Crazy food idea?

[gatotsu77]

I recently went out for some sushi, and started thinking about how much I enjoy some of the rolls which are served with fish eggs on them. This got me thinking... I know a market which carries stuff like that, and I bet my synodontis nigriventris would LOVE some fresh salmon roe, or something comparable. I know that synodontis are naturally egg-eaters, and typically its cichlid eggs that they're munching. I have some sinking food (HBH Super Soft sinking pellets) which they absolutely adore... they will bolt for them and try to steal them from any other fish near the pellets. I don't think I can get cichlid eggs commercially, (though I wouldn't be too surprised if I could) but what I am curious about is whether salmon roe would be harmful to feed to them. I'm certain it would be a high-protein food source, and I'd have to be careful about over-feeding so as to not pollute the water, but would the fact that there are more dissolved solutes in salmon roe than freshwater fish affect my fish? Or do you think they'd be able to handle it? I'm curious as to what my discus would do with the eggs too.... and my guess is that once they discovered they were edible, they'd quite likely go for them just as enthusiastically as the synos.

[fishorama]

I bet they'd love caviar or any fish eggs but like any rich (& expensive) food in occasional moderation. I usually try new & possibly messy food a short while before a water change.

[gatotsu77]

Yeah, if I was going to give it a shot, I'd be certain that I'm free to do a water change that evening, and likely at least do a small one just in case. (small being like 30%) Are there any other fish types you can think of which have their roe commercially available? I know there is smelt roe on some of the sushi I eat, but those eggs are pretty darn little. I'm sure the synos and corys would love them... but I'd probably have to rinse them in a coffee filter or brine net to get any extra salt/additives off of them before feeding time. One of my co-workers suggested I check out a tackle & bait shop, and I don't know why I didn't think of it earlier. The only question I'd have with their products is whether its real fish eggs or just synthetic stuff. (and if I got the eggs at a vietnamese market or similar, I'd likely get a MUCH better deal on a much larger quantity than I would with caviar or fish bait)

[Malefic23]

Generally speaking, prepared caviar or roe is usually brined as a preservative. I dunno how well fresh water fish are going to handle food that's been soaked in salt. Post how it works out, I have a jar of red sturgon in the cabinet I might share with my sevs..

How about crab roe? You can order that purely fresh/frozen for commercial resturaunt applications. I'm sure your grocer could order you some...

[gatotsu77]

Aha... as I suspected, I found a site which sells sushi-grade fish eggs (a few different kinds too) for much cheaper than any caviar I could find online. Comparatively speaking, its about the same price I'd expect for most fish food... somewhere around $7 for 4 ounces.

[gatotsu77]

Generally speaking, prepared caviar or roe is usually brined as a preservative. I dunno how well fresh water fish are going to handle food that's been soaked in salt. Post how it works out, I have a jar of red sturgon in the cabinet I might share with my sevs..

How about crab roe? You can order that purely fresh/frozen for commercial resturaunt applications. I'm sure your grocer could order you some...

That's what scared me about using caviar... I knew most people say it tastes salty for a reason. I very well might go with the site I found that sells sushi-grade roe, and see how the fish do with that. :) I'll certainly keep everyone updated as to how well that goes, and if it turns out anything like I'm hoping, I may end up convincing a few readers to try it out too. :p:

[Inka4040]

There was an article in a recent TFH where the author fed his mandarin dragonets on capelin roe. I am sure that your fish would enjoy it either way, but it may have only worked for him because he was feeding it to marine fish. It might be good to see if there are any sources for unsalted- unbrined fish eggs. Definitely keep us posted though, I'd very much like to see how this develops.

[fishorama]

I think lobster eggs are available in the UK but not the US. I didn't think of the salt content, I don't eat raw fish or eggs, eww. Let us know what you find out.

[Hooked Newbie]

Very interesting question! Now I'm curious about trout eggs that are used as fishing bait. Any thoughts? I'll have to check out some labels the next chance I get.

[gatotsu77]

Very interesting question! Now I'm curious about trout eggs that are used as fishing bait. Any thoughts? I'll have to check out some labels the next chance I get.

I have no idea why I didn't consider trout eggs.... when I lived in CO my father and I would go fishing all the time, and every now and again, we'd get a female that was just absolutely FULL of roe. (we had a little rule between the two of us... anything under 17", toss it back, its way too young. we caught some BIG rainbow trout in that lake.... a few hitting the 22-24" mark) I'll be looking around the net more in the next couple days, and checking out a few stores this weekend to see what I can find. :)

[SchizotypalVamp]

I am interested in this too. Maybe we should start tagging interesting threads..I think I'll start, lol.