Poll: Do you make your own fish food?

[dbl]

Curious how many reefers are actually making their own of fish food. Could be a blend of prepackaged foods or a mixture of "raw" ingredients that you've come up with. I guess I'm too lazy so as I just use a combination of foods.

Feel free to share your recipe with others.

 

[chris85]

Mostly live wild-caught foods depending on what time of year. When I make frozen I use all wild caught fresh food with shrimp, crab, various fish, oyster, clams, seaweed and plankton.

Depending on what is getting fed the mixture changes big fish get whole food I prefer clam and oysters, but my fish love shrimp, medium to small fish get I guess I would say about a 15% mix of everything with some fresh seaweed, chopped garlic, and orange juice.

 

[jsker]

Make my own.

The last batch I used ceiling tile grid wipe and freeze the food for cubes. I will not do that again and just place the food in freezer bags and freeze then

 

[Captain Quint]

I like to make it now and again, albeit it's been awhile.

*A couple sheets of Red Marine algae
*Wild-caught white shrimp
*Clams
*Portions of a brick of frozen Cycolp-eeze FreezerBar
*Selcon
*Garlic Guard

~Put in mini food processor and done semi-fine, vacuum sealed.

 

[mta_morrow]

Since my move to Hilton Head, I have easy access to live things that come from the ocean, which is great!

So I decided to start making my own food which has turned out to be cost affordable and the fish go nuts over it!

My first recipe made 2, 1 quart bags, about 3/16" thick.

ingredients:

10 live oysters
10 live mussels
1 bag of live clams (15 or so, I'm not sure)
I put all of the above in a cheap $10 blender I bought for this purpose.
I drained all water into the mix as well to get all the bacteria I can.
I have all, small fish in my tanks. 22 in all in a RSR525, so I blended into very small pieces.
I then added some finely chopped seaweed, about a 1/4 cup
a 1/8 cup of New Life Spectrum small fish formula pellets.
10 cubes of mysis (thawed out)

Mixed all the above in a bowl and poured the sweet smelling mix into 2, 1 quart bags.
Lay flat in the freezer, and let it freeze solid.

I then break off a piece, add another cube of mysis, put in a very small container, thaw with tank water, add 4 drops of selcon, and that gives me 3 evening feedings that my fish, and corals seem to really like. Every little speck gets chased down, and I mean EVERYTHING!

With all the fish I have now, I have started using an auto feeder for an 11:30 AM feeding. I give a good squirt of my mix around 6pm.

I will try to make a video and post it here.

BTW, I made my 2 bags in mid February and still have about 1/2 bag left.

Now that I am having nutrients to control (I didn't in February as the tank was new) I will most likely rinse off the mysis prior to adding to the mix.

 

[Brew12]

I guess I'm too lazy so as I just use a combination of foods.

+1 on this.

You are too lazy.. err.. I mean.. I'm too lazy.

Why bother making it myself when LRS and Rod's (and I'm sure a few others) make such fine, convenient products!

 

[mta_morrow]

+1 on this.

You are too lazy.. err.. I mean.. I'm too lazy.

Why bother making it myself when LRS and Rod's (and I'm sure a few others) make such fine, convenient products!

Why bar b que ribs on the grill when I can get a McRib?

Just kidding Brew12. Unfortunately I am no where near a place that sell Rod's or LRS. I would probably join the Lazy club if I did!

 

[Brew12]

Why bar b que ribs on the grill when I can get a McRib?

;Vomit

Trust me, if I could get a good slab of ribs around here I wouldn't cook them myself as often. Heck, I can't even get a good steak within a 30 minute drive.

Wings... I can get some good wings around here but my laziness is combative. What takes more effort. Making wings myself or arranging a driver to and from a good wings place. ;Sour

 

[dbl]

+1 on this.

You are too lazy.. err.. I mean.. I'm too lazy.

Why bother making it myself when LRS and Rod's (and I'm sure a few others) make such fine, convenient products!

In the spirit of full disclosure, I did try making a batch of fish food one time. I obviously did something very wrong because it was a complete mess. My bride wasn't too happy either with the lovely aroma.

 

[Breadman03]

LRS wrapped in nori.

 

[mta_morrow]

LRS wrapped in nori.

a reef burrito!

 

[Brew12]

In the spirit of full disclosure, I did try making a batch of fish food one time. I obviously did something very wrong because it was a complete mess. My bride wasn't too happy either with the lovely aroma.

I sympathize! I had to buy a small freezer just for my fish food because my wife didn't want it in either of our food freezers.

I would have to send her to the beach for a week if I would ever start blending stuff in the kitchen! ;Blackeye

 

[Kamden Uelton]

I go to the beach and catch Sand Crabs (mole crabs, sand fleas) everything seems to love them and they are free

 

[Crabs McJones]

I've been buying this recently. Everyone in the tank seems to like it.

 

[Wonf]

Mix of frozen seafood (mostly shrimp with some scallops and squid). Majority of the time, steal from seafood combo package wife buys from Costco. Don't have a food processor, so use our Vitamix blender CAREFULLY! Too much and it all turns to mush/liquid. Too little, and have to spend too much time with scissors after defrosting a serving... A batch will usually give me a couple med size zip lock bags. Flatten, freeze and break off and usually mix with a cube of Hikari Mysis.

Read some posts online about people not recommending doing what I do because it could "dirty" my water... Haven't done it long enough to prove right or wrong.... But I know my fish love it!

 

[dbl]

I've been buying this recently. Everyone in the tank seems to like it.

I feed a cube of that, a cube of the same branded Brine and a chunk of LRS Reef or Fish Frenzy. So it's sort of like making my own food!

 

[dbl]

For those of you using frozen foods (be it frozen fish food or packaged frozen seafoods) in your recipes, is there any concern with re-freezing it after your make you blend it? I always thought you weren't supposed to re-freeze things but I could be wrong.

 

[mta_morrow]

A little advice when using a food processor to blend and not get mush........

Put everything your going to blend in the freezer for a while.

Wait til it’s semi frozen.

Then put it in the processor without any additional water.

Pieces stay small, but not microscopic!

 

[cracker]

I use a combination of both packaged & raw fresh food from he sea. My base is rod's herbivore I use ocean krill clorella flake,fish roe sometimes . I add finely minced oyster,clam & while chopped glass minnows. then a shot of Vita chem for marinating. I'll add other fresh fish foods if I bring home a fish for dinner. I'll make up enough for a couple days & store in the fridge. there is always smaller bits for the little fish in one tank & bigger pieces for the bigger boys in the other.
I'm always open to other sea related food to add. I have been considering worms of some sort though. I'd like to get some LRS as well.

 

[mta_morrow]

For those of you using frozen foods (be it frozen fish food or packaged frozen seafoods) in your recipes, is there any concern with re-freezing it after your make you blend it? I always thought you weren't supposed to re-freeze things but I could be wrong.

I know next time I make my next batch, I won’t be thawing and adding mysis, then refreezing.

I will take a chunk of my blend, then thaw, rinse, and add the mysis when ready to feed.