Make your own shrimp food?

[xenxes]

Anyone make their own shrimp food? Really considering this since I'm starting to go through commercial pellets and Repashy way too fast.

I'm thinking mix everything in a blender, then let it dry in a dehydrator in little biscuits.

Did a brief search but nothing conclusive as to ingredients:

1. Spinach
2. Shrimp (cannibalism!) or Tuna or Salmon
3. Lemon Juice (Why?)
4. Herbs like Parsley (Why?)
5. Spirulina Powder

I don't plan on adding vitamins and calcium supplements, since their bodies, like ours, probably can't process all the extra crap anyway, natural food have enough calcium and vitamins. My neos are scavengers and hardy and prolific like roaches, nutritional value details probably do not matter too much so long as there is some of everything...


Input?

[GeToChKn]

I've tried but ended up going with the Repashy superfood as my main food. It has a good binding agent that makes it into a jello like substance that can be frozen, kept in the fridge, loaded with veggie (I use the solient green variety), and doesn't break down in the tank even after 12hours.

If you do try, you should use some sort of binding agent like Agar Agar or something. Don't use normal gelatin as it's about 95% beef protein and that's too much protein for shrimp.

[xenxes]

I use Repashy soilent green too (though they have a shrimp-specific line), but mainly for my otos and cories. I'm thinking I can do something cheaper and in bulk for the shrimp, would put that garden spinach to use too since I don't eat it.

TY for the binding agent tip.

[bluegoldfish]

If you have fresh spinach, you can try what I've done for my shrimp. Super easy. Just cut your spinach into long, thin strips, blanch it in boiling water for about 30 seconds to a minute, then let it cool and drop strips into the tank. They LOVE it! Strictly speaking you don't have to cut it up, but I just like to do it that way because more shrimp can get on the edges of the strings.

Turns out my livebearers love this, too, Guppies can't get enough of it - same with platies.

[mordalphus]

lemon juice as a preservative

they like garlic and other herbs and spices as well, for taste

[sunyang730]

OKay, I need a little help here to. Try to look for the answer but it is hard to find with the word spinach.

How long can spinach stay in the tank? Does it effect the water?

Thanks

[Kunsthure]

Talk to Jake (somewhatshocked), he can tell you everything you'd ever want to know about making your own shrimp food because that's what he does.

I've never had spinach last long in my tanks, so I can't tell you how long it can be there without fouling the water.

-Lisa

[randyl]

Originally Posted by sunyang730

OKay, I need a little help here to. Try to look for the answer but it is hard to find with the word spinach.

How long can spinach stay in the tank? Does it effect the water?

Thanks

Spinach in water produces ammonia after 12 to 24 hours, but the concentration is very low so it shouldn't affect a well established tank. I drop it in at night and pick out what's left in the morning and it's been fine with me. It's not ammonia I'm worried, it's more the bad bacteria that can grow on it. But really, you'll only see leftover after 3 hours if you don't have a lot of shrimps in the tank.