Food List/Recipes and info on feeding your fish

[callen]

We here at the Oscarspot have put together a food list, recipes and other information to help you to have happy and healthy fish.  Whether they are Oscars, other American Cichlids, Pleco and so on.

To start we have put together a general food list that you can feed separately or add to any of the recipes.

After almost a year of research and talking to some of the top Aquariuses in the hobby that own Oscars, other American Cichlids, Pleco etc...  Here is the list of foods to help you own a happy healthy fish.  Please remember everything in moderation and the more variety the better.

We have also found out that Vit C is very important for O's. So fruit and veggies like bell peppers, oranges and mango's are a very good source.


Meaty Foods

Pellets
Shrimp
Krill (if freeze dry be sure to soak it in some tank water first to not cause swelling in the stomach)
Scallops
Clams
Squid
Crayfish
Crab & lobster
Fish - Cod, salmon, silver-sides, minnows, flounder. haddock, tuna just to name a few
Bloodworms
Brine shrimp
Mysis shrimp
Snails


Insects & Worms

Insect Larvae
Crickets
Meal Worms
Earthworms
Wax worms
(Always be careful they have not been exposed to any chemicals)

Veggies, Fruits & Nuts

Peas (frozen right out of the bag...no need to de-shell them)
Algae wafers
Bell Peppers
Zucchini
Squashes
Carrot's
Garlic
Mango's
Orange's
Pear's
Bananas
Blueberries
Papaya's
Peach's
Grapes
Spinach and leafy lettuce (not iceberg)
Peanuts
Pecan's

Feeding your fish many of these foods when they are younger will help not to have a picky eater when they are older.

IMPORTANTJust a note on beefheart and meats from warmblooded animals of what we buy in our stores. If you must and feel you want to feed beefheart or other meat, make sure they are organic. Research is now being done that animal meat that have been injected with antibiotic's and hormones can effect your fish. Many fish are becoming immune to antibiotics that we use to help cure common bacterial infections. Also my research showed that when the fish are younger 2-4 inches can tolerate it well but as they get bigger the fishes digestive system slows down and has a harder time breaking up the meat and possibly causing blockages and other digestive issues.  But with that said as long as a well rounded diet, organic meat (personally I'd find other foods) is given your fish should not have any problems.

Martin A. Moe states ...Fish are cold blooded and all digestion reactions takes place at 70 to 80F, the temp of aquarium water.  Thus they may not be able to efficiently digest or use the types of fats present in the flesh of warm blooded animals.  They are much better off with the flesh of animals that are similar to their normal prey.

A few little tips when feeding...

It's always good to underfeed then over feed and always take out any uneaten food to help your water quality.

As your fish get bigger you will find you can feed every other day and or every 2-4 days.

Feeding a good pellet food that has whole fish rather then fish meal is always a plus.  With the pellet food it is always a good idea to look at the vitamin levels.  A good source of vitamins like C and B's will add color, energy and keep their immune system high.  With that said if you do feed a lot of the foods from the above list you won't have to worry to much about the vitamins as they will get it from the foods.

Thawing and refreezing of seafood

From the Dept. of Health

Thawed - but Cold 45 Degrees or Lower

Fish and Shellfish - Yes can be refreezed - if odor is normal - If there is any off odor - discard  

Also stated that it does deplete the nutrients but if thawed properly and refreezed in the right wrapping or container it's ok.

The recipes that have been posted can be modified and changed to your liking or should I say to your fishes liking 

In closing we here at the Ospot are always interested in new recipes and if you have tried other foods that are not on the list.  Please feel free to post and we will be happy to add it.

Happy fish keeping,
The Ospot Team

[callen]

Daygen's Homemade Fish Food De lite

1/2 cup of HBH Super Soft Spirulina pellets
1/2 cup Dianichi Cichlid Colour Supreme pellets

or sub with 1 cup of your favorite high quality Cichlid Pellet or Flakes.

put in a bowl with 1/2 cup of warm water to soften and put aside

1lb of frozen cod, mostly thawed
1lb of frozen shrimp unthawed and shelled.

1/3 cup freeze dried krill
1/3 cup freeze dried plankton

Cichlid vitamins (follow the directions on the bottle) or 2-3 high quality multivitamin (eg. Centrum)  crushed to powder.
5 to 8 cloves of garlic minced or Garlic Xtreme by Kent Marine (a few drops as this is very concentrated)

Makes about 4 cups.

What I did was put the pellets (water included)  in with the cod in the food processor and let it blend.
I then added the shrimp, krill and plankton, garlic and vitamins.  I mixed it for about 10 minutes until I was sure that all of the fish and shrimp were well blended.  This made a very thick mix.  I had to add 2 or 3 tablespoons of water to help blend better. Once it was done, I placed a small amount on parchment paper and spread it out thinly.  I wound up with 2 layers on a cookie sheet and covered it well and froze it.  We will see how much they like it tomorrow. Our fish love shrimp, krill, plankton and tonight had cod for the first time.  The spirulina will bring out the beautiful colours in your fish, as well as the plankton. The garlic has been used to help relieve some fish of ailments and I added it to help ward off anything that they might get. 

This food, will be used in conjunction with Tony's Famous Beefheart Recipe and wont be used for daily feeding.  We will switch between the two.  There are no vegetables in this as of yet, I want to see how they react to it, if it is too strong, what to cut back on next time, what to add more of etc.  That is when I will add the veggies.

[callen]

xaviergal Fish Food De Lite

Hi Folks,
I have always been a big fan of the beef heart recipe, but have been making modifications over time. This is where I am at now and would like some input about whether or not it is well balanced. I use this as his staple food, with krill, crickets, and earth worms as treats.


To make it I soak the pellets in about 1/3 cup of water to start them getting soggy. Once the water has been absorbed I add 2 generous tbs of the peas and carrots baby food. I let this soak in for about 5 minutes then I mash it all up. Then I blend up the salmon (removing bones and skin) and next the prawns. In a separate bowl I combine 2 tbs of peas and carrots, 2 of the squash, and 2 tbs of banana, and the capful of garlic guard. In a bigger bowl I then combine the baby food with the mashed pellets, salmon, and prawns. Once it is evenly mixed I add the gelatin (which has been dissolved in some water) to the food and mix well again. To store it I put the mix into ziplock bags to make thin sheets that can be broken easily when frozen   

if you can think of anything that I should be adding let me know, I have no problem feeding my fish better than I feed myself   

1 cup Omega One cichlid pellets
1/4 cup spirulina pellets
200grams of salmon
8 prawns
Baby food - peas and carrots(4 generous tbs), squash (2 generous tbs), and banana (2 generous tbs)
1 capful of Garlic Guard
1/2 pack of gelatin


---> my fish loved this recipe so I made a bigger batch the following time. I did the same thing only added more of the above 3 baby foods and also added about a tbs of "apple and apricot" baby food to see how that works. So far so good   
I added a full pack of gelatin.

[callen]

Lavenderfleur Famous Only A Fish Will Love It Recipe

I just made some gelatin food today for my pleco, so I hope my Oscar will eat bits of it too!

EDIT: A ha! He likes it! Good, now I don't have to worry about whether or not he's getting enough veggies.

Here's my recipe if anyone is interested...

1 peeled sweet potato
1 cucumber
1 small zucchini
1 peeled carrot
1/2 cup or so of frozen peas
2-3 tablespoons HBH Veggie Flakes
1 teaspoon shrimp pellets
1 tablespoon Hikari Cichlid Staple pellets
1 teaspoon minced garlic
5 or so Big Al's Spirulina Tablets
8 packets Knox Gelatin

I blended all food ingredients together in the blender. Warmed up 8 tablespoons water on the stove and stirred in the 8 packets of gelatin until dissolved. Stirred gelatin into the blended food. Pour into container and refrigerate until set. I plan on cutting into cubes and freezing.

[Alan]

Stormbringer Famous Mix

Here's a recipe I made

1lb of white fish (cod , pollack, saithe etc)
1lb of prawns
1lb of vegetables (I used cauliflower, broccoli and carrots)
2 mugs of pellets (usual 1,s your O eats ) just add enough water to the pellets so they are soft
2 capsules of pure garlic extract (pierce the capsules and squeeze the liquid out)
2 multivitamin tablets (crush them using 2 spoons to a fine powder)
blend all the ingredients together just adding enough water to allow it to blend together
add 2-3 packs of gelatin again using only enough water to dissolve it and add to mix
when all blended/mixed, line a baking tray with grease proof paper (wax paper)and pour mixture into it so its under 1/2" thick you will need to add multiple layers as this mix makes a lot of food , place in fridge till set , remove layers from tray gently and score heavily so that you can break cubes off easily and place in freezer till frozen , you can then bag it up in freezer bags etc and break off what you need per feeding.

My fish love it even Garfie who wont eat veggies any other way

Happy Fish Feeding!
Alan

[JohnL]

John's Aquatic Cuisine

• 4 Large shrimp or prawns
• 4 oz. Salmon or other fish
• 1 oz pellets (soak in water to soften)
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 1 jar banana baby food (or other fruit)
• 1 jar carrots baby food (or other veggie)
• 1 jar peas baby food (or other veggie)
• 1 envelope of unflavored gelatin
• A little water (add just enough water to help the blender along)
• 1000mg of vitamin C
• Any last little bits of fish food laying around
• Mix in blender or food processor
• Freeze (see below to make your own cubes)

Make Your Own Food Cubes

For those of you who make your own food here's a way to make it into cubes that are easier to handle and feed to your fish.
Take some plastic egg crate (used for ceiling lights) and cut it to whatever size you'd like. I cut mine so they would fit easilly in a small zip lock bag for storage later. Lay the egg crate on cookie sheets and spoon in the food mixture. Put the whole thing in the freezer, once frozen the cubes can be popped out and stored in zip lock bags. I've discovered something about the egg crate material the inside of the squares is tapered. If you put the small end up when you fill it with food the cubes will be easier to pop out. Also if you let the whole thing sit out on the counter for five minutes the cubes just pop right out.

[callen]

fishysocks2012 Special Fruit & Veggie Delite w/a Touch of Smelt

3 bananas
1 cup of peas
1 peeled zucchini
1 cup of carrots
1/2 garlic clove
small peeled mango
1 orange
1 packet of knox gelatin
about 3/4 pound of smelt

Mix in blender and freeze in small egg crates like JohnL or place in baggies, flatten down so that it's easy to break off into bite size pieces.

Happy Fish Feeding

[callen]

Dear Members,

We are always adding items and recipes to the list so please check back.

We are always interested to hear what members feed their fish so your ideas and in put is very important. Please feel free to contact one of us on the Ospot Team via PM and we would be happy to add your recipe and ideas.

Thank you,
The Ospot Team

[JohnL]

Recipe By: FallenMessiah

• 100g salmon
• 6-7 prawns
• 4 cubes frozen bloodworms
• 1 banana
• 1 orange
• 2 med carrots
• 1/2 cup peas
• 2 cloves garlic
• 30 grams hikari pellets soaked in the carrot water
• And mcKenzie's edible geltine to set