Who Gives A Fish Forums

I've been checking out a couple of frozen food mail order places since I don't have a local store that sells this stuff. Both of the products I'm looking at come in frozen cube form.

I consider frozen food a special treat for my fish, and while I'm not sure which one is healthier, my fish definitely have a preference for Brine shrimp over Mysis shrimp. From what I've read online, Mysis shrimp seem to have a higher protein content, but my fish just love Brine shrimp.

I've been feeding my fish a variety of frozen foods for years, and I never serve just one type. My ideal mix for adult fish includes a combination of Mysis and Brine Shrimp, Brine gut loaded with spirulina, blood worms in both mini and regular sizes, and daphnia. I used to add tubifex worms to the mix, but some of my fish wouldn't eat them, so I stopped using them.

For my smaller species and fry, I prefer a mix of cyclops, rotifers, and daphnia. I also keep some Brine Shrimp on hand for special situations. I've given up hatching my own Brine Shrimp, to be honest. Lately, it's been tough to find cyclops, which is a shame.

I've never had any issues with my fish refusing to eat any of the foods I provide, unless it's too big for them. But the larger fish in the tank always seem to find a way to eat it. I'm not sure if there's a significant nutritional difference between the different types of shrimp, and I don't bother tracking which fish eat what. What I do know is that all my fish are pigs and will eat almost anything they think is food.

I do miss Cyclop-eeze, a biologically engineered organism that was part of the Copepod family. It was a great food source, but the population crashed, and it's no longer available. It came in frozen, freeze-dried, and flake forms.

If you're feeding a large number of fish, it's more economical to buy the 1-pound slabs of frozen food. I buy from a place that caters to people with multiple tanks, and I need to purchase around 12-15 pounds of frozen food twice a year. However, I have to buy from different places since some foods are only available in cubes.

I'm considering checking out liveaquaria.com and kensfish.com for some of the foods my main supplier, Jehmco.com, doesn't carry. I usually look for sales before making a purchase.

In my opinion, the best foods for fish are live, followed by frozen, and then commercial foods. When it comes to commercial foods, you have to pay attention to the ingredients and nutritional values.

I prefer to use smaller alternatives to Mysis for my smaller fish, and I've found that the little northern shrimp common on our continent work just as well at a lower cost. If you're set on using Mysis, you could try chopping them up, but I think it's more practical to buy the smaller shrimp instead.

I've also started making my own frozen mixes using supermarket ingredients, which I freeze into sheets and use in place of commercial sheets of brine shrimp, bloodworm, or Mysis. I find this approach not only saves me money but also allows me to customize the mix to my fish's needs.

The old-timers used to use beefheart as a substitute for expensive seafood, but I think it's time to move away from that tradition. Instead, I use a stick blender to chop up healthier protein sources like northern shrimp, white fish, or mock crab, and then build out the mix from there. With a couple of hours of work in the kitchen, I can make a year's supply of frozen food that's not only cheaper than frozen artemia but also doesn't require shipping.

Here's my two cents on frozen brine shrimp. I've been around the block a few times, and let me tell you, it's just not the same as it used to be. I remember buying San Francisco Bay Brand frozen brine shrimp years ago - the stuff was top-notch. It had a pleasant smell, a nice reddish-pink color, and looked like it was packed with nutrients for my fish. Nowadays, I've noticed it's more grey, lifeless, and honestly, it reeks. I've lost faith in it, and I've switched to live foods instead.

While Mysis has its advantages, I find many small fish tend to have a strong preference for the taste of Brine Shrimp. I've noticed this firsthand in my own aquarium, where the smaller species seem to flock to Brine Shrimp over other options.

In addition to frozen foods, I've also experimented with raw or cooked prawn and shrimp as a treat for my fish. I purchase them in bulk from the bait freezer at a local fishing store or the seafood section of a supermarket. Once I've defrosted a few, I remove the head, shell, and gut, disposing of these parts in the compost or bin. The remaining prawn is then cut into bite-sized pieces using a pair of scissors. I offer a few bits at a time, monitoring the fish to ensure they're full.

When feeding prawn to my aquarium, I make sure to cook it first if I have crustaceans in the tank. This helps prevent the introduction of diseases that could harm my shrimp or crabs.

I've also found success using raw or cooked fish, squid, and mussel meat as a treat for my fish. These can be sourced from the same place as the prawn and prepared in a similar manner. However, I do recommend exercising caution when purchasing mussel meat, as it can be expensive and difficult to inspect for quality. Opting for human-grade mussels or carefully checking the color and smell before buying can help ensure you're providing a safe and nutritious treat for your fish.

infold wrote: ↑Sun Apr 03, 2022 5:43 pm Here's my two cents on frozen brine shrimp. I've been around the block a few times, and let me tell you, it's just not the same as it used to be. I remember buying San Francisco Bay Brand frozen brine shrimp years ago - the stuff was top-notch. It had a pleasant smell, a nice reddish-pink color, and looked like it was packed with nutrients for my fish. Nowadays, I've noticed it's more grey, lifeless, and honestly, it reeks. I've lost faith in it, and I've switched to live foods instead.

It's a common issue with many fish foods these days. Supply chain disruptions and rising costs have led to changes in formulations, and more often than not, these changes are for the worse. If you've been loyal to a particular food, it's a good idea to reevaluate it to see if it still lives up to your standards.

Had a change of plans, ended up at the ER with mom, so no mail-order frozen food for me today. Stopped by Walmart instead, grabbed a bag of small, raw, deshelled, and deveined shrimp. Cut up half of one into tiny pieces and fed it to my African Tetra tank - I've got some new wild-caught fish that are being a bit finicky, but there's just too much competition for them to get a decent meal. Still, the shrimp seemed to be a hit with the rest of the tank.

What happened to your mum, hope everything's okay and she's going to be alright.

Just a cold, and she's a bit of a worrier, always thinking the worst. Thankfully, all her tests came back fine, so that's a relief. Thanks for asking after her.