Local Eastcoast frozen Mix

Ive been keeping discus for quite a while now (definitely not a pro though), but i started to make my own frozen mix just to do some experiments and see the results. I am what you would call an extreme fisherman. I am constantly on the shore fishing. Its my passion, and another source of food for me and my fish. Using the fish i caught, i made this blend. I call it my Local East Coast frozen Mix. a rather simple blend really. and my discus and other fish really enjoy it!

I stuck to the 2 part meat to 1 part vegetable ratio. I didnt use any beefheart.

1 Lb of Shrimp (peeled)
2 Lbs of Bluefish (filleted, bloodline kept)
1 Lb of canned Sweet Peas
1 Entire bulb of garlic

and thats it! Came out pretty green from the peas but my fish still love it.

I chose to use Bluefish because I didnt use any Beefheart and thought it would make a decent substitute and because i caught over 60 lbs of it last year. They were too old for my family to eat so i decided to give it to my fish instead. Bluefish has a very fishy smell, quite strong to most people. I used lots of garlic to mask the smell, hoping that the fish wouldnt mind it. Plus it has some anti parasite effects.


Total cost -

bluefish - Free because i caught it myself
Shrimp - $8
Peas - $0.43
Garlic - $0.20

So the total Cost was about $9. For $9 i was able to make about 4 months of food if i was going to feed it to my discus only. I have 5 Pigeon Bloods, about 5 inches. I'd say its not bad and quite cheap. Next time i'll add some color enhancer if it doesnt hit my wallet to hard.

Tell me what you think! :)

Hello Jesse,
That sounds really good, ive never hand made food for my fish but your post makes me think about wanting to do so. The only thing i wonder about is the large amount of garlic in it, is that safe for fish? Its not something they would normally eat in the wild..
How are your fish acting now after you feed that too them? They are healthy and ok? No issues?
$9 is so cheap for 4 months food! I think i need to start making my fish foods :)

Hi Sabrina,
Garlic is ok for the fish. Garlic extracts are actually sold to be added to the water to stimulate the fishes appetite. Its been used for decades in commercial and homemade mixes as an attractant as well. Fresh garlic does contain antiparasitic properties as Jesse says, though that chemical breaks down very fast.

Jesse, it looks like a success as a mix and financially. Blue fish is a pretty oily fish though so Id be careful it doesnt foul the tank. Id also be a bit concerned on bio-accumulated Toxins in. At least out here in CT ours have pretty high levels of nasties....no idea how that will affect your fish , if at all..but Id be cautious of the cumulative affect of feeding bluefish thats already high in toxins .

hth,
Al

Hi Brew,

Cheers for that, i knew garlic was ok and used to entice fish to eat ect i was just concerned at the entire bulb he used maybe being too much. But its all good :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brewmaster15

Hi Sabrina,
Garlic is ok for the fish. Garlic extracts are actually sold to be added to the water to stimulate the fishes appetite. Its been used for decades in commercial and homemade mixes as an attractant as well. Fresh garlic does contain antiparasitic properties as Jesse says, though that chemical breaks down very fast.

Jesse, it looks like a success as a mix and financially. Blue fish is a pretty oily fish though so Id be careful it doesnt foul the tank. Id also be a bit concerned on bio-accumulated Toxins in. At least out here in CT ours have pretty high levels of nasties....no idea how that will affect your fish , if at all..but Id be cautious of the cumulative affect of feeding bluefish thats already high in toxins .

hth,
Al

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yep! Brew nailed it for the garlic. As for the bluefish, i am well away of how oily it is. As for the toxins... are you talking about the metals such as mercury? or just pollutants from out local coast? I personally dont think we should worry about that too much. i am much more afraid of Tilapia and other farm raised fish since their flesh would contain much more pullutants and chemicals. As for the oil, i dont really worry about it since, when i do water changes, 80-90% of it goes out to my front yard.

>:) my front yard smells like Hikari Massivore pellets and fish poop lol. I change over 1600 gallons of water a week. And thats not even including the discus tank.

I use a similar mix. Salmon, shrimp, chicken breast, garlic,spinach, fdbw and paprica.
Very easy and fast to make compared to beef heart and the fish kill it.
Jay

Quote:

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Originally Posted by brady

I use a similar mix. Salmon, shrimp, chicken breast, garlic,spinach, fdbw and paprica.
Very easy and fast to make compared to beef heart and the fish kill it.
Jay

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im actually surprised you'd use chicken breast. But i suppose it would be ok for fish. I dont know if salmonella would transfer to fish. I feed my mix especially to my Star Sapphire Phenos since they are primarily carnivores. they eat anything lol.