Stella Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 I LOATHE cutting up hearts. Absolutely loathe it. And I was wondering how other people do it? Usually I start by cutting off the fat and misc, then cut it into slabs, then cut the slabs into thin meal-sized schnitzel then freeze it. Last time I froze the slabs then let it defrost just enough so I could cut it into more evenly sized schnitzel. The schnitzels then get diced at meal times. What do you do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 i cut it into smallish bits then put it in a blender, mixing in lettuce, peas etc as required. then i push it into an empty bloodworms packet and freeze it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted October 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Cunning! Does it wind up reasonably even or some chunky and some pureed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 pretty even. only do little bits at a time and it works good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Don't forget to put garlic in there! (then just watch as the colours get more and more vibrant!). =) oh and i usually get rid of the fat - then freeze the heart. then when its frozen i use a thin grater and grate the heart. then mix in garlic, coriander, thyme(really little - don't know why - i was told to do it as a kid so i still do lol); peas and then put that mix in the old blood worm packets. then freeze it! so when it comes for time to feed the fish; the beef heart is already in a thin shredded form easy for the fish to consume. hope that helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 how much garlic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 a clove or two (small ones) of the "oily" type of garlic - not the big non-oily easy to peel garlic that has no taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwipete Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Is this beef heart you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 ideally beef heart yeah but OX heart is the more commonly available substitute in any supermarket. some people even use liver, but it really dirties the aquarium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 whats the difference between beef heart and ox heart? they both mean cattle heart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 i dunno. i thought ox were older and were used to plow fields. I have no real idea though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StarFish Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Ox is a bull isnt it? and beef is just a normal old milking cow? haha or they could be completely the same thing but called different things... I duno! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 oh and isn't an ox supposed to be castrated? (again just a guess). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olly Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Ox usually means steer, or castrated bull. they are almost all killed <2yrs, usually about 18months old. Beef means any cattle beast, from a yearling to a 12 yr old hag of a cow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Trim the fat and cut it into chunks, freeze in a plastic container spread out with pieces of tinfoil in between the layers so its easy to separate the pieces when frozen. I hate it too, which is generally why I feed shrimp 95% of the time. Its better for them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracytrout Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Probably a dumb newby question lol :oops: but can ox/beef heart/garlic mix be given to all fish in community tank or just bigger fish? I have clown loaches, male siamese fighter, guppies, mollies, corys, bristlenose, platys and killies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwipete Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Trim the fat and cut it into chunks, freeze in a plastic container spread out with pieces of tinfoil in between the layers so its easy to separate the pieces when frozen. I hate it too, which is generally why I feed shrimp 95% of the time. Its better for them too. What, the shrimp or the heart is better? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Probably a dumb newby question lol :oops: but can ox/beef heart/garlic mix be given to all fish in community tank or just bigger fish? I have clown loaches, male siamese fighter, guppies, mollies, corys, bristlenose, platys and killies. your fish would love it. especially the loaches, cories and the killies. and it'll bring out the colour in the killies. works like magic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 What, the shrimp or the heart is better? the shrimp will have more crude protein, and is very good for fish. as for what is the better diet.. .. well whatever the fish eat faster is good as gold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracytrout Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Thx Phoenix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Thx Phoenix :bounce: No probs! :bounce: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted October 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 having seen dried shrimp I would worry about my fish getting enough out of something that seems to be 99.99% water. I used to feed bloodworms as the staple diet but having seen the growth the heart meat achieves I don't think there is much in bloodworms. THe heart is just so nutritionally DENSE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 Shrimp is alot better for the fish and if you buy it cooked etc from the supermarket is alot easier to work with.. The theory I have heard revolves around the fact that fish are cold blooded animals and designed to digest cold blooded fats.. When you start feeding them meat that contains fats from warm blooded animals they start to struggle to digest it which can cause liver problems (built up undigested fat) blockages etc.. Which is why shrimp are supposed to be better because they're cold blooded and the fish are somewhat designed to digest it.. Yes alot of people breeders etc feed up their fish on beef heart and it gets the fish to grow fast but how long will they last? Personally after reading articles and knowing there are better safer and easier things to feed I stay away from the beef heart.. Found this its a better explaination... "Fish are cold-blooded animals, meaning that their body temperature rises and falls with their surrounding environment. They use fat for both an energy reserve as well as an energy resource. Just like humans, they have fat stores throughout their bodies. But these fats need to have a low melting point so that they can be utilized if the water around them is cold (like during the winter). Warm-blooded animals, on the other hand store fats that have a high melting point. If you feed your fishes fats from warm-blooded animals, they will not be able to mobilize these fats for energy use. Consequently, it will be stored in their livers, and over time it will accumulate leading to cirrhosis. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 i have some afrikans about 11 years old that have been fed on beef heart all their lives it is only a part of their diet though, probably about 40 - 50%, cooked shrimp, flake, pellets and live food make up the rest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwipete Posted October 5, 2008 Report Share Posted October 5, 2008 So, how does one prepare the cooked shrimp from the supermarket for fish food, same as the heart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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