Fish Food

[dean]

Must apologise but wasn’t sure where to put this so admin please feel free to move it

We all spend lots of money buying different commercial foods for our fish

Does anyone else use human food (not sold as pet food) or make their own foods ?

I buy frozen fish for mine such as
Prawns
Mussel meat
White fish (basa which is actually freshwater catfish from the pangasius family farmed in Thailand etc) or haddock
Cockles

I cut them up or feed whole depending on size of the fish

Then of course there’s the veg
Peas
Lettuce
Spinach
Cucumber
Bell peppers
Sweat potatoes

I use to make my own prawn mix and add most of the ingredients listed above as well as adding spirulina powder, garlic and multivitamins
All blended together and frozen in bags

Beef heart is used by lots of Discus breeders but I’ve found it hard to find plus very laborious getting off the tissue etc then cooking it whereas my prawn mix no cooking is necessary

Left over boiled rice
I’m actually thinking that cooked brown rice would make a good staple diet for my fancy goldfish along with the things listed above as treats
What do you think ?

Here’s the nutritional information I have found

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[mort]

I used to for my marine fish and do to a certain extent my larger tropical fish. I don't buy much premade food though.

I made a lovely mix of stinging nettle, chard, paprika and white fish that was supposed to be loved by all fish but mine turned their nose up at it and wouldn't eat it, perhaps that's more a comment on my cooking than the recipe.

 

[ScareCrow]

I don't know how fish metabolise arsenic but there is a considerable amount in rice, especially brown rice. I believe basmati rice has the lowest arsenic concentration and you can reduce it further by washing, soaking over night and then boiling in a large volume of water.

Duck weed is a good source of easily digestible plant protein and is used in fish farming as a food source.

 

[MirandaB]

Most of my fish are of the nano variety so I feed and culture a lot of live foods myself but I do still buy some commercial foods.
My issue with feeding fish,prawns etc is the Thiaminase which I have spent many hours looking into but yet to get really definitive answers.
I know Discus keepers/breeders feed beef heart but it's not something I would ever use as I don't feel it's a natural diet for any fish.

 

[Another Phil]

Frozen sweetcorn squeezed out of its skin and chopped finely is very popular with small tetras, rasboras and barbs. swirl it in a bit of water on a spoon or something first else it sinks as a gelatinous lump.

Courgette is another you can try, doesn't break down as quickly as cucumber which turns into a slimy mess you (I) have to chase around hardscape...

I don't know how fish metabolise arsenic but there is a considerable amount in rice, especially brown rice. I believe basmati rice has the lowest arsenic concentration and you can reduce it further by washing, soaking over night and then boiling in a large volume of water.

Duck weed is a good source of easily digestible plant protein and is used in fish farming as a food source.

That's interesting as I've heard of people using the drained water from cooked rice to feed fry that require microscopic first food, but I have no more details. Without salt or spices presumably.

 

[mort]

I grow marrows specifically for my clown loaches, tougher than cucumber and last longer like courgettes.

 

[not called Bob]

I grow marrows specifically for my clown loaches, tougher than cucumber and last longer like courgettes.

Are they not one and the same and just different names for size difference?


I was taught you should feed fish other fish from the the opposite Saline conditions than they come from to reduce the risk of cross infection
Salt to fresh
Fresh to salt

And tropical prawns on promotion to be warry of

 

[mort]

Are they not one and the same and just different names for size difference?

I think they are but you might get a few people at the village fete arguing the difference. Marrows harden as they age though.

I was taught salt to fresh and fresh to salt as well but it depends on what you feed. As an example if you feed marine predators tropical or coldwater fish species (cyprinids), like goldfish to lionfish, then you can cause fatty liver disease. Mussels, prawns and shrimp contain thiaminase which is an enzyme that breaks down vitamin b1 and causes lots of health problems. Off the top of my head but worth checking, white fish and cockles don't contain thiaminase so you won't have any issues with feeding that but like anything else if it's used on a rotation with lots of other foods then you shouldn't have an issue. Again using a marine example, I've known people to heavily feed their fish with krill which also contains thiaminase, but more importantly is an adictive food and it was the likely cause of death in these fish.

 

[dean]

I was also told to only feed freshwater fish to marine species etc but is this just an old wife’s tale ? Are there any scientific evidence ?
I’m not talking about feeding live fish as there are obviously concerns about disease transfer

Frozen fish is what I buy or if it’s fresh then it’s chopped mixed and frozen before feeding
I don’t think a fish disease would survive freezing ?


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[mort]

I don’t think a fish disease would survive freezing ?


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Some can unfortunately, or at least they did in the past. The gamma irradiated foods we see should be safe but for the companies that don't treat then there is a risk. This is really just frozen fish foods and tends to be things like tubifex and bloodworm (the foods that crawl through muddy substrates) but other diseases can still survive a normal freeze (covid for example is likely to have been transmitted through the frozen fish food chain).

Would it worry me overly, personally no, I've used live foods direct from waterbutts and ponds for years without issue, the same as plants from them without any sanitary preparation. You pays your money and take a chance but I've never thought the risk was that high.