# Is flake food enough??



## Borntofish (Nov 30, 2007)

Hi All,
I am curious to what others are feeding their fish, community fish such as tetras, rasboras, gouramis, corys, etc.. I have read in some places that feeding fish frozen food a couple of times a week in addition to flake food will aid in building stronger immunity and better health in general. Thoughts??


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## Cliff Mayes (Jan 29, 2007)

All true but, do you want to eat the same food everyday? It is quite possible to survive on flake food but for mental health and physical health it is better to have a varied diet.


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## aquatic_clay (Aug 17, 2009)

Mixing different types of food is better for your fish. Imagine a person who only eats apples for every meal and every snack and they only drink apple juice when they're thirsty. They won't get the nutrients they need. I feed blood worms every couple of days along with flake food.


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## Six (May 29, 2006)

A good variety is best, omitting specialized feeders of course (namely piscivores).

Frozen foods are usually a great choice. I wouldn't recommend adult brine shrimp though- it's nothing more than an exoskeleton and water. Try mixed foods for community tanks, blood worms, baby brine, enriched brine (with spirulina), daphnia, cyclopeeze & mysis shrimp (the last two are my favs).

GL!


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Most commercial fish foods produced today have all the nutrients fish need. However, it is good to have some variety in a fish's diet. 

For me, treating my fish with a variety of frozen foods every other feeding has brought out awesome coloration and even breeding among my Trigonostigmas in water conditions they aren't supposed to breed in (I have high pH, hard water).


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

More variety. 
I feed several varieties of flakes from www.AlmostNaturalTropicalFishFood.com
Omega one is also a good product line, and I have heard good things about Kens fish foods, too. You are looking for quality ingredients such as whole fish and shellfish, and a minimum of grains or fillers (ie, none)
all the frozen stuff in the stores.
freeze dried foods similar to the frozen foods. 
Live foods in season (earthworms, aphids, mosquito larvae, garden snails).
fresh and lightly cooked vegetables and fresh fruit.
and I make my own frozen foods starting with fish and shellfish from the grocery store, adding vegetables, garlic, spirulina and other things.


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

one of my favorite things to feed my fish is mosquito larvae, and the best part is its free. I just leave pie pans full of water out in the summer and collect the larvae every few days with a brine shrimp net. 

If I can I always try to feed live food.


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## bartoli (May 8, 2006)

Diana K said:


> I make my own frozen foods starting with fish and shellfish from the grocery store, adding vegetables, garlic, spirulina and other things.


Mind if you tell us how you did that? I am curious


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## Diana K (Dec 20, 2007)

http://www.loaches.com/articles/home-cooking-your-own-frozen-fishfood

Here is the original concept and methods. The ingredients are variable. If you have more plant oriented fish, then go with more vegies and less protein from animal sources. If the grocery store has a sale on certain fish or shellfish, go with more of that. If you have only a couple of tanks, then make a smaller batch in case they do not like it. You can divide the batch and add medicine to part of it. (I did that to add piperazine to all the tanks.) If you make medicated food label it VERY clearly!

How I do this:
If anything needs cooking, start cooking the longest cooking stuff first. This is often yam, squash or pumpkin. Fish and shellfish are cooked in the juices that are in the package, adding V-8 if more fluid is needed.

Allow it to cool to handle-able temperature. For me, this means 'cool enough not to crack my plastic food processor'

Process it in whatever size batches work, both to break up the pieces and to thoroughly mix everything. Then pour it into a mixing bowl (if you had to process it in several batches) and finish mixing.

Garlic needs to be minced then put into the processor early. It takes a while to get it fine enough. 
Canned fish (sardines, clams... canned in water) do not need cooking, but may add too much water to the finished product. You could use this water when you are cooking the raw foods. 
Spirulina in found in health food stores. Read the label carefully so you are getting pure spirulina. 
I do not add gelatin, the mix I make holds together pretty well.

Mix it all really well. If it is too wet add some dry food, either flakes, or freeze-dried bloodworms or brine shrimp to dry it up a bit. "too wet" means I can see visible puddles of water forming. (it will be bright green because of the spirulina)

I spoon it into sandwich bags, flatten, exclude air and seal. If the bag is 1/8" thick, this is not enough for my tanks, but is a good size and easy to break up if you have fewer tanks. If the bag is 1/4" thick this is too much. Too hard to break it up. Lay it flat to freeze it (I lay out a dozen on a cookie sheet, about 2 bags thick to freeze them) Then I store a dozen bags in a gallon freezer bag. 
I feed about 800 gallons worth of tanks, most are pretty heavily stocked with fish. 1 sandwich bag = 1 meal. 
If you break off part of it, and keep the rest be very careful to exclude air from the bag when you reseal it. Freezer burn can happen pretty fast.

A typical recipe:
About 2-3 pounds of whatever fish or shellfish is on special, OK to mix 2 or more. Cook these in enough juice (see above for ideas) so it does not stick, but try to keep it drier if possible. 
1 yam, half a butternut squash or a chunk of pumpkin. Cook til barely tender. Dry cooking is better- bake or microwave rather than boil. It stays drier. 
8oz frozen, chopped spinach, or similar amount of fresh. (Blanch the fresh greens)
Several of the larger pieces from the outside of a clove of garlic. Mince as finely as you can.
Couple of tablespoons of spirulina powder. 
Canned fish and shellfish such as sardines, clams or other things, canned in water. Perhaps 2-4 cans.
1 banana


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## bartoli (May 8, 2006)

Thanks very much Diana. Much appreciated for the detail.


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## ddavila06 (Jan 31, 2009)

wow, so much variety! good to know that people care  i use frozen bloodwoorms, i heard i can chop nightcrawlers, i squish snails and drop them in (sorry snail people), zuccini, peas, squash (for plecos and other fish take the pieces that brake off). all that in addition to new life spectrum


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## TAB (Feb 7, 2009)

choped up( or whole) worms work really well for larger fish.


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## DanD5303 (Oct 12, 2004)

Fruit flies are pretty easy to keep and make a good food source. I raise the wingless type which make them easy to feed. Fish love them.


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