How to harden the mashed green pea for plecos

[professorjimjam]

Please see the photo. I peal the green pea and mash it and then freeze it and then drop a portion for my bristle nose plecos. They love it and eat it, but the problem is the mashed green pea does not stay solid as soon as the pleco move it makes a dust and make the whole tank foggy. So 50% of the. Mashed green peas goes into the filter. I was wondering if anyone has any experience on feeding mashed green pea to share with me. My wife told me to use gelatine to harden it, but I am not sure if that is good for the fishes.

 

[FJB]

I always turn filters off during feeding. I feed garbanzos, which I also peel, and sometimes guandules which are like peas. I keep them frozen and whole until I use them. Then, thaw and mash a little (certainly not completely) between my fingers. Some fish eat them from my hands.
These foods are treats, given on a rotational basis and less often than other, more nutritional foods.

 

[fishdance]

Don't peel or cook the peas. Or use raw zucchini or soy bean.

Gelatine is a protein and would add nutrition all by itself. You need to heat & dissolve it to make it bind. Can't simply mix in as a dry powder.

 

[Midwater]

I peal the green pea and mash it ...

Plecs have got hard rasping teeth. They need hard vegetable matter.

 

[FJB]

Most gelatin is carrageenan, extracted from seaweeds. It has near zero (nada) nutritional value. It is however, an excellent binder.

 

[fishdance]

Seaweed? I suspect you are thinking of agar agar..

Another way to bind & preserve wet food is to sun dry as flat sheets until baked rock hard. Pretty laborious.

Cooking reduces the nutritional value of fresh food and is more work.

 

[FJB]

Not agar (which is also from seaweed). Google carrageenan (from seaweeds, mostly Chondrus crispus).

 

[fishdance]

Google (not always the best source) says carrageenan is a gelatine alternative.

Gelatine is from collagen.

 

[professorjimjam]

Don't peel or cook the peas. Or use raw zucchini or soy bean.

Gelatine is a protein and would add nutrition all by itself. You need to heat & dissolve it to make it bind. Can't simply mix in as a dry powder.

Thank you. So if I just put the frozen green pea not mashed with its skin, the plecos will be able to eat them?

 

[FJB]

Agree on the Google. But well used, it can be very helpful.

Gelatin and gelatin-like things are polysaccharides, not proteins. Chemically, are closer related to other sugars.
There are various sources, animal or plant based. Animal such as collagen (in animal cartilage), or plant (mostly in seaweeds and other plants).
Carrageenan and Agar are made from seaweeds. Carrageenan is in common gelatins. Agar is similar, but is made commercially very purified & sterile for bacteriological work.
The clip below is from this reputable paper (complete article)...

Carrageenan: a review.