Frozen Formula Two 100g

• Spirulina, nori and kelp meal – three separate algae sources, which is what grazing fish are looking for and what they cannot get from a flesh-only diet.
• Garlic in the declaration – widely used to encourage reluctant or newly imported grazers to start feeding. It is a palatability ingredient, not a treatment.
• No added colouring – unlike Formula One, Formula Two contains no cochineal extract. Paprika is present and contributes some colour.
• 12.0% crude protein as fed – still a substantial protein level, because most reef grazers are omnivores rather than strict herbivores.
• Low fibre at 0.5% maximum – the algae is present for pigment and micronutrients rather than for bulk.
• Gelatin-bound cube – stays intact in the water column so grazers can pick at it repeatedly instead of chasing a cloud.
• Feeds invertebrates too – Ocean Nutrition lists sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers, crabs and shrimp among the target animals.

Reproduced verbatim from Ocean Nutrition's published declaration, in the manufacturer's own order and spelling. Checked 7 August 2026.

Mysis shrimp, plankton, gelatin, salmon eggs, squid, garlic, nori, kelp meal, brine shrimp, yam, lecithin, spirulina, xanthan gum, fish oil, paprika, choline chloride, magnesium sulphate, iron, inositol, a-tocopherol acetate (source of vitamin E) zinc sulphate, manganese sulphate, calcium carbonate, biotin, calcium pantothenate, niacin, sodium selenite, pyridoxine hydrochloride (source of vitamin B6), riboflavin (source of vitamin B2), L-ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), potassium iodide, vitamin A supplement, citric acid (preservative), folic acid, thiamine mononitrate (source of vitamin B1), menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K3 activity), cobalt carbonate, vitamin B12 supplement.

Allergen, additive and source notes

• Contains crustacean (mysis shrimp, brine shrimp), mollusc (squid) and fish (salmon eggs, fish oil) derivatives. Unlike Formula One, it contains no mussels.
• Preservative: citric acid. No ethoxyquin, BHA or BHT appears anywhere in the declaration.
• No added colour. Paprika and spirulina contribute natural pigment.

Figures are as fed, on the frozen product, as published by Ocean Nutrition.

A common misreading is that the lower protein figure makes Formula Two a weaker food. It is a different target: grazers fed a high-flesh diet alone tend toward poor colour and gut problems, and the algae fraction is the point of the product.

Ocean Nutrition's published directions are to feed two to three times a day, and to feed only the amount the fish will consume in five minutes.

• Break off the cubes you need and return the blister to the freezer straight away.
• Drop the cube in frozen. Thawing is not recommended for this product.
• Remove uneaten food after the fish have finished.
• Grazers feed differently to carnivores – they browse rather than strike. Two smaller feeds suit them better than one large one.

A note on tangs specifically

Tangs and rabbitfish graze more or less continuously in the wild. Two or three cube feeds a day will not fully occupy them, which is why most keepers run a dried algae sheet on a clip between frozen feeds. That combination, rather than more frozen food, is what settles a tang that is picking at coral.

Protein figures below are as fed, from each product's own published analysis.

Most mixed reef tanks run Formula One and Formula Two in rotation rather than choosing between them.

Suitable for

• Marine angels, batfish, clownfish, chromis, damsels, parrotfish, pygmy angels, rabbitfish and tangs, as listed by the manufacturer.
• Sea stars, urchins, sea cucumbers, crabs and shrimp.
• Newly imported tangs that have not yet started on prepared food – the garlic content is why many keepers reach for this one first.

Not suitable for

• Obligate piscivores and large predators as a sole diet. They need the higher flesh content of Formula One or whole prey items.
• Sponge-obligate angelfish and butterflyfish, which need Angel Formula.
• Seahorses and pipefish – the cube format and the diet type are both wrong. Use frozen mysis.
• Filter-feeding corals and clams. The particle size is far too large.

• Keep frozen in a domestic freezer, and return the blister as soon as you have taken what you need.
• Do not refreeze cubes that have fully thawed. Discard them.
• Partial thawing and refreezing softens the binder, and a cube that will not hold together is no longer doing the job a grazer diet needs to do.

• Green Seaweed – dried algae on a clip, the between-feeds grazing that frozen cubes alone cannot provide.
• Brown Seaweed – a second algae type; most tangs show a clear preference for one over the other.
• Frozen Formula One 100g – the flesh diet, alternated with this one across the week for a mixed community.
• Frozen Veggie Favourites 100g – a vegetable-led frozen alternative for variety in a heavily stocked grazer tank.

Frozen foods are a consumable and carry no manufacturer warranty period. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply in full and are in addition to anything stated here, including the guarantee that goods are of acceptable quality and fit for their stated purpose.

Frozen food is pick up only from our North Lakes store, because a pack that thaws on the way cannot be refrozen.

What is the difference between Formula One and Formula Two?

Formula Two adds spirulina and garlic, drops the mussels and the cochineal colouring, and sits at 12.0% protein against Formula One's 14.5%. Formula One is the flesh diet for carnivores; Formula Two is the algae-led diet for grazers such as tangs, rabbitfish and pygmy angels.

Does the garlic in Formula Two treat whitespot?

No. Garlic is included as a palatability ingredient that encourages reluctant fish to feed, and no therapeutic claim is made for it. A fish with whitespot needs an actual treatment protocol, and a well-fed fish is better able to cope while that runs.

Is Formula Two enough on its own for a tang?

It covers the nutritional side, but not the behavioural side. Tangs graze for most of the day, so pair two or three cube feeds with a dried algae sheet on a clip, which is also the standard way to stop a hungry tang harassing corals.

Should I thaw Formula Two first?

No. Ocean Nutrition does not recommend thawing these cubes – they are built to hold their shape through the feeding window, which suits grazers that return to the same piece repeatedly.

Will Formula Two feed my clean-up crew?

Partly. Ocean Nutrition lists sea stars, urchins, cucumbers, crabs and shrimp among the target animals, and they will take fragments that reach the substrate. Deliberately overfeeding to reach them is a poor trade, since the nitrate cost lands on the whole tank.

Can I feed Formula Two in a freshwater tank?

Ocean Nutrition lists this product for marine species. Freshwater herbivores such as plecos and silver dollars will eat it, but a freshwater vegetable diet is the more sensible routine choice for them.