Using gelatine to bind food together.

[atoll]

After the success in getting my copperband to eat something other than mussel in the shell by binding a prawn to the shell, I was wondering if I could use gelatine to clump together mysis. My idea is to produce a clump of mysis and attach it with cotton thread to the open mussel shell as I did with the prawn. The gelatine would need to dissolve and allow the fish to get at the mysis, other fish would also attack it of course.
Anybody tried this is can think of a reason not to use gelatine in this way?
Thanks.
A poc of my CB eating a prawn from an open mussel shell.

 

[Mmun]

After the success in getting my copperband to eat something other than mussel in the shell by binding a prawn to the shell, I was wondering if I could use gelatine to clump together mysis. My idea is to produce a clump of mysis and attach it with cotton thread to the open mussel shell as I did with the prawn. The gelatine would need to dissolve and allow the fish to get at the mysis, other fish would also attack it of course.
Anybody tried this is can think of a reason not to use gelatine in this way?
Thanks.
A poc of my CB eating a prawn from an open mussel shell.

Theres another substance used for that I can’t remember the name. Someone on here will let you know.
Try live bribe shrimp, lrs fish frenzy

 

[atoll]

Theres another substance used for that I can’t remember the name. Someone on here will let you know.
Try live bribe shrimp, lrs fish frenzy

Tried them all, looks at it maybeceats one or two before the other fish get it all. With mussel and the prawn I put in the shell it lasts a lot longer for the CB to pick at it.

 

[Gareth elliott]

I prefer alginate over gelatin. Same effect, but there are studies linking alginate in small quantities to increased growth rates in fish.

shrimp stick made with alginate.
Added selcon and entice.
Only fish i had that wouldnt touch is a bolivian ram.

Also tested 2 other binders here

 

[atoll]

I prefer alginate over gelatin. Same effect, but there are studies linking alginate in small quantities to increased growth rates in fish.

shrimp stick made with alginate.
Added selcon and entice.
Only fish i had that wouldnt touch is a bolivian ram.

Also tested 2 other binders here
Interesting, does the alginate dissolve or does the fish have to eat through it to get at the food within?

 

[Gareth elliott]

@atoll Does not dissolve. I did not use additional water to create the slurry though.
used only the moisture from the water in the food, and the appetite enhancers later trials i added both kelp and krill meal so the alginate had more nutritional value on its own. I was actually testing different methods for feeding medications. Right now using to lock in particular antioxidants.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Also can be used as a binder to replace gluten used in dry food if you have an extruder for pellets. This was a test on suitability of diy food in an autofeeder for anthias.

 

[atoll]

@atoll Does not dissolve. I did not use additional water to create the slurry though.
used only the moisture from the water in the food, and the appetite enhancers later trials i added both kelp and krill meal so the alginate had more nutritional value on its own. I was actually testing different methods for feeding medications. Right now using to lock in particular antioxidants.

Somebody on another forum suggests using agar which is read seaweed based.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Somebody on another forum suggests using agar which is read seaweed based.

I have never used for this purpose.
Will have to try it.

let me test t cmc powder for disolvability too. I stopped testing after mixing it, never attempted feeding to fish.

my collection of diy food making will continue to grow lol

 

[chefjpaul]

Somebody on another forum suggests using agar which is read seaweed based.

I would suggest this over gelatin.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Have to refrigerate them as they set but made 2 samples to test for you.

 

[atoll]

Have to refrigerate them as they set but made 2 samples to test for you.

Great, keep me updated please. Thank you.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Great, keep me updated please. Thank you.

Np coming up with a line of food additives for fish to battle a few stressors they encounter in QT. Testing delivery methods helps you and me lol.

In these concentrations both cmc and alginate fall apart into small pieces as the fish peck at them. Similar to some frozen angel and butterfly diets i have purchased in the past.

this mix was
15ml of hatched brine shrimp i froze.
20 grams of frozen krill
1/4 teaspoon krill meal
1/4 teaspoon kelp meal
1/8 teaspoon golden pearls
1/16th of binder.
5ml entice
2 pipets of selcon.

I also added 3 drops of one of the additives i was testing, but this was negligible as far as consistency of the mixture is concerned.

i do not have a butterfly fish, so i fed a yellow tang and a yellow tail angle. Both ate the food without coaxing, but they have been eating frozen food so not a test on finicky fish.

 

[atoll]

Np coming up with a line of food additives for fish to battle a few stressors they encounter in QT. Testing delivery methods helps you and me lol.

In these concentrations both cmc and alginate fall apart into small pieces as the fish peck at them. Similar to some frozen angel and butterfly diets i have purchased in the past.

this mix was
15ml of hatched brine shrimp i froze.
20 grams of frozen krill
1/4 teaspoon krill meal
1/4 teaspoon kelp meal
1/8 teaspoon golden pearls
1/16th of binder.
5ml entice
2 pipets of selcon.

I also added 3 drops of one of the additives i was testing, but this was negligible as far as consistency of the mixture is concerned.

i do not have a butterfly fish, so i fed a yellow tang and a yellow tail angle. Both ate the food without coaxing, but they have been eating frozen food so not a test on finicky fish.

In my CBs case I don't think it's refusal of most foods is stress related. Most probably to do with food presentation and a preference for small live foods and meat in the shell. My CB preferred the mussel to the prawn and can't wait to get at the mussel, the prawn although it eat it didn't go back to as often as the mussel nor did it eat it with as much gusto.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Hmm so recreating a shellfish in texture and presentation.

id skip the prawns, their protein to fat ratio is 1.55 where shellfish are around 6.50-8.50.

perhaps using diced cod as the base, and fortifying with food processor nori for increased iron and thiamine. Use the juices from the fish fillet to add liquid. Then the binder. Stuff and Freeze inside of some old snail shells.

 

[atoll]

Hmm so recreating a shellfish in texture and presentation.

id skip the prawns, their protein to fat ratio is 1.55 where shellfish are around 6.50-8.50.

perhaps using diced cod as the base, and fortifying with food processor nori for increased iron and thiamine. Use the juices from the fish fillet to add liquid. Then the binder. Stuff and Freeze inside of some old snail shells.

I do make much of my own foods now so will give this a try.Thanks.

 

[Gareth elliott]

Need to clean my glass lol

but shoved some inside a large babylon snail shell to see if this would work, so far staying in place.