How long can frozen food be left to thaw out?

[swifty]

I'm dealing with a stubborn flowerhorn right now, so I've been thinking of feeding frozen until he gains some size where starving him to get on pellets wont hinder his growth.

I wanted to thaw out a cube in a cup of water (as I always do with any frozen food) and feed him from it throughout the day, since a single cube for him at his current size would be too much.

Could I leave the cup out or would I have to refrigerate it? I'm guessing as long as I feed the whole cube within 24 hours it's fine?

 

[Mebbid]

Just keep it in a plastic condiment bottle. You can thaw enough out for a few days and squirt it into the tank. It will have to be refrigerated. Any more than 4 hours or so and bacteria takes over in the food.

 

[swifty]

Ah just as I had hoped. Thanks for the tip!