by Mike Jacobs

Click to Enlarge ALL Pictures

As with all things in life, as the years pass, there are improvements in our surroundings, our technologies and the everyday facets of our lives. Hobbies are included in this and in the past 50 years of the aquarium hobby there have been a multitude of improvements in the hobby that would have simply amazed us back in the 50’s. The filtration systems in the 50’s were crude at best. The aquariums themselves were heavy and not very forgiving compared to the all-glass tanks of today. The lighting available to the saltwater portion of our hobby simply is stunning. We understand the processes of the aquarium now-a-days and can plan for the initial start-up of freshwater and saltwater.

Then there was the food . . . oh my, the food! In the 50’s there was frozen brine shrimp and Tetra-Min flake food. That was pretty much it! They left a great deal to be desired. Different flake foods were made by this company or that company and for a fact some of them started to address the needs of some of the fishes . . . “Vegetable” flake food instead of just flakes but quiet frankly I remember some of the older people I knew back then threw in bread for the aquarium fish to feed on thinking that they didn’t need anything more than the bread to survive. That was about it in terms of food until the saltwater end of the spectrum really hit the market. In the late 60’s I started keeping saltwater fishes and it was then that I noticed that the market would maintain the newer foods because there was something about saltwater fish that demanded more than frozen brine shrimp and flakes. Of course they were right! All fishes need more than just the frozen brine and flakes in order to achieve all these wonderful pets were made to give to us. All sorts of food came on the market and for the next 25 years in the aquarium hobby food companies and their concoctions of food blends came and went. Nothing seemed outstanding to me as I recollect but I think that it was more a reform of thinking rather than the foods themselves. It was a revelation that the owner of this fish or that fish could actually affect the health and welfare of their fishy friends. It became then a source of pride and people began to even make their own versions of frozen foods out of and combinations of beef heart, whole shrimp, carrots, peas, beans, vitamins, paprika and whatever else they decided to dump into the mush . . . and for the most part the fish thrived big time!

Now-a-days there are frozen shrimp, frozen daphnia, frozen glass-worms, frozen blood-worms, frozen beef heart, frozen brine shrimp gut loaded with this or that and a myriad of dozens and dozens of different flake foods and pellets that will float, sink or sink slowly. It is all good and I really mean that. It makes the general aquarist think about the general health of his charges.

Not very often, but once in a while in the aquarium hobby there comes along a food that really does all it is cracked up to do. They all claim a million% protein and every fish eats it . . . but very few really fulfill the bill. Recently one such food has hit the market and I really think that you need to give it a try. Frozen CYCLOP-EEZE . . . I think it is simply wonderful. After hearing about the frozen Cyclop-ezee from 3-4 aquarists I have a lot of faith in and hearing the claims of “ . . . everything eats this stuff from the get-go” and “ . . . it really stays in the water column” and they were talking about some pretty finicky killifish and some of the bigger fish that you wouldn’t think would eat this smallish food, I decided to give Cyclop-eeze a try. That was about 7-8 months ago and I really believe that this food is a major breakthrough in aquarium fish husbandry. All of the claims of my friends were true. Even the most finicky fish ate this food from the very start. It did stay in the water column like no other food has ever (as long as there is some sort of water movement). The fish literally stuff themselves on the food and I am so happy with what seems to be a nutritious food but also one that seems to aid in the colors of the fish as well as FAST, FAST growth. At the moment we are having a “grow-out” contest at out local club. We all get the SAME fish from the SAME place from the SAME spawn and then for the next 3-4 months we grow them and bring them back for evaluation. Several of my friends have been at my house and in seeing my “grow-out” fish have said “What the heck are you feeding them? They are twice the size of my fish!” Now I understand that there are a lot of factors that allow for growth but for a fact one if the food that goes into their mouths. All things being equal with my friends we believe that the Cyclop-eeze is the difference. This is not a very scientific study for sure but what more can aquarists do but relay their experiences to their friends. This stuff is good stuff.

It comes frozen blocks of something like a pound or two . . . different sizes. I cut this block into quarters and put the pieces into fish bags and keep them in the freezer until it is time to be used. The Cyclop-ezee itself is bigger than a newly hatched brine cyst and as you swish the frozen block there is a cloud or “orangish” crustacean and the fish just rush into the cloud and start eating.

I can give you all of the “things” in the Cyclop-eeze such as proteins and huffa-this and huffa-that but quite frankly they don’t mean that much to me. All I can see when I go to the Cyclop-eeze web site and do the reading I am so impressed I was driven to sit down and do this “Product Review” of a food. I have never done this before. It has never been so clear to me that a food product stands out so far about all of the others.

Don’t miss out on this wonderful new frozen food. Do yourself and your fishes a favor and find and use some of this tropical fish food. But also do yourself a favor first and go to the Argent Labs web site and read the nutritional numbers and stats on this food . . . I think you will be quite impressed . . . as all of my friends have been. Cyclop-eeze . . . try it you’ll like it . . . I promise you . . . I know your fish will love you for it!