Make your own food?

[tgrover]

Does anyone have experience making their own coral and fish food?

Recipe suggestions?

[Myka]

Buy a bag of mixed seafood from the frozen section in the grocery store. I think it's a pound..? Put it in a blender on "chop" setting while still frozen. Put into Ziplock freezer bags, lay flat to freeze into thin plate. Voila! When I feed it, I break off a small chunk, thaw and rinse, add a few drops of Selcon and a drop of garlic extreme. I don't like mixing Selcon or garlic before freezing...too much guesstimating. By blending it frozen you avoid the no-no refreezing of food, but it still needs to be rinsed so I do that when I thaw each feeding.

I also feed a variety of prepared foods; PE Mysis mostly, some Marine Fusion, some bloodworms. As well as some flake.

[kien]

This is what I feed my tank (http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=483333&postcount=257)on a regular basis. Good for fish, LPS, SPS, inverts :)

I'm a proponent of varied foods too though so I'll also feed pellets, flakes, nori from time to time.

[tgrover]

wow, seems so simple. Are these recipes safe, for a newbie like me? What can I do wrong, meaning what will hurt the tank?

[kien]

Make sure you buy frozen UNCOOKED seafood :D

Also, as both Myka and I suggested, be sure to vary the diet of your fish. That is unless you have a tank of pure carnivores. Many fish are herbivores or omnivores which require a varied diet of more than just meat.

[tgrover]

Hey, Your post is great! I have a 75 gallon tank and it's pretty new (6 months) What portion sizes do you think I should freeze into? Your tank is pretty large and much more mature.

[kien]

Hey, Your post is great! I have a 75 gallon tank and it's pretty new (6 months) What portion sizes do you think I should freeze into? Your tank is pretty large and much more mature.

I would suggest taking a page from Myka's approach and freezing a sheet in a ziploc bag. That way you can vary your feed portions and see how much your fish will actually consume.

[Myka]

Can you safely operate a blender? If so, you're in business! :D

Seriously, the only thing you can really mess up is feeding food that has been thawed for too long, but you can do that with prepared foods too. Look on the label of the seafood and make sure there aren't any seasonings added. That's about it. Oh, and make sure it is raw seafood.

[Myka]

Hehe, oops I'm repeating what kien is saying! Posting at the same time.

Another idea is to save the plastic trays from the cubed prepared foods, and pour the food into those. I fill them up halfway so I can feed a half cube of my homemade food, and a slice a half cube of something else to mix in (usually PE Mysis).

[tgrover]

Good stuff, thanks alot. I'm still trying to figure out a way to portion the serving sizes.

did you guys see a big difference when you began making your own food?

[kien]

Good stuff, thanks alot. I'm still trying to figure out a way to portion the serving sizes.

did you guys see a big difference when you began making your own food?

A big difference in what way?

[tgrover]

Sorry... in the health of your tank

[Myka]

did you guys see a big difference when you began making your own food?

In the cost of food ya, but nothing else. I don't see any benefits, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. Who knows?

[tgrover]

it just seems to me to be more natural.

... just wondering would fresh seafood run the risk of contaminants?

[Coleus]

I tried Kien way and i made a mess so I just don't do it anymore :-)

[fencer]

Ask Michka

[whatcaneyedo]

I've followed these instructions in the past but I dont anymore for a number of reasons.

Do-it-Yourself Frozen Food
by Steven, Pro
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-01/diy/index.php

[Madreefer]

I too used to make my own as well but I tore up sheets of nori and added it as well. I dont mind buying food now. Much happier spending the money than having the head shaking and rolling of the eyes from my wife due to my poor cleaning skills. It's messy. She's happier too.