Oyster Eggs as a Coral Food Source
One of the difficulties in the maintenance of reef aquaria is the ability to provide consistent, nutritious, and usable food resources that help to reproduce the large amount of particulate food or zooplankton available on natural reefs. Late in the summer of 2003, Dennis Tagrin, of DT’s Plankton Farm, provided me with a food source he had been considering as a marketable product and asked for my analysis of its utility for reef aquaria.Under the microscope, the cell density of the product was extremely high, and the addition of 1ml of the eggs produced a high particle count in a 55-gallon reef tank (sufficient to feed every coral polyp several times over!). The eggs are approximately 40-50 microns in size, making them an excellent size for capture by corals and other filter feeding invertebrates.These oyster eggs have a very good nutritional profile, and appear to maintain their nutritional value over long periods of frozen storage. The eggs have a strong “fresh-ocean” smell, and elicit a strong feeding response from both fish and invertebrates. I greatly look forward to the regular availability of this product as a natural and beneficial plankton-substitute for my other reef systems.
Eric H. Borneman
Pocillopora feeding on oyster eggs
DT’s Natural Reef Diet is kept frozen. Available in a 1 oz. (30ml) container
Soon to be available in a 1 liter (1000ml) size for store, coral farm or public aquarium use
Feeding recommendations: 1 ml will feed a highly populated 50 gallon (189 liter) aquarium. The label directions recommend a feeding amount of 1 ml (1/5th tsp) for a 50 gallon or larger aquarium. Hobbyists must use their own judgment in calculating an amount per feeding for their aquarium. This is a very concentrated product with about 3 million eggs per ml, only a small amount is needed. The leftover food will either be taken out by your protein skimmer or settle where it will be eaten by any number of small fauna that populate your reef aquarium. If you get a bacteria bloom from feeding this product, wait until it clears up and feed less next time.
Nutritional Profile:
The above nutritional profile was from oyster eggs that had been stored frozen for 1 year.
The utilization and availability of oyster eggs as a coral food was first discussed in 2003 with a biologist in Vancouver, BC who had developed methodology to extract the eggs in quantity. Later that summer Eric Borneman was sent a sample to test for reef aquarium use.
"All Frozen Product such as Frozen Fish Food can only be ordered if shipped Next Day Air, Air Cargo or Will-Call Pickup". You may consolodate if shipping these methods any other live stock, fish, rock or other product. Consoloating purchases mean that items as small as this ship virtually free at no extra charge. They are just put in with your other items. Enjoy!
Available Options:
Bulk Volume Discount:
1 2 (+$23.00) 3 (+$45.00) 4 (+$89.99) 5 (+$110.50) 6 (+$126.00) 9 (+$188.99) 12 (+$239.00)
