Custom Fish Food

[msderganc]

So, I'm about to run out of frozen food, and I decided to make my own this time.

Goal: Create a well rounded fish food from as many fresh ingredients as possible. It must be able to feed a variety of fish with no other additives and promote long life, healthy growth and coloration. I'd like to also provide coral food simultaneously.

After doing a bunch of research, I'm planning on the following ingredients:

Proteins
Salmon
Shrimp
Octopus or Squid
Clams or Mussels
PE Mysis
Brine Shrimp
Silversides
Egg

Vegetables
Nori
Red Algae
Orange or Yellow Bell Pepper (Vitamin C)

Carotenoids
Spirulina Powder (Blue/Green color enhancing)
Lutein Powder (Yellow color enhancing)
Astaxanthin Powder (Red color enhancing)
Paprika (Orange color enhancing)

Coral Foods
Reef Chili
Coral Frenzy
Oyster Feast

Other Additives
Selcon
Probiotics (L. helveticus, L. rhamnosus, B. longum)
A few types of pellets (New Era, Coral Frenzy)

Method
I'm planning on chopping and pureeing the proteins to various sizes in order to feed fish varying from larger tangs and angels down to anthias. The vegetables will be chopped into small pieces. I'll then mix in the carotenoids, coral foods, selcon, pellets and probiotics and let the mixture sit in the fridge for 4-6 hours before freezing in cube sized pieces.

Questions

1. I was considering including Beta Glucans, but I've read that they should be cycled due to the immune system strain. Any suggestions one way or the other?
2. Am I missing any major items? Should I remove anything?
3. Are there any suggestions on ratios? I haven't quite figured that out yet.
4. I've purposely avoided garlic, as its long term effects are shown to be bad for fish. Any evidence to the opposite?

Thanks!

 

[Dmorty217]

You should avoid fish like salmon... Stick with white fish. Fish oil and krill oil and spirulina powders are all things that are easily available at health food stores and great for fish

 

[Dmorty217]

The marine fish health and feeding handbook, the essential guide to keeping saltwater species alive and thriving has a section on food mixtures and additives that you may find helpful.

 

[HPark]

Is the egg for texture?

 

[msderganc]

The marine fish health and feeding handbook, the essential guide to keeping saltwater species alive and thriving has a section on food mixtures and additives that you may find helpful.

Thanks, I'll try tilapia and check out that book!

 

[msderganc]

Is the egg for texture?

Yes, and carotenoids.

 

[Dmorty217]

Thanks, I'll try tilapia and check out that book!

I will save you some time but it's a Invaluable book to have IMO. As far as fish goes anything that's white, stay away from pink or red fish meat. Also be weary of Chinese origin fish, they are very much not regulated.

 

[msderganc]

Thanks for your help. I received the book today and made some changes to the recipe. I'll be making it tomorrow at some point, so I'll take some pictures and list the revised ingredients.

BTW - that book is a must have!

 

[Dmorty217]

Thanks for your help. I received the book today and made some changes to the recipe. I'll be making it tomorrow at some point, so I'll take some pictures and list the revised ingredients.

BTW - that book is a must have!

Yes it is. Best book you can have IMO

 

[msderganc]

Ok, so per some of the recommendations, the Marine Fish Health and Feeding Handbook, and what I could find at the store, here's my recipe:

Protein
3/4 lb Pacific Cod
1/2 lb Squid
1/2 lb Shrimp
1/2 lb Silversides
1/2 lb Mussels
1/4 lb Scallops

~6 oz PE Mysis
~2 oz Larry's Reef Frenzy (had it lying around)
3.5 oz Hikari Bloodworms
~5 oz Hikari Brine Shrimp
0.7 oz Hikari Freeze Dried Krill

Vegetables
3 oz of Green Nori
~4 tbsp Spirulina Powder

Carotenoids
~1 tbsp Astaxanthin liquid (from gelcaps unfortunately)
~2 tbsp Lutein powder
~2 tbsp Paprika

Additives
1/2c Boyd Vitachem
60ml Selcon
1.8g Probiotics
1 tbsp Reef Chili
1 tbsp Coral Frenzy

I blended the first set of protein ingredients to various size morsels. I then added the rest of the ingredients and mixed. I'm going to let it chill in the fridge overnight, and package it up in cubes tomorrow. I might add some more Nori before I freeze. The total yield was ~5 lbs food, with no water added.

I figure this will approximately 4-5 months (3-4 cubes/day) and total cost was ~$60 or so (I had a lot of the ingredients lying around already, and have some extra for the next batch). Plus, from everything I've been able to find, this is one of the highest quality foods out there.

I tested a bit, and the fish reacted like nothing else I've tried (LRF, Rod's, Hikari, etc). I have a new blenny in QT that hasn't eaten for a couple days who came right out and ate. The fish in my DT went crazy as well. No cloud in the water at all.

 

[Dmorty217]

Good to hear the fish love the food! You will have to let us know how much "work" actually will go into making this food... That's what has held me back from doing this myself. I know another on here (Rea17) she also made food back a few months ago but she said it was very messy and ALOT of work but on the flip side I think she was sable to make up food for well over a yrs worth

 

[snorvich]

Sounds like an excellent recipe. And if the fish love it, you have it made. Hope the labor is not too intensive. Cost is less than commercial available stuff.

 

[JoshuaG]

I saw what kind of Probiotics you used but where did you get them from and what brand?

 

[msderganc]

Good to hear the fish love the food! You will have to let us know how much "work" actually will go into making this food... That's what has held me back from doing this myself. I know another on here (Rea17) she also made food back a few months ago but she said it was very messy and ALOT of work but on the flip side I think she was sable to make up food for well over a yrs worth

So, all in all, it took me about an hour with a good food processor. The messiest part was the gelcaps, because you have to clip off an end and then squeeze the liquid in. I still haven't been able to find Astaxanthin powder anywhere cheaply though.

I honestly thought it was really easy. I knew I wanted about 1/4 tiny pieces, 1/2 small and 1/2 medium, so I just threw in about 1/4 first, pulsed a couple times, then the small, then the medium. Chopped up the Nori with a knife and dumped it in, along with the premade frozen cubes and other additives, mixed it up with a spoon (not the processor blade). Done.

 

[msderganc]

Sounds like an excellent recipe. And if the fish love it, you have it made. Hope the labor is not too intensive. Cost is less than commercial available stuff.

Thanks! Coming from you, that means a lot.

Yeah, much less, and hopefully better for the fish.

 

[msderganc]

I saw what kind of Probiotics you used but where did you get them from and what brand?

I bought them on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Essential-Pro...-Lactobacillus-Bifidobacterium/dp/B001CZML22/

They come as capsules, so you have to open the caps and dump the powder in. I used about half the bottle for this batch.

A little expensive, but I've read a study or two recently about the profound effect of probiotics on fish.

 

[msderganc]

That's a picture of most of the ingredients. I also put in some pellets (about half a cup of New Era and 1/4 cup of Reef Frenzy) last minute before freezing.

I chose to go with mini ice cubes instead of just flat packs to help standardize feeding. It was a little messy, but I found that with a spatula you could load up the trays pretty easily. One word of warning: if you do it this way, make sure you tap the trays for bit before freezing, then top off the tray again. You'll tend to get air pockets if not.

So I have the last batch freezing in the mini ice cube trays right now. The recipe yielded ~810 cubes, or enough for about 200 days of feeding 4 cubes per day.

 

[erictorres0311]

just what i was looking for ima give it a try thanks

 

[msderganc]

just what i was looking for ima give it a try thanks

Glad I could help, let me know how it turns out.