Ryan S March 14, 2012 Share March 14, 2012 I got my first fish this weekend, so it was time to take the plunge and make some homemade fish food. I will list below the step by step process I used to make it, as well as the ingredients and costs. The total time it took me from opening the packages to putting the zip lock bags in the freezer was 2 hours. And honestly, if you don't mind the mess and the smell, it's really quite fun to do. I think it would make a great project to share with a husband or wife who "wants to chip in" or even a child who wants to work with you. The page is going to be pic heavy, so give it some time to load fully. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them as well. As for what to include in the recipe, everyone is different. It also depends on what's in your tank. For example, do you have clams? Herbivores? Carnivores? Lots of SPS? etc. I recommend starting by researching the process and ingredients at various links such as Melevsreef here, or our own DIY listing here, or Chad's article in the newsletter here, to give you an idea of the process and types of ingredients you can use. I was able to make 5 1 gallon bags from the recipe below. The first thing you need is a food processor. I used to have a cheap walmart 1.5 cup food processor that I got for $14. I don't recommend this. It's too small, and the motor is only 70 watts. Instead, spend the extra money up front, and get a bigger food processor, such as this black and decker one I got from Target for $38 (I note it's only $31 online). It holds 8 cups and has a 450 watt motor. Much better for bulk food making! The next thing you'll need is zip lock bags. I recommend the bags with the pull zipper, not the kind you have to squeeze shut, this way you know it's sealed and can remove as much air as possible. (Vacuum sealed bags would be the best choice to prevent freezer burn the longest). It doesn't matter if you use 1 quart or 1 gallon bags, get whichever you prefer. Note that I grabbed these new zip lock bags with a bottom that expands at the bottom like a bag - this was a mistake. I don't recommend them. Get the normal flat kind yourself. After buying these 2 items, it was off to the grocery store. Super H Mart is the best store for nori / seafood, but I went to Shoppers this time, and have gone to Giant before, so any of them can work really. Grab a package of Nori, and look for a seafood medley in the freezer section. It's $5 for a mix of squid, shrimp, mussel, and oyster. I found out about this from melevs link above. Great value and works fine. You can do fresh too, but that will just cost more. Lastly, Shoppers had some seafood bags for $1 each, so that's why I grabbed the 2 additional scallop bags. Those aren't vital, but they were cheap so I tossed them in. Lastly, grab a crown or two of broccoli. Now you need to add the regular fish food. I'm a fan of ocean nutrition dry products such as formula one, formula two, and prime reef. I add one of each of those, flakes or pellets, doesn't matter which. If you have tangs, I recommend adding the different types of nori, including green, red, and purple as well. I went to Petsmart and grabbed a bunch of frozen food too, including mysis, brine shrimp, krill, etc. Finally, the last thing to get is supplements. Another personal preference here. You can see what I supplement below. I definitely recommend Garlic Power and Vitamins. I also like reef chili, reef snow, etc, which help feed all the corals at the same time as the fish. Mix everything together into a large container. It will look tasty: The put it into the food processor. You may have to do this a few times depending on how much food you are making. You want to chop it enough, but not too much. Your final product should contain tiny pieces and small chunks as well. This way you can feed corals all the way up to large fish with the same product. I add about 1/2 a cup of saltwater per chop-load to help it blend better and not dry (this will vary depending on how much dry food you use vs frozen food which is wet). Then put it into the ziplock bags and press the food flat. Don't overload the bags. I recommend a 1/4" thickness spread evenly in the bag. Try to get out as much air as possible once you've got it flattened. Then you freeze them and can start using them after 24 hours. How much you feed is based on your tank size and inhabitants, but start smaller than you think at first. A 1/2" x 1/2" chunk contains a lot more food that you might expect! These bags can last you months if you don't overfeed! My Initial Costs: Food Processor - $38 Ziplock Bags - $4 Julian Sprung's Seaweed - $15 Frozen Seafood - $7 Broccoli - $1 Store Nori - $2 Ocean Nutrition Dry Food - $20 6 Frozen Foods from Petsmart - $30 Supplements - $70 $187, $37/bag Cost next time (will be able to reuse food processor, ziplock bags, seaweed, supplements) Frozen Seafood - $7 Broccoli - $1 Store Nori - $2 Ocean Nutrition Dry Food - $20 6 Frozen Foods from Petsmart - $30 $60, $12/bag Total cost for first 10 bags = $247, $24/bag. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have. I expect each bag to last a very long time. I am guessing 3-4 months per bag. I believe DIY food is the best food you can use for a reef tank. It feeds everyone and provides so many different foods everyone gets their favorite food and is happy. And once you see how everyone reacts to the food, you'll know they love it. I believe the cost is really awesome too. If the bags last 3-4 months each, 10 bags would last 30-40 months, which breaks down to $6-$8/month for food costs. Lastly, I am not interested in making bags for money. If you want to save the work and grab a 1 gallon bag of awesome already made for you, send a PM to Jan, who offers the 1 gallon bags at $20 each, which is a deal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlem March 14, 2012 Share March 14, 2012 seems like you didnt use a lot of fresh sea food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S March 14, 2012 Author Share March 14, 2012 seems like you didnt use a lot of fresh sea food. I didn't use any. But you can definitely use it if you want. It's the same as frozen, just costs more. I got the substitution idea from melevsreef. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surf&turf March 14, 2012 Share March 14, 2012 Nice post Ryan, I got a bag of Jans last time and the fish love it!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S March 14, 2012 Author Share March 14, 2012 Nice post Ryan, I got a bag of Jans last time and the fish love it!!! It's awesome stuff. I'll never go back to flakes or pellets, that's for sure. This is much better for the tank and everyone is much happier with DIY over flakes or pellets! The only downside -- I wish there was a way I could auto feed my tank a tiny piece of this stuff, 2-3 times per day, via an eheim automatic feeder or something. Since I can't, I have the eheim automatic feeder drop pellets into the tank during the day, and I give them the frozen in the evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlem March 14, 2012 Share March 14, 2012 It's awesome stuff. I'll never go back to flakes or pellets, that's for sure. This is much better for the tank and everyone is much happier with DIY over flakes or pellets! The only downside -- I wish there was a way I could auto feed my tank a tiny piece of this stuff, 2-3 times per day, via an eheim automatic feeder or something. Since I can't, I have the eheim automatic feeder drop pellets into the tank during the day, and I give them the frozen in the evening. I do the same... auto feeder pellets and frozen whenever I can... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlem March 14, 2012 Share March 14, 2012 I didn't use any. But you can definitely use it if you want. It's the same as frozen, just costs more. I got the substitution idea from melevsreef. I do make my own. I just get 1-2lbs of all the fresh seafood at the korean market. usually $1-3/lb. I dont really use a lot, if any, of remade fish food, ie. pellets, supplements, etc. Just lots of fresh seafood (oysters, clams, fish, shrimps, anything I see really), dice garlics, a few cubes of bbs, bbbs, mysis (but not a lot), sushi Nori sheets (plain). But my main ingredients are the sea animals, I would say 85% of my ingredients. Usually it'll cost me about $50 and I make like 20 zip lock bags... Last me, hmm, 3-4 months, maybe more... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S March 14, 2012 Author Share March 14, 2012 I do make my own. I just get 1-2lbs of all the fresh seafood at the korean market. usually $1-3/lb. I dont really use a lot, if any, of remade fish food, ie. pellets, supplements, etc. Just lots of fresh seafood (oysters, clams, fish, shrimps, anything I see really), dice garlics, a few cubes of bbs, bbbs, mysis (but not a lot), sushi Nori sheets (plain). But my main ingredients are the sea animals, I would say 85% of my ingredients. Usually it'll cost me about $50 and I make like 20 zip lock bags... Last me, hmm, 3-4 months, maybe more... the next time i do it, i may hit up the super h-mart down the road and add more fresh seafood to the mix. it couldnt hurt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlem March 14, 2012 Share March 14, 2012 (edited) the next time i do it, i may hit up the super h-mart down the road and add more fresh seafood to the mix. it couldnt hurt! Yep I think it's better since ocean fish naturally eats fish/oyster/clams/shrimps more than Nori/pellets/BROCCOLI/Garlic/mysis/bbs and so on. but everything helps tho Edited March 14, 2012 by hlem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan S March 14, 2012 Author Share March 14, 2012 Yep I think it's better since ocean fish naturally eats fish/oyster/clams/shrimps more than Nori/pellets/BROCCOLI/Garlic/mysis/bbs and so on. but everything helps tho Here is a good article on the various kinds of food, and what fish like, benefits of each, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlem March 14, 2012 Share March 14, 2012 Here is a good article on the various kinds of food, and what fish like, benefits of each, etc. Thanks, just finished reading the article... So basically, what I got was, use everything we both mentioned... lol... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaticmoon75 May 28, 2015 Share May 28, 2015 Hi Ryan. I know it's being a wile since you posted this but I'm thinking of doing it and wanted to know any updates an how much of this food you feed ??? Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquaticmoon75 May 28, 2015 Share May 28, 2015 Hi Ryan. I know it's being a wile since you posted this but I'm thinking of doing it and wanted to know any updates an how much of this food you feed ??? Thanks for the help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now