What else besides silversides and where to buy in SA?

[glarior]

What else can I ask for at the seafood market that is similar to silversides?

My fish/eel don't like scallops anymore but are loving silversides. However, I can go through all 10oz is a week or less and that would add up to $80-100/month. I want to be able to buy things they will eat by the pound. I know small octopus for the eel and some squid. Anything else I should try? I really want to find more fishes they can eat that are SW.

I am going to try some smelt and small octopus if I can find them.

Where in SA is a good place to buy silversides, smelt, octopus and other things I can feed them? I know of Groomers but their hours suck and just hard to make it before they close from where I live. Anything towards north or west SA?

[Mike]

Can usually find frozen bags of mixed stuff at HEB. Just make sure nothing is seasoned or cooked. Supposedly silversides are not the best for salt water critters.

[RayAllen]

Agree with Mike. Silversides do not hold a lot of nutrition. When I had my moray I would go to HEB and buy raw scallops, jumbo tiger shrimp, fish and feed him a variety.

actually going to be doing this soon. Grinding it all up to make flat packs. My LPS & filter feeders will enjoy it in my reef.

[allan]

That's what I typically do, several different animals like octo/squid/shrimp/scallops... I usually make two consistencies. One very very very fine, and the other is chopped up a bit more course. The extra fine is when I'm hitting at the coral.

I've got an eel now, been target feeding him Krill. I need something a bit more substantial, but it's fun. I spear the krill (jumbo) and when he comes out at the first scent of the other food I lower the extra long pipet to near his head. Then we play tug a war when he grabs the baster rather than the krill on the extension thing.

I've thought about getting the raw oysters in the bucket, rinsing them off and then grinding them up as well. You all think that would work?

[rrasco]

I've also been looking for other food options. I've been to asian markets, HEB, etc and don't like any of the options. Out of the variety packs that come with shrimp, octopus, cuttlefish, muscles, and some other processed meat I toss. My shark doesn't like muscles, she takes them and spits them out. But she loves the shrimp, octopus, and cuttlefish. I really would like to get a better source for octopus as the variety packs don't come with much.

[Sherita]

Hit up the nearest Asian market. There you will find mixed bags of seafood, plus all kinds of other great seafood for the eels. Silversides are very poor nutrition for saltwater eels, and really should not make up any real percentage of their diet. Scallops, shrimp, squid, octopus, large krill, oysters, mussels, saltwater fish flesh, mullet, piggy perch, croaker, clams, crab. All of those are excellent food for eels. Try to vary the diet if you can, and get the smaller prey items whole if possible. Small mud crabs are also an excellent addition to the diet of the crustacean eaters such as zebra morays. It is not necessary for eels to eat every day, you will find that if they are kept full they will be far less likely to eat anything other than their "favorite" food. Had an in depth discussion at MACNA about the feeding of eels, and the consensus was that, as predators, they don't eat every day in the wild (they are also hunting for their food in the wild, and much more active), and living the sedentary life in our tanks certainly does not require that they eat every day, considering that they are far less active in their glass boxes than they would be in the ocean.

[Sherita]

Robert (rrasco), call up a few commercial restaurant food supply houses. You will find one, or more, that supply Oriental restaurants, they will have the frozen octopus that you are looking for.

[allan]

HEB always has fresh small and medium octopus in their display case.

[rrasco]

Thanks Sherita, I'll give that a try.

I don't always feed my shark daily, but I try to. That way on days I miss it, it's not a big deal. You can tell when she is fat though, her belly is nice and full. If she doesn't look fat, I try to feed her. Not enough variety in her diet yet though. Anyone ever supplement vitamins or other things, other than garlic?

[rrasco]

HEB always has fresh small and medium octopus in their display case.

Maybe I didn't look hard enough. I normally look at the frozen stuff, I'll check the display next time.

[allan]

Not sure about the regular HEB, but the Supers have a wide variety of stuffs in their display cases.

[glarior]

Maybe I didn't look hard enough. I normally look at the frozen stuff, I'll check the display next time.

Its rare if they have them. My super HEB had them once almost a year ago. I have asked to order some more but what I got was huge octopus tentacles

I called groomers a few months back and they have small octopus but I never make it before they close.



Yall are talking about grinding up the food? Can someone tell me more about this and what you do?

[allan]

Dude, the super HEB on 281, north of 1604, has them at the very least 7 times out of 10 when I walk in. The whole octopus with the tentacles tucked beneath the body of the thing.

I use a blender attachment that slices and dices and minces all the stuff into a glob of goo. When tossed into the drink it has a lot of little chunks depending on how long you blend it for.

I also toss in several pieces of nori to add some veggies. The other day was the first time I've bought fish food in the last two years. Ever since MAAST hosted that "How to make fish food" seminar out at Bass Pro.

[Big_Pun]

Dude, the super HEB on 281, north of 1604, has them at the very least 7 times out of 10 when I walk in. The whole octopus with the tentacles tucked beneath the body of the thing.

I use a blender attachment that slices and dices and minces all the stuff into a glob of goo. When tossed into the drink it has a lot of little chunks depending on how long you blend it for.

I also toss in several pieces of nori to add some veggies. The other day was the first time I've bought fish food in the last two years. Ever since MAAST hosted that "How to make fish food" seminar out at Bass Pro.

yuk I'd rather pop a cube of frozen any day!!

[allan]

Yeah, it's easier, but more costly.

Besides, I enjoy getting it ready, wife doesn't care for it and has permantly assigned a set of utensils that are solely for the purpose of preparing food.

[rrasco]

I don't plan on chopping mine up, not for the shark anyways. Maybe if I made a mix for the reef I will. I'll check the HEB at Bandera/1604. What is this groomers place?

[glarior]

Dude, the super HEB on 281, north of 1604, has them at the very least 7 times out of 10 when I walk in. The other day was the first time I've bought fish food in the last two years. Ever since MAAST hosted that "How to make fish food" seminar out at Bass Pro.

That HEB is about 45min away but I will make a trip there tomorrow.

Wish I could have been at that MAAST event! Is there a thread, pdf, word document... or anything like that on making the food? I am highly intrigued and will start searching the forums

[glarior]

I don't plan on chopping mine up, not for the shark anyways. Maybe if I made a mix for the reef I will. I'll check the HEB at Bandera/1604. What is this groomers place?

http://www.groomerseafood.com/

It is a seafood Market

[allan]

Hey dude,

If you like I can check for you first... you know, go into the store sometime that day so you don't make the trip that doesn't yield a return on the drive. I live pretty close to it.

[rrasco]

http://www.groomerseafood.com/

It is a seafood Market

Maybe I can make it there on a Sat and pick up for both of us. You're fairly close to me.

[allan]

That HEB is about 45min away but I will make a trip there tomorrow.

Wish I could have been at that MAAST event! Is there a thread, pdf, word document... or anything like that on making the food? I am highly intrigued and will start searching the forums

I went to the one the year before this one, but we just hosted this in january 2012.... seems like we are just about ripe for another feeding your reef presentation.

[glarior]

@ allen - If yall hosted one I will be there. If my house was not in BFE I would even host it lol. Also, thanks for the offer on checking. I will be in that area today after work to buy some LR.

@rrasco - check PM

[allan]

We do have one scheduled for this year, just have to check the calendar.

[Southern Flame]

Dude, the super HEB on 281, north of 1604, has them at the very least 7 times out of 10 when I walk in. The whole octopus with the tentacles tucked beneath the body of the thing.

I use a blender attachment that slices and dices and minces all the stuff into a glob of goo. When tossed into the drink it has a lot of little chunks depending on how long you blend it for.

I also toss in several pieces of nori to add some veggies. The other day was the first time I've bought fish food in the last two years. Ever since MAAST hosted that "How to make fish food" seminar out at Bass Pro.

Is there a thread on how to make your own fish food from that seminar?

[Southern Flame]

I went to the one the year before this one, but we just hosted this in january 2012.... seems like we are just about ripe for another feeding your reef presentation.
If y'all do it I don't mind having it at my house and my house is child safe lol I'm pretty much in the Center of everyone also

[ducati996]

nice i would attend this if my schedule allows

[Scutterborn]

I'm hosting the "Feed your fish" meeting at Bass pro shops Sunday May 5th from noon until 2.


-Ben-

[Southern Flame]

I'm hosting the "Feed your fish" meeting at Bass pro shops Sunday May 5th from noon until 2.


-Ben-
Cool Deal
:)

[glarior]

Went to two HEB plus and called one... none of them had octopus. I found some smelt at the asian market on bandera but they are a tad big. The grouper kept trying to eat them but I had to cut the fish into pieces. The eel ignored them and still went for the silversides laying on the ground :-/

[rrasco]

I'm assuming the one at Bandera/1604 was on your list?

[glarior]

1604 and between I10/281, called the one north of 1604 on 281 and stopped at boerne again. I forgot about that new one on 1604 and bandera. I am going to try groomers today... hopefully lol

[Mike]

Ben, I probably have my notes and stuff from when I did it last time in 2012. Shout if you need help. No sense recreating the wheel. The MAAST food processor is in the storage unit. It was a neat meeting and we made a ton of food, so everyone left with a ziplock full of food to try. :)

[Scutterborn]

Ben, I probably have my notes and stuff from when I did it last time in 2012. Shout if you need help. No sense recreating the wheel. The MAAST food processor is in the storage unit. It was a neat meeting and we made a ton of food, so everyone left with a ziplock full of food to try. :)

I keep meaning to get with you about it. I certainly need those things.


-Ben-