Almost everyone in the hobby has encountered Duckweed at some point as a fish-keeping hobbyist and many people view it as the STD of the aquatic world, once you get it then it is almost impossible to get rid of. This is due to Duckweed’s ability to double its biological mass every 24 hours, hence it grows so extremely quickly. But what you don’t know is Duckweed has been hiding a secret from us for many years. What secret, you may ask? Well, it is the perfect food for your aquarium fish! Believe it or not, Duckweed grown under ideal conditions and harvested regularly will have (in dry matter) a fiber content of 5 to 15%, and a crude protein content of 35 to 43%. That is more than some high-quality fish food out there today!
In a recent study, it was shown that during the 90-day rearing period for fish fry, that fry that was fed on a diet of Duckweed gained more than 20% of their body weight compared to fish that was not fed Duckweed. In a recent study, it was shown that during the 90-day rearing period for fish fry, that fry that was fed on a diet of Duckweed gained more than 20% of their body weight compared to fish that were not fed Duckweed. Duckweed fish food is super easy and anyone can make it! Because of the above-mentioned ability to rapidly multiply its mass, hobbyists like myself often find that they have more duckweed than they know what to do with! Well, here is the solution! Easy fish food. And this article will explain to process how to make both floating and sinking fish food.
And yes, you can also feed it to your shrimp, snails, and other invertebrates. The first method we will be using is air/sun drying Duckweed and basically creating “Duckweed fish flakes”. It is super easy, just take a bunch of Duckweed and spread it out inside a glass container, a glass baking tray would work best. Then cover it up with cling wrap and punch a few holes in it, so the moisture can escape, this will keep insects out and stop the wind from blowing it away if you leave it outside. Leave it outside in the sun or on a windowsill that gets a lot of sun for a week or two. Alternatively, if you have one of those biltong making machines you can place it inside those as well, once dry it will have the same type of consistency as flake food. Store it in an empty container with a cap and feed it to your fish as you would normally flakes.
The second method we will be using is turning it into sinking food for your bottom feeders, shrimp, and snails. This method is also extremely easy. First, you will need a food processor or something you can either mash or chop the duckweed with. Add a cup full of duckweed and a small amount of water into a bowl and either mash it up or process it with a food processor until it turns into a green liquid paste. Then add two-level spoons of spirulina powder (You can buy this at most health shops) and two-level spoons of flower. This will act as your binding agent keeping everything together, if it becomes too thick add a tiny bit of water and keep mixing till it has the same consistency as oatmeal.
Once you are happy with the consistency, grab a serving tray or an oven tray and cover it either with some tin foil (spray the tinfoil with some spray and cook) or cooking paper. Then take the mixture you made and spread it out on the tray, you can either go thick or thin, the choice is yours. If you are in a hurry, you can stick this in the oven and put it on the lowest heat setting possible checking it every 20 minutes if it becomes hard to the touch then it is ready to be removed from the oven. Let cool and break it into smaller pieces and store in a container with an airtight lid. Alternatively, you can cover it up with some cling wrap and punch a few holes in it and let it dry in the sun. This might take several days. And that is it! Easy cheap, free fish food that is also extremely healthy. See you guys next week!
[Editorial Note]: But if you are too lazy My Tanklife stocks a variety of healthy fresh and pre-made fish food.
