Freeze Dried Foods

[fry_lover]

Been keeping fish years, never really used freeze dried foods much.

But last month or so, i been using some freeze dried bloodworms (not for my Malawi set-up) and freeze dried rivershrimp.

Are they worthwhile? What kind of freeze dried foods are the best or "supposed" best?

I keep

livebearers
tetra's
corydoras
small US cichlids
parrots
mbuna and hap Malawi
bichir's
reed fish
few others bits and bobs

 

[celaeno]

i don't know about freeze-dried foods that don't contain vitamins, but those that do (like hikari) obviously have nutritional value.

 

[WILDER]

I don't use freeze dried foods anymore especially the bloodworms made my fish bloat up
I prefer to use frozen, but won't feed my fish frozen tubilex.

 

[Bignose]

i don't know about freeze-dried foods that don't contain vitamins, but those that do (like hikari) obviously have nutritional value.

I am a little confused about what you're trying to say here cel, so I'm just going to put in my take as well. Freeze drying retains all of the vitamins as any other preservation method. None are perfect. Freezing costs some, cooking and the drying (normal flake food) costs some, etc. The only way a food that was freeze dried would have no vitamins in it is if it didn't have any vitamins in the first place. Freeze drying only takes out water -- just like evaporation in our tanks, when the water leaves the solid, it leaves all the other chemicals, like the vitamins, proteins, etc. behind.

For example, see

Title: Characterization of vacuum microwave, air and freeze dried carrot slices
Author(s): Lin TM, Durance TD, Scaman CH
Source: FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 31 (2): 111-117 1998

Fresh carrots obviously had the best nutritional value, but all the drying methods results in preserved carrots that kept over 90% of their original nutritional value.

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To the OP. One thing to help lower the chances of bloat like Wilder talked about is to let the freeze dried food rehydrate for a few minutes before feeding. Take out a cup of tank water, put the food in and go do something else for 5 minutes. Then, you'll come back to rehydrated food. The bloat can be caused by the fish eating the still dried out food and having it rehydrate in their stomachs.

 

[fry_lover]

i don't know about freeze-dried foods that don't contain vitamins, but those that do (like hikari) obviously have nutritional value.

I am a little confused about what you're trying to say here cel, so I'm just going to put in my take as well. Freeze drying retains all of the vitamins as any other preservation method. None are perfect. Freezing costs some, cooking and the drying (normal flake food) costs some, etc. The only way a food that was freeze dried would have no vitamins in it is if it didn't have any vitamins in the first place. Freeze drying only takes out water -- just like evaporation in our tanks, when the water leaves the solid, it leaves all the other chemicals, like the vitamins, proteins, etc. behind.

For example, see

Title: Characterization of vacuum microwave, air and freeze dried carrot slices
Author(s): Lin TM, Durance TD, Scaman CH
Source: FOOD RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 31 (2): 111-117 1998

Fresh carrots obviously had the best nutritional value, but all the drying methods results in preserved carrots that kept over 90% of their original nutritional value.

-------------------

To the OP. One thing to help lower the chances of bloat like Wilder talked about is to let the freeze dried food rehydrate for a few minutes before feeding. Take out a cup of tank water, put the food in and go do something else for 5 minutes. Then, you'll come back to rehydrated food. The bloat can be caused by the fish eating the still dried out food and having it rehydrate in their stomachs.

Thanks, i did once read something about not putting freeze dried straight into tank and soaking in water first