aquapeanut 0 Posted November 21, 2012 is algin okay to use instead of agar agar when making gel food? it's also algae-derived. has anyone ever tried it? 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dnalex 13,633 Posted November 21, 2012 is algin okay to use instead of agar agar when making gel food? it's also algae-derived. has anyone ever tried it? I have never tried it, and from what I just read, I don't think that this is a good idea. Algin absorbs water and expands. This is not something we want to happen in the digestive tracts of goldfish, who are already prone to digestive disorders. Carrageenan is a good alternative. I would rather you use gelatin over algin. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evening 102 Posted November 21, 2012 I'm pretty sure Algin doesn't just absorb water indefinitely. The expansion would probably only take place during the preparation phase. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dnalex 13,633 Posted November 21, 2012 I'm pretty sure Algin doesn't just absorb water indefinitely. The expansion would probably only take place during the preparation phase. This is not necessarily true, because it may not have reached the maximum amount it could absorb at the time. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evening 102 Posted November 23, 2012 Yeah, I guess that's true. It'd help to learn just how much water it holds, but I don't think it'll be that much of a problem. All starches expand in water, it's just what they do. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dnalex 13,633 Posted November 23, 2012 All starches expand in water, it's just what they do. Which is why we don't feed them to our fish. When we do, some of them have problems. That's the curse of the pellets, no? 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Evening 102 Posted November 24, 2012 Correct me if I'm wrong, but Agar is a starch too is it not? 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dnalex 13,633 Posted November 24, 2012 Nope. It's a polysaccharide chain of agarose Starch is a composed of glucose chains. 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites