Frozen Beefheart Mix

[on_golden_wing]

I use Gabe Pasada beefheart recipe .The discus were feed bloodworms before I recieved them so it takes a week or so to get them to eat the beefheart mix but once they do you can almost watch them grow.You can also alter the mix to whats available to you. I used shrimp,beefheart,oatmeal,seaweed(for sushi),garlic,Womans One A Day vitamine(remove the coating by running under water then chop up the vitamine).I believe thats all i added but you can add other fish like salmon or cod.All this goes in a food processor until the beefheart is in small pieces.You can check by taking some out and putting it in a cup of water to see the size after breaking it up.If it's too big a piece keep going with the food processor.I added small amount of water to activate the gelitin as well.The gelitin holds it together in the tank.Before feeding let it thaw out on a napkin to drain blood and not give the fish a brain freeze.Fed frozen will upset their stomach.(Dont microwave it to speed up the thawing process because its not good with the vitamine in there doing so)
Store in the freezer in Zip Lock bags placed inside Tuberwear with lid to keep fresh for long periods of time.If your me this will last you months,if your HansDiscus this will last you 2 feedings,,lol..Try feeding small amounts at first because if uneaten the garlic will stink up your water like an italian soup so you will have to remove it from the tank.At first I thought I wasted my time with this mix because the fish did'nt like it but given time they like it better than frozen bloodworms which are limited in nutrional value if feed as the main food source IMO ofcourse.Everyone varies the mix,do what works best for you and your fish.All's i know is my Greyhound wants the leftovers if I took out too much,he waits by the last tank being fed hoping theres a piece left.
You can find Gabe's and others here on the SimplyDiscus site.
best of luck,
Daniel

[on_golden_wing]

I almost forgot,you need to remove all the fat and vein in the heart and cut in small cubes before placing in the food processor.You don't want your fish having a heart bypass operation when they turn 6 years old.I get mine from Publix here in Florida.You should see the look on the checkout person when they scan a 4 pound beedheart.Just ask them if they want to come over for lunch,hahah
ciao,Daniel

[kitykatfunkiehat]

You should see the look on the checkout person when they scan a 4 pound beedheart.Just ask them if they want to come over for lunch,hahah

Lol. FOUR POUNDS?! Man..how much? I suppose its worth it in the long run...it lasts a while, but thats a hunk of meat there!
The search is on to find beefheart here in the mitten!

[on_golden_wing]

Yep 4 lbs they average in the supermarket here but by the time you trim fat and vein your down to almost 2 lbs.Theres alot of vein and fat,I think the last cow it came from did nothing but smoke and sit on the sofa all day.hah
But seriously,I just use the best part of the heart and don't bother with the tougher pieces.It only cost 4 dollars for the whole heart.I hear veal heart is better but I can't find that.I used turkey heart last Thanksgiving and they loved it but also hard to find in quanity.(Besides what came with our Thanksgiving bird).Some use hamburger meat,the lean one,I think it's 97% lean.
Good Luck with your search
Daniel

[diamond_discus]

I believe one whole beefheart is >10 lbs ... Last time I went to a Mexican supermarket, they ask me how much I need .. I told them 5 lbs .. Then I saw the guy went inside and picked up a big heart, chopped in half, and clean out some vein and fat for me. I still ended up with ~5 lb ... After I got home, I still need to trim more fat (I got to give credit to my wife, she did the dirty work for me, HaHa).

So each time, I made about 10 - 12 lbs of my beefheart seafood mix, which will last me about 6 weeks ... :-)

BTW, I also use the Womans One A Day vitamine, but why do you need to remove the coating ? I just put them in a zip lock bag, use a small hammer to break them up into powder.

Every time I prepare my mix, I need to get my dog away to prevent him from attacking the yummy food.

[kitykatfunkiehat]

What are your exact measurements for your mixes?

[on_golden_wing]

Gabe Posada's Beefheart Recipe
Gabe Posada


Mind you, this formula will also accept banana, fish, shrimp and whatever else you would like to add.

Ingredients:
1 veal heart, cleaned of all fat and veins
1 10 ounce package of frozen spinach. Thaw and squeeze out as much water as possible.
3 large handfuls of dry flake food (any type)
6 multi-vitamins (One-A-Day, Theragram, Centrum, etc.) Wash off the protective coating and let them soak in small cup with enough water to cover them so that they break down into a soup.
6 cloves of raw garlic
1 small box of Knox unflavored gelatin (entire contents)
1 cup of Quaker oats

Instructions:
Place ingredients in a food processor
After the paste is done, place in freezer bags
Make the mix about 1/4" thick in the bags
When feeding this mix, break off a piece and place it on a folded paper towel to thaw (This will drain off any excess blood)
Then feed

This is just one of many mixes you will find on the SimplyDiscus site.I bought a Black n Decker food processor for 30 bucks.I have a hard time using it for anything im eating after that mix goes through it,lol
As far as why wash the coating off,I was just going by the directions but i like your idea of smashing them in a bag.
Daniel
Goodluck,Daniel

[kitykatfunkiehat]

Thanks Daniel! That looks like a decent recipe to me. I'm going to save it !!

[diamond_discus]

What are your exact measurements for your mixes?

I never actually measure the size ..but I believe it's between 0.25 to 0.5 inch thick. I cut mine into different size cube. I use the bigger size cube for bigger fish. Smaller cube for smaller tanks.

[Dan]

anyone selling any of their mixes? i don't have the resources to make my own. don't really trust pet store mixes.

[diamond_discus]

anyone selling any of their mixes? i don't have the resources to make my own. don't really trust pet store mixes.

I would sell if you are local here at Los Angeles. Otherwise, I suggest you contact Al

[Jhhnn]

Or you can probably go to any supermarket meat department, and ask them to order for you.

That's what i finally figured out, too. I call before 1:00 PM, ask for the meat dept at the King Soopers (Krogers) where I regularly shop, and they usually have it for me the next day by 10:00 AM. Fresh, sliced, Rumba brand, in ~2lb packages.

I use Carol's beefheart method, w/ salad shooter, and the stuff isn't messy, doesn't foul the tank at all. It's too coarse for really small fish, fine for those 3" and larger.

It is a fair amount of work to prepare, but my fish have grown really, really well with it as a staple in their diet.

My fish went wild for it from the start, not surprising after Kenny told me that Forrest raises 'em on a beefheart/shrimp mix...

[kitykatfunkiehat]

Krogers readily orders it for you? How much does it cost you? Thats GREAT news.

[darkknight87]

Ive been making my own beefheart/seafood mix and Ive noticed that my fish only wanna eat it if I break it up and belnd it with a fork untill its in a nice cloud before they are able to all eat it. IF its just in a cube then one or two will guard it and keep it from the others

[darkknight87]

I noticce alot of people like you use Women's One a day...I just got some Actual Discus vitamins...does anyone use them?
And I find that using an icecube try and sealing it with Plastic wrap works really well to freeze them. After they are froze I individually wrap each cube in aluminum foil and place them in tupperware containers. Every morning I take one cube, thaw it out in a cup of the aquarium water, drain the water, and then give them the beefheart..and the feast begins