# safe to feed or no?



## cobyfish13 (May 21, 2013)

OK did alil homework on diy food for my fish because its expensive to feed 3 tanks! SO I got some cooked frozen wild caught salad shrimp. i know its alot of ideas out there & im open to suggestions


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## ChuckinMA (Aug 24, 2013)

I don't have any direct experience with using that type of shrimp. Do you know where it's from? Some of the countries exporting wild caught fish products are a bit light on food safety laws.

Another option you can try is beef heart. It can foul the water quickly so don't feed more than your fish can consume in a couple of minutes. I'd view it as supplemental though rather than a steady diet. When it's near frozen, it's much easier to cut into small pieces.

There has been some concern about residual growth hormones and antibiotics used in traditional US cattle raising, but I'm not sure that has been definitively linked to any issues with tropical fish. Just to play is safe, I'm working with a local farmer to source beef heart from cattle that haven't been given growth hormones and only antibiotics if the animal was ill.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

It's important to know what species of fish you will be feeding before making up your own fish food.

Beef heart is an extremely poor food for fish that require a plant based diet and can lead to dietary issues.

Unless your 3 tanks are very large and your fish are extremely large, standard fish flake, pellets or similar items contain all the nutrients your fish need. Homemade food may need vitamins and other additives to be considered proper nutrition for daily needs.


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## SupeDM (Jan 26, 2009)

Agree with Deeda. As far as shrimp i have fed it to fish for years i have a deal with local grocery store that i purchase all their expired seafood at a rediculously low price. I feed most of it to large predatory cichlida and catfish. However my peacocks and haps love the occasional salad shrimp. I definately would not rely on it to meet the nutritional needs of fish long term however.


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i had a beautiful flowerhorn that i decided i wiuld feed my own foid to. i gad shrimp, garlic, zuccini, spirulina, and a few other ingredients that i dont remember. it git an intestinal parasite and died. u am pretty sure it had to do with the shrinp i was using. i honestly believe that most of the store bought foods contain a well balanced diet that will be great for fish as long as u buy the food that is made for your particular fish. i am also a big believer in not changing diet. if fish are healthy and happy then i would just continue to feed what u have been. "if its not broke, then dont fix it"


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## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i appologize for spelling in last post. i got fat thumbs. lol. i forgot to address the cost issue. i understand its expensive to feed mutiple tank(i have 13), but if u order in bulk online its really not that bad


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