Fish Eggs (Roe) as a healthy feed for marine aquariums

[John D Hirsch MD]

Fish Eggs (Roe) trump all additives

For all of us in the hobby, the staples are an ongoing expense. Water, salt, and food for all. For many add phosphate binders like GFO, Bio pellets, additives, supplements, enhancers, magic potions, and stimulants to name a few. Fish eggs (roe) are an all-natural recognizable food source that has everything necessary to supply nutrients for the most rapid growth phase and development of any marine organism during their entire life cycle. Most marine organisms when they spawn, release thousands of eggs and only a few actually survive. Ever watch on TV a documentary on the oceans and see a spawn, followed by a feeding frenzy for everyone in the area. For corals and other filter feeders, broken eggs release all the same nutrients to sustain them. I would like to hear from anyone who knows of a nutrient not in fish eggs that is supplied by any product in the trade and that is critical for health. I am certainly willing to learn. Eggs contain protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Have I missed anything? There are many excellent egg products on the market. For those who believe in biomimicry and want to spend less, try adding eggs to your feeding regime and eliminating all but all natural foods. I know you will be amazed. Your reef inhabitants will thank you and so will your wallet. So what this means is you can replace all those shelf bought additives with an all natural food.
Doc

 

[Mr.First]

Okay, 35 have read this post, but no responses/questions....
Are you saying that you feel the best (and only) substance that we should feed our reef tanks with is caviar ? If so, what type of fish eggs do you recommend ?
Also, do you have office hours ?

 

[ourcoralreef]

I read it but don't know enough about nutrition to speak about it but tagging myself im curius where this goes

 

[Widdy]

I've used Reef Nutrition R.O.E. with great success before, but local availability is an issue. $30 shipping on a $9 bottle is not worth it.

I've heard/read of reefers rinsing masago purchase at local fish markets, but never tried. Thoughts?

 

[John D Hirsch MD]

I recommend adding fish eggs as part of an varied all natural healthy diet. I use no other additives or supplements and my fish, inverts, and corals are all thriving.

 

[John D Hirsch MD]

Masago is roe from capelin which is a feeder fish for cod and other larger fish. Take care if you buy Masago as some of it is dyed. Many of the egg products on the market like R.O.E from Reef Nutrition are capelin. There are other egg products on the market with higher levels of protein and fatty acids than capelin. Check the labels just as you would for your own food.

 

[pmoneyt]

Ive been looking for a place to purchase ROE from. If you can point me in the right direction I can handle the rest.

 

[John D Hirsch MD]

I would try your local fish store.

 

[pmoneyt]

I thought about that be wasn't sure if it was a good idea. What kind of fish should I try to get it from.

 

[C-Dragon]

Hello everyone. My name is Chad Clayton; I am a biologist and the live feeds supervisor for Reed Mariculture; we produce the Reef Nutrition line of feeds. I have been following this thread, as well as the forum, and noticed an incorrect statement made about our R.O.E. (Real Oceanic Eggs). First off, I'd like to thank Dr. Hirsch and everyone else for these kinds of discussions; it's really good for the hobby. :wink1: So, on to the correction. Our R.O.E. consists of Atlantic Cod and Saithe (Pollock) eggs, not capelin eggs. These eggs were chosen for their high nutritional quality.

I look forward to more meaningful discussions about nutrition and quality!

 

[John D Hirsch MD]

It is a great idea to support your local fish store. The second part of your question is more interesting, what kind of egg? I am unaware that any eggs from any fish or invertebrate in the oceans, lakes, or rivers is anything but healthy.
Doc

 

[NYreefNoob]

ty c-dragon for your input and correction, but wouldnt salmon egg's be one of the higher nutrition egg's ? and out of curiousity, how would you actually test egg's for protein, fat ect ?

 

[John D Hirsch MD]

thank you, I stand corrected. We are all on the same page hoping to improve the nutritional health of our reef inhabitants. Although I have not tested Cod roe, I have tested Pollack and it is nutritionally superior to capelin roe.
Doc

 

[John D Hirsch MD]

I have used several commercial food grade lab in Des Moines, IA (Midwest Labs) and NP Labs (part of Ralston Purina) in St. Louis for testing. I have not tested salmon eggs as they appear to be too pricey for the hobby. and I doubt would have significant additional nutritional value. If you have salmon eggs available locally at a reasonable price, go for it.
Doc

 

[oh207]

Great article. I used to feed my fish Rod's fish eggs. Tiny 2oz packets.
Then I went to my LFS and they had a new product called Doc's Eco Super Duper Eggs. I started feeding this and my fish love it. I only feed it 2 times a week and I have to rinse it before feeding otherwise my skimmer goes nuts.
I feed a fair amount and its all eaten in a seconds.

 

[Charley]

LRS has fish eggs in their food.....

 

[John D Hirsch MD]

Read the labels on the products you buy. I am a big fan of Larry?s Reef Frenzy products. They are excellent additions to the food products in the trade but not all have eggs.
1. LRS Fish Frenzy and Fertility contain a ?marine fish egg?
2. LRS Herbivore and Chunky contain no egg products.
3. LRS Reef Frenzy and Nano contain oyster egg and ovarian tissue which is nutritionally inferior to fish eggs. Oyster products contain 2.4% protein and 0.4% fat as compared to capelin which has 3.25% protein and 1.91% fat. Other fish egg products have even higher levels of protein and fat.
Doc

 

[Charley]

OK, if I am following correctly it seems like there are 2 great fish egg products available for hobbyists: R.O.E. (Real Oceanic Eggs)and Doc's Eco Super Duper Eggs . Are there any other options? Some people on MR are huge fans of blackworms and clams. How do fish eggs compare to these? I eat a ton of eggs myself, and so far pretty healthy.....thanks

 

[gobywon]

Ok you guys inspired me to look for fish roe at a very large korean market not far from us. I found fresh salmon eggs for an ungodly $50 a pound and took a pass on those. I saw some nuclear orange sweet roe and took a pass on those, thinking they looked dyed. Then in the frozen section found mostly seasoned roe sacks with the exception of one brand of just plain frozen pollock roe with no additives for $7.50 for 12oz. They are quite small and the fish just jumped all over them. I'll try them on the corals next. My fish thank you all for the suggestion. I just thought I'd pass along what I found.....

 

[WTBClownfish]

I think John Hirsch and doctors economy system are the same person. They both sign off with doc. This is nothing more then a promotional stunt to pitch a product and trying to trash the competition with false information. for example providing wrong information about the type of eggs used by Reed manicure.