i made my own fish food the other day, and it turned out really well. just thought i would share how i made it.
first i took a bunch of veggies. you can use just about any kinds of veggies, but keep in mind that the brighter and darker the color, the more nutrients something is likely to have (iceburg lettuce is almost all water with almost no nutrients, while romaine and leaf lettuce are packed with vitamins and minerals) i used zucchini, carrot, broccoli, tomato, green beans and pulled some watercress out of our pond because it was going nuts and needed some pruning anyway. i also got a few shrimp from the store, about 10 decent sized shrimp. i chopped the veggies and threw them into a skillet with the shrimp (shells and all) then i added about a half cup of water and steamed everything until the shrimp was just cooked and the veggies were tender.
then you sepparate the veggies from the water left in the skillet. put the veggies in the blender and the water in a cup. if too much as evaporated, add enough tap to make it 1/2c. i use the cooking water because a lot of nutrients leech out into the cooking water, so its good to use it if you can. nuke the water so its nice and hot and add 2 packets of knotts unflavored gelatine. let it dissolve into the water and when it does, add it to the veggies in the blender. blend until its about "smoothie" consistency, adding water if necessary.
then pour it into a 13x9" baking pan lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it sets. then cut it into little squares and freeze all but a small portion to keep in the fridge. this stuff lasts about 3 months in the freezer.
i gave it to my fish the first time lastnight and they weren't entierly sure what to make of it. they all went after it when i dropped it in and nibbled at it for a few seconds before the current carried it away, but a few stayed with it and kept nibbling. i think once they figure out that it really is food they will go after it more.
if i had remembered, i would have added some spiroulina, since i have some, but it wasn't with me at my parents house when i made this stuff. you can also add liquid fish vitamins, crushed pellets or flakes, etc.
first i took a bunch of veggies. you can use just about any kinds of veggies, but keep in mind that the brighter and darker the color, the more nutrients something is likely to have (iceburg lettuce is almost all water with almost no nutrients, while romaine and leaf lettuce are packed with vitamins and minerals) i used zucchini, carrot, broccoli, tomato, green beans and pulled some watercress out of our pond because it was going nuts and needed some pruning anyway. i also got a few shrimp from the store, about 10 decent sized shrimp. i chopped the veggies and threw them into a skillet with the shrimp (shells and all) then i added about a half cup of water and steamed everything until the shrimp was just cooked and the veggies were tender.
then you sepparate the veggies from the water left in the skillet. put the veggies in the blender and the water in a cup. if too much as evaporated, add enough tap to make it 1/2c. i use the cooking water because a lot of nutrients leech out into the cooking water, so its good to use it if you can. nuke the water so its nice and hot and add 2 packets of knotts unflavored gelatine. let it dissolve into the water and when it does, add it to the veggies in the blender. blend until its about "smoothie" consistency, adding water if necessary.
then pour it into a 13x9" baking pan lined with plastic wrap and refrigerate until it sets. then cut it into little squares and freeze all but a small portion to keep in the fridge. this stuff lasts about 3 months in the freezer.
i gave it to my fish the first time lastnight and they weren't entierly sure what to make of it. they all went after it when i dropped it in and nibbled at it for a few seconds before the current carried it away, but a few stayed with it and kept nibbling. i think once they figure out that it really is food they will go after it more.
if i had remembered, i would have added some spiroulina, since i have some, but it wasn't with me at my parents house when i made this stuff. you can also add liquid fish vitamins, crushed pellets or flakes, etc.
