Diy algae food?

[Niki_up]

Okay so I’ve been thinking about this for a while, I may have even asked it already. Maybe someone else did?

anywho, was wondering if anyone knew the composition of hair algae and if it’s palatable, nutritious enough to turn it into pellet food?

I have one tank that I pull clumps out of, they look so healthy and luscious that I feel bad tossing them. I’m not even sure it’s hair algae, it’s course feeling

can I keep them, dry them, turn them into powder and maybe use a pill press to tun it into food pellets? Will the fish eat them if I added garlic guard?

 

[esoxlucius]

I think Nik, by pulling out clumps of the stuff like that, that you've sort of answered your own question really.

If that stuff was palatable and nutritious I wouldn't have thought that you'd have any to pull out in the first place! Surely your fish would graze on it and not let it build up.

That would suggest to me that the particular algae you have isn't to your fishes liking. And if they aren't going to touch it whilst it's at it's freshest then I don't see how they'd eat it when it's all dried up and pill pressed.

Unless your idea of adding garlic additive makes it irresistible.

 

[Niki_up]

I think Nik, by pulling out clumps of the stuff like that, that you've sort of answered your own question really.

If that stuff was palatable and nutritious I wouldn't have thought that you'd have any to pull out in the first place! Surely your fish would graze on it and not let it build up.

That would suggest to me that the particular algae you have isn't to your fishes liking. And if they aren't going to touch it whilst it's at it's freshest then I don't see how they'd eat it when it's all dried up and pill pressed.

Unless your idea of adding garlic additive makes it irresistible.

That is a very fair assumption. This algae is in my zebra pleco tank and they are not really algae eating plecos so I understand why they wouldn’t eat this stuff, though I’m pretty sure the babies graze in it.
I was hoping to feed it to my starved HRPs and l137 plecos. The l137’s are algae destroyers….I don’t want to place a wad of fresh stuff in another tank to try it out fear of it taking over another tank.

 

[aussieman57]

Yup I've got that in a bunch of tanks too. Kind of a pain to deal with.

 

[jjohnwm]

Hair Algae is not too attractive to most herbivorous fish, in my limited experience with them. I have found that several species of Goodeid livebearers (specifically Ameca splendens, Xenotoca doadrioi and Skiffia francesae in my tanks) seem quite fond of it, and American Flagfish (Jordanella floridae) eat it in huge quantities.

But if the algae is added as a main ingredient to a homemade gel food, either alone or together with Duckweed, many greens lovers seem to love it. Giant Gourami and Uaru are two species that ate this stuff greedily when I had them; my Uarus bred regularly while I had them on this food. Just use a kitchen blender...preferably one dedicated to your fish food!...to chop the green stuff very fine, and then use it along with the water used in processing to create the gel.

Oh, and if you are one of those who love to bellyache about the smell of Hikari Massivore...hoo boy, wait until you heat up a bowl of liquified/pureed hair algae prior to mixing the gel. You'll never look at Massivore the same way again.

 

[Niki_up]

Hair Algae is not too attractive to most herbivorous fish, in my limited experience with them. I have found that several species of Goodeid livebearers (specifically Ameca splendens, Xenotoca doadrioi and Skiffia francesae in my tanks) seem quite fond of it, and American Flagfish (Jordanella floridae) eat it in huge quantities.

But if the algae is added as a main ingredient to a homemade gel food, either alone or together with Duckweed, many greens lovers seem to love it. Giant Gourami and Uaru are two species that ate this stuff greedily when I had them; my Uarus bred regularly while I had them on this food. Just use a kitchen blender...preferably one dedicated to your fish food!...to chop the green stuff very fine, and then use it along with the water used in processing to create the gel.

Oh, and if you are one of those who love to bellyache about the smell of Hikari Massivore...hoo boy, wait until you heat up a bowl of liquified/pureed hair algae prior to mixing the gel. You'll never look at Massivore the same way again.

I may just give it a try as I do also have duck weed and other various plants haha

might have to buy a dedicated coffee grinder for this!

I’ve never used massivore but have smelled some pretty ripe food, I’ve cooked rapeshy ect I’m sure it can’t be as bad you make it out to be lol

 

[aussieman57]

Hair Algae is not too attractive to most herbivorous fish, in my limited experience with them. I have found that several species of Goodeid livebearers (specifically Ameca splendens, Xenotoca doadrioi and Skiffia francesae in my tanks) seem quite fond of it, and American Flagfish (Jordanella floridae) eat it in huge quantities.

Good to know. Used to breed Ameca splendens many moons ago; had forgotten about it eating hair algae. Always wanted to keep Flagfish, this may be my excuse to do it.

 

[FJB]

Although not an algae but a true plant, I mixed in a generous amount of duckweed into a batch of Repashy. Some of my fish love duckweed as it floats inside floating corrals, and liked it in the Repashy as well.

 

[jjohnwm]

I’ve never used massivore but have smelled some pretty ripe food, I’ve cooked rapeshy ect I’m sure it can’t be as bad you make it out to be lol

Lol, okay, for the record...I am not the one making Massivore out to be exceptionally stinky! Rather, I am usually the one trying to be the voice of reason when people start dog-piling onto Massivore about its smell. It's fish food; I don't expect it to smell appealing to me. Never tried Repashy...does it stink?

Incidentally, Niki, I think that coffee grinders are only designed for dry items like...coffee? I always used blenders, and have a fairly wet mixture of algae/duckweed/water in them during processing. No matter how you cut it, DIY gel foods are a mess requiring fortitude, commitment...and a day when the spouse is absent.

 

[FJB]

I have only used Repashy Igapó thus far, which is high in veggies. I bought another, insect high, but have not used it yet. Igapó has a strong distinctive smell, not stinky, but sort of weird. I don’t like it but is by no means offensive.