Fish food recipe?

cb747 · #1 07/29/2006, 07:19 PM

Anyone make there own fish food? If you could tell me how it would be greatly appreciated

Buying frozen is getting expensive!
Thanks, Chris

DgenR8 · #2 07/29/2006, 07:28 PM

Chris,
First, hit the bait shop. Get your squid and spearing (Silversides) there. Be sure to ask where the Spearing come from, as you want Canadian Spearing. Anything caught or collected here will be packed in formaldehyde. Then, stop at a supermarket for shrimp, scallops clams, what ever you can get. If you really want to, go to a fish market, and buy small pieces of pretty much what ever they have that you haven't gotten cheaper already. Go to an Asian store and get your Nori, then stop at Fishy and get some Cyclop Eeze. Grind it all up, and pour it into those little ice cube trays, and freeze.
I have learned that Octopus gets ignored in my tank, and squid is a big seller. Everything else falls somewhere in the middle.

sleezyp1 · #3 07/29/2006, 08:01 PM

Watch out for store bought shrimp. They all have preservatives added to them. Even if they dont tell you. "sodium tripoly phosphate dioxide"

DgenR8 · #4 07/29/2006, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sleezyp1
Watch out for store bought shrimp. They all have preservatives added to them. Even if they dont tell you. "sodium tripoly phosphate dioxide"

Couldn't that be avoided by buying frozen?

billsreef · #5 07/29/2006, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by DgenR8
Couldn't that be avoided by buying frozen?

Nope. It's not just a preservative, it makes the shrimp hold more water so the shrimpers can get a better price

DgenR8 · #6 07/29/2006, 08:36 PM

I guess I'll be knocking shrimp off my list

Anything else I should know?

Spracklcat · #7 07/30/2006, 05:30 AM

Go on the collecting trip in September--you'll have more silversides than you could possibly use in a year (plus it's a fun time

)

DgenR8 · #8 07/30/2006, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Spracklcat
Go on the collecting trip in September--you'll have more silversides than you could possibly use in a year (plus it's a fun time )

That's true, and you'll be sure that there are no preservatives.

sleezyp1 · #9 07/30/2006, 06:55 AM

Larry you can buy frozen blocks of shrimp "prawns" from a LFS or online retailer specially for fishfood. A company called Pro Salt out of Jersey Manufactures them. The package does not state it has preservatives. It does say all natural and I dont know if sodium tripolyphosphate dioxide is natural or not.

DgenR8 · #10 07/30/2006, 07:00 AM

I think a big part of making fish food at home is saving a few bucks over what a LFS charges for fish food. I always felt like I was doing a good thing healthwise for my tank by making my own food. Now, I'm questioning it.

sleezyp1 · #11 07/30/2006, 07:06 AM

Well if you have been doing it with no adverse reactions then it will probably be no harm.

DgenR8 · #12 07/30/2006, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by sleezyp1
Well if you have been doing it with no adverse reactions then it will probably be no harm.

I haven't noticed adverse reaction, that doesn't make me feel better about it though.

cb747 · #13 07/30/2006, 08:23 AM

Wow debate LOL My whole reason is because i figured it would be healthier for the fish and cheaper too. Im going to give it a shot. I looked on Melevs site and he has a recipe. http://www.melevsreef.com/food.html
Christine as life would have it i have been yet to make a collecting trip

Who knows maybe just maybe i can make it this year. Either way its more than a month away. Ive been feeding flakes and pellets but now that i have the Regal Angel im married to frozen which as we all know is healthier for the fish anyway.
I have 10 tangs- 3 wrasses the cardinal and The Regal in my reef. Plus various inverts. In the cube i have 2 tangs-- a niger trigger, some kind of toby and 4 of my hybrids. Im pretty heavily stocked and i do feed them all well.
Ive done my own local collecting. My tangs love the seaweed you find by the beach and ive collected lots of snails. I could collect the spearing here too. Just need a net! Wish my buddys boat was working however i just got a few new leads on a motor for it!
Thanks for the help and advice everyone!

DgenR8 · #14 07/30/2006, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by cb747

I have 10 tangs- 3 wrasses the cardinal and The Regal in my reef. Plus various inverts. In the cube i have 2 tangs-- a niger trigger, some kind of toby and 4 of my hybrids. Im pretty heavily stocked and i do feed them all well.

You know I HAVE to tell you I believe you are "improperly" stocked. This is not the place for the debate, but I can't participate in this thread without acknowledging that.

Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming, already in progress..........
Local seaweed, depending on variety, has to be better for your herbivorous fish than nori. With a little luck, you can get some of that red stuff to grow in your 'fuge. Nutrient export, and free food.
I believe that you can find local sponge, which might really excite your Angel. Regals do eat sponge, don't they?

cb747 · #15 07/30/2006, 09:46 AM

I knew you were going to chime in and say that LOL Im an exception to the rule reguarding tangs. Ask anyone in the club that has seen my tank. Anyway enough debate :P
Ive collected the green seaweed thats all over. Kinda like sheets of floating green seaweed. Its really the only kind i see at the beach and when i first fed it it took the tangs a day to figure out what it was. Now they ravage it when i put it in the tank. They also love caulerpa so i dont ever have to worry about throwing any macro out from my fuge.
The Regal is eating mysis and krill so im pretty happy with that. They do eat sponges so if i see any i might just have to take them home