Ed Reef's Shallow Crest Inspired ART

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by elijaher
I agree well done on the direction tank going. Sorry with equipment failure.

Thanks elijaher - yeah my old thread and this new thread is full of equipments failure

[Ed Reef]

As I’m starting to stock up on fin friends, I decided to share ‘Ed’s Reef Yummy Fish Food’ homemade recipe and process, for the benefit of those who missed it in my old thread…


Below is the recipe I use, which I got from somewhere (can’t remember as it’s been a while now) and tweak it accordingly…. Suitable for all Tangs, Angels, Butterflies, Triggers, Wrasse, just to name a few.



Recipe:

• 4 ounces peeled fresh shrimp
• 2 ounces mollusks (clams, mussels, oysters, etc. - the bloodier, the better...live is even better)
• Fish roe
• 2 ounces seaweed or algae (spinach can be used if you can't find the seaweed)
• 1 packet gelatin dissolved in 2 ounces warm RO/DI water (can used distilled water as well)
• Fresh Garlic Juice


Optional Premium Add-ons:

• 2 table spoon of frozen Oyster eggs

[Ed Reef]

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTION


Step 1:
Cut some white egg crate to size of your ice tray (size will depend on your size of your freezer compartment as obviously it must fit.


Step 2:
Soak and wash egg crate for a few days in RO/DI water.


Step 3:
Prepared raw materials in accordance to the recipe. Thaw and wash them thoroughly using RO/DI water.




Step 4:
Place all raw materials into blender. (Best time to do this is when wife is not home for those who is married)




Step 5:
Mince them really really fine and add in 2-table spoon Oyster eggs (this is optional)





Step 6:
Dissolved 1 packet gelatin in 2 once warm RO/DI water and continue to blend the seafood




Step 7:
Place blend seafood mix into a piping bag (you can used a plastic bag with the end cut off as piping bag)





Step 8:
Cover base of ice tray with a plastic wrap and place egg crate over ice tray and fill mince seafood mix into egg crate using the piping bag. (Make sure the plastic wrap is large enough to wrapped over the egg crate later)






Step 9:
Once filled, use the base of a spoon or the blunt end of a knife to smoothen over the egg crate.

[Ed Reef]

Step 10:
Cover egg crate over in the plastic wrapped and place in freezer compartment




This is how it should look like:




Step 11:
Once frozen, remove from egg crate and you should get cute little green cubes of fish food.






Step 12:
Keep the green cubes in plastic containers or zipper bags to avoid cross contamination in your freezer and it’s ready for used.





Step Final:
And finally and the most important step of all - get rid of all evident before wife gets home (for those who is married)



Good thing we hotels have huge walk-in freezers so I can easily place those trays in there as it won’t fit my domestic home freezer. Each time I make enough food to last me for three to four months.


Hopefully my Chefs don’t mistaken it for some new snack menu and start serving it to my guests as canapés……



NOTE: As we are a certified HACCP and ISO14001 hotel, I guess that means this fish food are also made in-line with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) standards.

[Gen21]

Hi Ed...

I saw that you're using a recipe for all your fish and Im sure the corals eat too.. but.. my question is.. do you think this kind of home made food is heavy in proteins?¿ you know that could generate some PO4 or NO3 if you feed more than enough...

Thanks.

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by Gen21
Hi Ed...

I saw that you're using a recipe for all your fish and Im sure the corals eat too.. but.. my question is.. do you think this kind of home made food is heavy in proteins?¿ you know that could generate some PO4 or NO3 if you feed more than enough...

Thanks.

All food (home made or manufacture) produce NO3/ Po4 if overfeed. However in home made food, we can control the quality and also reduce the amount of PO4 in the food that goes into the water.


All manufacture food contain high PO4.......


As long as you don't overfeed your fishes, you should be fine.

[Ed Reef]

After a couple of e-mails exchange with Anton, he is sending replacement for the plastic body replacement.


Now things can go wrong in this hobby but when you have great customer service to support, that became no issue as Anton originally wanted me to send back the whole pump to inspect as he was curious as this is the 1st pump he made that had this issue but after I told him the amount it will cost me to send it back to Austria, he immediately told me not to send and instead he will send the plastic body replacement.


As we speak, it’s being shipped now from Austria and should be here next week


Thumbs up for Anton…!!


Meanwhile, I swap around my IceCap ballast and found out that it's not the ballast problem but something else. I'm getting my electrician over today to see if it's the timer issue or somehow the wiring have some problems

[arctictwist]

wow, ed great write up on the home made food. i may use your recipe! is it good for all fish? do you add anything else to feed corals?

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by arctictwist
wow, ed great write up on the home made food. i may use your recipe! is it good for all fish? do you add anything else to feed corals?

The recipe should be good enough for all fishes (large/ small/ herbivorous/ carnivorous) and corals too...

Each time I feed the fishes, all my corals goes crazy as well.....

[ksed]

Ed

Do you throw the frozen cubes right in the tank water or do you let it thaw first?

Being that you blend it so fine when you put it in the tank doesn't it just float away?

Thanks

Kevin

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by ksed
Ed

Do you throw the frozen cubes right in the tank water or do you let it thaw first?

Being that you blend it so fine when you put it in the tank doesn't it just float away?

Thanks

Kevin

I usually thaw it the night before in the fridge.

No worries on it floating away as usually the fishes will grab mouth full before that happens. Also those that float away is easily capture by my corals and the rest is skimmed out....


The gelatin also help to hold it together....

[ksed]

Thanks Ed

I forgot to mention how much garlic do you use , I dont want to kill anything with it.

[Jflip2002]

Im curious what purpose the gelatin serves. Great idea with that egg crate.

[arctictwist]

to help hold it together.

[Jflip2002]

Kinda weird... The eggcrate holds it together, and once it hits the water, I wouldnt think itd need to be held together.

[Ed Reef]

Just a few cloves....IME, garlic won't kills anything. Just build appetite...!!

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by Jflip2002
Im curious what purpose the gelatin serves. Great idea with that egg crate.

Without the gelatin, the food will not hold together

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by Jflip2002
Kinda weird... The eggcrate holds it together, and once it hits the water, I wouldnt think itd need to be held together.

You do need it to be held together as once the fishes start to tear them apart will they slowly break apart.

Like a jello....

[lastlight]

I'm not sure what the wife's going to think of tossing all that into our blender but I fully intend to give this a shot. Thanks for taking the time to share!

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by lastlight
I'm not sure what the wife's going to think of tossing all that into our blender but I fully intend to give this a shot. Thanks for taking the time to share!

Please refer to Step 4


'Best time to do this is when wife is not home for those who is married' part.......


Plus heeeey it's good quality food we use

[JCR's Reef]

Great write up ED and thanks for sharing. Does you skimmer go nuts with the gelatin additive?
Also curious, do you ever soak your foods in selcon or any other vitamins? I ask because frozen foods loose nutritional values.

[edandsandy]

Once again, you have out done yourself.
Great step by step instructions.
I wonder if I can talk Ed into making fish food now!

What flavored gelatin do you use?

Shrimp head, fish head or squid head

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by JCR's Reef
Great write up ED and thanks for sharing. Does you skimmer go nuts with the gelatin additive?
Also curious, do you ever soak your foods in selcon or any other vitamins? I ask because frozen foods loose nutritional values.

Glad you like it.... no, my skimmer skims as 'normal' during feeding time (as all skimmers, goes a little nuts but for any feeding, not just with gelatin)


I don't soak food in selcon or any vitamins as I used top quality fresh products so don't see the needs to. However, I've known friends who does that (so I guess it's optional) but IMO only food with low nutrient will need to be soak

[Ed Reef]

Originally posted by edandsandy
Once again, you have out done yourself.
Great step by step instructions.
I wonder if I can talk Ed into making fish food now!

What flavored gelatin do you use?

Shrimp head, fish head or squid head

Just the normal food gelatin you get in supermarket


I like to used home-made food as pellets and other off the shelves frozen I've used always give me issue (remember my old thread when I went for vacation and came back to a high PO4??)

[elijaher]

Nice recipe for the fish and the corals. How many cubes do you feed them? And how often?