Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Looking at getting a Cryovak machine in the coming months.

Wondering if anybody has any recommendations.

Speaking with a fishing mate at the pub the other night and he tells me he adds butter and herbs with his fish fillets and cryovaks them. When he cooks his fillets he chucks the cryovak bag in a pot of boiling water. The fillets cook in the added herbs, butter and its own juices. He swears by it.

I'm hoping to smoke my Trout and then cryovak them for Ron.

I have heard that the smallest of bones will puncture the bags.

Muzza

I vac seal all my fish harvests Muz, best thing Ive ever bought. A dolop of butter or a marinade works its magic in the bag.

I have also found it useful for storing fish and marron pellets.

If I can offer any advice, spend a little more and get a good quality one.

Thank you! I love smoked trout!

I've just got a ebay cheapy that's be doing ok so far. When I did my research it seemed unless you go a whole step above the sunbeams you don't gain anything so I went with an ebay model that had good reviews.

Not tried smoked trout yet, though worked well with smoked tailor, though it didn't keep for very long

I tried that for fishfeed but got real tired with ever smaller bags when reuseing them or throwing the plastic bags out .
I now use a re-useable zip-lock bag that have a lay flat one way valve to vacumn from using a mains/battery hand held device.
I find it heaps more conveinient when reusing bags.
I have reused some bags 6 times now and they are as good as new.
Got mine from the caravan and camping show I'm sure google would find something , and they discounted pretty good when we bought 100 bags.


www.tv2you.com.au

Ive got an Aldi one and its been going for over a year pretty basic but does what you need.

Bugger sealing fish food into bags, my fish have never complained.

Is the bag cutter any good on the cryovaks, does that just keep it neat and save on some of the roll?

Looking at this one http://www.vacuumpackaging.com.au/homeModels.html

Muzza

Looks good - what sort of coin are they?

This is what I got
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Maxkon-Vacuu ... 9762038%26
- may end paying twice, though wasn't sure if it was something I would use alot of.

... now I am - time will tell how it holds up... The name made me chuckle One thing I wanted was a unit that did seal and vacuum as separate functions - The units that only do full auto are annoying as sometimes they pull vacuum but do not trigger the seal so then become useless. I saw a friends sunbeam do that on a recent fishing trip to Steep point. Not cool!

I have the maxima, not cheap but if you are doing a fair bit well worth it. Have done flour, sugar, bulk beans ,lamb, beef. Have just ordered a full free range pig and that will get done very soon.

Have had no problems in the four years I have been using it.

Hey ccBear - How much did you pay for the Maxima if you don't mind me asking. I emailed them today, still waiting to hear back.

The cutter is an important part... unless you can cut a real straight lines. A stanley knife and straight edge helps. I had a cheap sunbeam and it annoyed the crap out of me and since Ive upgraded I wouldnt go back.

Each to their own but paying a bit more makes it all a lot easier I have found.

And in regards to sealing fish food... it does expire and I know of a friend who has killed fish by using dated pellets, its also documented here plenty of times in the past. With your stock levels Muz Id imagine you turn the feed over quite well so it prob doesnt matter. I personally buy bulk and I often have excess sitting around for up to a year so it pays to vac seal it.

No sure mate, to much has happened since then, believe it was one of the expensive ones with the dual pumps. Wanted heavy duty and reliable so paid the price. Went in and talked to the owner a couple of times, was glad to show me and explain about the product.

I'll wait patiently for the reply email.

What works out better, the bags or the rolls????

I keep my fish pellets in storage hoppers in the shed. There's 5 x 250L insulated bins that I used to breed crickets in for my aviary birds. A 25kg bag last just under 4 weeks

If you get the rolls then you have the option of any length bag. I always make my bags a few inches longer for reuse.

We have a CrazySales vac machine - wonderful invention. Every couple of weeks we travel down to Footscray Market and stock up on meat, fish and veg. Come home, vac-pack it all and into the freezer. In 6 months time you wouldn't know it had been frozen.

Looking forward to vac-packing my own produce... not sure about the 'boiling' properties of the vac-seal plastic but will look it up. Sounds like a great cooking idea.