DIY Food

RiddleEagle18 · 07/18/2012, 02:25 PM

In an effort to get some new threads going on the TBRC board here is another new one with somewhat local ties.

I am an over feeder. There I said it. I feel so much better now. Even though my tank is only 5 months old and in a somewhat normal algae cycle I feel like a majority of it is due to my overfeeding of phosphate rich dry foods. Frozen food is expensive so here is my DIY.

I picked all of this up at publix(except my leftover mysis) for less than $10.

I found this next to the seafood counter in the freezer. It has calamari, octopus, mussels, and shrimp. $3.99. I picked of the nori from the seafood counter for $2.

I used a food chopper to smash the pieces up into bite size goodness.

I chose not to use the blender because I didnt want to accidentally puree the mixture. I left the entire bag out as I chopped but found that as the larger pieces thawed they didnt cut well. I suggest only taking a little bit out of the freezer at a time and chopping while it is good and frozen. I sliced the nori by hand and added it to the mixture. I also added 1 clove of garlic. A bit of RODI and here is the results.

It made a thick gallon bag full of food that should last for a long time. I fed a little to the fish to try it out, and got a feeding response like I have never seen before.

Is anyone else doing this. Where are you getting your supplies?

jcoll · 07/18/2012, 02:32 PM

Hmmmm I think I am actually going to try this probably add some selcon to the mixture do like that I don't have to wait for it to soak up

stepnic2 · 07/18/2012, 02:36 PM

I did it about a year ago, and the fish loved it!

RiddleEagle18 · 07/18/2012, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcoll

Hmmmm I think I am actually going to try this probably add some selcon to the mixture do like that I don't have to wait for it to soak up

I probably should have added some vitamins.

cfredallen · 07/18/2012, 02:43 PM

you will want to make sure the stuff from the grocery store does not have any preservatives. Even some of the stuff from the "FRESH" seafood counter has preservatives. the preservatives can be bad for the fish.

BobbyV · 07/18/2012, 02:47 PM

Looks like a great idea, however I would freeze it in a few bags to make it lay thinner to be easier to break off manageable pieces when you are ready to feed. Thank you for the excellent step by instructions and pictures!

Mangodude · 07/18/2012, 02:56 PM

Did you rinse yours at all?

Been doing the same for over a year. i usually add some smaller whole fish from the oriental market to the mix (look like silversides). More garlic won't hurt either

I found that feeding the nori alot added a lot of phosphates. I would keep the nori out of the mixture and feed it seperate so you can control the amount of phosphates going in.

I have yet to try adding selcon to the mix..

RiddleEagle18 · 07/18/2012, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfredallen

you will want to make sure the stuff from the grocery store does not have any preservatives. Even some of the stuff from the "FRESH" seafood counter has preservatives. the preservatives can be bad for the fish.

well this may have just ruined it

It has Sodium triphosphate in it. I didnt even think of that.

RiddleEagle18 · 07/18/2012, 03:17 PM

Well I saw a few other DIY threads where they are using the exact same package with good results. Ill give it a try for a bit and post my results.

Mangodude · 07/18/2012, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiddleEagle18

Well I saw a few other DIY threads where they are using the exact same package with good results. Ill give it a try for a bit and post my results.

I switched to just buying the ingrediants seperate, found the squid to be a waste so I went with clams, scallops, shrimp, fish and octopus

RiddleEagle18 · 07/18/2012, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mangodude

I switched to just buying the ingrediants seperate, found the squid to be a waste so I went with clams, scallops, shrimp, fish and octopus

I noticed on the first try they didnt touch the squid very much. I will try that next time for sure.

josephv · 07/18/2012, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfredallen

you will want to make sure the stuff from the grocery store does not have any preservatives. Even some of the stuff from the "FRESH" seafood counter has preservatives. the preservatives can be bad for the fish.

Interesting what we will eat but are concerned about how safe it is to feed our fish.
If the fish food that we buy is presumed pure, maybe we should be eating that rather than human grade food.
Good lucl finding anything pure any more.

cfredallen · 07/18/2012, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by josephv

Interesting what we will eat but are concerned about how safe it is to feed our fish.
If the fish food that we buy is presumed pure, maybe we should be eating that rather than human grade food.
Good lucl finding anything pure any more.

We are much larger than the fish. To humans the preservatives are trace elements to fsh they can be a large dose. Kind of like giving adult medications to children.

That said will it realy hurt them? Not sure but wwould rather be safe than sorry myself.

TriggersAmuck · 07/18/2012, 05:30 PM

I've been making homemade food since about 2004, especially for my predators (Triggers/Angels/etc), and I have not seen any adverse affect on fish or corals. Having said that, I do have a very nutrient rich tank (focus is on the fish, who are very well fed, versus keeping pristine waters for corals) with some long hair algae. (Vinegar dosing and RowaPhos are doing a fair job at slowing this, but not perfect yet).

My method is to get individual foods from the seafood deli consisting of scallops, shrimp, saltwater white fish (no freshwater....doesn't make sense since it is not in their natural environment), mussels or clams occasionally (pain in the butt for little food mass), and then blend these in a blender, sometimes with Selcon, other times just straight. I then put them in small ziplock bags in really thin sheets to make it easy to break off small chunks and to prevent having to expose any more food than necessary while opening.

As I use other foods as well (Rods, mysis, cyclopeeze, nori, spirulina, Angel Forumula, New Life Spectrum pellets in a automatic feeder) I tend not to worry about supplementing this meat mixture too much, since I eventually soak all of this in Selcon. Call me a purist, but I don't use Garlic or terrestrial vegetables (brocolli/lettuce) in my feedings only because they are not present in the fish's natural environment. (Of course I may be missing out on certain substitutions as a result, but I think I am giving a fairly large variety).

josephv · 07/18/2012, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cfredallen

We are much larger than the fish. To humans the preservatives are trace elements to fsh they can be a large dose. Kind of like giving adult medications to children.

That said will it realy hurt them? Not sure but wwould rather be safe than sorry myself.

Sounds good to me. Lets all have a big mac. I think that would be considered an adult dose.

RiddleEagle18 · 07/18/2012, 06:07 PM

Good Ideas flowing. Thanks for all the replies.

07/18/2012, 02:25 PM	#1
RiddleEagle18 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Palmetto, FL Posts: 450	DIY Food In an effort to get some new threads going on the TBRC board here is another new one with somewhat local ties. I am an over feeder. There I said it. I feel so much better now. Even though my tank is only 5 months old and in a somewhat normal algae cycle I feel like a majority of it is due to my overfeeding of phosphate rich dry foods. Frozen food is expensive so here is my DIY. I picked all of this up at publix(except my leftover mysis) for less than $10. I found this next to the seafood counter in the freezer. It has calamari, octopus, mussels, and shrimp. $3.99. I picked of the nori from the seafood counter for $2. I used a food chopper to smash the pieces up into bite size goodness. I chose not to use the blender because I didnt want to accidentally puree the mixture. I left the entire bag out as I chopped but found that as the larger pieces thawed they didnt cut well. I suggest only taking a little bit out of the freezer at a time and chopping while it is good and frozen. I sliced the nori by hand and added it to the mixture. I also added 1 clove of garlic. A bit of RODI and here is the results. It made a thick gallon bag full of food that should last for a long time. I fed a little to the fish to try it out, and got a feeding response like I have never seen before. Is anyone else doing this. Where are you getting your supplies?

07/18/2012, 02:36 PM	#3
stepnic2 Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Tampa Posts: 182	I did it about a year ago, and the fish loved it! __________________ 125 gallon reef, Eschopps 150 skimmer, 50 gallon sump, 3 175 watt mh, 1/3 hp chiller, 58 gallon tank just recently set up. One cool wife. Current Tank Info: 125 gallon,45 gallon sump,eshopps 150 skimmer, ans so on,so on

07/18/2012, 02:47 PM	#6
BobbyV WTB Acropora Frags! Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Apollo Beach, FL Posts: 611	Looks like a great idea, however I would freeze it in a few bags to make it lay thinner to be easier to break off manageable pieces when you are ready to feed. Thank you for the excellent step by instructions and pictures! __________________ Very rewarding to think of a living reef with an array of contributing components gathered from all areas of our world, in which where we will never personally see at depths we will never go. Consolidated into a glass box plugged into your electrical outlet of your home! Just a great hobby. Current Tank Info: 300 DD Starphire, 3x TIR 1st Gen Radion, 2x MP60, SRO XP5000SSS w/ Cleaning Head & WC, CoralLife 36W Sterilizer, Neptune Apex w/WXM, Dart Gold, 30g Sump, GEO 818 w/AP Reg, Tunze ATO, 2x Ecotech Bats, GFO/Carbon. 120g Frag System w similar equipment.

07/18/2012, 02:56 PM	#7
Mangodude The Clown Tang Keeper! Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Brandon, fl Posts: 1,914	Did you rinse yours at all? Been doing the same for over a year. i usually add some smaller whole fish from the oriental market to the mix (look like silversides). More garlic won't hurt either I found that feeding the nori alot added a lot of phosphates. I would keep the nori out of the mixture and feed it seperate so you can control the amount of phosphates going in. I have yet to try adding selcon to the mix.. __________________ Eric Current Tank Info: 156g Iwagumi reef, 40g breeder frag tank

07/18/2012, 05:30 PM	#14
TriggersAmuck Premium Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Lutz, FL Posts: 754	I've been making homemade food since about 2004, especially for my predators (Triggers/Angels/etc), and I have not seen any adverse affect on fish or corals. Having said that, I do have a very nutrient rich tank (focus is on the fish, who are very well fed, versus keeping pristine waters for corals) with some long hair algae. (Vinegar dosing and RowaPhos are doing a fair job at slowing this, but not perfect yet). My method is to get individual foods from the seafood deli consisting of scallops, shrimp, saltwater white fish (no freshwater....doesn't make sense since it is not in their natural environment), mussels or clams occasionally (pain in the butt for little food mass), and then blend these in a blender, sometimes with Selcon, other times just straight. I then put them in small ziplock bags in really thin sheets to make it easy to break off small chunks and to prevent having to expose any more food than necessary while opening. As I use other foods as well (Rods, mysis, cyclopeeze, nori, spirulina, Angel Forumula, New Life Spectrum pellets in a automatic feeder) I tend not to worry about supplementing this meat mixture too much, since I eventually soak all of this in Selcon. Call me a purist, but I don't use Garlic or terrestrial vegetables (brocolli/lettuce) in my feedings only because they are not present in the fish's natural environment. (Of course I may be missing out on certain substitutions as a result, but I think I am giving a fairly large variety). Last edited by TriggersAmuck; 07/18/2012 at 05:40 PM.

07/18/2012, 02:32 PM	#2
jcoll Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Tampa, Florida Posts: 343	Hmmmm I think I am actually going to try this probably add some selcon to the mixture do like that I don't have to wait for it to soak up

07/18/2012, 02:43 PM	#5
cfredallen Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Clearwater, Fl Posts: 259	you will want to make sure the stuff from the grocery store does not have any preservatives. Even some of the stuff from the "FRESH" seafood counter has preservatives. the preservatives can be bad for the fish.

07/18/2012, 03:17 PM	#9
RiddleEagle18 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Palmetto, FL Posts: 450	Well I saw a few other DIY threads where they are using the exact same package with good results. Ill give it a try for a bit and post my results.

07/18/2012, 06:07 PM	#16
RiddleEagle18 Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Palmetto, FL Posts: 450	Good Ideas flowing. Thanks for all the replies.