Making My Own Fish Food Out Of Human Food?

[PrincessKiara]

Hello!
I've read of people who make their own fish-food pastes out of raw seafood, vegetables, vitamin pills, etc. They claim fish grow really fast on that and that it's an excellent supplement to flake food, as well as easy to feed to fry.
How can I make them? Is it a good idea? What should I put in them? Do they foul water too much? What kinds of fish eat them? Do they smell really bad? I love live fish, but I can't stand seafood smells...lol. Just smelling a salmon fillet makes me want to run away screaming in the opposite direction. xD
Thanks in advance!
~PK.

 

[BelldandyShanny]

I did this, I boiled some peas, and hard boiled some eggs, and whooped out the blender and blended them into a fine paste, I also added some flake food, freeze dried shrimp, or whatever else I had to throw in to add in some fishy proteins.  Then I froze it, and I'll chizzle out a chunk now and then and plop it in the tank, fish go nuts for it!  Tiny tiny amounts for fry, I'll take some and just swish it around in the water a little till there's a nice cloud of it.  Yes it does get messy! so be ready to clean out extra, or don't feed for a day or so after you use it so they pick more of it out.

my shrimp and snails love it too

 

[daizeUK]

I have read that freshwater fish can't eat marine fish and vice versa.  Not sure how true that is or why.

 

[fluttermoth]

I have read that freshwater fish can't eat marine fish and vice versa.  Not sure how true that is or why.

Wrong way round!
 
As you should feed raw fish, not cooked, there is a very slight risk of introducing pathogens or parasites. However, nearly all pathogens/parasites are environment specific which means that marine ones can't live in freshwater and freshwater ones can't survive in marine conditions.
 
So, to reduce that risk (even though it is small) you should always feed freshwater fish, like trout, to marine fish, and sea fish to your freshies

 

[DreamertK]

Just put enough in that the fish will eat completely with no remains at the bottom, and you won't foul the water. I've actually tried to feed some of my leftover cooked salmon to my gourami, but he wouldn't take it. He eats anything, so I'm surprised.
 
My gourami really loves peas though. Literally the only reason I have frozen peas, one of my teachers truly believes that the only reason to have frozen peas is to use as an ice pack.

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Frozen peas, not canned peas, are a good supplement.  Frozen peas are also a great ice pack... conforms to the shape of the injury, as opposed to many ice packs.

 

[ADW1988]

Frozen peas, not canned peas, are a good supplement.  Frozen peas are also a great ice pack... conforms to the shape of the injury, as opposed to many ice packs.

 
pardon my ignorance but do you cook the peas 1st or straight out the freezer?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Defrost and take the outer casing off.  Then smoosh between your fingers.

 

[fluttermoth]

They need 'blanching', basically having boiling water poured over them and left for a minute or two (I do this when I'm making tea; by the time the tea is brewed, the peas are ready).
 
Then run under a cold tap, until they're cool enough to handle and squeeze them so the insides pop out of the 'shell'. Discard the shell and then either drop into the tank as they are (if your fish are quite big) or chop them up into small pieces or crush them (if your fish are small)

 

[mhancock]

If you blend the peas can you leave the outer casing on?

 

[BelldandyShanny]

I did, and they just gobble it all up

 

[fluttermoth]

I would always take the shell off, personally.
 
It's nearly pure cellulose and very few fish have evolved to be able to deal with that; even the herbivorous fish haven't as aquatic plants, in general, have very little cellulose compared to terrestrial ones.

 

[daizeUK]

That's really interesting to know, thanks for the info in this thread Fluttermoth!

 

[mhancock]

Would white kidney beans be OK? Less hassle than shelling peas

 

[Blobfish]

This is something I am playing around with myself at the moment.  Agar-agar, spirulina and freeze dried tubifex jelly has been a BIG hit so far  I found this page only last night http/www.sonnysfishroom.com/?page_id=269 which has some interesting ideas.