Questions about adding fish oil to food

[jmsilhy]

Hello everyone, a few questions and I'd like to specially ask this to @Paul B since I read it in his book:

Using fish oil to complement nutrition: it consists of getting some fish oil capsules and then puncturing them with a needle to extract the oil. Then soaking pellets or flakes with it, giving a good boost to the food. My questions are more on handling side, since I have a small bioload, one capsule is enough for several feedings. So, can I use only a small amount and keep the capsule for later somehow (fridge or not necessary, upright on a ziplock, etc.) because I don't want to waste most of the oil. Or can I put the oil in a small container (like a dropper bottle) and conserve it and just use a few drops at a time? Or can I soak a larger amount of food and then keep that in a small bag and just feed that to the fish? For how many days does it keep?

One of the issues as stated in the book is that it stinks, so I want to know "best practices" so to speak.

Sorry if this is too basic, but the devil is in the details in this case.
Thanks!

 

[ichthyogeek]

I can't help but wonder if it might be more beneficial to jab the fish oil capsule with the hypodermic needle, extract the oil into the syringe, and keep the (capped!) needle + syringe in the fridge to distribute oil as necessary.

Aside from people potentially holding an intervention, I see nothing wrong with this method.

 

[jmsilhy]

Good point, however I wonder how long you can keep it like that without it losing its nutritional properties. And how much are you supposed to add without turning your tank into an oil spill mess. I read that some people even soak nori, any info would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Paul B]

. If you want to feed pellets, as I wrote n my book I would put fish oil on them. To do that I would take about 20 pellets and put them in a square plastic container.
Tilt it so they all go to one corner and put about 2 drops of oil on them. Shake it around so the oil gets on everything and let it sit for an hour or more.

If you don't let it sit to soak in, it will leave an oil slick on your water as some of the oil will float off.

But if you have live worms and clams to feed, you don't really need pellets as the worms and clams are healthier.
I just add oil if I had to feed pellets because I don't believe any dry food is as good as frozen. But thats just me.

You also found out throughout my book that I don't like quarantine and feel that is the worst thing us Geezers invented before we knew better.

 

[jmsilhy]

Thanks Paul, just a question, if you use 2 drops, what do you do with the rest of the capsule of oil?

 

[Paul B]

Eat it, it's good for you. ;Yuck

 

[jmsilhy]

Ok will do, but just for my personal knowledge, if I save some in the capsule and in the fridge in a zip lock, you think it will keep the properties for a while (hrs, a day?), or does it become useless?

 

[Paul B]

Yes, you can keep it for a very long time in the fridge. But there isn't much more than two drops in a capsule

 

[vetteguy53081]

Extract the oil from capsule with a syringe and then disburse it.

 

[atoll]

Just resurrecting this thread. I have just made up a batch of foods which will last me 5 days feeding 3 times a day. I defrost 4 brine shrimp cubes, 2 copepod, 2 roterfers, 2 lobster eggs, 2 krill and 3 mysis cubes. I add to this mix the contents of 2 krill oil capsules and a similar amount of cod liver oil.
Given a good stir and allowed to soak for a number of hours in the fridge. There is no oil on the surface of the container and I don't get an oily film in my skimmer.
My fish chasing devour the food just as well as adding the food without the oils. I have been doing the above fir nany years.

 

[steve 1965]

So I make up my own fish food and frees in small cubes. Can I add krill oil to my next batch?

 

[atoll]

So I make up my own fish food and frees in small cubes. Can I add krill oil to my next batch?

I don't freeze it with the foods I feed
Once made my food with a few drops of krill oil and collier oil go in the fridge and last meca week. Am.not sure what freezing would do to the oils.