Fish Feeding

[55galgill]

My SWF.com Contribution
I don’t know about you guys but one of my favorite things about a saltwater tank is feeding time! Something about the fish eating like crazy makes me feel like im doing a good job and that they enjoy my food. So with that in mind I decided to write what I think of feeding time and how i have overcome some stuff that pestered me in the beginning . I am by no means an expert, so just take what you can from what I write and see if it helps you out. Keep in mind this is for reasonably heathy fish and does not really count the over stressed and beaten up fish that sometimes no matter what you do they just wont survive. And that’s not your fault, who knows what they go thru during the whole capture/delivery cycle .Below is a list of ingredients that I currently feed and im always adding to this list . The key is to diversify. And your fish will love you for it. their colors and growth will be great also.
1.Mysis.2.tubiflexworms3.mussles4.clams5.cyclopeeze6.squid7.scallops8.siversides.9.seaweed selects10.formula one pellet11.brine shrimp12 salmon(tiny TINY pieces lol)13.flake.14.shrimp supplements i feed are Zoe, zoecon and garlic

 

[55galgill]

For Starters!.
You first must research your fishie! Then make a battle plan in advance of buying him. This way when you get home you have several foods to choose from instead of panicking lol. A lot of fish in this trade will eat the same things. And some fish you can trick a little into eating some things.
Frozen Foods
with all my frozen foods i get a little 8.oz cup and put what i need in there. Then I add a drop or two of Zoe & zoecon.then some ro/di water and swish it around till it melts. Drain out the water and all the tiny particles and that’s what I feed my tank
Easy feeds
.IMO flake, brine, and pellet should not be there only source of nutrition(although i have found that live brine works great to get them to start eating) I knew a girl who only fed flake to a large yellow tang!!!arrrrrggggg!

 

[55galgill]

Tuff Eaters
Some fish are just stubborn ,so you have to be the same lol, maybe the food does not look natural to them or they just don’t want it at the moment, then that’s where step one comes in and you try the next thing a day later(small side note, you cannot bombard your fish with food! Give them time & small portions of everything till you find the magic treat. if you feed to much to soon they fish will be utterly overwhelmed and your tank conditions will suffer.)also if your new fish is a timid eater then you may want to feed your more aggressive eaters first to make sure they don’t steal/intimidate your new arrival. If you have a QT then that’s a great place to fatten up your
fish and watch her progress and no one can bother her too!

 

[55galgill]

Food placement
this also a big one and some stuck up fish will only pay attention to food at the top of the tank or bottom (lol j/k)example: I did this with my hippo to get him to eat, because she would not touch greens and only meats(weird for a tang I know!) . I tried for a week in vein and was starting to get a little worried. So I got an idea. I took some Mysis witch she loved at the time and a 2"x6" of seaweed selects and I mushed the Mysis into it! Then I rolled it up and put it into the clip. Waited a bit so it would absorb the scent of the shrimp .I then very carefully stuck the clip into the sand...well the tang looked at it and said “no way am i gonna eat my veggies!”but the second she saw/smelt the Mysis she went nuts and started eating the Mysis and the seaweed. Its my feeling that placement and the way you serve your food could also impact the fishes hunger trigger.

 

[55galgill]

Recipe Time!(Seaweed Sushi)
I use this method a lot to feed my fish and it provides them greens, meat, and all the vitamins and it seems to work good for me. There is not a fish im my tank that doesn’t eat seaweed selects the way I prepare it. this is what you’ll need, a cutting board, seaweed selects , your favorite(fishes) frozen food, and wax paper/aluminum foil.
Step One
Get the frozen food your fish enjoy and follow what I said above about rinsing it out. Now you can add garlic and the zoecon. After that make sure you drain all the liquid out because you don’t want a liquidly mess on your hands.

 

[55galgill]

Step Two
place it on wax paper(preferably)but aluminum wrap can work too just be careful not to add it to the aquarium. Next pour the frozen food out onto paper/foil in a thin 6"pencil shape. Let it freeze till it becomes solid again.

 

[55galgill]

Step Three
Place the seaweed on a clean cutting board and you need it to be moist not wet. I use a spray bottle filled with ro water. And spray it till moist. But you can use Zoe to pack it full of more vitamins. Make sure that it doesn’t curl up. I use a little book to keep it flat.

 

[55galgill]

Step Four
Take the frozen food out of the fridge. Carefully peel it away from the paper/foil and place it on the outer edge of the moist seaweed. Now for the cool part! Roll the seaweed up making it as tight as you can. Only use as much seaweed as you need because to much and the fish will just spit it out. Now you should have what looks like a very cheap cigar(don’t smoke it!)stick it back in t he fridge on the paper/wrap until it freezes again

 

[55galgill]

Step Five
Cut it into tiny rolls the size of what you think your fish can eat comfortably eat. The trick is to not make them to thick and too big a roll. I feel that when i used this method to feed that I provide them with some greens and meats. Now I don’t use this method all the time but several times a week. Most my fish nibble & take small chunks of the seaweed. My tang absolutely sucks this stuff up though. I was amazed. That being said i hope this help you in your hobby. Happy
reefing!

 

[55galgill]

If anyone has other recipies please feel free to add them in!!!!!!! i would love to hear if someone goes through the same trouble preparing food as i do lol.

 

[loopy]

WOW....amazing. sounds like a lot of work, but hey...I have done the same with dogs, even cooked for a 1/2 pound pom. Geez. Red face here. lol. I am going to give what I have on hand a try in the way you are doing it. Mysis, krill, flakes, algae pads, diced reg. shrimp left over from the star and shrimp pellets. I'll soak them in garlic, then do the freezing thing, then the 'wrap'.
thank you for your time and energy.
Ya think ya outa be thinkin 'bout marketing that stuff??? We could get you on Oprah!!!!
You go girl! Thanks!!!

 

[55galgill]

Ya its kinda of a pain in the butt preparing it but i get my satisfaction watching them eat. the only thing that takes alittle practice is just the wraping part other than that you can fill the middle with what you like and its all good from there. and loopy im a HIM! by the way lol

 

[loopy]

insert gigantic red face here. HEY........it says GALgill, I thought GAL meant girl. Well, better yet, your a guy, I'm a girl....lets............na, just kiddin........lol. Sorry...but...

:nervous:

 

[loopy]

oh crapola, I shoulda known you are a HIM by your pics.....plastic cups...sports cups, that shoulda told me right there. Hey, I thought I was the only one who stayed up this ridicously late and messed around with the net and the fish. Glad to see I'm not alone. We should IM!!!!!! (ARE ya CUTE???

 

[55galgill]

hey i think i have to be(cute) if im bartending or else i wouldnt get any tips

and yes im up too all hours of the night, insomnia stinks! and sure you can instant message
me anytime ;-)

 

[daisy]

Thanks for the idea! I'll have to figure out how I'll do it, seeing as how I have a kosher home, and the food I feed to my fish is definitely out of the range of what it typically found / acceptable in my kitchen. Maybe I'll get special fish sushi-making tools... I'm sure they'd appreciate it!
-Daisy

 

[55galgill]

like i said my tang loves it
gook luck!

 

[milomlo]

Can't you also just put the seaweed in the food processor with the other items and then freeze it in teh little cubes and take off what you need?

 

[dmitry]

My Yellow Tang and Coral Beauty love algae sheets, but won't touch frozen spirulina cubes or formula two. My solution - which also tricks all the other fish into getting some of those veggie vitamins - is to put the cubes into some tank water and let them melt overnight. They just turn into thick liquid. Then I soak freeze dried brine shrimp or plankton in it. And voila: they jump all over the brine shrimp/plankton, which is soaked in veggie juice!

***)

 

[tjake68]

i feed my snowflake eal shrimp by hand he cant see so he fights with my trigger so i hold the food in my hand and place it by his mouth and he takes still got all my fingers