Let's Talk About Fish Food!

[drukkosz]

Let's Talk About Fish Food!
I believe fish nutrition is crucial. We've heard countless stories of fish nipping corals, which often happens when their diet lacks essential nutrients. Limited diets of only pellets, Mysis, or brine shrimp can lead to coral-eating behavior.
After years of reefing and seeing commercial fish food become more expensive yet lower quality, we started making our own. After two months, we're never going back!
Mine first batch contains:
Shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels, salmon
Jumbo Mysis, prawns, fish eggs
Cyclops and copepods
Added Vita-chem vitamins, spirulina, and paracoccus powder
The results? Our fish are healthier, plumper, and more vibrantly colored.
Happy Reefing!

 

[Rocks reef]

Do you sell that??

 

[drukkosz]

Do you sell that??

Not at the moment. Its for my own use. Also its not that cheap to make.

 

[bluemon]

I’ve made my batch just a couple months back, never going back to store bought food.

Also added some old reef roids as well.

And also threw in clams instead of mussels.

When I’m doing it next time, I am definitely adding less spirulina and varying the coarseness of the food for the different fish. Maybe one mush and one chunky with two separate food processor instances.

I followed an online recipe as a rough guideline, and the spirulina left a few clumps in my turkey baster when thawed

 

[bluemon]

Not at the moment. Its for my own use. Also its not cheap to make. Quality cost $

I found it to be fair darn cheap. I would say maybe x5-7 cheaper than LRS.

Just go to your local Asian market, and get the boxes of frozen stuff.

I found a box of frozen squid for super cheap for example.

 

[drukkosz]

Yes that

I found it to be fair darn cheap. I would say maybe x5-7 cheaper than LRS.

Just go to your local Asian market, and get the boxes of frozen stuff.

I found a box of frozen squid for super cheap for example.

Yes that part is cheap, but I also added tons of mysis, jumbo mysis, tons of pods, cyclops, eggs etc. and that part is pricey. I have many small fish and wanted to create a complete reef food.

 

[bluemon]

Yes that

Yes that part is cheap, but I also added tons of mysis, jumbo mysis, tons of pods, cyclops, eggs etc. and that part is pricey. I have many small fish and wanted to create a complete reef food.

That’s fair.

I added some PE mysis to mine, but also freeze dried mysis and cyclops from BRS. They were rehydrated with the food juices and much cheaper

 

[Malum Argenteum]

fish nipping corals, which often happens when their diet lacks essential nutrients. Limited diets of only pellets, Mysis, or brine shrimp can lead to coral-eating behavior.

I'd be interested to hear the evidence for this claim. Also, I'm curious how pellets figure in -- is the assumption that pelleted food is often lacking in essential nutrients? Which nutrients, exactly?

 

[drukkosz]

I'd be interested to hear the evidence for this claim. Also, I'm curious how pellets figure in -- is the assumption that pelleted food is often lacking in essential nutrients? Which nutrients, exactly?

This is my observation after reefing for over 15 years. In our reef tanks, we keep fish that come from all over the world, so in my opinion, they all consume a variety of different foods. Do you keep angelfish? Do you feed them sponge? Most people don't.


I am sorry but I didn't post it to prove anything or to seek an argument. It's simply a friendly recipe for those looking to provide better food for their pets. I am not a biologist or a scientist; I am a long-time hobbyist.

 

[bluemon]

This is my observation after reefing for over 15 years. In our reef tanks, we keep fish that come from all over the world, so in my opinion, they all consume a variety of different foods. Do you keep angelfish? Do you feed them sponge? Most people don't.


I am sorry but I didn't post it to prove anything or to seek an argument. It's simply a friendly recipe for those looking to provide better food for their pets. I am not a biologist or a scientist; I am a long-time hobbyist.

In my experience/opinion, I think it’s honestly more about variety and taste profiles more than nutrients.

The fish don’t know/care what the macro/micronutrients are in your LPS pellets vs your clam mantle.

But they know that squid tastes best, or that it’s fun to nip at this fleshly mantle.

We humans get bored of the same food daily; imagine we are served the same perfect nutrient food daily but in the form of a smoothie. We would die of boredom.

except for the more specialized diets (obligate coralivores or spongivores) I believe your best pellets will be more nutrient dense than frozen. But with a variety of frozen, we can hit the nutrient profiles while also keeping the fish “satisfied” in their chase for flavors and textures

 

[exnisstech]

If only i could buy seafood in my area. I used to make my own before the only local store that had a decent selection of seafood stopped selling it. It wasn't cheap but it want $20 for 6oz either like what I buy now

 

[Rocks reef]

This is my observation after reefing for over 15 years. In our reef tanks, we keep fish that come from all over the world, so in my opinion, they all consume a variety of different foods. Do you keep angelfish? Do you feed them sponge? Most people don't.


I am sorry but I didn't post it to prove anything or to seek an argument. It's simply a friendly recipe for those looking to provide better food for their pets. I am not a biologist or a scientist; I am a long-time hobbyist.

I'll be making some this weekend sir! I think it's brilliant.

 

[MnFish1]

Let's Talk About Fish Food!
I believe fish nutrition is crucial. We've heard countless stories of fish nipping corals, which often happens when their diet lacks essential nutrients. Limited diets of only pellets, Mysis, or brine shrimp can lead to coral-eating behavior.
After years of reefing and seeing commercial fish food become more expensive yet lower quality, we started making our own. After two months, we're never going back!
Mine first batch contains:
Shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels, salmon
Jumbo Mysis, prawns, fish eggs
Cyclops and copepods
Added Vita-chem vitamins, spirulina, and paracoccus powder
The results? Our fish are healthier, plumper, and more vibrantly colored.
Happy Reefing!

I think that people believe that they can choose a balanced diet for their pets (whether dogs cats, fish, etc) - However the reason I think it makes more sense to pay for (at least part of a diet) prepared fish-food is that the companies that design pet food have a balanced diet in mind. There are numerous articles out there suggesting that hobbyist diets lack various nutrients.

As to your recipe - All good - but I wish you would have started a new topic - so it would be widely discussed. There are a lot of anecdotal dietary recommendations - and I have no data or reason to doubt yours - however, if I had a choice between Frozen Larrys Reef Services vs mixing up your recipe - I would choose Larry's - because I would trust it as compared to yours (or anyone else) who has not done research - so I don't want you to take this as a criticism of you personally - I also think another poster who recommends live foods and digging up New Jersey sand and putting it in a warm reef tank aquarium is not really looking at the potential big picture. (EDIT - but this person's method also seems to 'work') Thanks for sharing your recipe

 

[SomeHappyFish]

I’ve made my batch just a couple months back, never going back to store bought food.

Also added some old reef roids as well.

And also threw in clams instead of mussels.

When I’m doing it next time, I am definitely adding less spirulina and varying the coarseness of the food for the different fish. Maybe one mush and one chunky with two separate food processor instances.

I followed an online recipe as a rough guideline, and the spirulina left a few clumps in my turkey baster when thawed

How much reef roids ?

 

[bluemon]

I think that people believe that they can choose a balanced diet for their pets (whether dogs cats, fish, etc) - However the reason I think it makes more sense to pay for (at least part of a diet) prepared fish-food is that the companies that design pet food have a balanced diet in mind. There are numerous articles out there suggesting that hobbyist diets lack various nutrients.

As to your recipe - All good - but I wish you would have started a new topic - so it would be widely discussed. There are a lot of anecdotal dietary recommendations - and I have no data or reason to doubt yours - however, if I had a choice between Frozen Larrys Reef Services vs mixing up your recipe - I would choose Larry's - because I would trust it as compared to yours (or anyone else) who has not done research - so I don't want you to take this as a criticism of you personally - I also think another poster who recommends live foods and digging up New Jersey sand and putting it in a warm reef tank aquarium is not really looking at the potential big picture. Thanks for sharing your recipe

I would disagree with you on the first point there.

I would agree if you were comparing it to a big box company and pellet food. They probably know the nutrient requirements better, and their pellets are probably more nutrient dense.

But with foods such as Larry's or Rod's, the DIY versions are essentially the same thing as we just take the same ingredients and make it ourselves. If you look at the ingredients in LRS, and compare it to any good DIY recipe, they are pretty much 1:1 or with comprable subsitutions in the DIY recipe.

Here is the LRS ingredients list:

• Fresh Wild Caught Scallop
• Fresh Wild Caught, Hand Peeled Shrimp
• Fresh Wild Caught Ocean Perch and Whitefish
• Premium Mysis Shrimp
• Squid
• E. Pacifica Krill
• Fresh Shucked Oysters and Clams
• Zooplankton, Rotifers, Live Phytoplankton
• Green and Purple Seaweed (Porphyra)
• Premium Piscine Energectics Mysis Shrimp
• Oyster Eggs and Ovarian Tissue
• Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (Selco)
• Buffered ascorbic acid added as an antioxidant
• D. Salina algae (With beta carotene to boost pigmentation, immunity)
• LRS Probiotics

There is nothing special there except maybe the probiotics which you can add in yourself if you want.

Now when it comes to digging up random worms from the New Jersey beach, that I find a bit more scary, but if it works, it works!

 

[bluemon]

How much reef roids ?

I was mistaken, it was some almost expire reef chilli, but pretty much the same thing.

And I just eyeballed it. I just had a lot lying around in my cabinets and in the fridge, just put in a good chunk.

 

[Malum Argenteum]

I am sorry but I didn't post it to prove anything or to seek an argument.

Neither did I, though I do think that when factual claims are made, they're best made either with supporting evidence or with an explicit caveat as to their speculative or subjective nature. Helps avoid internet misinformation starting and spreading (and the internet needs all the help it can get in this department).

Sounds like a good recipe, and I imagine being so hands-on with this sort of thing leads to a better understanding of the needs and desires of your fish. Thanks for sharing.

 

[MnFish1]

I would disagree with you on the first point there.

I would agree if you were comparing it to a big box company and pellet food. They probably know the nutrient requirements better, and their pellets are probably more nutrient dense.

But with foods such as Larry's or Rod's, the DIY versions are essentially the same thing as we just take the same ingredients and make it ourselves. If you look at the ingredients in LRS, and compare it to any good DIY recipe, they are pretty much 1:1 or with comprable subsitutions in the DIY recipe.

Here is the LRS ingredients list:

• Fresh Wild Caught Scallop
• Fresh Wild Caught, Hand Peeled Shrimp
• Fresh Wild Caught Ocean Perch and Whitefish
• Premium Mysis Shrimp
• Squid
• E. Pacifica Krill
• Fresh Shucked Oysters and Clams
• Zooplankton, Rotifers, Live Phytoplankton
• Green and Purple Seaweed (Porphyra)
• Premium Piscine Energectics Mysis Shrimp
• Oyster Eggs and Ovarian Tissue
• Highly Unsaturated Fatty Acids (Selco)
• Buffered ascorbic acid added as an antioxidant
• D. Salina algae (With beta carotene to boost pigmentation, immunity)
• LRS Probiotics

There is nothing special there except maybe the probiotics which you can add in yourself if you want.

Now when it comes to digging up random worms from the New Jersey beach, that I find a bit more scary, but if it works, it works!

Correct - its the relative proportions of foods present that can be incorrect - and BTW - I didn't mean to imply that yours was incorrect - and I also am not trying to dissuade people from using that type of recipe you're talking about - I just was saying - it might be prudent to add some 'big box' high quality food as well:).

 

[bluemon]

Correct - its the relative proportions of foods present that can be incorrect - and BTW - I didn't mean to imply that yours was incorrect - and I also am not trying to dissuade people from using that type of recipe you're talking about - I just was saying - it might be prudent to add some 'big box' high quality food as well:).

Yea I threw in some almost expired pellets in mine as well.

Honestly I just threw in all the random stuff I bought over the years.

The fish don’t seem to mind it though

 

[Amstar]

Let's Talk About Fish Food!
I believe fish nutrition is crucial. We've heard countless stories of fish nipping corals, which often happens when their diet lacks essential nutrients. Limited diets of only pellets, Mysis, or brine shrimp can lead to coral-eating behavior.
After years of reefing and seeing commercial fish food become more expensive yet lower quality, we started making our own. After two months, we're never going back!
Mine first batch contains:
Shrimp, calamari, scallops, mussels, salmon
Jumbo Mysis, prawns, fish eggs
Cyclops and copepods
Added Vita-chem vitamins, spirulina, and paracoccus powder
The results? Our fish are healthier, plumper, and more vibrantly colored.
Happy Reefing!

Very nice - what’s your ratios of each different part of it?

What type of fish are you feeding