Feeding prawns

[rED O]

This is a dumb question but here it goes


I go to the supermarket and buy large raw prawns, de shell them, cut them up and feed them to my rays. I freeze the prawns and unfreeze some when I feed my rays. The prawns are not sinking now. They used to sink to the bottom and now I tired feeding them and they float like pellets. Is this from freezing them? Its kinda frustrating. Any ideas on what I can do?

thanks

 

[skynoch]

Are you thawing and then unthawing them each time? Do you unthaw them at the start take the shell off cut them up and then refreeze in portions. I've found buying the shrimp with the shell on and leaving it on till they thaw will keep them more fresh. Deshelled shrimp don't seem to last as long in the freezer.

 

[Bogwoodbruce]

I buy them in 2.5kg gram bags as deshelled and i put them in a bowl with some boiling water out of a kettle and leave them a minute to defrost them

 

[Gshock]

never thaw with hot water, just run it over cold water, you'll just cook the shrimp if you keep using hot water and refreezing and thawing only spoils it.

 

[rED O]

what i do is buy them fresh and de shell them and freeze them. i take 5 or so out when I feed them. but why wont they sink?!

 

[greenterra]

what i do is buy them fresh and de shell them and freeze them. i take 5 or so out when I feed them. but why wont they sink?!

Are you thawing them out before you throw them in the tank or tossing them in frozen? Frozen prawns float as they get trapped air in them from the crystallization process of being frozen. Same reason ice cubes float. If you thaw them out first, it should sink. As said, thaw them out in cold water and not hot.

 

[African_Fever]

If you're buying them fresh, you're probably paying way more than you would if you bought them frozen. I do the same as skynoch - frozen, shell on, and when I thaw them to freeze I take the shell off before feeding.

 

[biggfish]

They float because ice is bouyant. Ice floats in water, thus frozen shrimp will float as well. They typically sink as they thaw. Noworries unless you have other fish eating them before they have a chance to sink. My rays usually swim to the top to find them anyway. Thawing them out prior should help.

 

[FSM]

Are you thawing them out before you throw them in the tank or tossing them in frozen? Frozen prawns float as they get trapped air in them from the crystallization process of being frozen. Same reason ice cubes float. If you thaw them out first, it should sink. As said, thaw them out in cold water and not hot.

Water expands when it freezes, that's why ice floats. The prawns probably aren't thawed all the way though, I agree. I can't think of any other reason why they wouldn't sink.