Frozen Food

[Wippy M]

I just bought some frozen food for my fish, but I need to know, does it have to be defrosted before feeding it to them? The packaging doesn't say, which suggests that it doesn't need to be, but I wanted to be sure.

Thanks in advance.

 

[thee_tigress]

no just put in, i've got some frozen blood worm and my fish love it, it doesn't last a minute!

hope this helps!

 

[rabbut]

If I'm medicating the food, then defrost it with the medication for about 1/2 an hour, before draining, rinsing and feeding. In all other situations, I hold the cube in front of the filter outlet to defrost. My angels and discus will both take it from my hand this way The tetras hang back for the scrapps

All the best
Rabbut

 

[backtotropical]

I always defrost the food before adding it to the tank.

If you defrost it first, you will notice that a lot of liquid comes out, which you can pour away before adding to the tank.

If you defrost the food in the tank, that liquid will only pollute your water unnecessarily. The fish can't eat the liquid so it will just mix in with your water, and be another pollutant which you don't want. It could also bring pathogens and disease with it.

I've also heard that it can cause health problems in fish if they eat the food whilst it is still frozen, which they inevitably will.

I don't have any actual proof that adding food to the tank without defrosting it will have negative effect, but i always defrost and drain the excess liquid off first, just in case.

Cheers

BTT

 

[Wippy M]

Hmm mixed opinions, thanks to all of you, I think I'll take backtotropical's advice though because I don't want to risk harming the fish.

 

[Hallett]

I always add it frozen as the warm water defrosts it quickly anyways. So they're not eating it frozen. Also their not going to put harmful pollutents in frozen fish food. I wouldn't have thought anyways but if you want to take that added precaution fair doooos.

 

[rabbut]

Using hot water is like cooking veg. You will loose some "goodness" from the food, loosing some of it's often small mineral content. If defrosting, use cold tap water or safer still, tank water

All the best
Rabbut

 

[backtotropical]

I agree with Rabbut on this. Using hot water is not a good idea, although there are many valid ways.

Heres a few that i can think of

1. Defrost the food on a plate (not in water) at room temperature. Pour off excess fluid, then add to tank.

2. Defrost in a cup of cold tap water. Once defrosted, strain using your fish tank net so the water is washed down the sink. Add the food to the tank from the net.

3. As per no. 2 but use water from the tank instead of from the cold tap.

Using hot water will not only deplete the mineral content, but also provide an ideal breeding ground for bacteria as the food will most likely get partially cooked.

Hallett,

the fish will almost undoubtedly eat some frozen food if you don't defrost it first. The food won't defrost instantly on contact with the tank water, but the fish will start eating it instantly.

Also, they don't deliberately put harmful pollutants into the frozen food, but there is always the risk that they might be there.

 

[Wippy M]

I defrosted it on a plate, then put it in the water. It sank to the bottom and none of the fish looked at it.

 

[backtotropical]

This could suggest that you are maybe overfeeding your fish, maybe they are unwell, or maybe they are stressed (possibly from new surroundings). If you can answer these questions, it'll help us to diagnose your fish's loss of apetite.

How long have you had the tank set up?
How long have you had the fish?
What fish do you have?
Is the filter cycled?
What size is the tank?
Ammonia?
Nitrite?
Nitrate?
pH?


Cheers

BTT

 

[Athena]

I have a tiny cup that I add a small amount of tank water to - then I drop the frozen bloodworm cube into the cup and wait for it to disperse and soften a little. Then, using a pair of tweezers, I pick out a clump of worms (so none of the bloodied water goes back in the tank) and add the food to the tank that way. My female Betta loves to be directly fed this way (she's a bit pampered!) - also, I can feed them all just enough, as soon as I see they are not rushing for the worms, I stop adding them to the tank and the remainder goes in the fridge for later in the day.

Doing it this way also means that I can distribute the food to any part of the tank - so if I see my two frogs down one side of the tank I can make sure they get their share of the food by dropping some of the worms in their direction, whilst dropping some at the other end for the fish (otherwise the fish eat everything before it reaches gravel level and frogs will go hungry!)

Athena