Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello from Florida, USA!

This is my first post on this forum, and I am grateful for all that I have already learned from the members here! I did a search, but did not find this exact recipe that my friends and I have been using for years to make food for our African Cichlids.

So, I just wanted to post it, hoping that I might contribute something. This recipe has been very economical, and the fish LOVE it. They will not stop breeding and growing like weeds!

This is a recipe that can be expanded or downsized at will, but I suggest that you try it vs. buying commercial foods.

1. Combine 0.5 pounds (about 250 grams) of whole uncooked shrimp (or equivalent), including head/shell/tail, with the same weight of frozen peas (slightly defrosted). Grind into a very fine paste.
2. Stir in about 1/2 teaspoon (0.5 mL) of Spirulina (algae) powder. If you wish (and I never have), also stir in about 3-mL of liquid vitamins. I add FAR more Spirulina powder than is recommended in this recipe.
3. Set mix aside.
4. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons (15 mL?) of Agar Agar flakes over 2.5 cups water. Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Please stir frequently until competely dissolved.
5. Pour dissolved Agar solution into bowl of shrimp/pea mixture and blend thoroughly.
6. We always skip this step, but it is in the recipe: Pour into covered casserole dish and refrigerate overnight.
7. Place the contents into baggies, layering them flatly. Put in freezer.
8. When almost ready to use, place in refrigerator to thaw. (Another alteration: I simply break off a piece from the frozen food in the baggie and thaw in tank water in a coffee cup before mashing it and serving to my fish.)

Agar Agar can be purchased in health-food type stores in the USA, but one can use regular gelatin. In the USA, however, gelatin is made from ground cow hooves, etc, so we use the algae-based agar agar to be safer.

What do you grind the shrimp to a fine paste with ?? a blender ?
The recipe sounds good and cheap, I'll give it a shot soon..when you thaw it in a coffee cup does it just turn to mush or does it clump a little ?

I'm now feeding my fish on something similar.
The fish do seem to like it. It sinks slowly and they are feeding on it by the time it gets to the bottom.

I put in:
about 10 3cm shriimp (cut off the hard head shell section and tail)
a couple of small fish (3cm - whole)
a few leaves of lettuce and spinach
a small handful of peas
a sheet of sushi seaweed
a omega-something supplement capusle that contains some vits & minerals.
a couple of cloves of garlic (a clove is the little section right?)

Throw in a blender with just enough water to get it moving. I blended it for quite a while to get it nice and smooth then put it in a ice-cube tray for freezing.

The pics are on my phone and I will post some pics next.

Loading the feed into the ice cube tray.
This tray has mini finger tip sized cubes. Perfect for my little fish. Currently feeding two or three lumps a day.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk

details of the supplement capsule I added.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk

Proof that they do eat it!

Sorry for the three posts. My phone doesn't like posting multiple pictures.

Sent from my GT-I9001 using Tapatalk

I used to make one similar to this... but got bored with making my own food.
Why make it when you can buy 25kg for ~$100!