beef heart mix

[fish_r]

well after reading all the posts in this section, i thought id'e give a beef heart mix a go.
used lady reds mixture more or less, but also added some foods my discus wont eat, cause of floating pellets etc...
after completion it cost me about $70 total + what the dry food cost me and got 22 bags of final product, so it works out about the same price as what i would pay at a shop, but at a better quality...
now just hope my fish will eat it :?:
here's some pics of the process :)

[fish_r]

more pics

[fish_r]

final one

[stonedavid]

well certainly has everything plus more, silver service mate. if they dont eat it they dont know what they are missing out on.

[fish_r]

definately silver service :)
just worked out that including the dry foods it cost me a total of $135, so thats just over $6 a bag, never mind the 3hrs labor lol
fed it tonight and they seem to like it, but only gonna feed it 2-3 days a week as i think it's a bit rich and it absolutely stinks of garlick...

[enigmatic]

Was using the drill helpful? I'm looking at making this mix in the next week or so.

Cheers,

Chris

[fish_r]

the drill definately helped, but i put all the meats through by hand first and only used the drill for the second pass of all ingrediants mixed through.
was too much strain on the drill to use on the meats and used an old drill in case i burnt it out....

[Mattzilla]

great idea using the drill!!!!! i have the same meat grinder and it kills the arms doing it manually. i will definately be using the drill next time i make some

well done, hope the fish like it!

[Erk]

SO how goes it now fish_r? Im thinking of making some homemade food for my discus very soon...maybe tonight even! lol! Ive been reading through some threads as well as the stickys, and I think ima give it a try tonight....I dont have a food processor, or mincer, or anything like that...other then a blender, so I may have to pick one up while Im out. Just curious how your fish took to it? I hope I can find all the ingredients too!

Thanks and nice work! :D

[fish_r]

Hi Erk
the blender will probably do ok till u can get a grinder :)
just might turn out a bit fine ?
u should make Lady Reds beef heart mix as it's a very good mix and lots of people use that mixture here i think ? i based mine on that but just added some foods that my fish wouldnt eat cause of floating pellets etc...
too be honest my discus didnt really like it, but i didnt really give them a chance too get used to it as i sold most of my mix to another DF user and he said his fish liked it :) i think where i went wrong with mine was i added way too much spirulina, "both flakes and moist pellets" it was more of a catfish mix i think hehe

good luck with ur mix and let us know how u go :)

[Erk]

Thanks fish_r, I tried to get some ingredients for lady reds recipe today on my way home from work, but I was having trouble finding some of the stuff, but I will keep looking, and I will definetly let you know how it goes for me :D I picked up a food processor today while I was out, so hopefully that will do the trick :wink:

[fish_r]

beef hearts the hardest thing for me to find here :(
but a m8 at works brother is a butcher so going to ask him to get my next lot :)
what did u have trouble getting ?

[Erk]

You're lucky to have someone to get that kinda stuff for you! I had trouble finding beefheart, only because the butchers here closed at 5, and thats when I get done work, so nobody would answer the phone, but Im gonna call again today, and see what they say. Im not too sure what Im looking for in her recipe when it says "any white ocean fish fillet"? And is the orangey red, white shrimp supposed to be cooked or uncooked? Does it matter? I cant find anything that says "Green Prawn" either? I think that was it....I posted this same kinda stuff under the sticky...I should check it and make sure Im not forgetting anything

I guess I have to go to a health food store for the spirulina too? I was thinking I would just chuck some spirulina algae wafers into the mix??

Thanks for your help!! :D

[fish_r]

when LR says any white ocean fillet, it's just a good quality "sea fish" white fillets, i'm not sure what sea fish is for sale in the U.S. so cant advise u there ? but just good quality white saltwater fish fillets are what u want.
the salmon should be an orange colour. try to get "un cooked" shrimp imo not sure if u get green prawns in the U.S. ? but just subsitute it with un cooked shrimp if u cant get the green prawns. if the shrimp are orange there probably cooked and imo cooking them will take some of the goodness out of them ?
i just used spirulina flakes and pellets, cause the spirulina powder isn't cheap and i couldnt afford it @ the time but if u can afford it the powder would be better, and u should be able to get it at most health food shops...

[Erk]

Thanks fish_r, guess I need to get uncooked shrimp....which is fine, I get to eat the stuff I got last night! haha :D I got salmon....two different kinds, both uncooked, so I think that will work, and I will just double the orange shrimp since I cant find the prawns. I dont know what kind of fish fillets to look for I kept seeing something that started with a "T" Like talbot or something like that, I cant remember....what examples can you give me for the fish fillets? I will check for the spirulina powder, and see how much it costs, and go from there, and I do plan on putting some OSI discus flakes in the mix, cause my discus dont seem to feed from the top, so they dont really eat the flakes much.

Thanks again! My girlfriend really wants to try this mix, in the hopes the discus will come eat from her hands! None of them do it anymore, since being in the planted tank, but at one point or another, all of them except the ocean has eaten from her hand or mine :D I dunno how else to get them to calm down, and really act like they want food, and hopefully eat form our hands except to try this mix, and if they still dont do it, thats fine, at least I know they are being well fed! :D

[fish_r]

sorry m8 but i dont know what fish are caught and sold in ur part of the world, but as long as it's salt water and a white fillet it should be fine to use, doesnt have to be anything fancy, just fresh :)
my fish took a while to eat out of my hands and also to eat flake food, but in time with the right condition they should start doing it at every feed :) i now have trouble with them eating all the flake b4 my other fish can get to it. i feed frozen food and flake at every feed, but i feed a fair variety of about 5 different frozen foods and about 8 different flake foods to mix it up a bit for them.
bloody things eat better than me lol :)

[Erk]

Thanks fish_r, I will look again and see what I can find as far as the fillets go.

I have about 7 different frozen foods in the freezer (store bought) and OSI flakes, hikari discus pellets, and tetra colorbits, so they do get a variety IMO, but I understand I need to be patient, and someday they will eat out of my hand! I try to feed one frozen cube with some flakes and pellets and tetra colorbits at every feed, but making this mix would be great! :D I think then, I will be able to say they eat better then me! haha

Thanks very much for your help, I will keep you posted on how things go! :D

[Erk]

I can find talipia, haddock, and flounder I believe as far as the ocean white fish fillets go, I believe that may be it tho??

Would any of these work?

Thanks very much! :D

[fish_r]

i just googled the first two and they look fine :) and flounder would probably fine too.
the tilapia fillets look nice :) hmmm now i'm hungry...
make sure if they have skin on them to get that off too or get ur fish munger to, if u havnt skinned fish b4 get the munger to do it cause it can be tricky :wink:
good luck with it m8 :)

[Erk]

Cool! I will check those out, prolly today again, and see what I can find...I dunno if anyone will skin them for me, but hopefully I can find something that doesnt have skin on it, and go from there! :D

Now go find something to eat! hahaha....what are you still doing awake anyways??! hahaha....looks like 4am to me there?? haha :D

Thanks for your help :D

[Erk]

I wonder if this link will work here? If not, maybe we can find some other way so you can check this out....lots of different kinds of fish available for me to get, right around the corner from work! im gonna call them and ask them about the beefheart, and prawns soon too!

www.wegmans.com/freshProducts/seafood/flavorProfile.asp

Thanks! :D [/url]

[Erk]

Found beefheart :D , already cut and ready for human consumption :D ....2.49US per pound...the whole heart or whatever for $7US!! :shock: Gonna get the fish today, and hopefully some spirulina, and I found a place for the green prawns!...then I think Im ready to get started! Will def. let you know how it goes! :D

Thanks very much :D

[Erk]

I managed to get everything but the spirulina powder today, and made a lil bit of lady red's recipe :D No "green prawns" either, so like you said, I doubled up on the regular UNCOOKED shrimp....I followed it to the T hopefully, except for that, its in the freezer now...hopefully I will get the nerve up to try to feed it to them tomorrow after work...im a lil leary just in case I missed any veins in the shrimp? I bought flouder as the fillets, and they didnt have any skin on them, so all good there :D

Thanks very much for your help...will keep you posted! :D

[fish_r]

well done Erk
i'm sure ur fish will love u for it :) might take a bit to get used to it so dont panick if there not real keen at first...

[Erk]

Fish_r, I finally got around to feeding my discus lady red's recipe...followed to the T, except for the spirulina powder, but I used the algae wafers with spirulina in them. I fed them about 4 times so far, and they just keep getting better and better! Im so excited now! :D The first time, they ate it, but not from my hands :( but the second time, they sure came and ate from my hand...then on the third time, as soon as I opened the lid they were up at the top of the water, which they never did before, waiting for the food!! :D Then the fourth and final time I fed them it, I more or less had to make them move outta my way to put the food in, but all four of them come flying up to it, and just peck away!! Its great, and surprisingly, the food really sticks together very well :D Its like I have completely different fish at feeding time :D :D

Thanks very much for your help!!
Eric

[fish_r]

no probs Erk it's more LR "Merrylin" u should be thanking, it's her recipe :wink:
great to hear ur fish like it :)

[Erk]

Yup! I thanked her, and you....you because Im sure she is busy, and you were very helpful with the questions I had, as Im sure she is very busy, and didnt get back to me about it

Im very glad they liked it too! Maybe next time, I will experiment with some other additives to the recipe, but for now, Im happy :D

Thanks!

[fish_r]

i'm happy to help if i can m8 with my limited knowledge :) iv'e ordered half a dozen hearts so hopefully make a new batch up soon too myself :)

[Erk]

I appreciate your "limited knowledge" I know its much better then my "limited knowledge" haha



iv'e ordered half a dozen hearts so hopefully make a new batch up soon too myself

A half a dozen hearts?? wow! :shock: I guess you have lots of tanks to feed!!

Good luck with your mix this time...I hope they like it better this time around! :D

Thanks for everything! :D
Eric

[Merrilyn]

So glad they liked it Eric. And a big thankyou to FishR for your input as well.

Yep I have been busy these past few weeks. Studying accounting on a part time basis as well as a full time job, so life is pretty hectic at the moment.

Now that I've got my course under way, I should be able to spend a bit more time on the forum.

The beauty of that recipe is that you can add anything you like to it. I use up any uneaten flake or dry foods, sometimes a bit of liver, just about any kind of seafood that is on special at the supermarket. They all make good food. And fish just love it. Just about any kind of fish will eat it, even peppermint catfish LOL.

[Erk]

Thanks Merrilyn, Im glad they really like it also! I have noticed my clown pleco, and queen arabesque eating the mix as well! :D All my fish are gonna get big now! haha :D

I think next time I will look around more for the spirulina powder, and maybe add some flakes into the mix, they dont seem to care for them anymore now

I def. recommend this recipe to anyone who is having trouble getting their fish to eat, I know it may seem time consuming, but like I said, its like I have completely different fish at feeding time now! :shock:

Good luck with the accounting, and I hope things slow down a bit for you!

Thanks again to you Merrilyn, and fish_r :D
Eric

[fish_r]

pick up my beef hearts tomorrow so i'm going to be buisy making another batch tomorrow now too :)
going to be adding 60grams of pro's choice discus bits into this batch too...
and here was me thinking i was going to relax tomorrow.

[Erk]

Haha....no relaxing for you! :wink: Thats a lot of beefhearts! and a lot of pro's choice bits! :D Have fun! I hope it turns out better this time, and your fish like it!

Good Luck! :D

[fish_r]

no rest for the wicked m8, and i'm really wicked :twisted:
going to make a big batch this time :wink: and not as much spirinula this time... might even use the blender this time too. it will be easier on the arm...

[Erk]

Sounds great fish_r!

Good Luck with all of it!! I dont think I put enough garlic in my mix....the discus dont seem to really "clean up" what sinks down to the gravel after it starts to fall apart...maybe it looses its smell after bit? Oh well....they def. like it, and I guess the stuff on the bottom can be for all the other guys that eat of the bottom, its just the discus dont go pecking the gravel after Im done feeding and walk away :?

Good Luck tho :twisted:

[fish_r]

do ur discus usually eat other foods off the bottom Erk ? maybe there just full, remember there gut is only about as big as their eye.

i finished packing my beef heart mix tonight, i only used 3 hearts in this lot which gave me 2kg of trimmed beef heart. i also used the full lge container of discus bits in there which would of be approx 200-300gms and about 80grms of sera granugreen vegetable diet...

ingredients were :
2kg lean beef heart
1kg nanagai fillets skinned and boneless
1kg atlantic salmon "as above"
1/2kg scallops with roe on them
2kg prawns devained and shelled
200-300grms pros choice discus bits
approx 80gms sera granugreen
1 cup peas
1 cup carrot
1/4 cup garlick
ended up with 34 pkts so will keep me going for a while and this mix looks great, just gotta test it on the fish now when it's frozen properly :)
ended up costing about $3.50 a pk
here's some piccies :wink:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/KharmaKazi/BeefHeartMix.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v402/KharmaKazi/DSCF2058.jpg

[Erk]

Yeah they eat from me, and my hand, and off the bottom...nothing much off the top

That is one **** of a mix you got there! :D I hope they love it!

My mix looked pretty pinkish like that too! Your other set of pics from the fist batch, looked greenish, and I was concerened when I made mine cause it wasnt greenish, but now this batch looks pink like mine, and I feel better! lol

Im sure they are gonna love it! Good Luck :D
Eric

[fish_r]

pretty happy with this mix, but i forgot to put a bananna in that i was going to.
the colouring is right this time m8. last time i put way too much spirinula pellets and flake in and thats why it was really grey looking, but wasnt supposed to be lol.
was more of a catfish mix last time i think hehe...

[Erk]

A banana :lol: thats great! I never would have thought of that!

Did you feed them it yet? im interested to hear how it goes

Good Luck, sounds and looks like they will love it! :D

[fish_r]

another mix i used to buy had banana in it, but theyv'e changed there formulation and now it's crap, thats one of the reasons iv'e made another batch myself. apparently it enhances colour ?
havnt started feeding it yet but will try it tomorrow when it's fully frozen :)

[scott bowler]

good mix guys good to see people looking for better food for the health of the fish , it almost looks good enough to eat hehe oh maybe not but the fish will love it . good on you guys

[Erk]

Interesting...banana enhances color....maybe next time I will chuck one in too! haha

Good Luck, cant wait to hear how it goes!! :D
Eric

[fish_r]

fed the food this morning and every thing in the tanks liked it :) except my heckle which isnt eating yet :( went and got some live brine today to hopefully trigger it into feeding...

[Erk]

Well im glad all of them liked it except for the heckel, sounds like they are tough fish to care for in the first place....good luck with the brine shrimp! :D

[fish_r]

i ended up throwing the live brine shrimp away, wasnt happy ! there were a few black things floating around in there which i suspect were dead shrimp, but i wasnt sure so didnt want to take the chance :( but the heckle ate a little bit of frozen shrimp tonight so i'm a little less worried :)

[Erk]

I hear ya on that one....I wouldnt wanna take the chance either! Sounds like you have some nice tanks, and very nice fish! I wouldnt risk it either

Im glad it ate a lil bit, so you can relax a lil bit

On a side note, I got the riccia yesterday, and if you check out

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12312

I kinda have a step by step for how I went about getting it in the tank with those crochet mats

Good luck with your fishies and your mix! :D
Eric