Amanda

I want to start making my own food for my cichlids, but I need recipes!
Also, I have a few questions-
1. When I thaw it out, isn't it kinda soupy? How will the fish eat it?
2. Would I be able to use a sea food mix (mussel, octopus, shrimp, etc.) from Wal-Mart? It's cheap, but can my FW fish eat SW food?

aquarist48

Homemade Frozen Food Recipes?
Hello Amanda. This thread may help you. Too, don't forget to check the fish food section of the forum.
Have a great weekend!
Ken

Shawnie

my recipe for my cichlids is this..(although it changes if I have something different for dinner ..but you can get the idea LOL)
veggies (carrots, zuchinni, squash, peas, spinach)
fresh fish (crab legs, shrimp, haddock, salmon) without any oils
fresh beef heart
spirulina flakes or powder
one a day vitamin
omega one flakes
hikari pellets

all mixed in a blender (make sure you have your own fish food blender in case you have residue leftover hahah..not good on human food)

add plain gelatin with equal parts of water...freeze in the small ice cube trays..take out whatever needed at t he time

some members ive talked to are not a fan of the gelatin but ive used it for a few years with no problems..if you want to skip the gelatin, you can take th e mixture and pour it into a scramble egg mixture so you have some harder consistency for when you add it to the tank....

Amanda

So basiclly, whatever seafood I could find, any veggies I can find, and then add a one-a-day vitamin? This could be fun, lol.
The only part I can't wrap my mind around is what the consistancy is when I add it to the tank. Won't it just fall apart if I freeze it & then thaw it out?

Ahhh....that makes sense. Blonde moment!!
One more question - should I really blend them up so that they're a soup, or should I leave it chunky?

Shawnie

I leave it a little chunky blondie LOL but not huge pieces...and dont attempt broccoli.the small green parts seem to float forever once they tear apart the food...

Amanda

Alright, no broccoli, and no corn - I read that in the other thread Ken gave me.
I don't think I'll have time this weekend, but I'll def. make it this week sometime.

Shawnie

oops ya veggies with a ton of sugar arent good....and whatever you do, DO NOT forget the plain gelatin..been there did that and can you say mud puddle? LOL

Amanda

lol, thanks everyone!!

Slug

Sounds like a good recipie above. Pretty much everything I use. Sometimes you can find liquid vitamins and its a little easier to get into a mix.

Also, don't thaw it out all the way, heck i don't even thaw mine. I break some pieces off and throw them in the tank, the warmer water thaws them and the fish can pick at it, much like a cube of bloodworms. I blend it into a chunky paste then freeze it in ziploc bags. Once frozen, or mostly frozen i chop it up into cubes and store in another ziplock bag in the freezer. Then all i have to do is grab a cube or two and throw it in.

Usually shrimp holds mixes together quite well, but gelatin works too. If your fish don't mind it a very ripe (black/brown) banana thrown in holds the mix together too.

Be sure to keep up on your WCs, as these ingredients will break down really fast in your tank. Specifically the beefheart and seafood. You want to be sure not to let leftovers sit in the tank to long

You are going to trim the beefheart right? Just make sure to get most of the fat and veins that you can see out.

Amanda

I made my fish food today!
I used a fresh seafood mix sold at Wal-Mart (crab, squid, octopus & shrimp), veggie flakes, zucchini & plain gelatin.
I hope it comes out okay!

Slug

Let us know how it works! I've been told Squid and Octo meat can be quite tough. Interested to see how you liked using it and how the fish take to it. Also would like to know how it holds up in water.

Good luck! Its all a learning process and you can always doctor the recipe!

Amanda

oh god, they were so TOUGH to cut up!! It was kinda gross, but we'll see how the Oscar piggies like it!

Amanda

Well, the Oscars seem not to care how tough the squid & octopus are!! rofl
They LOVE their new food!