Alternatives to commercial fish food

[Hamish]

I could not find a thread like this in the forum so thought I would start one. Moderators - please combine with another thread if there is one that I did not see

Ok - I will kick off by listing what I have caught wind of people using.

Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Larvae - (see specific thread on this subject)
Lupins (hulled seed)
Duck weed (see specific thread on this subject)
Lettuce/silverbeat/other leafy greens
Moringa
Feeder roaches

I am using growing BSF Larvae and duckweed. My fish love the duck weed but they are too small to eat the BSF Larvae unless I cut them up which is messy.

I have purchased a couple of twigs that are suppose to be moringa - lets see if they grow some leaves for the fish to eat! Suppose to be good protein and vitamin source.

My fish are also too small for the leafy greens. Lupins are suppose to be a very good source of protein - and cheap by the sack.

I am also feeding comercial pellet.

[Murray]

Worm farm
UV electronic insect catcher hung over the tank.

[GaryD]

.....or just a low wattage light hung over the tank. The insects beat themselves to death on the light and fall straight into the fish tank.

.

.....but they are too small to eat the BSF Larvae unless I cut them up which is messy.

Try freezing them first......they are easier to cut up and they hold their shape better when they hit the water.

Gary

[Hamish]

I am wondering if these wax worms are in Australia - and if anyone has tried breeding them for fish food?

http://www.wormman.com/pd_lesser.cfm

[Hamish]

Here is an interesting article on a meal worm breeding system using simple plastic boxes and bran http://www.finchsociety.org/cfa/livefood/mealies.htm

[Murray]

I have a small meal worm system which was given to me by Jonty.

It produces a steady supply, but would be a lot of work to produce a heap of them for a couple of hundred fish for example.
Not self harvesting like BSF.

[echidna]

I am wondering if these wax worms are in Australia - and if anyone has tried breeding them for fish food?

http://www.wormman.com/pd_lesser.cfm

Those "worms" are the larvae of the wax moth and would be devastating to the Australian bee and honey industry. Not the best thing to breed. I suspect that AQIS and DPI would lock you up for a long time if you tried to import them.

[Hamish]

I would never import anything living to Australia - I will only ever grow what I can buy locally.

[Hamish]

Check this out - complicated version of the light under the water trick but I bet it kills a lot of bugs!

http://www.cleanponds.com/buglite.htm

[Dufflight]

Has anyone tried blending up different plants and fish and pouring it out on a tray to dry and make flakes out of. Some of the fish food I get from stores looks home made. Could make a mix of worm and veggie scraps. And they wood store better dried as a flake or a pellet.