How much gelatin?

[CACAdmin]

I have a hypothetical question (it's hypothetical because it's debatable whether I'll ever get brave enough to actually attempt to make food for my creatures. (It's so easier to delegate the work and buy Bottom Bites and Critter Crumbs from Melody and Pam.)

My question is about gelatin. How does one approximate the ratio of gelatin to food? (I don't want to inadvertently create pieces of rubber more appropriate to use as tires or the soles of runners. :twitcy: ) I'm sure it must vary depending upon whether one is using dry food or moist food such as veggies.

Can anyone help me out on this? Or is the question to obscure?

[Melody]

If you go into the recipe section, down to the bottom of the first page, there's an example of what may be added to two packets of gelatin. Otherwise, there's other gelatin recipes in there that will give you a feel for it. The box of gelatin will also give you directions that you can use as a guideline (mashed berries, mashed vegies - what's the difference? LOL).

Agar agar can be more tricky, but it's better for the fish in my opinion.

From the nutrition angle, the key is to make sure the gelatin is full, with no empty voids in which there is no food. You can use baby food vegies, pureed ingredients, or powders to ensure that doesn't happen, so every bite has nutrition. Voids fill the fish up without them getting enough nutrients. It has to be something relatively thick and stable though - something like juice will melt into the tank quickly whereas something with more thickness and weight will stay bound in the food longer.

Either way, gelatin foods are going to be filling so make sure they are packed with highly nutritious food. It will beat the over-processed fish food by a mile even if they eat much less of it.

On a side note, it's also a great way to get medication into fish, which is much more effective than treating the water. It still has the doseage issues, but you can't have everything. :Smile:

[Melody]

I should add that I haven't done a whole lot of this format, so any tips from the experienced would be great. Theory can only take us so far!

[CACAdmin]

Theory can only take us so far!
... and with me in the kitchen, that could mean potential disaster.:eek:

[Melody]

Yeah, but disasters make for fantastic marketing videos on YouTube, so make sure you record it. ::D:

[CACAdmin]

BTW, if I get brave enough to attempt making food for my aquatic createures, where can I get agar agar.

[Melody]

I'll sell you some for $29.95/cup!:laugh:

Actually, there's a reason I don't sell it - it's everywhere...LOL. A lot of grocery stores will have it and if not, health food stores usually do. Even some bulk places carry it. Don't ask me for specifics because I haven't bought it in ages.

I'm sure you'd do fine, go for it!

[bae3]

BTW, if I get brave enough to attempt making food for my aquatic createures, where can I get agar agar.

I'll send you a tablespoon or two. I've got lab agar, which is a fine powder. I use about 2 teaspoons for a liter of food, so this should last you some time!

What I do is put frozen seafood like shrimp or clams and frozen peas in a blender or food processor with enough water to get it to blend. I add other veggies too, like frozen spinach and frozen duckweed, sometimes some cooked squash or sweet potato, red sweet pepper or other. Another thing I use is these tiny (about 3cm) frozen fish you can get in a solid frozen block from Chinese supermarkets. Also, I bought some whole dried shrimp (shells and all) from a Korean supermarket, and ground it to powder, and add a few spoonfuls to a batch. You can add seaweed, or whatever strikes your imagination. Don't use anything greasy or oily, as some fish are. Blend well adding as much water as needed, then add the agar and blend a little more. Pour it into a bowl or casserole and microwave until it reaches a boil, stirring to make sure the whole lot gets that hot. This semi-sterilizes your ingredients and dissolves and mixes in the agar. Let it cool a bit, then spoon into ziplock sandwich bags, close them and lay them flat to get a thin layer, about 1/4 cup (2 fl oz) per bag. When they cool, they will gel. I store the bags in the freezer. It's easy to break off pieces of frozen food, which thaw quickly in the tank, floating briefly and then sinking (with the fish grabbing bites of it as it falls).

Caveat -- do not use thawed squid! Keep it frozen before blending. One time I thawed it, and it wrapped itself around the blades and burned out the blender motor!

I based this on the "European Shrimp Mix" recipe, which is just shrimp and peas. Half and half for most fish, 2/3 peas for herbivores.

[CACAdmin]

Thanks! That would be great but I don't want to put you to any trouble. I can always check the health food store here first to see if they have it. And thanks for the instructions... I need all the help I can get. :Smile:

[Melody]

It's a standard warning on laboratory agar-agar that it not be consumed. Sometimes chemicals are added to it to make it more appropriate for lab use. Obviously if you've been using it there isn't a problem with yours, but I thought I'd note it in the event that someone else wants to source it for this purpose. Otherwise, it sounds like a yummy recipe!

[bae3]

This is ultra-pure lab agar, suitable for making animal tissue culture media. If lab agar has anything added, it's specified in detail. Any unidentified additives would be totally unacceptable for research use, since reproducibility is critical if you don't want your papers to destroy your reputation (and thus career) as a scientist.

If the jars say 'not for human consumption' (mine don't) it's likely to appease lawyers concerned about liability suits. Not that I'm eating any of this, you understand.... ;-)

[CACAdmin]

Not that I'm eating any of this, you understand.... ;-)
I sit hear envisioning you licking your fingers after using it... hmmm, I wonder if you'll grow a third eye. :wink: :laugh:

[Melody]

The usual classifications are food grade, pharmaceutical grade and bacteriological grade (lab grade), and there's a long list of types of agar which are either suitable or unsuitable for science. Additives, impurities and standards are not necessarily contaminants in regards to experiments, and lab grade does not have to meet the same criteria as agar-agar meant for consumption. At the very least, packaging should be labelled "For laboratory use" or something similar.

Assuming it's just a legal disclaimer could be very dangerous, although a third eye is a stretch ;-). Fish are often more sensitive than humans even, so I wouldn't chance it.

Yours could be pure as snow for all I know, but I don't want people sourcing lab agar thinking it's guaranteed to be safe, hence the note.

Wise Geek sums it up best:

Many grocery stores sell agar which is suitable for human consumption, often in the same area which holds vegetarian alternatives. Laboratory grade agar is sold through scientific supply companies. Although food grade agar can sometimes be used in a lab, agar intended for scientific use should not be consumed, in case substances which may be harmful have been added to it. Since labeling laws for laboratory supplies are not as stringent as those for foods, you cannot be certain that a package of agar is safe to eat if it has been labeled for lab use.