Let's Talk About Fish Food

[VsKitchen]

Hi Everyone!

Let's talk about fish food. There are so many products and types out there, so the possibilities for everyone's preferences are quite diverse. Are you mostly feeding flakes/pellets with extra treats? Are your extra treats often? Do your fish have a favorite treat? Do you generally only feed brine shrimp to get your fish in the mood for breeding? Have you found a favorite food to "perk up" your fish when they look like they need a bit extra or if they are healing from an injury? Do you make your own fish food?

 

[TerenceH]

I make my own mix from various brands.

I use Dainichi, NLS, Omega One and Ken's. I mix them all together pour some in a small airtight container that I keep beside my tanks. The balance is vacuum sealed and put in the freezer. The fish love to have a mix of all kinds of stuff. It almost seems like some prefer certain things over others. They all have great color and grow really well.

As a treat a few times a week I feed grindal worms. I culture about 6 small containers of them so I never have a short supply. Speaking of I need to go feed the worms. I feed them the same food the fish eat. Pumping them full of all those nutrients. They love it too. I generally just pick out the flakes and spurilina.

No problems with breeding they never stop.

 

[Madness]

I also mix several different pellet foods together. At least 8-10 diff brands. Once or twice a week I will feed freeze dried krill, plankton, shrimp, worms, mysis. I also give a treat of frozen blood worms, brine shrimp, mysis, krill. Yesterday some of them got lives night crawlers. And I have also made my own fish food, which I am going to make again this weekend. Haven t made any in about a year, so its time again.

To promote breeding? I guess all of what I feed works, my fish are always spawning.

 

[DMD123]

I feed pellets in the morning before work and then when I get home. I am using Omega One cichlid pellets in small, medium and large sizes with a small sinking in the mix. I also use the Omega One algae wafers. I give a treat at night usually bait type earthworms, night crawlers or a frozen bloodworm, brine shrimp or other. I also love to get a dozen or so live crickets and watch the feeding frenzy. They love the crunchy little things!

 

[Ratlova30]

So when I first started fish keeping everyone said Hikari was the best brand, has that opinion changed? So most of my foods are hikari brand but I do have a couple omega one foods too but mostly Hikari.

My goldies get fed either an algae wafer, piece of seaweed or some kelp flakes and then they also get some goldfish pellets. The rest of the fish are fed Hikari micro pellets, tiny pinch of flakes, some shrimp pellets, a tiny piece of algae disc is given(from the goldies wafer) and then every night I reach into the freezer and pull out whatever my fingers touch. Some times it's blood worms, mysis, brine, ect... and I melt one cube in a cup of water and disperse ot between all the tanks.

I usually buy all my non frozen food in tiny containers(except the goldfish)so that the food doesn't go bad before I can use it but I've got frozen food up the ying yang. I think if someone ever opened my freezers they'd be shocked by all the dead rodents(these belong to my snake medusa), worms and invertebrates that currently reside in it.

So I guess you could say I treat heavily as far as far as frozen foods go but the food they don't get as often is freeze dried tubiflex worms, mainly cause I never remember to give it to them So maybe I spoil my fish a little, they're good fish and shouldn't be forced to eat the same thing every day.

I would like to start making my own veggie puree for the goldies, not really a lot of frozen veggie food choice to buy.

 

[DMD123]

Hikari has got a lot of bad press because of the use of MSG in their fish foods. Does not mean it is a bad product or that there are even issues, just the public's perception.

I use Omega One because it is very reasonably priced if bought on-line and my fish took to it pretty quickly. I recently ran out of the Omega One algae wafers and got some Hikari instead. I could not even break these up, they were like rock. When I put them in the tank my pleco would not even go near them. The Omega One wafers easily break apart by hand and the pleco comes out as soon as they hit the water. Even my big Midas enjoys chowing on these from time to time.

Ive tried NLS also and its not a bad product but the increase in color with the exclusive 10 day feeding is kind of a joke. This is not a miracle in a jar, maybe over a longer extended period you will notice a difference but the whole 10 day thing (I followed to the letter, NO other foods were provided during that time) not believable. Otherwise good product that the fish seemed to take to pretty well but costs a bit more than the Omega One.

The product I really want to try is the Extreme Aquatics foods. I just cant get any sample product to try.

 

[Ratlova30]

I know what you mean about the hikari algae wafers, takes forever for them to soak but in the case of my goldfish it's actually kinda nice cause it keeps them occupied, they're constantly moving it around and eating it as it softens but as for smaller fish I can see why them soaking so slow can be sucky. But yeah I didn't know about the msg, the only bad juju I've heard about Hikari was the betta pellets, something about them changing the recipe and it not being as nutritious or something.

I just want to feed them the best,

 

[Adonijah]

My favorite food to feed hands down are earthworms. I love watching a male trying to pig out as every fish chases him trying to get the other half sticking out of his mouth. mmmmm carnage

 

[hobbyorobsession]

i feed a mixture of pellets and sticks to my bigger cichlids, along with some dither fry, my other tanks are all mostly fed micro worms that i grow or a mixture of algea disks, or plant matter that i grow in my other tanks in particular frogbit, my severems will eat the entire root structure of these plants and i can grow a tank full every other week so its a constant food source. i make sure that all my food does not contain any copper. all in all i guess i grow most my food

 

[DMD123]

Had to do it... must post pics



So here is the stuff I am currently using. Tried to take pictures of worms but they kept crawling out of the frame... :lmfao:

 

[Madness]

Well I just spent 4 hours making my own food, and now it is sitting in the fridge thickening. Tomorrow I will spread it out on cookie sheets and then back into the fridge. Sunday they will get scored and stuck in the freezer. Hopefully ready for fish to try Sunday night for dinner. unk:

 

[TerenceH]

How do you make your own food? what do you put in it?

 

[Ratlova30]

My best guess would be to blanch veggies and puree them slightly,

 

[DMD123]

madness and I were just talking about this the other evening. Most DIY recipes call for a gelatin to be used to hold all the items together. He made a batch without and it was messy but the fish loved it. Later he made another batch with the gelatin and they did not want it.

There are a lot of recipes out there and people use many different veggies, vitamins and meats. Look at what is found in fish foods and now imagine a mix of the real stuff, no processed stuff going on. You can use tilapia, shrimp, prawn, squid, beef heart, etc...

Madness will have to get on here and finish off with his recipe, but remember he is not responsible for what may happen.... :hugg: (He has a ton of breeding fish, so something is getting them in the mood, besides the water!)

 

[Madness]

madness and I were just talking about this the other evening. Most DIY recipes call for a gelatin to be used to hold all the items together. He made a batch without and it was messy but the fish loved it. Later he made another batch with the gelatin and they did not want it.

There are a lot of recipes out there and people use many different veggies, vitamins and meats. Look at what is found in fish foods and now imagine a mix of the real stuff, no processed stuff going on. You can use tilapia, shrimp, prawn, squid, beef heart, etc...

Madness will have to get on here and finish off with his recipe, but remember he is not responsible for what may happen.... :hugg: (He has a ton of breeding fish, so something is getting them in the mood, besides the water!)

OMG :affraid: :affraid: :affraid: :affraid: :affraid: You couldnt have hit the nail on the head any more directly. OK first a quick spawning update only cause'D' brought it up. Hogas, Carpintis, Zonatus, & Red Isletas all have free swimmers now. Just noticed that my WC white male Xilo has spawned with his new mate, a barred red Xilo. And just 15 min ago I noticed my female Festae laying eggs in the pot. Stupid B*****, the male is on the other side of the divider. DAH!!! So I quickly moved the divider in hopes that he will instantly get in the mood, (I mean hell, It works for us) :ihit: :ihit: :ihit: :ihit: So I guess we will see if it is successful.

As for the recipe of what I use. Well it all cost me 67$. The food should last a few months. Veggies are: spinach, green beans, peas, carrots, beats, zucchini.
Meats are: shrimp, prawns, clams, tilapia steaks, cod steaks, krill, scallops, squid, and beef heart.

Daily vitamins, vitamin c, fish pellets, whole garlic clove, and I think thats it.

 

[DMD123]

Hey what about that secret ingredient, you know those "special" little blue pills... the ones that put the fish in the mood.

 

[censeoflife]

I work with a couple of foods. NLS, HBH super soft for good staples. Brine shrimp with spirilina, Romian lettuce, seaweed paper for treats cause they get em on the regular. My fish er' Fat and Happy! )

 

[Madness]

Now the Dovii are spawning. Got to be the food or the water. Or both? :scratch:

 

[VsKitchen]

Very Interesting People!

Hobbyorobsession - kudos for growing your own food.

Madness - my vote is that it's in the food. So - is it the ratio? Or the content?

Who else makes thier own food? Either by growing it, mixing dry goods or mixing "from scratch"? And what is your favorite component of your mix?

 

[Madness]

Just fed my wonder food to my fish tonight for dinner. With mixed opinions from all of them. My Umbees looked like they didnt care for it. All the fry loved it. The 300 gallon had mixed reviews, and the parachromis tank along with the vieja/parachromis tank devoured it. My grow outs loved it also. My hoga and zonatus parents along with the isletas, xilos and devil parents, didnt eat it at all. And the festae grow out tank also had mixed reviews. But my sons African tank loved it. OOOPS did I say that last part?

But I figured it may be tough to get them all to accept something new and different. I think I will feed it at breakfast time also. They will learn to eat their vegetables.