In previous blog posts we've looked at the various food types out there to feed your fish, this time let's have a look specifically at one of the foods on offer.
So let's start with, what is Mysis RS?
Unsurprisingly, it's Mysis shrimp, nothing more and nothing less, frozen in slab form for you to break into chunks and feed into your tank. The difference with Mysis RS however when compared to most other Mysis on offer is how it is collected. As soon as the live Mysis is harvested it is 'flash frozen' which is a process whereby the produce is frozen so quickly at an extremely low temperature preventing the formation of ice crystals. When meat for example is frozen in your home freezer, ice crystals will form between the fibres of the meat which damage the fibres and forces nutritious juices out of the meat as those crystals expand. You will no doubt get rid of this juice when you defrost the meat when you are in actual fact getting rid of the nutritious part of it. This is what flash freezing aims to prevent. So because the Mysis RS is flash frozen straight after being caught it has little or no time to decompose or degrade thus ensuring the shrimp is fresh and as nutritionally rich as possible. The flash freezing process then keeps the shrimp nutritious all the way from collection, shipping to the point of sale and to your tank at home.
How nutritious is Mysis RS?
This is what the supplier states are the nutritional figures;
Without getting lost in the science of food nutrition and fish food nutrition specifically, what we are looking for is basically a high protein content, some fat and a low ash count. If we discount the 80% moisture (because the product is a water organism, the water/moisture content is expected to be high and meat naturally has anywhere between 65 and 75% water content in it anyway) we are looking at approximately the remaining 20%. Of this 20%, 14.6% is protein which is a respectable amount whilst fat is 1.73%. The ash content is 2.4 which isn't too bad when you consider that wheat flour has a ash content of anywhere between 1.5 to 2. (Ash content is basically the measure of non organics in a food. It is what would be left over as non combustible if the food was burned). So nutritionally this product is ticking the boxes and looking good.
How to use Mysis RS?
So we've covered the facts of what Mysis RS is and the nutritional content but what is it actually like to use and feed to your fish. I've been using Mysis RS for the last two weeks so this next part of this product review is going to be my personal experience. Overall, I have to say I'm quite happy with it. Mysis shrimp has always been the main foundation of what I feed my tank at home so Mysis itself is nothing new to me. I have a Copperband Butterflyfish however so I am always looking at how I can improve the quality of what I'm feeding balanced of course against managing my nutrients in the tank to ensure that the Copperband and all of the other fish can be kept well nourished. This is what led me to having a look at Mysis RS.
To get some feeding portions from the slab I like to use the rolling pin method whereby I use a rolling pin to smash up the slab... it's not an exact science nor is it pretty but it works. The pictures below show the slab on the left in the packaging and the results of my 'rolling pin method' on the right. I only smashed about a third of the slab as that was plenty to get me started but in the picture on the right you can see how much I got from just a third of the slab. I stored the remainder of my smashed up chunks in a tupper-ware container that I keep in the freezer. This works well because all I need to do is open the box and grab a chunk to defrost. The only annoying thing about using the rolling pin method really is that you end up with different sized chunks and some smaller fragment pieces. You could use a sharp kitchen knife and cut the slab into cubes as it isn't very thick however if you wanted to be more exact in the portion sizes. Warning: If you do try and cut it with a knife remember that it is a smooth frozen slab, be careful that the knife doesn't slip out and that you do not cut yourself!
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In the next two photos you can see the before and after of defrosting a chunk of the food. I think you get a decent amount of shrimp for the size of chunk which shows that the slab is pretty densely packed. The shrimp are all opaque and look meaty which is a good indicator of the quality of the food. The shrimp are all mostly whole as well, as opposed to a shrimp 'mush'. This is really good because it means that when they are added to the tank they will stay as whole shrimp rather than turning into a cloud of shrimp particles which would be great for coral but not so great for fish.
The chunk defrosts nice and quickly too which makes using Mysis RS quite easy and as convenient as using frozen food can be. I use the AquaMedic Defroster to thaw frozen foods, the strainer basket makes life just that little bit easier too. So if you do plan on giving frozen food a go or you're not using a defroster/strainer then I highly recommend that one.
When the shrimp is fed to the tank it stays mostly intact even with the powerheads still on full blast. There is of course some breakdown of the food which to my mind is fine, it gives the corals a chance to grab something and for the filter feeders to maybe get a bit of it too. A lot of the shrimp stays whole however even when blasted against the rockwork by the powerheads giving all the fish a chance to get a good meal out of it. The fish all love it as well, especially the Copperband and Banggai Cardinalfish which are both fussy eaters.
I've not noticed a shift in my nutrient levels so I'm content that this food isn't causing any issues with waste and the fish are all healthy and happy which is the main thing; overall I'm really happy with using the food.
So ultimately do I think Mysis RS is good and would I continue to use it? Yes I think Mysis RS is good, it is exactly what it says it is, which is exactly what I want from a natural frozen food. It's nutritious for the fish, is low in pollutants and it stays intact during the defrosting and feeding process. Would I continue to use it? Yes absolutely, you get a good amount of portions from the slab and it's great quality. Easy to use and I'm happy that my fish are getting a good meal out if it. For the price it's well worth giving a go in your tank at home.
Mysis RS is available in store and online now here.