Golden Pearls

[Achilles Tang]

Hi everyone,

With the growing interest in feeding corals properly, I guess I should do a product review on Golden Pearls, which reefers worldwide have used to great success in keeping corals including SPS, LPS, softcorals and possibly sustaining even hard to keep ones like sponges, gornios, dendros etc..

While these products are revolutionary in the sense that they replaced live Artemia nauplii in marine fish hatcheries in Europe and come in different sizes, they are also very potent in the sense that they are high protein food value in tiny sizes so you must NOT overfeed, as Golden Pearls are not 'live' food and may pollute the water quickly if not consumed.

Ingredients:

Brine shrimp, squid, shrimp and fish protein, animal protein, purified fish oils, phospholipids, astaxanthin, vitamins and protected minerals, antioxidants, and immunostimulants.

Analysis: Protein - 60%, Lipids - 8%, Ash - 15%, Moisture - 8%, Vit C - 2000 ppm, Vit E - 400 ppm, Astaxanthin - 500 ppm.

It is the next best alternative to feeding live phytoplankton and zooplankton and probably much better than using liquid amino acids/coral food.

I bought GPs in the following particle sizes:

Active Spheres 20-80 microns (US$3.95)

Clusters Golden Pearls 60-100 microns (US$3.95)

In my opinion, that is all that I need as the other sizes are to simulate artemia and rotifer sizes, which I am live culturing anyway.

They come in other sizes as well:

Artemia Size "1" Golden Pearls 200-300 microns (Artemia Replacement)

Artemia Size "2" Golden Pearls 300-500 microns

Weaning Diet Golden Pearls 500-800 microns

Juvenile Diet Golden Pearls 800-1000 microns

Recommended feeding methods:

Use a small pinch to start off for the first week, and ramp up the quantity slowly until you begin to note cyano growth (that indicates that your tank can only process that much of GPs).

Mix the GPs in a cup of tank water and stir until suspended before pouring into your tank.

Seems like most US reefers prefer to feed an hour before lights out.

My dislikes about using GPs:

Because they are so tiny and resemble powder, they tend to float on the water surface and you can see a film of it on the water. You have to stir like mad to make sure the majority is suspended in water.

You have to turn off your main filtration system but turn up your circulation system eg. powerheads, reeftechs etc to make sure the GPs get to every corner of your tank. However, once your main filtration system is back up, the GP film on the water will be sucked into your sump or canister, and hopefully, they will degrade quickly and not cause any ammonia spikes. The use of a protein skimmer will be essential to skim out any rotting food matter in the water.

They come in 2, 8 and 16 oz resealable packs, but I recommend buying the smallest one as they will take a very long time to be used up.

You can store them in the fridge but don't expose them too long in our warm humid air as water moisture will form once they are back in the fridge, will clump the GPs and maybe spoil them.

They are cheap in my opinion (compared to expensive bottles of liquid coral food) and worth the air freight to ship them over.

You can order them from www.brineshrimpdirect.com. I have also bought decapsulated brine shrimp eggs (non hatching) and brineshrimp eggs premium grade (for hatching)... but that's another product review!

Happy Reefing!

Achilles Tang

[ZeRoC00l]

Could you elaborate on their shipping / pricing?

Thank you

[ong]

Hi AT,

Is this product suitable for plakton feeder corals eg. like Christmas Tree Coral, Chilli, Dendronephthya Carnation or Scleronephthya? What size is most suitable for these corals, Artemia Size "2" Golden Pearls 300-500 microns?

Your advise is appreciated.

Rgds

[Achilles Tang]

From what I know... yes.

You have to provide a wide range of micron sizes because diff corals have diff polyp sizes... some will reject if the particles are too small or too big.

The only problem is that these corals need to be fed a lot and often and if you do, you will end up polluting your tank with the high level of organic waste produced with these plankton substitutes.

That is why, IMO, live plankton is the best.

I can see a remarkable difference in coral polyp extensions between using nothing and liquid coral food, liquid coral food and golden pearls, golden pearls and live plankton.

Quality is what matters. Provide the best you can for your corals!

[ong]

Thanks for your advise......Live plankton is always what I want to go into it but just no idea how to start even searching/read in wedsite.....still catch no ball lah.... By the way, AT, can conduct a class of basic culturing live plankton for us? I'll be the 1st to sign up for it....

[Achilles Tang]

More than a year ago I did this review.

Time to update:

It's a good product no doubt. My SPS corals are growing like crazy and I can attribute it partly to feeding it GPs.

You can add in your own observations here..

[reefer guy]

AT, so would u recommend we buy the smallest package size? the 12 ounce most of us are ordering is the biggest according to their website. Do u reckon we change to the smallest package as they have informed me that if kept dry and refrigerated, it would last 10-12months?

Ur advice is most appreciated

thanks!

[tigershark]

wat would be the best size for LPS like Octopus, Touch, brain, plate, hammer... etc? can advise?

[Achilles Tang]

Yes... 12 oz is really too much... unless a few of you band together to share it.

LPS corals do better with meaty foods like small pieces of prawns.

GPs are more for SPS because they have Small Polyps... and stuff like larger polyped gorgonians & sea fans.

GPs are supposed to replicate rotifers and baby brine shrimp.

[reeflobang]

Been using this + DT live plankton and its great. Only complain is that it usually creates a film of the GP on the water surface. I have tried the following and its solves this issue:

Buy those small plastic bottle that has a very long sprout that is usually used to keep soya sauce. Trim off the sprout such that only a very small opening is created. Load the bottle with GP and purified water and SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE all you can. Store in the fridge always! Each time you want to use it, SHAKE SHAKE SHAKE again! I usually insert the sprout into the tank water and just sqeeze (can even target feed your corals!). As the GP is soaked thoroughly already, very little actually floats onto the surface. I have kept the same bottle of solution for months and they do keep very well when kept in the fridge all the time!

[Achilles Tang]

Yeah, I use a big syringe to do the same thing too!

[reeflobang]

side track......Arghh... got a 3 weeks ICT coming up in May/June including a free one week stay in Tekong, full board..... not sure how my tank is going to be "managed" - kalk dosing, DT and GP daily feeding etc...

[boxfish]

Where can I get big syringe?