Good afternoon all!
In a couple of threads I read the some is adding spirulina in the food mix for their fish.
I've done some reading on spirulina - very good stuff!
I've started to add spirulina to my frozen food mix about 2-3 weeks ago.
I'm using 2 crushed tablets per feeding every second day.
I've noted that some of the LPS corals started to open when I feed this. It even looks like the nemmies respond positively to it.
Now - I'm interrested in buying the following:
1. A clam
2. sun coral
3.
Strawberry/Pink Cauliflower
Will a frozen sea food mix (mussels, prawns, hake), mixed with spirulina be enough to feed these corals?
I'm sure that the spirulina contains so much nutritional value, that it can replace some coral food, or not really?
Below is an extract from wiki pedia:
Spirulina (dietary supplement) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Protein
Spirulina contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55% and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source. It is a
complete protein,
[4] containing all
essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of
methionine,
cysteine, and
lysine when compared to the proteins of meat, eggs, and milk. It is, however, superior to typical plant protein, such as that from
legumes.
[5][6]
[edit] Essential fatty acids
Spirulina is rich in
gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and also provides
alpha-linolenic acid (ALA),
linoleic acid (LA),
stearidonic acid (SDA),
eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA),
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and
arachidonic acid (AA).
[6][7]
[edit] Vitamins
Spirulina contains vitamin B1 (
thiamine), B2 (
riboflavin), B3 (
nicotinamide), B6 (
pyridoxine), B9 (
folic acid),
vitamin C,
vitamin D, and
vitamin E.
[6][7]
[edit] B12
The
bioavailability of
vitamin B12 in Spirulina is in dispute. Several biological assays have been used to test for the presence of vitamin B12.
[8] The most popular is the US Pharmacopeia method using the Lactobacillus leichmannii
assay. Studies using this method have shown Spirulina to be a minimal source of bioavailable vitamin B12.
[9] However, this assay does not differentiate between true B12 (cobalamin) and similar compounds (corrinoids) that cannot be used in human metabolism. Cyanotech, a grower of spirulina, claims to have done a more recent assay, which has shown Spirulina to be a significant source of cobalamin. However, the assay is not published for scientific review and so the validity of this assay is in doubt.
[10] The
American Dietetic Association and
Dietitians of Canada in their position paper on
vegetarian diets state that spirulina can not be counted on as a reliable source of active vitamin B12.
[11]
[edit] Minerals
Spirulina is a rich source of
potassium, and also contains
calcium,
chromium,
copper,
iron,
magnesium,
manganese,
phosphorus,
selenium,
sodium, and
zinc.
[6][7]
[edit] Photosynthetic pigments
Spirulina contains many pigments including
chlorophyll-a,
xanthophyll,
beta-carotene,
echinenone,
myxoxanthophyll,
zeaxanthin,
canthaxanthin,
diatoxanthin,
3'-hydroxyechinenone,
beta-cryptoxanthin,
oscillaxanthin, plus the
phycobiliproteins c-phycocyanin and
allophycocyanin.
[1]
