How is
ABMac made
on site?
ABMac
- a) A heating source like a stove or
hot plate.
- b) A thermometer.
- c) Flat pouring and setting surface
like a cookie sheet
- d) Mechanical stirring device.
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We have found that hand stirring
works, but if you apply too large an amount of the dry mix to the pre-heated water (60-65
degrees C. [about 150 degrees F.]), you will form clumps which are harder to break or
disperse by hand mixing action as the solution becomes thicker. This is why we have also
used a mechanical stirrer (or hand cake mixer) with adjustable speed control. Slow,
mechanical stirring is best, with just enough to disperse the dry mix as you are mixing it
into the preheated water. Setting the mechanical mixing at high speed will infuse air into
the mixture and this weakens the sheet material upon setting (the sheet will remain highly
stable, but will come apart into smaller pieces more easily).
It is recommended that the
preheated freshwater be kept under 70 degrees C. to minimize the loss of nutritional
elements and fatty acids. The dry mix should be blended into the preheated water
thoroughly. Once this is done (a few minutes at most, but never let boil or exceeding 70
degrees C.), pour the mixture onto a cookie sheet to a depth of about 3-4mm thick. The
mixture will set within two minutes and may be separated from the cookie sheet under
running water after it is scored into convenient sized strips. Some farms suggest that
this sheet should be cut into "squares or circles" with a cookie cutter. This
philosophy is based upon theory that more pieces in the tank allows the animals to feed
over a wider area rather than all animals competing for long strips of diet.
If the mixture is disturbed before
it has cooled off, it will fracture easily. However, if after the cookie sheet has cooled
(a couple of minutes or so), the sheet material may be separated from the cookie sheet
under running water, especially if it has been scored into strips. These strips, when
introduced into seawater, will become tougher and more elastic over the next 5-6 hours
since there is a calcium exchange occurring. This exchange, in fact, contributes to the
high state of stability the diet will display over the next 4-6 days in seawater.
This diet may also be dried out
from sheet form (sun drying is accomplished within half a day). It should be noted that
dried diet, when re-introduced in seawater, will not re-hydrate to its original form. It
will however, form a sheet material which is tougher and more leathery than freshly made
product.
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