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For those who feed with Mussels/Clams question

Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2018 11:55 pm
by Fish Fin-atic
Quick question, as to how do you prepare these foods? I bought a mesh bag of Mussels the other week and opened one up (live still) and found it was tough to distinguish what was meat (as opposed to when they are steamed, and the meat scrunches up into a ball when cooked). I scraped out what I thought was the meat, and cut it into strips and threw that in the tank. I did see two fish go after it and take a bite, but I worried about water quality, and ended up doing a partial water change 2 hours later, and siphoned up probably most of the Mussel I had put in, and haven't fed it again.
Is the meat supposed to be cooked first? If not, do you worry about the water quality, and is is safe to leave that meat lying in the tank for any length of time (overnight?) and can the fish get sick from eating spoiled Mussel meat - if they find it somewhere after several days of it being un-eaten??

Re: For those who feed with Mussels/Clams question

Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2018 4:25 pm
by TwoTankAmin
While I applaud your dedication to feeding interesting and appropriate foods, you might want to consider another route for feeding shellfish. That is the Repashy Bottomg Scratcher. Here is a list of the ingredients:
Krill Meal, Insect Meal, Mussel Meal, Squid Meal, Dried Brewer’s Yeast, Dried Seaweed Meal, Lecithin, Dried Kelp, Locust Bean Gum, Potassium Citrate, Taurine, Watermelon, RoseHips, Hibiscus Flower, Calendula Flower, Marigold Flower, Paprika, Turmeric, Stinging Nettle, Garlic, Salt, Calcium Propionate and Potassium Sorbate (as preservatives), Magnesium Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Manganese Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Copper Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelate, Selenium Yeast. Vitamins: (Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Choline Chloride, Calcium L-Ascorbyl-2-Monophosphate, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin, Beta Carotene, Pantothenic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Folic Acid, Biotin, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex).


Guaranteed Analysis: Crude Protein min. 45%, Crude Fat min. 10%, Crude Fiber max. 12%, Moisture max. 8%, Ash max. 11%.
I drew the line at live foods years ago. it was a space and time issue and i did feed live at first. I now feed a lot of the Hikari frozen foods an a lot of the repashy foods as well. These got my stubborn L173s to spawn when nothing else seemed to work.

Re: For those who feed with Mussels/Clams question

Posted: Mon Nov 26, 2018 11:58 pm
by Fish Fin-atic
Hmmm, I might have to supplement with some Repashy, as I have heard nothing but good things about it, and the breeder who sold me my Zebras was feeding it too. However, I make my own beefheart food for Discus, and feed it in moderation to the Zebras and they eat that with relish, and since I can control the freshness, and type of ingredients I use, I know it's got what they need, and like, but I will give Repashy a try.
I have to say though, that for me, there is nothing more entertaining than feeding live foods and watching the fish hunt and pounce on them - live White worms in the Zebra tank provide all sorts of entertainment :)