Save Time (And Money) With This Hack – Rod’s Food Frozen Cubes.

There are only a few moments, no matter how brief, responsible for setting the trajectory of our lives. For me, this rare event happened while studying for my Environmental Engineering degree. Through a series of events, I found myself sitting in the campus coffee house with my Civil Engineering Systems professor.

Between the clanging of the ancient espresso machine, she unknowingly shifted my entire outlook on life.

“The human brain thrives on automation. This biological machine performs at its most optimum level when you learn how to hack life.”

From this moment, I began a lifelong mission to hack life. The key to life hacking is streamlining and automating as many tasks as possible without sacrificing the end result. This foundational principle forms the cornerstone of Reef Hacks.

So, obviously, when it comes to reef tank feeding, I’ve spent countless hours formulating the perfect hack.

I know what you may be thinking, “Reef feeding hacks already exist. Haven’t you ever used an autofeeder?”

Autofeeder’s are excellent devices. However, they aren’t perfect. In my opinion, hacks shouldn’t just provide convenience. They must deliver superior results without fail, and if you’ve ever used an autofeeder, you understand these convenient feeders aren’t fail-proof and what is the most important, we can’t use the frozen food with them.

Throughout the past several days, I’ve sat with pure determination to discover an easy, effective and universal reef feeding hack. As I created and discarded countless ideas, it seemed like I’d never find the ideal feeding hack.

Then it hit me.

Why was I trying to reinvent the wheel? In the hopes of creating the greatest feeding hack, I overlooked the most obvious solution - frozen food cubes.

In a spark of realization, the perfect reef feeding hack isn’t some rare and unique invention. In fact, it’s been used by reefers for years. If only I’d come to my senses earlier!

Rod’s Food Frozen Cubes - The Ultimate Feeding Hack.

If you haven’t heard of Rod’s Food, you should definitely check them out. But, we’ll discuss why this reef food supplier is pretty great another time. Today is all about the hack!

Before diving into the step-by-step instructions, here’s a brief summary of what this hack is and how it works:

Overview and Step-by-Step Instructions.

Essentially, this hack streamlines the process of preparing, measuring and delivering food. And, really, that’s the entire point of a hack.

The founding principle of this process is transforming bulk food into easy-to-deliver frozen cubes. Once feeding time comes around, the necessary number of cubes are broken off and plopped right into the tank.

I’ve found this process reducing feeding time, and concern, by a significant amount. Overall, the process only takes a few minutes to prepare. Once frozen, feeding is accomplished in literally 60 seconds or less.

What You Need:

• Rod’s Food (Comes in 2 or 6-ounce packages, but 6 is just perfect for 160 cubes).
• Silicone Baking Molds (160-portion “square” design).
• Small Spatula.
• Plastic Wrap.
• Freezer/Refrigerator.

Step One | Prepare the Food.

Gather all of the materials listed above. For this demonstration, we’re using Rod’s Food Original Blend, but it works with any of the other blends.

Rod’s Food comes in a plastic bag, much like a standard ziplock baggie. Defrost it by placing the food in a closed package under the room temperature water. Be extremely careful when opening to prevent spillage. I suggest keeping a few paper towels nearby in case of an accidental mess.

Step Two | Pour and Spread Food Into Mold.

Carefully pour food from the package onto the silicon mold. I typically use the spatula to ensure I get as much food out as possible.

Now’s the time for my favorite part: spreading the food. Don’t rush this process. The goal is to evenly fill all 160 square-shaped holders. So, as with many elements in life, patience makes perfect.

Using the small spatula, slowly spread the food across the silicon mold. I really enjoy the fresh seafood smell, but if you aren’t a fan of seafood scents, you may find this step not as pleasurable. But believe me, the smell is amazing!

Continue to manipulate the food until it’s evenly spread out across the mold.

Step Three | Cover and Freeze.

Once the food mixture is evenly distributed, wrap the silicon mold in plastic wrap. Make sure the plastic fits securely around the entire mold.

The next step is the easiest, simply place the wrapped mold in your freezer overnight.

Step Four | Remove and Store.

The next day, remove the mold from the freezer. While you could keep the cubed food in the mold, I find the best storage option is carefully breaking the cubes free from the tray and storing them in a ziplock bag.

(Please see the main image of the article on top for the final result)

Once in the final storage container, keep the cubes in your freezer between feedings. For reference, each cube is roughly 1 gram of fish food. Use this measurement to determine how many cubes your tank needs. From here, simply grab the necessary number of cubes from the bag and toss them into the tank. Each system is unique, but as example we are feeding 4 cubes a day for our RedSea Reefer 250 with 11 fishes.

The Ease of Living a Hacked Life - Final Thoughts.

There you have it! Probably one of the easiest ways to safely and accurately feed your reef tank. Whether you’re a novice reefer or an experienced aquarist, I hope you find this reef feeding hack as useful as I have.

As always, the entire Reef Hacks team is here to answer any questions you may have. Feel free to head over to our ReefHacks Facebook Page and send us a message with your questions, concerns or comments!

by Yuliya Ivanova for ReefHacks.