An update about LRS "Reef Frenzy" Foods

Hello members of the GIRS and thanks to Bud for setting up a vendor forum so I can keep members updated about developments at LRS Foods, LLC.

One of the things that I have always been proud of at LRS is our transparency. Through daily Facebook posts on my personal page and the Larry's Reef Services business page consumers can always see exactly what we are up to. This business was started using a Ninja blender and about 30 pounds of seafood back in 2012 but we have come a long way in just under 5 years. We have such a great community of followers on Reef2Reef I routinely post updates on that national forum. I figured I would make an introduction post on GIRS and list a few of the most recent developments at LRS to bring folks up to speed.

First off and most exciting is that we are growing like crazy! Not only is this exciting for us, but I hope it is a good sign for our hobby. If stores are busy, re-ordering food more often, that indicates steady foot traffic and spending by consumers. Let's hope the trend continues and that new hobbyists continue to enjoy this great hobby!

* Our independent dealer network has tipped past 400 locations! In 2016 we secured distribution in Canada, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Japan. My friends getting a specialty, multi-ingredient food cleared for import into some of these countries is very difficult. Fortunately with our direct sourcing of ingredients, lab test results and stringent quality control we can demonstrate our blends are safe and get clearance from customs. This is one area LRS goes above and beyond many other specialty food blends.



* In the Fall of 2015 we installed a state of the art walk in freezer which keeps foods at -24F to slow the breakdown of the proteins and lipids while in storage. This freezer has Wifi access and 24/7 data logging of temperatures as will be required by pending pet food regulations. LRS is ahead of the game with brand new state of the art equipment.



* For 2016 all of our retail product labels received a facelift and the response from the public has been very positive to our new look. Let's face it the old labels had photos of my personal fish and some jumbled text. These look really fresh, clean and professional!



*Our website Media Gallery page continues to be updated with feeding videos from around the globe. If you haven't seen it lately it is worth taking a look. There are some AMAZING fish here: Media Gallery

* The LRS Fertility Frenzy (AKA Who's your daddy?) broodstock conditioning diet has seen unprecedented success in the world of aquaculture. This recipe was formulated with the assistance of leading researchers working on breeding new species in captivity. It has higher amounts of protein, fatty acids, pigmentation enhancers, and probiotics. The food is described here with plenty of photos and testimonials: LRS Fertility Frenzy Breeder Formula

If you are breeding clownfish this food produces real results, as seen in this photo from Jamie at Alabama Clownfish and Reefs.



You may have heard about the recent breakthrough in Florida regarding the successful breeding of the Blue Tang for the first time. LRS Fertility Frenzy™ was the diet used to condition the broodstock for the months leading up to the breakthrough. Quality food for broodstock results in better quality eggs and more robust larvae. We were invited down for a behind the scenes tour before the news went public. You can see pictures here of that and other programs our foods have been used in on our testimonial page. Testimonials





LRS is a supporter of Rising Tide Conservation and we provide food to numerous facilities in the US working on breeding new species of marine ornamentals. Over the past 12 months the sales of our products to aquaculture and public aquaria clients has been our fastest growing market. I'm biased but I'm fairly confident that with the growing number of testimonials from breeders, prominent universities, fish farms and public aquariums using LRS foods that the quality of our products is unmatched in the specialty food arena.

We attended the Marine Breeding Initiative workshop (MBI) in Michigan this July where LRS was named as a food used in the Yasha Goby captive breeding project. The following photos are from the presentation from Andrew Rhyne from Roger Williams University.





First commercially aquacultured Yasha Gobies available soon!

* LRS sources the highest quality, certified pure, seaweed sheets available in our hobby. These continue to be a big success and the lab test results confirming they are free from 400+ pollutants are displayed on our website. This is also the seaweed used by the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii for feeding their Yellow Tang broodstock. You may recall the yellow tangs which were bred in captivity this year for the first time in Hawaii.

"We have been using LRS sheet seaweed for about eight months now with our Yellow Tang broodstock. We prefer this product over the grocery store variety due to Larry's extensive quality control screening of the seaweed."
Chatham K. Callan, PhD.
Director - Finfish Program and Affiliate Faculty
Oceanic Institute of Hawaii Pacific University

You can learn more about our seaweed here: Nori

* In March 2016 we released a fresh fish egg product which had protein and nutrient levels higher than anything else available in frozen form. These have proven to be an invaluable tool to help get finicky fish eating faster at the store and in the home aquarium. We had Fatty Acid tests done on these eggs which we harvest here in NC and the results are posted on our website. These eggs have been used by breeders to increase the protein and DHA levels of their broodstock diets to increase spawns and get more viable eggs. These are the real deal! LRS Fish Eggs

MMMM.... Fish Eggs!





* The LRS family continues to grow and in addition to my wife and I we have four employees working in production. I was actually kicked out of the kitchen in late 2015 and my wife supervises production of all the food. I handle all the sales, marketing, customs issues, shipping logistics, ingredient sourcing and social media.



* In 2016 LRS became a distributor for the Reef Nutrition® lineup of liquid feeds produced by Reed Mariculture. By offering stores the ability to order LRS foods bundled with PE Mysis® and Reef Nutrition® we immediately became a "One-stop-shop" for stores seeking three popular food brands.



* LRS has always had a great relationship with the folks at Piscine Energetics. We have used their PE Mysis® shrimp in our blends for years but never really stated such publicly. For 2016 we are proud to announce that we are the ONLY specialty frozen food maker authorized to use PE Mysis® in our foods. Our new labels even have a PE Mysis seal of approval on the front in the upper left.



* LRS supports the next generation of reefers by donating food to school programs involving saltwater aquariums. We have a great time chatting with the students via Skype and corresponding by mail. We are happy that more and more of these programs are popping up and we are happy to help the teachers who often fund these programs with their own money to get them started.



The past 5 years has been an amazing ride and thanks for following along. My email is always open for correspondence and my Facebook page is very active as well. Feel free to send me a friend request.


Larry DuPont
Owner and Founder
LRS Foods, LLC


Our dealer in Singapore spreading the LRS love!



Serious refrigeration!!




Just a normal shipping day at LRS...









Just another shipping day at LRS