# Kitchen scraps as fish food?



## yum (Feb 11, 2008)

Has anyone tried putting kitchen scraps in their tanks as shrimp food? I have an el natural style 20 gallon with a pair of female bettas and a horde of cherry shrimp. I've noticed that whenever I have any fish die, they are rapidly consumed by the shrimp. Not coincidentally, whenever there is a dead fish or two in my tank the next week my shrimp look amazing. (If you're curious, the dead fish have been guppies that did great for a few generations but then a few heater malfunctions later, and now they're all dead. Lucky for me bettas are so hardy.)

Then I saw a posting where people were feeding chopped shrimp meat to their shrimp.

So, the idea popped into my head to throw in kitchen scraps. I'm not thinking of turning my tank into a composter (but that would be amazing if it could) but supplementing the shrimp's diet with scraps that would otherwise be in the trash.

I was thinking of trying vegetable peelings and the odds and ends that normally get tossed: carrots, bell peppers, zucchini, sweet potatoes, etc. (Washed of course)

If the shrimp can eat meat, what do you think would happen if I put in chicken, beef or fish scraps? Unseasoned? Cooked? Raw?

Discuss.


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

Shrimp like blanched zucchini... I'd stay away from the meats though... perhaps you could "share" some veggies with them instead?

I'd suggest no to the meats.No Chicken, No Beef No Fish Scraps


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## tex627 (Nov 2, 2008)

feed enough so that food is finished in less than half an hour


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## orisuechris (Aug 14, 2010)

Agreed, meats just don't seem natural for shrimp. Lets be honest what are the chances you'll ever see a cow or chicken in a lake lol .


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## Brilliant (Jun 25, 2006)

Yes, the only problem is uneaten food fouling the water. The experimentation and maintenance involved would deter me...I like to toss my food in and thats it.

Shrimp are not herbivores. So dont let the no meat thing lead you in the wrong direction. Right now I am feeding my shrimp a homemade food I purchased. When I am finished I will begin making my own and it will include some meats.


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## asukawashere (Mar 11, 2009)

That may have been my post you saw - I often feed kitchen scraps/leftovers to my fish and shrimp. Occasionally we'll have a "surf n' turf" dinner (shrimp and steak), and if there's a leftover cocktail shrimp, I'll chop it up and feed it to my carnivorous fish (my angels particularly love it, as do my loaches and cories... the discus aren't quite so keen on it, but they're picky buggers like that). I will, however, point out that I have a large number of fish (about a dozen tanks right now) and that the pieces I feed are very tiny. The shrimp tank usually gets a portion no larger than a small pea, tops, which they'll polish off the same day and therefore not foul the water. The angels and loaches have slightly larger appetites, but I still tend to feed fresh shrimp very sparingly and only as a treat. One shrimp can be broken into 2-4 days worth of feedings... refrigerate it inbetween to keep it from going bad though, lol!

Leftover grilled/blanched vegetables often become snacks for my plecos and otos, and the goldfish in my pond - zucchini, green beans, peas, spinach, and other green veggies are favorites - but again, it's not like I pour a whole bag of veggies in the tank at once. Usually it's just a slice or two that no one wanted to finish off.

Avoid tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, and chili peppers, which are all in the nightshade family and poisonous to many animals in varying degrees. If you're unfamiliar with nightshade... you may have heard of the poison called hemlock. Same family as well  Those species above are safe for humans, but their chemicals can affect other animals differently.

Also, certain lean bird gizzards - especially the heart and liver - are low in fat and can be boiled and chopped or pureed and frozen (add a little gelatin to bind it together) to feed to fish... haven't tried it with shrimp but I imagine it'd work for them, too. You just want to make sure whatever meats you're using are very low in fat, which means no chicken thighs or porterhouse steaks.

There is, of course, always the old standby - beefheart - which is both very nutritious and cheap. Heart and liver are the only two commonly available mammal meat portions suitable for fish food. Heart is preferable.  I've also heard of people using mercury-free (i.e. freshwater) fish such as trout, perch, etc. in a similar manner or as a supplemental ingredient in beefheart mixes. If you do use fish scraps, make sure it's a freshwater fish - the mercury levels in fish like tuna are very bad for shrimp and small fish.

Shrimp are omnivorous scavengers - they eat whatever's available. No, dead cows and pigs aren't often found in lakes (though anything can happen), but dead fish and inverts are. After all, I don't know what happens in anyone else's shrimp tanks, but if one of my shrimp kicks the bucket, the others don't dig a hole and hold a funeral - they swarm and devour the body like the rabid cannibals they are. :mrgreen:

Hope that helps some!


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## Gordonrichards (Apr 28, 2009)

"Shrimp are not herbivores. So dont let the no meat thing lead you in the wrong direction. " -Brilliant.

I stand with Asukawashere, shrimp are omnivores, not carnivore. They will eat anything.


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## Brilliant (Jun 25, 2006)

haha I understand. I never saw a cow or chicken in a lake before but I never saw a crs in one either. I feed my livestock a wide variety of foods. I see no reason to limit their diet because I never saw a cow or chicken in a lake. My food will have some sort of meat I am thinking ground turkey sausage or something.


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## bluegardener (Jun 5, 2006)

And lets face it... how often do you find zucchini in a river?

Does anyone have thoughts on parasites or other diseases being introduced if we feed shrimp to our shrimp? Would anything survive cooking?


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