finger lickin' good

[fishorama]

I ground up my first beef heart today, twice. Is this some initiation rite for new discus owners, a test of devotion? I think I threw away almost half in trimming any mystery parts. I decided to just do it plain for now, I may add some goodies later. My fish eat flakes & bits too so they don't really need extras.

When I was finished before cleaning up I held my hand in the tank. They loved it! I almost didn't need to clean under my nails, lol, though some bits are a bit big for my small fish. I ended up with a flat sheet about the size of a lb of bloodworms, it should last a while. I think the smell was the worst part.

So, did I pass the test? I feel as though I've made a big step from fish keeper to discus owner. Do I get a secret decoder ring?

[Chad Hughes]

I ground up my first beef heart today, twice. Is this some initiation rite for new discus owners, a test of devotion? I think I threw away almost half in trimming any mystery parts. I decided to just do it plain for now, I may add some goodies later. My fish eat flakes & bits too so they don't really need extras.

When I was finished before cleaning up I held my hand in the tank. They loved it! I almost didn't need to clean under my nails, lol, though some bits are a bit big for my small fish. I ended up with a flat sheet about the size of a lb of bloodworms, it should last a while. I think the smell was the worst part.

So, did I pass the test? I feel as though I've made a big step from fish keeper to discus owner. Do I get a secret decoder ring?

Good for you!

You don't get the secret decoder ring until you add secret ingredients to the mix. LOL! :D

Fresh beefheart shouldn't have much of an odor. It's the other stuff that you add (shrimp, seafood, etc) that has odor.

Best wishes!

[Jhhnn]

Do I get a secret decoder ring?

Nah. What you will get is fast growing fish. Beefheart is very nutritious, and most fish love it.

Feed 'em heavy, change lots of water and be amazed at how that happens.

Beefheart does have a strong odor, imo, as does all organ meat. I soak it in cold water and rinse it well to reduce that... Like you, I'm not the best trimmer, so it does seem like there's a lot of waste. As your fish grow, you might want to use Carol's beefheart method. It works great, and gives a product that's not messy in the tank at all... You really, really wanted a salad shooter anyway, right? Right?

[fishorama]

The holes in my grater attachment looked way too big for my little guys, but Carol's method sounds cool. The grinding went pretty fast. I'll keep an eye out for garage sale salad shooter.

Since I only have 10 juvies, I thought I might try adding goodies to very small amounts, a shrimp, a few peas etc. My other fish are jealous of all the discus attention, they know little glass dishes mean frozen treats.

[akumastew]

What type of container do you guys freeze your beef heart in?

[Jhhnn]

What type of container do you guys freeze your beef heart in?

I put it in gallon size freezer ziplocks, ~1/4-3/8" thick, lay that on a cookie sheet to freeze. Ends up kinda like the flat paks of FBW or brine shrimp...

[csarkar001]

i might try putting it in a mini ice cube tray next time to keep the pieces the right size. has anyone used something like this?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.homebarsupplys.com/images/products_fullsize/pro_ice_cube_tray_1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.homebarsupplys.com/mix_pro_ice_cubes.html&usg=__aFmXHKwszbKSt2RW9SvXaRac0bU=&h=273&w=300&sz=38&hl=en&start=25&sig2=UyOPT7XvNIqy9VFt4qEykA&um=1&tbnid=gDDBUGmBRnJvkM:&tbnh=106&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djello%2Bcube%2Btray%26ndsp%3D20%26hl% 3Den%26safe%3Doff%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox%26rlz%3D1I7SNCA_en%26sa%3DN%26start%3D20 %26um%3D1&ei=JsiWSvn3LOaxtweu64XADg

[Jhhnn]

i might try putting it in a mini ice cube tray next time to keep the pieces the right size. has anyone used something like this?


Might be tough to get the food packed into the little squares...

With the flat paks and mixes, I pull the big paks out of the freezer as needed, let 'em thaw somewhat (still frozen, just not rock-hard) cut 'em into appropriate sized chunks with a ginsu-type knife, put the cutting board & all back in the freezer. Once they're really hard again, I scrape 'em off into sandwich ziplocks for easy use...

And, yeh, I'll accept the proposition that I may be a little nuts wrt the fish...

[fishorama]

Shhh, don't tell my husband it's in the freezer, he's weird enough about meat as it is.