need advice experience for making algae wafers/fish food for herbivorous fish

[Turbosaurus]

Algae wafers are very expensive and the ingredients always start with fish meal or wheat meal or some other low quality filler :yuck:. I can buy spirulina for $10 a pound, dried split peas and broccoli and kale for peanuts and skip the nonsense ingredients. Im just not sure how to make it into an edible stick or wafer or sheet -whatever- soemthing to hold it together so it doesnt just foul my water. I have a dehydrator or I can freeze it, I'm just not sure what do do about the "glue" to hold it all together.

Have any of you tried it? and if so, what were your experiences- what worked and what went wrong?

 

[esoepr1976]

I think the glue that holds it all together is the low quality filler. I know when I had snails, I made snail jello--I mixed baby food and other snail goodies with unflavoerd gelatin and cut it into cubes and fed it to my snails that way. I had several snail tanks, and I didn't make tons at once (so it wouldn't spoil). Maybe that would work for you?

Emily

 

[dbosman]

If you want to make your own algae foods, I suggest doing a Google search for - algae paste for fish
Saltwater people have been working on this extensively.

Some pleco breeders use spiriulina and shrimp meal, mix it with some food grade agar paste, spread it like icing on ceramic tiles and let them dry.

 

[nasomi]

Try kensfish.com. They have lots of foods that are healthy and WAY cheaper than the store. I pay $4 per pound of a variety of different foods. Store costs $10 for 4 ounces, or $40 per pound, so $4 is quite a savings. I just switched about a week ago and thus far my experience has been very good, my fish have taken to it quite well.