even easier for you since your aro is pretty big and most likely hits the food before it touches the bottom of the tank.

Get a chunk of tilapia or shrimp flaten it out a bit add the flakes or powder and roll it up. Making a meat ball. Im Italian this stuff is in my DNA haha.

Shrimp is kind of naturally sticky and the tilapia is easiest if its not soaking wet btw
 
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Btw for the record I would readily agree with anyone who said a fish kept in a healthy tank and properly fed doesn't really need any spirulina supplements, personally I just consider it as a kind of a natural beauty aid + health extra insurance :hearts::asianarow:hearts: (and likewise probably best not to be overdone). Occassional use as a supplement could only help appearance and constitution is my thinking.
Well I bought some today (large pellets) for occasional feeding. Not NLS but from a local place in California. You got me thinking about it. Already feed it to pleco.
Sorry if I stepped on your thread with prior question.
 
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I'm of the opinion that ALL fish require some aquatic based vegetation in their diet, just as they would in nature when consuming their fresh prey. The problem with many is exactly as Barrett stated:
However with the exception of perhaps a few top brands (which I don't have easy access to), both the quantity and quality of spirulina used in most fish foods is questionable (if not sometimes laughable).

The Cobalt food shown above is exactly one of those formulas, where there is more wheat, soy, and corn, than spirulina.

INGREDIENTS
SALMON MEAL, WHEAT FLOUR, SOY FLOUR, BREWERS DRIED YEAST, CORN STARCH, DRIED SPIRULINA ALGAE, FREEZE DRIED PLANKTON, FREEZE DRIED KRILL, DRIED KELP, FISH OIL, LECITHIN, GARLIC POWDER, DRIED EARTHWORM POWDER, VITAMIN A ACETATE, VITAMIN D-3 SUPPLEMENT, CHOLINE CHLORIDE, DRIED BRINE SHRIMP, L-ASCORBYL-2 POLYPHOSPHATE (SOURCE OF STABILIZED VITAMIN C), DRIED EGG PRODUCT, GARLIC POWDER, CALCIUM CARBONATE, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, CALCIUM PANTOTHENATE, NIACIN, BIOTIN, RIBOFLAVIN, MENADIONE SODIUM BISULFITE COMPLEX, PYRIDOXINE HYDROCHLORIDE, FOLIC ACID, DRIED BACILLUS SUBTILIS FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DRIED BACILLUS LICHENIFORMIS FERMENTATION PRODUCT, DL-METHIONINE, NATURAL COLOR *NATURALLY CONTAINS ASTAXANTHIN

I love how they state; NATURALLY CONTAINS ASTAXANTHIN

vs

1370306
 
Well I bought some today (large pellets) for occasional feeding. Not NLS but from a local place in California. You got me thinking about it. Already feed it to pleco.
Sorry if I stepped on your thread with prior question.

No worries, hope your pleco digs it.
 
No worries, hope your pleco digs it.
No worries, hope your pleco digs it.
I currently feed the pleco algae wafers from Aquatic Arts. But your thread on feeding pellets got me thinking of what pellet I could get for the other fish. I settled on some from California Blackworm Co. Claims to be 40% spirulina. Supposed to float. Again, thanks for piquing my interest.
 
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