I realize JD's aren't typically picky eaters, but mine decided to hold out after a beefheart/live feed for 2 years. (If I stopped feeding them, they'd stop being fish. Time constraints aren't an issue here. They despise processed food.) Here are a few musings to keep your more difficult fish happy on the cheap.
I can typically get beefheart/squid at around $1.25/lb (As of 5/12) in whole form. I do eat at least half, pan fried after being tenderized and cut against grain. (Beef is better, squid has a habit of getting rubbery regardless.) I supplement this with $1 cyrovaced packages of tilapia, flounder (the best option for your eating.), canned tiny cooked shrimp / chopped tiny clams.
All these items are about $1-$2 outside of the beef heart, and last quite a while when vaccum frozen. You don't have a vaccum sealer. I realize that. I don't Either. I seal 4/5 of the ziploc and pinch it, forcing the opposite end towards it to open a hole. I then suck the air out of it and seal.
My fish generally hate raw shrimp. (Even the convicts that eat everything will focus on cheaper cooked shrimp) They tend to ignore salmon (raw/cooked), but do enjoy oily fishes like mackerel and herring. (Equally cheap)
They won't eat sushi. Be it maguro, ika, or sake. I can only assume they don't like the treatment. As I like the rest of it.
I like taking a mix of all these and choping them while frozen/near frozen and vaccum bagging very thin, and flat. When they're frozen, they'll break off easily and half thaw in a typical tablespoon en route to the tank, and slowly disperse in the main tank. The big fish will hold 1/4" square pieces until they thaw and can swallow them. The small fish (Even 1" convicts) will absolutely mop the scraps up. Even the fry get in on it when it settles.
Is this "safe", no. You expose yourself to any bacteria / parasites existent in the items as you draw air. I only use this technique on food I allready consider safe. Obviously, having run kitchens and catering halls, my definitiions might vary. If I wouldn't eat it (and that's a very high standard), I won't bother keeping it.
For a general recipe I tend to use....
1 package frozen spinach
8oz frozen cheap ass fresh fish
2-4oz shrimp. (Plain cooked remainders for fish, no seasoning.)
8oz frozen minced squid. (It must absolutely be smaller than the fishes mouths.)
You could half thaw this, mix it in a bowl, and re-freeze it. Then mince it when it's soft enough. For nutrients, cricket dust will work. If not, supplement with appropriately spiked live food.
I wait for rain storms. Worms run out across pavement in the thousands. I collect them from my driveway/yard/garden in bulk. Hold / rinse them, and then either feed them or go fishing.
For crickets I walk about my yard barefoot with a cheap awful fish net and tropicana orange juice bottle. Push down hard, and drag against the grass. 1 out of 3, you get the cricket. It has a nice narrow entrance to make stashing crickets easy.
I'll let you guys know how the legume idea turns out. I'll be feeding my soldiers garbanzos heavily. (I eat them as the days go by as well. They won't be "off".)
Sorry to drag it out. I just like the idea of saving money all around. If you can eat beef at $1.50/lb AND feed your fish, you might as well enjoy it. ^_^
I can typically get beefheart/squid at around $1.25/lb (As of 5/12) in whole form. I do eat at least half, pan fried after being tenderized and cut against grain. (Beef is better, squid has a habit of getting rubbery regardless.) I supplement this with $1 cyrovaced packages of tilapia, flounder (the best option for your eating.), canned tiny cooked shrimp / chopped tiny clams.
All these items are about $1-$2 outside of the beef heart, and last quite a while when vaccum frozen. You don't have a vaccum sealer. I realize that. I don't Either. I seal 4/5 of the ziploc and pinch it, forcing the opposite end towards it to open a hole. I then suck the air out of it and seal.
My fish generally hate raw shrimp. (Even the convicts that eat everything will focus on cheaper cooked shrimp) They tend to ignore salmon (raw/cooked), but do enjoy oily fishes like mackerel and herring. (Equally cheap)
They won't eat sushi. Be it maguro, ika, or sake. I can only assume they don't like the treatment. As I like the rest of it.
I like taking a mix of all these and choping them while frozen/near frozen and vaccum bagging very thin, and flat. When they're frozen, they'll break off easily and half thaw in a typical tablespoon en route to the tank, and slowly disperse in the main tank. The big fish will hold 1/4" square pieces until they thaw and can swallow them. The small fish (Even 1" convicts) will absolutely mop the scraps up. Even the fry get in on it when it settles.
Is this "safe", no. You expose yourself to any bacteria / parasites existent in the items as you draw air. I only use this technique on food I allready consider safe. Obviously, having run kitchens and catering halls, my definitiions might vary. If I wouldn't eat it (and that's a very high standard), I won't bother keeping it.
For a general recipe I tend to use....
1 package frozen spinach
8oz frozen cheap ass fresh fish
2-4oz shrimp. (Plain cooked remainders for fish, no seasoning.)
8oz frozen minced squid. (It must absolutely be smaller than the fishes mouths.)
You could half thaw this, mix it in a bowl, and re-freeze it. Then mince it when it's soft enough. For nutrients, cricket dust will work. If not, supplement with appropriately spiked live food.
I wait for rain storms. Worms run out across pavement in the thousands. I collect them from my driveway/yard/garden in bulk. Hold / rinse them, and then either feed them or go fishing.
For crickets I walk about my yard barefoot with a cheap awful fish net and tropicana orange juice bottle. Push down hard, and drag against the grass. 1 out of 3, you get the cricket. It has a nice narrow entrance to make stashing crickets easy.
I'll let you guys know how the legume idea turns out. I'll be feeding my soldiers garbanzos heavily. (I eat them as the days go by as well. They won't be "off".)
Sorry to drag it out. I just like the idea of saving money all around. If you can eat beef at $1.50/lb AND feed your fish, you might as well enjoy it. ^_^
