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jagermaier
04-17-2013, 10:54 PM
Reading the thread about how to freeze homemade fish food made me think why haven't I tried this before? Does any of you out there want to share your secret recipes? A nice variety of recipes would be great info on here for all DIYers I would think. :smile:

daplatapus
04-17-2013, 11:59 PM
I recently found a 2kg Seafood medley pack at Safeway that has raw octopus, clam, shrimp, and it seems a couple other things that I can't remember for $6. The octopus was big chunks of meat and the other stuff was whole from what I could tell. Stuffed it all in the food processor and chopped it up frozen. It thaws a bit to kind of a jelly, then I pour/scrap it into a zip lock, flatten it out and freeze. To feed I break a piece off and thaw.
Next time I'll spend a bit more time and probably add cyclopeze, garlic, chopped nori etc.

jagermaier
04-18-2013, 12:06 AM
Awesome idea, I will check next time I'm at Safeway in the seafood section. Do you add Selcon or anything to enrich it with vitamins?

daplatapus
04-18-2013, 12:11 AM
I usually add selcon to the water I thaw the food in 2-3 times a week and Garlic the other days, switching back and forth.

slakker
04-18-2013, 12:22 AM
I get a medley pack and add selcon and spirulina...

jagermaier
04-18-2013, 12:25 AM
I was snooping around the internet and found this rather complex recipe...

http://www.jackofsometrades.com/files/FishFood.pdf

An interesting mixture for sure! :biggrin:

monocus
04-18-2013, 12:32 AM
the seafood melody has cooked clams and shrimp in it;which is why i never use it.i get all my shellfish from either the hanna supermarket in burnaby,the t&t in vancouver and any safeway(which usually has 2 for one sales on them)make sure that there is no additives in them.i use clams,green shell mussels,oysters,raw shrimp and prawns,dungeness crab,squid,and any leftover salmon trimming or other fish from dinner.i chop it coarse and fine with a knife as needed for a couple of days.my vegie mix i use 4-5 different norri and seaweed(dried not roasted and spiced)add in oyster eggs,selcon,spirenella,coral frenzy,roto rich,cyclop-eeze,a couple of different sheet algae,peas,carrot peelings,zuccini,etc. and purre it together.then put it into ziplock bags and freeze them flat

daplatapus
04-18-2013, 12:34 AM
I was snooping around the internet and found this rather complex recipe...

http://www.jackofsometrades.com/files/FishFood.pdf

An interesting mixture for sure! :biggrin:

Hmm, cool link. That'd feed my tank for 2 years, lol. Good blend though, seems fairly comprehensive.

daplatapus
04-18-2013, 12:37 AM
the seafood melody has cooked clams and shrimp in it;which is why i never use it.

The one that I had grabbed stated everything was raw, that's why I took it. I'd read somewhere that you shouldn't use cooked as well, although I'm not sure why.
I noticed on that link the guy steams his shrimp etc.

michika
04-18-2013, 12:43 AM
I don't really share my recipes, but I'll give you some tips that I wish I'd known before I'd started.

1) If you get frozen product soak it in RO/DI water and rinse it a few times. This helps wash off some debris, cleans your product to some extent, and down the road helps put less particulate and unseen pollutants into your tank.

2) Get a separate blender/food processor. I bought a cheap food processor at Canadian tire almost 7 years ago for $20...its still making fish food to this day. If your prep containers are plastic over time that fishy smell is going to stick to something, for my first blender it was the lid. If the smell gets in...it doesn't come out.

3) Target your fish. If you have lots of tangs and grazers consider adding foods like nori. Nori soaked in the delicious oils of mysis and other meats can be extra appealing for some fish.

4) Label your bags clearly. For example if you've added micro foods to your frozen mix, you may not want to 'rinse' your newly minted cubes too well as you might wash all the good stuff away. Write the date, contents and prep instructions on the baggy. There are many stories about people adding or nearly adding frozen foods to their own meals!

5) Try not to add in any extra water until the very end of your process, and only if you have to. I only add in RO/DI water when I do, and I find this helps with avoiding adding particulates like I mentioned above.

6) Not sure if you know or not, but wash your hands double well when working with worms, bloodworms, dark worms?, etc. They seem to very easily cause skin and eye irritation, and "man area" rashes. Something on their skin or they secrete it...either way soap is good.

Melev's Reef has a page (http://www.melevsreef.com/food.html) on making your own foods. A thumbs up for the addition of spirulina powder. Although I just get mine from the health food store bulk section.

I was snooping around the internet and found this rather complex recipe...

http://www.jackofsometrades.com/files/FishFood.pdf

An interesting mixture for sure! :biggrin:

My own is similar in complexity! Once you find a mixture you like you'll keep adding to it, tweaking it, and perfecting it. Although perfection is unattainable, and thus the process is unending. After a couple of years you get to be this complex. I use my frozen food as a vehicle to feed my clams, my corals, and it works, but it makes for some extensive combinations.

daplatapus
04-18-2013, 12:51 AM
They seem to very easily cause skin and eye irritation, and "man area" rashes.

EEP! Don't want to know how you know that... :D

jagermaier
04-18-2013, 01:11 AM
Great recipes and tips!! Anyone know where you can buy oyster eggs?

slakker
04-18-2013, 01:24 AM
I get mine from T&T as well... All raw. One thing I do is soak and re-soak a few times in RO DI water as some producers use preservatives, the one I get say is doesn't, but just in case...

You can use reef roids or coral frenzie if you want to add oyster egg, but it has other stuff in it too...

michika
04-18-2013, 01:44 AM
Great recipes and tips!! Anyone know where you can buy oyster eggs?

Online usually is where I get them. Last time I got them was from J&L I believe. Cost me a mint in shipping though.

It's one of those additives that I find I can take or leave if you have a replacement for it, such as AcanPlus, or an equivalent, depending what you're using the eggs for. Generally though I find it a very expensive additive that doesn't go that far for your buck. However I used to have a butterfly that loved the stuff and would go stupid for it, and thus making it worth the cost.


^^^ The read the label comment above is also super valid.

lngrhaul
04-18-2013, 02:37 AM
I also use the frozen seafood method. Blend it all up and then add rinsed mysis, cyclopeeze, coral frenzie and some nori. I don't blend the mysis as I like it the size it is.

My tank is big enough that I freeze in ice cube trays. No need to rinse again if you've rinsed the seafood and mysis before blending.

You can also add vitamins or garlic if you want.

I find making my own really cuts down on the cost of feeding as the other ingredients extend the mysis.

monocus
04-18-2013, 03:09 AM
i get my oyster eggs at j&l;you should see all the oysters,clams,mussles and scallops growing in my tank.either hitch hikers or from the oyster eggs