Cyclop-eeze thoughts?

[ScottT1980]

Anyone here used this stuff? My LFS owner could not say enough about how well this stuff works in his show tanks. While I do trust the guy, he does have thee typical salesman personality and so he has a tendency to talk up a number of products. I have seen and heard nothing but good things about it but was wondering if anyone here has any personal experience?

Thanks
Scott T.

[RogueCorps]

Hey Scott,

I am trying some out. Locally it was $14 for a frozen tube but it does seem to go a long way. I broke off a small bit and defrosted it in a squeeze bottle with some tank water and target fed with it. It seems like good stuff... 100% bright red copepods that are about 1-1.5mm. Nice and small but not nearly as small as rotifers for smaller feeders.

-Rogue

[middletonmark]

I like it a lot ... a little goes a LONG way - careful not to overfeed.

Not sure what `big fish' would think of it - but all my fish [gramma, clowns, clown gobies, fairy wrasse, midas blenny] all go nuts for it, and it would appear that my corals like it too.

Great variety if just that ... but I like it. Planning to mix it in with fish mush when I make some - but happy for a single food using it.

[ScottT1980]

Thanks guys, sounds like everything else I have heard. Perhaps it might be worth the investment as a new shipment is coming in on Wed. I might mix some in with my new batch of mush as well...

Take er easy
Scott T.

[NaH2O]

Scott - not sure if you checked out the ingredients. I was involved in a conversation about the product recently. There is an additive called ethoxyquin that has caused controversy in animal food products in the past. I sent an email to the company to find out what the concentration of ethoxyquin is in Cyclop-eeze, but only received a reply of: contact customer service at 1-800.... I read where the Center for Veterinary Medicine of the FDA requested in 1997 the voluntary reduction of the maximum level allowed of ethoxyquin. There were questions as to margins of safety in lactating female dogs and possibly puppies. I'm not, by any means, saying that this would be detrimental to marine animal health, but just wanted to point this out. This is why I was curious as to the concentration in cyclop-eeze.

[Curtswearing]

I hear those concerns but I'm not making up my mind one way nor the other yet. In fact, this is one of the few packaged foods out there that I like so I'm hoping the concentration of ethoxyquin is very low.

I generally prefer blender mush as I'm in control of what goes into my tank instead of a marketing executive.

[ScottT1980]

Thanks for the info nikki, I will try to find some literature on ethoxyquin (never heard of it) and perhaps see if it can have an impact on fish and inverts.

Take er easy
Scott T.

[dgasmd]

I have never heard of the chemical at all. Good and valid concern though.
At MACNA this past year this was one of the big items that was touched on. They could not say enough good things about it. Then again, I always question the bias of the speakers when I see them promoting stuff by name.
I used it last time I made my blender mush so that all fish could get it. The protein and nutritional value of it is excellent. I just made my mush a few days ago and the store was out of it. I went today and they had it, so I plan to feed it a bit at one time mostly for the smaller fish.

[Craig Manoukian]

Gresham of 3reef.com gave me a little of the dry cyclopeeze and I mix a teeny bit with my mysis and Zoe and the fish go crazy. Is the ethoxyquin in both the dry and tube (wet) formula? I don't have a label to read, thanks!

[mojoreef]

its a tough call the pods themselves seem like a great idea as a food source, nutritionally they look very viable. I did some deep searches on the ethoxyquin and it turns out that the Department of Agriculture has this product listed as a pesticide. so for right now I think i will hold off and see if Nikki has any luck on some more info.

Mike

[mojoreef]

craig go to thier website it has a downloadable brochure that has all the info on it.

Mike

[NaH2O]

Craig according to their website Cyclop-eeze:

All Cyclop-eeze products are treated with the biologically compatable antioxidant ethoxyquin to eliminate oxidation of the valuable biologically active molecules.

I really am not sure if ethoxyquin would make a difference to marine animals. I just thought it was worth pointing out. However, it seems this product has a lot of benefits.

[sorcerer]

I've been feeding it for about 8 months now and everything in the tank goes nuts over it. I've used both the freeze dried and the frozen and I haven't seen any ill efects from it. I hadn't heard of the ethoxyquin issue, but I will check with a couple of my chemist friends to see if they know anything.

[mojoreef]

Ok here is a bit of what scared me

First used as a rubber stabilizer, Ethoxyquin (EQ) has also been effective as an insecticide and a pesticide. EQ, developed by Monsanto in the 1950s, was originally permitted in feeds as a stabilizer for alfalfa, clover, and grasses to be fed to livestock, at 150 ppm (150 ppm is equal to .015 percent or 4.8 oz. per ton). FDA officials clearly recognized EQ as a poisonous substance and permitted minuscule amounts in feedstuff only because it was the cheapest and most powerful preservative available. FDA and Monsanto researchers originally thought that EQ degraded at around 160 to 190 C, so that when a product containing EQ was cooked, the EQ simply disappeared. Later research proved that it didn't disappear, it mutated into oxidized EQ.

this one really sucked

(The Coast Guard, which regulates fish production/canning/meal, requires that fish meal be stabilized with EQ at a level of 400-1000 ppm, significantly higher.)

and then this one is kinda closing the door for me, lol

the documented cases of serious side-effects, resulting from exposure to or ingestion of this chemical. Humans who were working with it in the rubber industry, reported a dramatic rise in such diseases as liver/kidney damage, cancerous skin lesions, loss of hair, blindness, leukemia, fetal abnormalities and chronic diarrhea.

anyway something to think about for sure.

Mike

[NaH2O]

Just to site my information - here is a link to the article from the FDA/CVM divsion: CVM Update - Ethoxyquin Reduction