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Tank Food Recipes


BeltwayBandit

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I have taken various tank food recipes from other posts on the boards and consolidated them in one place.

 

Attributed to Eric (Borneman?):

As promised, here is my recipe for coral chow - with a bit of a preface.

 

I rarely have or use all of the ingredients listed, and I don't think it will make a difference over the long term. I also use this, or a variation of it, for my homemade fish food (I leave the fish food chunker and add various algae). Basically, I either use what is left over from the last round of food-making, or I go to a few stores and get whatever they might have at the time. I feed this to the tank at night, generally, and would add that for some of the ingredients, I have no idea if they have any specific role. Its just what I have done before. I have also changed a bit with some other foods now available (since I have written this last time)

 

I try to get a mix of particle sizes involved to accomodate not just all sizes of polyps, but also feed other inverts that filter feed.

 

Fresh seafood:

 

Some combination of the ingredients below and it makes up a relatively small percent of the total - maybe 10-20%?

 

shrimp (I squeeze the heads and usually use the "meat" in the fish food)

oysters - blend well and may have Vibriostatic properties

various other shellfish (mussels, clams, periwinkles, etc. - the bloodier, the better...live is great (shucking sucks but gives a good final product)

Fish roe (sometimes available at Asian markets)

 

 

Frozen foods

 

This makes up perhaps 20-30% of the mix - some are from an aquarium store, some from the grocer

 

Artemia - adult

Artemia nauplii (baby brine shrimp) (enriched, if possible)

Mysid shrimp

Sea urchin roe

Flying fish roe

 

Dried Aquarium Foods

 

this makes up the majority of my mix - probably 40%

 

Golden Pearls - all sizes available, but a majority of the smallest size

Cyclop-Eze

VibraGro

Powdered marine flake

 

Phytoplankton

 

makes up maybe 2% of mix or less?

 

Tahitian Blend (I use DT's seperately)

 

Supplements

 

makes up maybe 2-5% of mix?

 

Super Selco ( a big squeeze)

Sea Green Vitamin supplements - various brands, powdered, from Whole Foods market

 

I have also been known to add Echinacea capsules, the skins of colorful vegetables and fruits, various pigment complexes of carotenoids, etc. and/or antioxidants from Whole Foods market.

 

In terms of preparation, I puree the solid seaoods, mix in the frozen ingredients, soak the dry/powdered ingredients in the wet ingredients, combine them all together and let them sit for a few hours, and then freeze them into small flats in ziplocs in the freezer. I usually wind up with about 50.00 in foods per batch and make about a gallon or so of food that lasts a couple or more months.

 

SPH2Sail:

1 whole mackeral

2 chunks of rockfish

1 octopus

10-14 large shrimp no heads/tails, partially skinned

12 oysters

12 oz mussels

8-10 scallops

2/3 bag chopped roasted seaweed

1/2 small bottle Selcon

"sushi eggs" aka fish roe

Quarter block Cyclop-eeze

Golden Pearls

Freeze dried krill

8 large cubes brine shrimp

Quarter block large frozen mysis shrimp (also from brineshrimpdirect but it's not on their website)

Tahitian Blend

3-4 tiny spoons of ESV freeze dryed plankton

1/8th bottle DTs

 

Michael G:

1 fish fillet (preferably white fish)

10-14 large shrimp

oysters

clams

3 different types of flake foods (formula 1+2+3)

spirulina flakes

about 1/2 cup of specttrum pellet food

2-3 sheets of nori

3-4 squirts of nultivitamins for children

2-3 squirts of selcon

60-80 cc of garlic extract

half teaspoon of shreded garlic

one large krill frozen pack

one large brine shrimp packet

one large mysis shrimp packet

one frozen pack of blood worms

one frozen pack of octopus

3-4 tiny spoons of ESV freeze dryed plankton

just about anything else I may find or have on hand

 

The best thing to do is to go to the fish market and get all the fresh stuff at once and bring it home. The frozen foods can be obtained in the LFS. This stuff will make thick mud and will last well over 6 months when frozen. I suggest you freeze it in thin sheets rather than stuff the zip lock bags because it will take forever to thaw out if you don't. Good luck.

 

(Another) Eric B's recipe:

 

** a whole fresh sea fish

*** 10 whole shrimp - I squeeze the heads

*** 1 pound fresh mussels - cracked and scraped out

*** 1 pound fresh clams including clam juice

1 8 oz container fresh oysters

1-2 fresh or frozen squid, whole

1 package frozen sea urchin cubes

*** 1 12 oz package artemia (brine shrimp, frozen), thawed

6 types of dried seaweed Nori, Wakame, Hijiki, Dulse, Ano, etc.) - available at Whole Foods market, health food stores, Asian markets.

about 2 g. powdered sea greens/antioxidants or immune boost complex

2 tbsp. marine flake

2 tbsp. VibraGro

2 tbsp. powdered spirulina

1 tbsp Super Selco

 

optional - ark shells, periwinkles, etc. found frozen in Asian markets.

 

blend coarse ingredients in food processor, mix in fine ingredients (Artemia, powders, flake, Selco), freeze in flats

 

*This makes a LOT of food...approximately 10-12 quart size Ziploc flats.

 

OPTIONAL: I also make a pigment complex of multiple fresh and health food purchased pigmented animal and plant sources ( such as vegetables with rich colors, carotenoids, etc), mixed with some of the fish food, liquefied, and fed to corals at night

 

Ingredients- procure at a large oriental market

 

Another from MichaelG:

1 whole fish- filleted or whole- guts are good- whatever is cheap, but not a fatty fish such as salmon

10-12 whole shrimp heads and all

10 mussels

6 clams (using juice as well)

1-2 whole squid (cut out ink bladder)

6 oysters (these I usually get frozen)

3 sheets of Nori

1/4 cup or so of other dried seaweed

2 tsps spirulina powder (brine shrimp direct)

3 cubes of freeze dried plankton (Hikari brand or equivalent)

1 tbs boyd's vitachem (or equivalent vitamin suppliment)

if desired golden pearls and selcon (or add when thawing)

saltwater

 

The trick is to get a whole range of food sizes to feed all sizes of mouths. Using a blender (don't use a food processor unless it has a super tight lid, most do not- been there and have worn that mess) with a dedicated top part (unless you are single or make it when the SO is out of the country), you want to add about a cup of salt water, then some of each ingredient, grinding it up along the way (really pulvarize some of the shrimp and oysters and clams with juice to start). I set aside some of the shrimp and squid and hand chop. The Nori should be presoaked in some salt water or it will jam up in the blades. Just keep adding grinding and adding as little water as possible to keep it concentrated. About 1/2 way through you want to work it in pulses, and finally at the end, toss in some of the shrimp and squid that you set aside (chopped to fit in a fishes mouth). The above amounts make a full blender of food. After mixed, transfer to ziplock baggies, lay flat and freeze. Don't over fill the bags. I like to keep them thin as it makes it much easier to break off chunks at feeding time (rather than using a good kitchen knife and getting yourself in more trouble.

 

Disclaimer- this recipe has been empiracally determined based on health of my tank and needs of the particular inhabitants. I do not know how it compares nutritionally with commercial brands, though I think I have thought it out well and covered the bases. Make sure ingredients are fresh, and use good hygene in the kitchen. Vary it with high quality dried foods, etc.

 

Secondary disclaimer- I kid you not about the above spousal warnings. This stuff is pretty stinky to make and takes some patience to clean up. Don't blame me if you end up on the couch!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Is anyone going to be doing this soon? I thought I had seen a post ( somewhere) inviting for a food party. I would like to go and have a food party...

Edited by hbh
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  • 2 months later...

I'll toss in my recipe here that make about 2 cups worth of cubes. I had one batch that last me for about 6 months on 55 gal. I just cut up those cube in smaller size. The recipe might be outdated but I try to remember my recipe to best of my ability.

 

1 bag of gelatin

1 cup water or appropiate ratio of water to gelatin *

1/2 cup of fine chopped seafood medley **

1 tbsp frozen brine shrimp

1 tsp cyclopeeze ***

1 tsp flake food

1 tbsp nori ***

A few drips of garlic extract ****

 

Toss all in blender till have coarse mix- all food bit should not be over 1/8" after mixed then pour into "dorm icetray" leave overnight in freezer. Take them out and seperate them by pop them into zip-loc and return to freezer. Feed fishes those once every 2-3 days and stay with normal daily food for all other days that cube is not used that day.

 

* It's all depends on how good mix can get before it get too watery or solid.

 

** Wal-Mart carry those frozen seafood mix for gumbo soups, has all mollusk, clam, shrimps, squid, octopus, and some fish meats.

 

*** Optional diet for tangs, surgeons, and some fish with specialized diets. Also, cyclopeeze are benefical for corals.

 

**** Garlic extract have been know for treatment aganist Ich and trigger feeding frenzy even in those finicky eaters.

 

Dorm trays are those ice cube tray sold for compact size refrigidators with small freezer that college students normally have for their rooms. Approx. 1/2 x 1/2 cube.

Edited by TROLL
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  • 4 years later...

my fish like snakehead chunks also we are in a bass tx club and when we catch them we eat as much as can but my fishys get the scrapp wanted to feed the row as one was FULL but hubby wouldnt let me any one know if bass and or snake row would be ok?

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I would think fish roe would be amazingly nutritious for them but I'm not sure if there would be some downsides.

 

 

Edit: Hmm although if they're freshwater...idk if that would be good

Edited by YiatzOfEden
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yes fresh water ..VERRY few times it happens but we do get 2 or 3 dead bass at our tx over a year and as not wanting to waste i clean and chunk for my fish accually my yellow tang is the most agressive with it often they will have row i have not saved tell a few weks ago i decided to save a bass row froze the whloe sack and cut verry small piece off to feed so far the fish and anemone luv it just make sure not often and SMALL amounts

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