Frozen meal plans: Do you have food for your reef tank in the freezer?

[Peace River]

Frozen meal plans: Do you have food for your reef tank in the freezer?

There are many types and ways to add frozen food to your reef tank. From purchasing prepackage frozen fish food to making DIY frozen food with some of the ingredients from your local grocery store, keeping the food cold through the process is a key to keeping the food at its best for the livestock in your tank. Which leads us to your refrigerator… do you have frozen food for your reef tank in the freezer? Let us know if you use a separate reef-related refrigerator/freezer or maybe you have a section in the household freezer that you use for your frozen reef food. Additionally, please share any tips for keeping frozen fish food. After all, it can get a little awkward when the ice cream has a faint Reef Frenzy taste.

Photo by @jeremy.gosnell


This QOTD is sponsored by Nutramar: https://www.qualitymarine.com/nutramar/

“Nutramar’s 100% natural food products are used by public aquaria and breeders around the world. They offer superior nutrition to your most finicky and delicate fish and invertebrates."

 

[afrokobe]

Feed frozen almost everyday. I enjoy the routine and the dumb cardinals will only eat frozen lol. Even my wild mandarin will eat tdo, but the bangai just ignores everything except frozen food.

edit: I am in the process of getting a second fridge.. fiance definitely does not like frozen fish food in the frezzer

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have over 30 items to feed which I mix up. May sound like a lot but never lasts long with the amount of fish I have

 

[Kmarshall168]

Spirulina/mysis for my ref tank and blood worms for my freshwater

 

[Aspect]

I have some frozen for picky eaters, but I'd rather feed freeze dried as that absorbs liquid vitamins a lot better.

 

[CRABDADDY]

I've been beginning to tinker with my own frozen food lately. My first batch was just salmon and spirulina mysis. I want to try adding more ingredients.

I really like the idea of feeding salmon to the fish, as I've heard lots of good things about it. The fish seem to like it too. I have some freshly caught salmon in my freezer from a relative that I plan on adding to my next batch of frozen food. I'm thinking that's even better than the stuff you get at the grocery store.

 

[kevgib67]

Mysis, brine and LFS Fish Frenzy.

 

[OrchidMiss]

I make my own and freeze in silicone ice cube trays.
Recipe : Clams, scallops, shrimp, salmon, silversides, octopus, spirulina, nori & garlic - thaw 1 cube in AB+, liquid mysis, oyster feast, and phyto.

 

[Treefer32]

I've been making my own frozen food now for about 5 years. I didn't think about initially, but am diligent about keeping things sterile and frozen throughout the entire process of making the food. From wearing gloves and repeatedly washing my hands through out the process, changing gloves, and using multiple tin pans sitting on pans filled with ice cubes and mincing the food right from the freezer into the cheese grater and into the ice cold aluminum pans. Once the pan is full I place it in the freezer until I'm ready to mix with dry and liquid ingredients. Nothing should fall below freezing throughout the process.

Then I weigh 16oz (1 lb) of food into 1 gallon freezer zip locks and flatten to appropriate thicknes to be able to break the food apart, and place immediatley into 0 degree deep freezer to freeze solid.

Long term storage:

I have single door freezer / fridge in my basement kitchen. The freezer was wasted space, because all our normal food for cooking is stored in the upstairs fridge / freezer. So, the basement freezer is usually fairly empty and has become the fish food freezer. Amazingly as long as it stays frozen solid, it doesn't smell too bad of fishy smells until it's opened and thawed. I also keep packs of Frozen mysis, krill, and brine cubes in my freezer which I add to RO or RODI tiny tupperware sealed cups and place in the fridge for when I need someone to feed when I'm on vacation. I usually add a few drops of selcon to the water as then it has a couple days to soak into the food.

I store the food no more than 7 days in the fridge. What's funny is the water is still partially frozen in the fridge with the frozen food in it. Makes an easy dispensing mechanism for the person feeding. As the water fully melts in the tank the cubes break up and make it easier for the fish to eat.

I only like making the food 1-2 times a year, so I try to do around 6-9 pounds of frozen food at a time and store for around 6-12 months. On average I go through most of gallon bag (around 12-16 oz of frozen food per month). 9 lbs should last me between 10 and 12 months.

I would love a frozen auto feeder so I could better measure dispensing and pre load the food for a week and feed frozen multiple times a day for healthier corals and fish. But, right now they get one big meal a day and some nori most mornings.

 

[shakacuz]

LRS reef frenzy nano! thinking of making my own frozen food when i run out

 

[rtparty]

Been making my own for a while now. Ran out a few months back and went back to LRS and whatever the LFS has. Selection is so poor around me that I decided to make my own again. Just bought everything last night and will whip up a batch tonight.

I follow the BRS Reef Chili recipe pretty closely. It is the best success I have had with fish since making my own food and feeding a much better diet

 

[Poseidon03]

I have 2 refrigerators and a chest freezer... I have fish food in all 3.

 

[TheDuude]

I tend to thaw out a good portion of food in a small sealed Rubbermaid then leave it in the fridge to feed over the course of 3 or 4 days. Rods, PE mysis, and whatever else looks good at the LFS.

 

[QuickrdenU]

My wife loves it.

I’m like… It’s just seafood!

 

[StatelineReefer]

I put other, because I have a separate freezer and refrigerator just for reef foods.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

Since I make my own frozen food a huge yup!

 

[Kmarshall168]

I put other, because I have a separate freezer and refrigerator just for reef foods.

Now that's dedication

 

[StatelineReefer]

Now that's dedication

Yes! That's the word my wife should be using...

I should be dedicated!!!

Not committed...

 

[SaltyCabbage]

The door of my freezer is full of mysis and Rods for the fish and small rats for the king snake, I need to get my own freezer for the animals lol.

 

[BubblesandSqueak]

I have frozen mysis, brine, marine cuisine, saltwater multi-pack. Feeding clowns, dotty, damsel, sawfish and inverts. Mysis seems to be the most popular among them along with NLS Marine Fish pellets. Though I pre-cut the cubes in half and place in weekly pill containers to freeze because a full cube is too much in one sitting.