Food for our fish, my take on it.

[atoll]

After something like 35 years (on and off mainly on) in this hobby I have amassed quite a lot of strong views about it. One of the issues I see time and time again is about what foods to feed our fish. Well I thought I would share my thioughts and experiences to date especially on the dried foods versus frozen and fresh foods.

So here is my take on it and I look at the issue in the following way.

The one species on earth man knows more about it's nutritional needs is man himself right? After all billions/trillions have been ploughed into research from many quarters all over the world to perfect our eating habits and what is best for us to eat.

Now regarding flake and pellet food a few questions if I may.

How many single dried foods have they developed that you only need to eat that gives you ALL your nutritional needs to sustain you in pearfect health with no need to eat any other product or food at all ?

Is fresh fruit and vegetables better than dried?

Have all the big companies found a man mad dried milk that is the equal of mothers breast milk?

All Answers on a postcard please.

Now most companies will tell you how good their dried milk is the best and that you only need their product for a healthy baby etc etc but the fact is after many, many years and millions/billions/trillions of pounds spent they have still not come up with anything as good as natural mothers breast milk …..as far as I am aware.

So why do fish food producers think the relatively small amount of money and research carried out compared to that of human needs has resulted in a perfect dry food? BTW the next perfect fish food is just around the corner. ... well isn't it?

Of course, and yes you can feed your fish on nothing but dried food but please don't try to tell me it's the best you can feed them. There is more to a fishes requirements like their immune system requirements than a flake or pellet of food can provide IMO. I do feed some pellets now and again but the frozen and fresh foods I make myself have served me extremely well over many years.
My fish live long disease free lives and most spawn in my aquarium. I am not about to change my views or feeding regime any day soon. However that is just my take feel free to think differently. BTW I have nothing to sell you fish food wise.

 

[Brew12]

I appreciate your thoughts but I wish you would have expounded further.

I plan on making flake/pellet/freeze dried the main focus of my feeding plan. I was planning on supplementing that with fresh algae (grown myself) and the occasional frozen cube. I also plan on trying to maintain a healthy pod population.

Have any thoughts on what we should be feeding them, and not just that we shouldn't always do flake and pellets?

 

[atoll]

I appreciate your thoughts but I wish you would have expounded further.

I plan on making flake/pellet/freeze dried the main focus of my feeding plan. I was planning on supplementing that with fresh algae (grown myself) and the occasional frozen cube. I also plan on trying to maintain a healthy pod population.

Have any thoughts on what we should be feeding them, and not just that we shouldn't always do flake and pellets?

Oh no! I am not suggesting you shouldn't feed flake or pellets at all, indeed and as said I do so but I feed them sparingly and not as my main food. There are plenty of recipes out there on making your own foods from fresh ingredients and don't really do anything special apart from maybe add fish oils and vitamins to them. I don't mix my foods together but make them in individual batches for freezing in small pots.

 

[DracoKat]

I feed different food daily, a variety I feel is best. I wouldn't want to eat the same sandwich every day, I am sure the fish wouldn't either!

I always add vitamins to the frozen food. Different batch every day.

 

[Brew12]

Oh no! I am not suggesting you shouldn't feed flake or pellets at all, indeed and as said I do so but I feed them sparingly and not as my main food. There are plenty of recipes out there on making your own foods from fresh ingredients and don't really do anything special apart from maybe add fish oils and vitamins to them. I don't mix my foods together but make them in individual batches for freezing in small pots.

I wasn't being critical, just looking for advice and/or recommendations. And I did see that you use flake and pellets on occasion. I have only 1 reason for wanting to keep dried food as my base. That is to be able to use an auto feeder. Typically, no one is home during the day and I would like to be able to feed several times throughout the day. Everyone once in awhile we do leave for a week at a time and I want this to be as seamless to the fish as possible.

 

[atoll]

I wasn't being critical, just looking for advice and/or recommendations. And I did see that you use flake and pellets on occasion. I have only 1 reason for wanting to keep dried food as my base. That is to be able to use an auto feeder. Typically, no one is home during the day and I would like to be able to feed several times throughout the day. Everyone once in awhile we do leave for a week at a time and I want this to be as seamless to the fish as possible.

Well you can feed say 3 times a day. Once before you leave the house once when you return and again before lights out. The point of my post is that dried food manufacturers keep telling us (understandably they have tomake a buck or two right?) how good their food is and how it meets all our fishes needs. I just don't see or buy it at all. Although useful dried foods are by no means the be and end all some would like you to believe. IMO you can't beat variety and good wholesome foods that dried foods just can't match.

 

[Brew12]

Well you can feed say 3 times a day. Once before you leave the house once when you return and again before lights out. The point of my post is that dried food manufacturers keep telling us (understandably they have tomake a buck or two right?) how good their food is and how it meets all our fishes needs. I just don't see or buy it at all. Although useful dried foods are by no means the be and end all some would like you to believe. IMO you can't beat variety and good wholesome foods that dried foods just can't match.

Won't argue with you there! I'd like your post but the like function has gone away again!

 

[Paul B]

Oh no! I am not suggesting you shouldn't feed flake or pellets at all, indeed and as said I do so but I feed them sparingly and not as my main food. There are plenty of recipes out there on making your own foods from fresh ingredients and don't really do anything special apart from maybe add fish oils and vitamins to them. I don't mix my foods together but make them in individual batches for freezing in small pots.

I agree with Atoll. Except I "almost" never feed flakes and pellets. But occasionally or with mostly other foods that contain live bacteria is fine. I still believe that no flakes and pellets would be better.

 

[atoll]

Some information on how I make a lot of my own fish foods.

Some background first I think is in order.

I have been making my own cheap marine fish and coral foods for more years than I care to mention and certainly I was making them back in the 80s.
At the time I was warned that I was playing some sort of Russian roulette with my fish and corals and that I run the very real risk of introducing disease and death
to my precious life forms.

Well after all these years I can tell you I have never experienced any such issues with the way I process my foods. After all public aquariums and the like have been
feeding fresh marine foods for years.

We have been told that the only safe foods for our aquariums were gamma irradiated foods if the foods originated from the oceans.
I am not going to go into detail here but much evidence on what I am about to tell is available on the net. However what the manufacturers of frozen foods for the
hobby failed to inform the purchasers of their gamma irradiated foods is that the process of gamma irradiation knocks out/kills or nullifies (call it what you will)
beneficial vitamins in the food they have irradiated.
Reports of fish going blind after prolonged feeding of only gamma irradiated foods have been recorded in the past.

OK let’s cut to the chase and get to the what and how’s as I have all ready given you the what for’s above. First the what, the foods I prepare myself. Mussel, cockle, scallops, shrimp of all kinds, squid,
sardines and white bait. All must be fresh or frozen but uncooked.

Now the equipment etc I use.
A sharp (very sharp) small knife, a food processor, (I bought a small cheap one from ASDA UKs Wall Mart for £9 approx $12)
it might be best in the interest of domestic harmony to buy your own rather than use processor from she who must be obeyed, a small spoon and some empty and cleaned
yogurt pots or similar and some vitamins such as fish oil and I have even used Abidec liquid Children’s Multivitamins the choice is yours. Fish oil capsules can be
bought cheaply from Wilkinsons.

With white bait and Sardines simply cut them into whatever size you wish, these are good for feeding anemones and larger fish that like to eat chunky fish.
If you buy your fish frozen then defrost it first by immersing it in fresh water until defrosted which should not take long at all. Put the peices of fish in a small
container like a yogurt tub add a small ampunt of tank water and the contents of a fish oil capsule or a few drops of Abidec (liquid childrens vitamins) and allow to soak for 20mins before
feeding.

At this point I will say if you are making food to feed the likes of Lion fish and other gross feeders then the white bait needs no more processing and can be frozen
or fed to the fish either whole of or cut into chunks or simply refrozen to be used later.

For smaller fish and corals then the chosen food as in shellfish is simply and quickly defrost as above, if frozen or if fresh de shell the shellfish and shrimp and
put in some clean fresh water for 5mins. They are now ready to go into the processor and are mashed checking every now and again on the size of the small pieces you
wish to make be, careful not to completely liquidise all the food. I add no vitamins at this point to the food before freezing it.

I process each food in turn and when finished add the foods to the yogurt pots by scooping it out with the small spoon ready for freezing. I then cover the pots with
cling film and pop them in the freezer. When I come to use each I simply pop the food out of the pot and either cut a chunk off or grate the food and let it defrost
for a little while. Of course you might like to put the processed foods into ice cube makers or other to freeze the choice is yours.

Before feeding I add a few drops of the fish oil nand or liquid vitamins and let soak for a 20 minutes. All very simple and easy to do and not time consuming at all.