It’s Summertime. Nice outside, for now. You’ve got things to do. And none of that involves hanging out in your living room all day. At least for now… your reef tank is not something that you have time to dote on. Still, while you’re determined to have your fun in the sun, you understand and take seriously your responsibility to keep your animals healthy. That is exactly why you might really appreciate the high nutritional value and the ease of use of ELOS Fresco aquarium foods.

ELOS Fresco food contains fresh, whole-animal items that are “cooked in the can,” locking in nutrients and making for a ready-for-use meal. That’s right, they’re literally canned fish foods. This means that they are just about as nutritionally balanced and complete as the real, live thing. And because they’re made with whole, minimally process feeds, they look and feel like the real thing too, making them extremely attractive to the most finicky specimens.

So, there is no freezing. No trying to break off the right size chunk. No stinky fingers, dirty kitchen knives… no sitting around waiting for food to thaw, and no straining off those water-fouling juices. And no, none of the fuss of live feed either (at least while you take a little break!). Elos’ proprietary pasteurization process guarantees a super-fresh food with minimal loss of vital nutrients and is free of preservatives. All Fresco foods are totally clean and palatable; they never leave surface slicks or cloud the water!

There are three great choices in the Fresco product line. Together, they can satisfy the nutritional needs of a diverse community of aquarium fish and carnivorous invertebrates: Cyclops, Shrimps and Chironomus. We here briefly describe each product and provide some examples of animals that may accept it.

Cyclops

While few aquarium foods surpass live cyclopoid copepods in terms of nutritional content, Fresco Cyclops are pretty darn great. They certainly blow away those crusty little over-processed freeze-dried floaters. While essentially nutritionally complete, cyclopoid copepods are a particularly rich source of fatty acids and roughage.

Each piece ranges in size from 100-1000 microns, making it suitable for small fish (mandarins, gobies, seahorses, etc.) as well as many corals. 

Shrimps

This product contains whole brine shrimp (Artemia sp.). Brine shrimp (especially adults) can vary widely with respect to cleanliness and nutritional value. Some actually aren’t that great all, to be sure. Raised in ideal sanitary conditions and gut loaded just prior to canning, Fresco Shrimps might actually be superior to many live brine shrimp sources!

Virtually all fishes love brine shrimp, but adult brine shrimp are of a perfect size for mid-sized reef species such as anthias, smaller wrasses, Centropyge spp. angelfish, basslets, etc. Brine shrimp have for long been trusted as a reliable, widely accepted, high-protein staple diet for reef fish species. Who really knows why reef fish find the “look” of brine shrimp so irresistible, but hey, they always work!

Chironomus

Chiro-what? While bloodworms (so-names for their red coloration) are better known to freshwater aquarists, they are an excellent choice of food for various carnivorous reef fish such as smaller pufferfish, filefish, butterflyfish, juvenile goatfish, etc. In fact, they are ideal for getting many picky predators of small benthic invertebrates to begin feeding (and pack in some impressive quantities of protein to boot).

There is no wasting time trying to rinse filthy water off of these bloodworms; Fresco Chironomus is made from bloodworms that are cultured in sanitary conditions. The pasteurization process further ensures that each bite is free of pathogenic bacteria. These expertly cultured bloodworms are even grown on foods that makes them extra nourishing. In fact, they are harvested and canned right at the stage that they are most wholesome!

Conclusion

Taking a little time off this summer doesn’t mean that your fish and inverts have to settle for crappy prepared diets. ELOS offers a surprisingly high-quality canned alternative to live foods that is exceptionally simple to use on the run. These foods are pre-moistened and are so clean that you can use them right out of the can. Their optimal nutritional qualities are locked in during the canning process with no freezer burn. 

But do they store well after opening? Any unused portions can be stored in the fridge for 10-20 days, so none will go to waste (even for small tanks). Do you pay more for this crazy quality and convenience? Yeah, of course, but just a teeny bit! Your prized and beloved aquarium fish are worth the healthier choice, right? You couldn’t be so cruel as to subject them to a diet of dusty old pellets, right?

Sure, maybe you’ll go back to some top-shelf live feed after things wind down in the Fall. But once you grow accustomed to the extraordinary value of the Fresco canned foods, you just might keep them in your food rotation indefinitely (your fish won’t mind)!