anyone make thier own discus food?
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I use the leanest beef (75%), shrimp(15%), cod(10%), multi-vitamins (say like A to zinc.) and a few other little things that I sadly can't remember off hand. Blend them all together. Then I just make balls and freeze them in a ziplock bag. (IE so each dinner I just pull out one ball and thaw it before I feed.)
There are a ton of different recipes out there.
There are a ton of different recipes out there.
A buddy of mine shared this recipe with me when i got discus. thanks wesleydnunder!
1 beef heart
1 pound of peeled shrimp
1 pound of white fish fillets
1 pound fresh spinach
8 Centrum multivitamins
1 cup spirulina powder
1 cup flake fish food
1 cup carrots
1 medium zucchini
1 can of green beans
Trim all fat and gristle from beef heart and cut into cubes. Place multivitamins in a small dish of water to dissolve fully. Cut carrots and zucchini into 1/2 inch pieces. Steam carrots, spinach and zucchini until soft, but not mushy. Separately grind beefheart, shrimp and fish either with benchtop grinder or food processor. If food processor is used, be careful not to grind too small. Run steamed veggies and green beans through food processor, again being careful not to make a puree--small pieces around 1/8" are desirable. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly. Spoon mixture into quart-size freezer bags and distribute throughout the whole bag, purging all the air possible out of the bag. Press flat. I put enough of the mix in the bag so that it is 1/8" to 1/4" thick. Place bags of food mix in freezer.
When i get ready to feed, I break off a piece and drop it in the tank frozen. It thaws quickly. It is messy and you have to feed sparingly at first to see how much your fish can eat. Vaccuum out any leftovers, unless you have a bazillion MTS in your tank like I do. I've experimented with this recipe over the years, adding this and that. If it turns out too muddy-looking, I add some paprika to give it a red color. I've also tried garlic powder in the mix but my discus don't care for it so I didn't include it this time.
1 beef heart
1 pound of peeled shrimp
1 pound of white fish fillets
1 pound fresh spinach
8 Centrum multivitamins
1 cup spirulina powder
1 cup flake fish food
1 cup carrots
1 medium zucchini
1 can of green beans
Trim all fat and gristle from beef heart and cut into cubes. Place multivitamins in a small dish of water to dissolve fully. Cut carrots and zucchini into 1/2 inch pieces. Steam carrots, spinach and zucchini until soft, but not mushy. Separately grind beefheart, shrimp and fish either with benchtop grinder or food processor. If food processor is used, be careful not to grind too small. Run steamed veggies and green beans through food processor, again being careful not to make a puree--small pieces around 1/8" are desirable. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients thoroughly. Spoon mixture into quart-size freezer bags and distribute throughout the whole bag, purging all the air possible out of the bag. Press flat. I put enough of the mix in the bag so that it is 1/8" to 1/4" thick. Place bags of food mix in freezer.
When i get ready to feed, I break off a piece and drop it in the tank frozen. It thaws quickly. It is messy and you have to feed sparingly at first to see how much your fish can eat. Vaccuum out any leftovers, unless you have a bazillion MTS in your tank like I do. I've experimented with this recipe over the years, adding this and that. If it turns out too muddy-looking, I add some paprika to give it a red color. I've also tried garlic powder in the mix but my discus don't care for it so I didn't include it this time.
thanks msjinkzd and ikevi for the awesome recipes. i was online for an hour searching and reading different ones people were using. how long can you put these recipes in the freezer for?? also ive heard of people putting in flake food... do u think i can put in freeze dried bloodworms? how about live bloodworms with the mixture? i kinda want to add bloodworms because my fish LOVE them... and plus this would give a balance in thier diet. let me know whatcha think
You could certainly substitute other ingredients with this recipe, works out fine. It lasts about a month in the freezer I think, although its usually gone before then in this house wiht so many tanks running. You could certainly add bloodworms if you would like, or just use them at alternate feedings.