Homemade tropical fish food offers numerous advantages over store bought options, including no preservatives or fillers and the flexibility of tailoring ingredients specifically to your tank needs.
Cook the vegetables until tender, blanch, and blend to a smooth consistency. In another bowl mix gelatin with hot water according to its sachet instructions; slowly incorporate vegetable mix into this gelatin solution before pouring into ice cube trays and freezing.
Contents
Vegetables
Fresh vegetables offer herbivorous and omnivorous fish in your aquarium an excellent alternative to commercial formulas, providing protein as well as essential vitamins A, C and E, potassium, calcium and iron. In addition, their alkalizing qualities help balance out pH levels in your water environment.
However, simply tossing leafy greens and carrots into your blender won’t suffice – as terrestrial plant cell walls can be too tough for fish GI systems to easily break down, it is wiser to blanch all vegetables before including them in your mix.
This recipe is quick and simple to create, without the need for expensive ingredients. Simply line large baking trays with parchment paper before pouring your refined mixture in and allowing it to set for three to four hours before storing in plastic or ice cube trays until ready for use.
Meat
Fish are known to consume both plant matter and meat in their diet, which makes it important that at least part of your homemade fish food recipe contains meat.
Cod, salmon, tilapia, trout and tuna are excellent protein sources for homemade fish food recipes, while other alternatives such as squid mussels shrimp earthworms and bloodworms also contain high amounts of healthy fat for your aquatic friends.
Vegetables provide essential vitamins to tropical fish. Blanching and boiling vegetables such as cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, courgette and even some dried edamame or nori (seaweed sheets used to wrap sushi) is ideal. Chopped garlic should also be added as it acts as an effective natural antibiotic that will strengthen their immune systems; especially important if keeping young fish. Garlic also promotes vibrant colors in your tank!
Fruits
An optimal blend of ingredients mimics the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients found in their natural habitat, as well as providing a healthier and cost-effective alternative to buying expensive specialty fish foods that contain fillers such as wheat flour and potato starch.
Fruits provide valuable fibre, vitamins and minerals for both carnivorous and herbivorous fish species alike. Ripe bananas contain potassium; oranges have vitamin C and some phosphorus content while pears boast plenty of vitamin A – though avoid fruits with seeds or peels which could irritate their digestive systems or introduce acidity into the water.
Before adding them to homemade fish food, vegetables should also be thoroughly washed as they could contain contaminants that may harm aquatic life. Furthermore, certain fruits and vegetables such as carrots can promote algae growth; so it’s wise to limit their consumption. However, moringa (Moringa oleifera) seeds provide high protein sources that could make homemade food even healthier for fish tanks.
Garlic
Garlic is widely considered the “king” of medicinal plants due to its antifungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties. Furthermore, garlic helps boost immune systems while increasing appetite. To make garlic easier to consume, break or chop the cloves then rub on food or combine with oil/water before eating.
Vegetables such as spinach, kale, zucchini and carrots contain many vital nutrients for improved fish health, vitality and color. You may also include fruits such as apples or pears in their diet. All food should be thoroughly washed before being blanched to remove bacteria, parasites and pesticides.
A gram scale can be very helpful for measuring ingredients accurately and ensuring all nutrients are being added, since over or under-adding vitamins and minerals could be detrimental to your fish. Furthermore, quality blenders should also be available since most fish food recipes require a high speed blender capable of breaking up tough items such as meat or shrimp into liquid form for mixing in with food ingredients.
