Growing your own fish food

[SantaMonica]

Michael Langerman grows algae to feed his FW guppies, but this could be done in saltwater too...

[Devolver]

ive been growing lettuce algae in my sump instead of chaeto. fish go crazy for it. I pluck it out of the sump and put in in a nori clip. seems to work great.

Only down fall is that I am not removing the phosphate or nitrate because the fish are eating it and pooping it back into the water...

[der_wille_zur_macht]

Originally Posted by Devolver

Only down fall is that I am not removing the phosphate or nitrate because the fish are eating it and pooping it back into the water...

That's not a downside unless you see it as one. Nature doesn't have feeding and nutrient export, it has a complete cycle like you do in your tank.

Think of it this way - that algae meal is offsetting some of the need for you to add more food to your tank, so in a sense it is helping by limiting the nutrient imports.

[SantaMonica]

not removing the phosphate or nitrate

You certainly are. The nitrogen and phosphorus are being kept in less of an inorganic state (nitrate, phosphate) and in more of an organic state (food, poop, fish tissue).

[HBtank]

Originally Posted by Devolver

ive been growing lettuce algae in my sump instead of chaeto. fish go crazy for it. I pluck it out of the sump and put in in a nori clip. seems to work great.

Only down fall is that I am not removing the phosphate or nitrate because the fish are eating it and pooping it back into the water...

You are reducing the import side of the equation

[Devolver]

yes that is all true. I don't have much of an issue with nutrients at the moment but I could see a path down the road where I might need an algae scrubber as well