DIY Cichla Pellets - Monster Fish Keepers Style!
- Thread starter MonsterPeacock
- Start date
I tried it today and it took 45 minutes to cook. My fish didn't eat it
Sent from my iPod touch using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Sent from my iPod touch using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
I tried it today and it took 45 minutes to cook. My fish didn't eat it
Sent from my iPod touch using MonsterAquariaNetwork app
Not surprising really, a lot of fish take some time to adjust to a new food. Maybe try breaking them up a lil and start with smaller pieces. Stick to it and they'll come around, always do.
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My Cichla that are exclusively eating live fish did not eat the pellets.... No surprise there haha i just tried them on my growouts.. Got a few chomps here and there but they didnt swallow them. Will try again some tomorrow.
I was asked to chime in on this thread, so here goes nothing .........
That would be incorrect, heat does in fact effect certain vitamins, and using vitamin supplements designed for human use isn't a good start to begin with. Fish food manufacturers use specially formulated vitamin premixes desigbed for fish, and take into account the potential for loss during cooking, and storage. In other words they are extra fortified, at least the better ones are.
Also, this food most definitely should be stored in the fridge, as without some form of preservative the fat in the food will begin to spoil the moment that it comes out of the oven.
It seems that this betty crocker formula was conceived with the idea of saving $$$$, I'm all for that so here's a few tips that you may want to ponder. There are high quality foods that will cost less than 1/2 of Massivore. NLS makes pellets in the 7.5-10mm range, and the cost is less than half of what massivore typically costs, and IMO a far better product.
If you want to go even cheaper, consider buying trout/salmon chow from a local feed mill or hardware store. http://www.fishchow.com/aquamaxfishdiets.htm
While certainly not the best of foods, if cost is your main issue you can buy a 40lb bag of Aquamax for under $40. Buying in bulk from a feed mill will cost you even less. Again, not the best of foods but without a shadow of a doubt the overall nutrient levels will be far more balanced, than these types of home made mixtures, and the only 'time' involved will be opening the bag before tossing in the finished product.
That would be incorrect, heat does in fact effect certain vitamins, and using vitamin supplements designed for human use isn't a good start to begin with. Fish food manufacturers use specially formulated vitamin premixes desigbed for fish, and take into account the potential for loss during cooking, and storage. In other words they are extra fortified, at least the better ones are.
Also, this food most definitely should be stored in the fridge, as without some form of preservative the fat in the food will begin to spoil the moment that it comes out of the oven.
It seems that this betty crocker formula was conceived with the idea of saving $$$$, I'm all for that so here's a few tips that you may want to ponder. There are high quality foods that will cost less than 1/2 of Massivore. NLS makes pellets in the 7.5-10mm range, and the cost is less than half of what massivore typically costs, and IMO a far better product.
If you want to go even cheaper, consider buying trout/salmon chow from a local feed mill or hardware store. http://www.fishchow.com/aquamaxfishdiets.htm
While certainly not the best of foods, if cost is your main issue you can buy a 40lb bag of Aquamax for under $40. Buying in bulk from a feed mill will cost you even less. Again, not the best of foods but without a shadow of a doubt the overall nutrient levels will be far more balanced, than these types of home made mixtures, and the only 'time' involved will be opening the bag before tossing in the finished product.
I was asked to chime in on this thread, so here goes nothing .........
That would be incorrect, heat does in fact effect certain vitamins, and using vitamin supplements designed for human use isn't a good start to begin with. Fish food manufacturers use specially formulated vitamin premixes desigbed for fish, and take into account the potential for loss during cooking, and storage. In other words they are extra fortified, at least the better ones are.
Also, this food most definitely should be stored in the fridge, as without some form of preservative the fat in the food will begin to spoil the moment that it comes out of the oven.
It seems that this betty crocker formula was conceived with the idea of saving $$$$, I'm all for that so here's a few tips that you may want to ponder. There are high quality foods that will cost less than 1/2 of Massivore. NLS makes pellets in the 7.5-10mm range, and the cost is less than half of what massivore typically costs, and IMO a far better product.
If you want to go even cheaper, consider buying trout/salmon chow from a local feed mill or hardware store. http://www.fishchow.com/aquamaxfishdiets.htm
While certainly not the best of foods, if cost is your main issue you can buy a 40lb bag of Aquamax for under $40. Buying in bulk from a feed mill will cost you even less. Again, not the best of foods but without a shadow of a doubt the overall nutrient levels will be far more balanced, than these types of home made mixtures, and the only 'time' involved will be opening the bag before tossing in the finished product.
Thanks for your input, that's what this site is for. I don't agree with some things said above but think you mean well plus you noted some other cheaper alternatives which is good info. So all in all thank you for your opinion and time to add to this thread. and only time will tell.. Words are just words and opinions are just that opinions. Tell you what I will continue to feed my fish these pellets for an entire year just to prove and call BS. Actions... not just opinions... It's more then okay to store dry and feed to your fish and I'll prove it
My comment wasn't based on an opinion, it's based on decades of scientific data, and real world experience.
Another thing to add to the mix, no one on MFK has fish large enough to feed hockey puck sized pellets. lol
In commercial aquaculture 24" trout/salmon are fed 5-6mm pellets, 8 ft sturgeon are fed 10-12mm pellets.
These sizes have been designed for maximum assimilation & digestion by the fish. Too large and a lot of the food simply gets wasted via chewing, or is poorly digested, which again equates to wasted food, and wasted $$$.
Feeding your home made mix for a year, or two, or three, isn't going to prove anything unless you are willing to allow some of your fish to be killed & have a full necropsy performed. This is what takes place in real world aquaculture studies, one doesn't just account for growth and/or color to guage the overall health of a fish. You can only see & learn so much by making visual comparisons with the naked eye.
Another thing to add to the mix, no one on MFK has fish large enough to feed hockey puck sized pellets. lol
In commercial aquaculture 24" trout/salmon are fed 5-6mm pellets, 8 ft sturgeon are fed 10-12mm pellets.
These sizes have been designed for maximum assimilation & digestion by the fish. Too large and a lot of the food simply gets wasted via chewing, or is poorly digested, which again equates to wasted food, and wasted $$$.
Feeding your home made mix for a year, or two, or three, isn't going to prove anything unless you are willing to allow some of your fish to be killed & have a full necropsy performed. This is what takes place in real world aquaculture studies, one doesn't just account for growth and/or color to guage the overall health of a fish. You can only see & learn so much by making visual comparisons with the naked eye.
Yes it is very true RD You have stated fact that being said i use Hikari by preference the old saying you get what you pay for applies in my mind i have tried other ways to feed and have returned to the best !!!!But i tell ya RD your message would be much better recieved if you toned down a bit with your answers and give just a bit at a time let these hobbiest digest bits of info at a time to smack them like ya do shocks people and turns off the reception ...Just my opinion from my own personal experiences
In my opinion I would imagine these diy pellets to be better than many of the aquaculture pellets (especially in the aspect of the fish accepting the pellets, I've tried aquaculture pellets and have never had any fish look at them, even my greediest of eaters). After some research it does seem some vitamins become degraded through heat. Other nutrients may be diminished in the cooking process as well. However, if I had to place bets I don't think you will see any consequences through your fish due your formula. The ingredients seem pretty sound. I've kept fish for over a year on hot dogs until I realized this wasn't a good food alternative. My recommendation from what I can see is maybe incorporate some pellets into your mix and use real garlic instead of the garlic powder. Also, the multi vitamin may not be the best bet since they are scoped towards human nutritional needs, use fish based vitamin and mineral products if you feel the need for these.
My conclusion, since money is always an important factor in keeping fish I would say you're onto something. It may need some fine tuning but the bulk of your project seems sound, and if you ever see any negative consequences from your feed then you can always switch back.
My conclusion, since money is always an important factor in keeping fish I would say you're onto something. It may need some fine tuning but the bulk of your project seems sound, and if you ever see any negative consequences from your feed then you can always switch back.
