Background
One of the biggest worries of a shrimper going on holiday is his shrimps dying of hunger while on vacation. One alternative is to use a food timer but it's hard to find one that can deliver food in small amounts for shrimps. On my last trip, I used barley straw pellets to great success. Barley straw pellets have the triple benefits of cultivating bacteria for shrimps to feed on, moderating water and not decaying in water. Unfortunately, its biggest drawback is that each pellet breaks down into really tiny pieces that easily clog up your shrimp guard. They are almost impossible to remove from the water as they are just really small, they do not decay, and shrimps do not feed on . As a result, you get one messy tank with a half-clogged shrimp guard.
I came across a thread on AQ that introduced the Mosura Graze and I was immediately intrigued to its potential as a holiday food.
Introduction
From Mosura:
Mosura Graze is a specially selected growth media for mycelia. Mycelia is the vegetative part of fungi that generates nutritive components such as crude protein, amino acid, crude fat, crude cellulose and polysaccharide, all of which are important for shrimp growth and well being.
Even though the shrimps are attracted immediately to Mosura Graze when it is introduced into the tank, it is perfectly normal to have white flakes left over. These flakes do not polute water and will serve as a medium for mycelia to grow. As a result there will be a constant source of food for the shrimps for weeks (depending on the amount dosed and the amount of livestock), thus making it to suitable to be used as a food supplement during holiday periods.
Ingredients: Processed bean extract
Bought from: Green Chapter
Price: $16
My Thoughts
Although each piece look like a compressed bean, once in water, it will quickly break up in water into a mass of medium white flakes. Like barley straw, these flakes do not decay but unlike barley straw, they do not float around your tank and due to their size, they are easier to remove (but you shouldn't) and shrimps fit on them. It'll take a couple of week for the shrimps to finish them though.
Each pellet will break down into a large mass of flakes and 1 pellet is usually enough for 30 to 50 shrimps for a couple of week. I normally won't use them as a staple food and prefer to use them only as a holiday food. Hence, each packet should be able to last you a long time (unless you're a frequent flyer).
Yay or Nay? Definitely Yay
I think there is no better holiday food for shrimps. In addition, if you're too lazy to feed your shrimps daily, or have too many tanks to keep track of, then its good to have some Graze in there as backup.
