Where are some good fish food recipes?

Pete1399 · 03/20/2006, 12:19 PM

I was hoping for a sticky here but there is not one. Can anyone point out a good place to look for recipes for fish food or does someone have the recipe they could give me. I am looking for something I can make from products/fish from my local grocery store. Thank you in advance!

OldmillXxX · 03/20/2006, 12:37 PM

Find a bunch of raw, frozen bags of seafood (usually contain squid, mussels, shrimp, crab, fish, etc...) a package or two of nori (dried seaweed), some pelleted food like Formula I & II, and maybe a vitamin like ZOE (just a tad goes a long way) and then blend it all together with a dash of RO water. Blend less for larger chunks or more for a more liquid mix, or a combination of the two and label accordingly. Pour the mix into ziplock freezer bags and lay flat in the freezer. Only fill enough so that when laid flat, it is only 1/4" to 1/2" thick.

Break apart and feed the whole tank as needed. Simple.

I place a piece about the size of a quarter in my sump right into the return pump's intake. It chops it up and sends it out to the whole tank. Nobody fights and everything, including the inverts, gets fed. I do this once per day, sometimes every other if I am out of town or something.

Just remember that it is a lot of nutrient going into the tank and your skimmer will go nuts. I turn mine off until the bigger pieces are gone. I have been trying different things and this seems to be the best for the light stocking of tankmates that I have.

Good luck with it and adjust to what inhabitants are in your tank.

DJ88© · 03/20/2006, 04:25 PM

This thread has been moved to the current forum.

Pete1399 · 03/20/2006, 04:28 PM

Thanks for the reply Tim. You have a good idea here. Do you let the piece thaw before throwing it into the tank?

OldmillXxX · 03/20/2006, 06:30 PM

No, not really. I have played with it a little and found that the shrimp pieces stay more as shrimp pieces if left frozen. By the time they hit the water, being only 1/4"-1/2" thick, they soften up pretty good.

rustybucket145 · 03/30/2006, 11:51 AM

For my frozen mix I just take a trip to the local fish market and buy a little of everything that is fresh. You may get some pretty strange looks by buying 1/4 pound of 10 different types of seafood, and even stranger looks when you tell them this is going to be fish food for your aquarium. In the wild most fish have varied diets so I feel that by varying my fishes died month-month I (hopefully) am presenting a more 'natural' feeding pattern. But one thing that remains constant in my mix is mysis, brine, phyto, SeaChem Reef Plus and regular shrimp. I have added all different types of seafood to this base mix over the years. And pretty much anything that may swim over a reef in the wild could be potential food for that reef. So your options are pretty wide open. I blend everything in a blender except the mysis and brine. I soak them in phyto and reef-plus and add them in after the mush is properly blended so they remain whole in the final mix. Then I pour the mix into small freezer bags and flatten them out in the freezer. I try to get about a 1/4" thickness but it does vary from bag to bag.

Oh, and by the way my hermit crabs flip out over conch. It is usually seasonal and pretty expensive but a little goes a long ways.

tibbs2 · 03/30/2006, 12:03 PM

I add gelatin to my food so it holds together better. I use the algae based gelatin. Also, I'd like to make a note that it smells so bad I can't describe a word for it. I keep it in a zip lock bag in the freezer. I had silverfish, oysters, garlic juice and Nori in my concoction.

got2lb · 03/30/2006, 12:40 PM

Check out this thread

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...5&pagenumber=1

rustybucket145 · 03/30/2006, 12:48 PM

I agree with the smell issue. Everytime I make a batch I feel like I am preparing for an episode of Fear Factor in my kitchen. Absolutely Gross

Wombat_101 · 03/30/2006, 01:48 PM

While the ingredients can vary, I tend to get a cookie sheet and put wax paper over it. Then I spread the freshly mixed slurry of food onto it. When I get an even height, about 1/4 - 1/2" I take a toothpick and gentle made a grid along the food. Then stick the tray in the freezer. After it is frozen I break it up into sandwich baggy size pieces and store in the freezer. I found without making the grid in the food before freezing it can make it harder to break apart later.

03/20/2006, 12:19 PM	#1
Pete1399 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Im right here Posts: 369	Where are some good fish food recipes? I was hoping for a sticky here but there is not one. Can anyone point out a good place to look for recipes for fish food or does someone have the recipe they could give me. I am looking for something I can make from products/fish from my local grocery store. Thank you in advance! __________________ Pete Current Tank Info: 75g, CSS220 Skimmer, DIY CREE LEDs, DIY Canopy, DIY Stand, 29g sump/fuge, Tunze nanostreams

03/20/2006, 12:37 PM	#2
OldmillXxX Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: West-Central, Wisconsin (right on the Mississippi) Posts: 438	Find a bunch of raw, frozen bags of seafood (usually contain squid, mussels, shrimp, crab, fish, etc...) a package or two of nori (dried seaweed), some pelleted food like Formula I & II, and maybe a vitamin like ZOE (just a tad goes a long way) and then blend it all together with a dash of RO water. Blend less for larger chunks or more for a more liquid mix, or a combination of the two and label accordingly. Pour the mix into ziplock freezer bags and lay flat in the freezer. Only fill enough so that when laid flat, it is only 1/4" to 1/2" thick. Break apart and feed the whole tank as needed. Simple. I place a piece about the size of a quarter in my sump right into the return pump's intake. It chops it up and sends it out to the whole tank. Nobody fights and everything, including the inverts, gets fed. I do this once per day, sometimes every other if I am out of town or something. Just remember that it is a lot of nutrient going into the tank and your skimmer will go nuts. I turn mine off until the bigger pieces are gone. I have been trying different things and this seems to be the best for the light stocking of tankmates that I have. Good luck with it and adjust to what inhabitants are in your tank. __________________ A reef isn't just for oceans anymore... Current Tank Info: Gearing up for my 180 build!

03/20/2006, 04:25 PM	#3
DJ88© Premium Member Join Date: Nov 2000 Location: BC. Canada. Posts: 14,351	This thread has been moved to the current forum. __________________ Darren Beauty fades.... Stupid is forever...... Current Tank Info: 34 Gal Solana with some lights.. and pumps that make water move. And fish...

03/20/2006, 04:28 PM	#4
Pete1399 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Im right here Posts: 369	Thanks for the reply Tim. You have a good idea here. Do you let the piece thaw before throwing it into the tank? __________________ Pete Current Tank Info: 75g, CSS220 Skimmer, DIY CREE LEDs, DIY Canopy, DIY Stand, 29g sump/fuge, Tunze nanostreams

03/20/2006, 06:30 PM	#5
OldmillXxX Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: West-Central, Wisconsin (right on the Mississippi) Posts: 438	No, not really. I have played with it a little and found that the shrimp pieces stay more as shrimp pieces if left frozen. By the time they hit the water, being only 1/4"-1/2" thick, they soften up pretty good. __________________ A reef isn't just for oceans anymore... Current Tank Info: Gearing up for my 180 build!

03/30/2006, 11:51 AM	#6
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	For my frozen mix I just take a trip to the local fish market and buy a little of everything that is fresh. You may get some pretty strange looks by buying 1/4 pound of 10 different types of seafood, and even stranger looks when you tell them this is going to be fish food for your aquarium. In the wild most fish have varied diets so I feel that by varying my fishes died month-month I (hopefully) am presenting a more 'natural' feeding pattern. But one thing that remains constant in my mix is mysis, brine, phyto, SeaChem Reef Plus and regular shrimp. I have added all different types of seafood to this base mix over the years. And pretty much anything that may swim over a reef in the wild could be potential food for that reef. So your options are pretty wide open. I blend everything in a blender except the mysis and brine. I soak them in phyto and reef-plus and add them in after the mush is properly blended so they remain whole in the final mix. Then I pour the mix into small freezer bags and flatten them out in the freezer. I try to get about a 1/4" thickness but it does vary from bag to bag. Oh, and by the way my hermit crabs flip out over conch. It is usually seasonal and pretty expensive but a little goes a long ways. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

03/30/2006, 12:03 PM	#7
tibbs2 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: IA Posts: 1,422	I add gelatin to my food so it holds together better. I use the algae based gelatin. Also, I'd like to make a note that it smells so bad I can't describe a word for it. I keep it in a zip lock bag in the freezer. I had silverfish, oysters, garlic juice and Nori in my concoction.

03/30/2006, 12:40 PM	#8
got2lb Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Clarksville, Iowa Posts: 2,771	Check out this thread http://reefcentral.com/forums/showth...5&pagenumber=1 __________________ Tanks gone, planning the next endeavor!

03/30/2006, 12:48 PM	#9
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	I agree with the smell issue. Everytime I make a batch I feel like I am preparing for an episode of Fear Factor in my kitchen. Absolutely Gross __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

03/30/2006, 01:48 PM	#10
Wombat_101 Reefer Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Long Island Posts: 281	While the ingredients can vary, I tend to get a cookie sheet and put wax paper over it. Then I spread the freshly mixed slurry of food onto it. When I get an even height, about 1/4 - 1/2" I take a toothpick and gentle made a grid along the food. Then stick the tray in the freezer. After it is frozen I break it up into sandwich baggy size pieces and store in the freezer. I found without making the grid in the food before freezing it can make it harder to break apart later.