If you want fat happy fish, make your own food.

[Mr. Crabs]

I ran everything through a small food processor on blend and chop. I pressed the mash into large zip lock bags flat on a cutting board, then just freezed the bags. 4-5 hours later, I cut into squares and stuck the squares into a container and back in the freezer. It's great.

Day 2 and the fish are really loving it. All of them. It didn't turn into bit pieces that were too small at all. Perfectly bite sized and none of it is refused. My Majestic would pick what he liked in the past, and most of it was flake. Now he eats all the good fresh seafood and he doesn't discriminate on what he wants. I have a feeling that I will be rewarded with growth and better color fish.

I put off doing this for the longest time and I can honestly say I will never buy prepared frozen food again. It's just not worth it and this is too easy.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Another convert! And it was so simple. I use to have to work to keep my tangs fat, now it's simple.

 

[Coel]

Where do you get your garlic extract?

 

[Gregcoyote]

I buy it from BRS. Should be handled with care...it really stinks.

 

[Gboy66]

I buy it from BRS. Should be handled with care...it really stinks.

Haha agreed, can you use the pure garlic that is mashed up in a jar and found at a grocery store?

 

[Gregcoyote]

I'm not sure. It would seem it would be okay...but I don't know if they do something special to prepare the extract. In any event, I would not want to prepare this stuff in my kitchen. My wife loves the reef, but this would be too much.

 

[Mr. Crabs]

Speaking of stink...

Anyone notice that Prime smells like skunk butt?

 

[NicoleIsStoked]

Speaking of stink...

Anyone notice that Prime smells like skunk butt?

Yep. It's sulphur. I used fresh mashed garlic to feed my fish this week. Took two whole days and a water change for the main level of my house to stop smelling like a salami burp.

 

[Gboy66]

Hi im doing this today. Could anyone give me an actual recipe? Some numbers of how much to add of what? I dot want to buy too much/too little

 

[sanchezkk]

That would also help me.

 

[Mr. Crabs]

Don't mean to step on Greg's toes but I did:

(For the sake of availability)

All Fresh
2 Scallops
2 Oysters (Shucked from the shell)
2 Clams (Freshwater in shell)
3 Raw Shrimp (The big 'uns)
1 sheet of Nori (Seaweed You can get it at Wegman's in the Asian Isle)
2 Squid

I ran it through a food processor and added tap water until it was a thick paste. Don't want it runny. I tossed the goo into 3 big Zip lock bags and flattened them out with a cutting board pressed to them (About an 1/8th of an inch thich). I froze the bags laying them flat in the freezer for 6 hours then cut the sheets into 2 inch squares and put the squares into a tupperware container and back into the freezer. I feed 3 x's a day and my fish are FAT after 3 weeks......and in a good way. They love it. Cheap and better than the stuff you overpay for at the fish store just like Greg said. Fish colors are bright as all get out and I think it will up their immunities as well. It's irresistable. I was admiring my fish today because of the effects of the nutrition in such a short period of time. Thaw in a shot glass of tank water before you feed first.

 

[Gregcoyote]

Don't mean to step on Greg's toes but I did:

(For the sake of availability)

All Fresh
2 Scallops
2 Oysters (Shucked from the shell)
2 Clams (Freshwater in shell)
3 Raw Shrimp (The big 'uns)
1 sheet of Nori (Seaweed You can get it at Wegman's in the Asian Isle)
2 Squid

I ran it through a food processor and added tap water until it was a thick paste. Don't want it runny. I tossed the goo into 3 big Zip lock bags and flattened them out with a cutting board pressed to them (About an 1/8th of an inch thich). I froze the bags laying them flat in the freezer for 6 hours then cut the sheets into 2 inch squares and put the squares into a tupperware container and back into the freezer. I feed 3 x's a day and my fish are FAT after 3 weeks......and in a good way. They love it. Cheap and better than the stuff you overpay for at the fish store just like Greg said. Fish colors are bright as all get out and I think it will up their immunities as well. It's irresistable. I was admiring my fish today because of the effects of the nutrition in such a short period of time. Thaw in a shot glass of tank water before you feed first.

No problems...it would be like me saying I have the only recipe for a cheeseburger.
I feed mine in a clip contained by a piece of mesh. I want it to thaw slowly as the fish like to rip it apart. More food seems to go into the fish and not the rocks.

3x a day seems a bit much, your fish have hit the jackpot. I guess your organics levels are okay. It is better to feed tiny bits more often in the day than large feedings I think.

I also feed my tangs dried sea weed and romain lettuce. Wondering which has the best food value to the tangs.

 

[mwilliams]

I think I'll give it a try. I'm kind of sick of having 5 different frozen packs and multiple cans of different dried foods.

I hope the wife doesn't kick up a fit over the smell. It has to stink like all get out when you're playing chef.

Good idear.

It does kind of smell and yes my husband pitches a fit when I make my fishes food and I use a rolling pin to flatten mine out in the ziploc bags just leaving a small openen so the air can get out once done then I close it and lay it flat in the freezer. When ready to use I break off small chunkd and thaw it in tank water and feed. My fish are very fat..

 

[Mr. Crabs]

Yeah, I have a large skimmer and the water goes from food cloud to clear in less than 10 minutes--lots of water movement. I have a couple butterflies and anthias that really need frequent feedings, otherwise they get thin and complacent.

 

[Gregcoyote]

I started doing this with fresh water fish when I had a small hatchery for tropicals. We did it to save money. But in the end, my fish are fat and healthy, which in turn allows them to remain calm and disease free.

 

[Tkh]

Great info here, hopefully it gets bumped often! How big are the squids you have in your recipe? 2 squids in my mind would be, um huge relative to the rest of the recipe...

 

[Mr. Crabs]

They are small. Looks like the same squid usd for bait. But fresh though. They are maybe about 5 inches. Funny you mention the squid part. My Chevron Tang bit off a piece of squid that was a little bigger than it could handle. He didn't give up and it got caught on his bristleteeth and swayed from the side of his mouth for a day. Serves him right. He eventually took care of it, but he was everyone's best friend for a day with 3 fish chasing him as if they were playing a game of "Keep Away". Too funny. Had to be there.

 

[Tkh]

Hahaha, sounds like fun times for the fish! Thanks for clarifying the size of the squid by the way... I was thinking squid steak size...

 

[Horsegirlmaddy]

Anyone have a similar recipe for freshwater? This sounds fantastic for saltwater, but now I want to feed it to all my freshwater fish too! Where do you get squid?? I've heard it's a very popular marine food

 

[Gregcoyote]

Anyone have a similar recipe for freshwater? This sounds fantastic for saltwater, but now I want to feed it to all my freshwater fish too! Where do you get squid?? I've heard it's a very popular marine food

Sea food counter at the grocery store.