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BEEFHEART
RECIPE
By Fred
Goodall
Updated 11-05-2002
The following mixture is
based on information from several web sites, peer reviewed studites and
personal experience. Where possible I provided the links directly to the
articles, in other cases I could only give a link to an index. The
published studies are footnoted after the links index.
For each ingredient I will
note a number which relates to a link to the article / study that explains
my reasoning for using that ingredient or leaving it out of the mix.
Contrary to popular Internet myth, the National University of Singapore is
not a " phony university " or a " low quality diploma mill ". In fact many
of the top Doctorates in Aquaculture take the " graduate program " in
Aquaculture at the NUS and go back and teach at universities in the USA,
Canada, Germany, etc, etc. As a result of their work in clinical fish
studies and the interest in Discus by one of the staff PhDs, discus have
gotten very exacting, scientific studies at NSU. Some of the recently
completed studies include : genetic typing, identifying the genetics of the
colors of discus and feeding studies regarding growth rates of feeds,
protein uptake, chemical analysis of nutrient uptake, protein uptake of fry,
age fry can metabolize protein other than parent fish slime. There are also
ongoing esoteric studies on Discus genetics and Discus breeding.
Unfortunately not all of these studies are posted to the NUS web site.
1
My mix is ground in an old
fashioned meat grinder, as the food processors and blenders get the meats to
fine for adults and the fineness just adds to water pollution in the tanks.
I cut the meats into small chunks and grind them once, add the dry
ingredients, and grind that mix twice more, average size of the pieces in
the mix: 1/8 inch ( 3mm ) . I leave out spinach, fruits and other vegetables
even though discus eat them; they can not metabolize them
2,
6,10
I use beefheart as I live in the USA and BSE ( Bovine Spongiform
Enchephalopathy, Mad Cow Disease ) is yet to be found in any of our cattle
3
and is high in protein, rich in minerals, vitamins, amino acids, lower in
fats than other organ meats and is cheap
4.
As a source of omega3 fatty acids I use Cod, Salmon, Sole or if it is in the
local store, Herring
4.
To aid in processing any fat in the beef meat and to provide missing lipids,
I use lecithin
5.
Instead of using commercial vitamins
7
and shrimp for astaxanthin, I use spirulina powder
9
from the health food store. I use garlic for the reason Mr. Wattley wrote
about
8 and because
I find it acts as an " attractant " for my discus.
A recently published study
has shown the discus fish possess digestive enzymes that match the "profile"
of carnivorous and omnivorous fish and not herbivorous fish.10
Within this study they used 3 separate testing methods to determine the
enzymes present in the stomach and intestine of discus.10
They found Serine protease, Trypsin, Chymotrypsin and Metalloproteases.10
The level of Chymotrypsin and its location in the discus digestive track
indicate that discus may be able to digest some plant proteins but not all
plant proteins and not in a high dietary level.10
This study's results also fit in with another, earlier dietary study on
discus feeds and growth on those feeds.
This earlier
study found that discus need a dietary protein level above that of carp and
similar fish and actually grew best with a dietary protein level matching
that of carnivorous fish like brown trout.11
This study fed a food measured in protein content ranging from 35% to 55%
with 5% increments to the protein content. Fiber, fat and "ash" were also
controlled and measured.11The
best growth rate was on a diet of 45% to 50% protein with fiber at 1.5% and
fat at 8.25% and "ash" at 4.9%. This study on dry feeds and growth rates and
average weight gain was conducted over 12 weeks to determine growth on the
various percentages of the nutrients in the feeds.11
The nutrient uptake was determined by molecular analysis of the enzymes of
the discus, post mortum.11
The
Ingredients :
- 2 lbs. of beef heart trimmed of fat and tissues
- 1 lb. of fish
- 5 - 7 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons of lecithin
- 1 tablespoon of spirulina powder
Use paper towels to dry the
meats of their juices, cube the meats ( about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches, 2.54 -
3.8 cm ) , grind once ( medium setting ), add the dry ingredients, pass that
mix through the grinder up to two more times. Once I started using a grinder
instead of a processor or blender, the meats did not liquefy and I had no
need to add gelatin or dry foods to bind the mix. Again, you want to end up
with pieces of meat no larger than 1/8 inch ( 3 mm ). Your mix may need one
of those binders. Spoon into plastic freezer bags and flatten out the mix
until it is thinner than a 1/4 inch thick. Press out all the air you can and
freeze. There are as many ways to feed the beefheart as there are ways to
make a mix. Experiment and go with what works best for you and your fish.
-
NUS
-
The influence of dietary
carbohydrate and fiber on growth of discus (Symphysodon)
-
Bovine Spongiform
Encephalopathy (BSE)
- 4 U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 1999. USDA Nutrient Database
for Standard Reference, Release 13. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page,
Link 1
(click on search and type
13321
in the search field and then report)
and
Link 2
- A vitamin cocktail for
fish, Aquarium fish, too, require vitamins. Dr. Rudolf Lorz,
"Aquarium Heute" 2/97
- "DISEASES
OF FISH" 12 August
1996 Robert B. Moeller Jr., DVM, LTC, VC, USA Armed Forces Institute of
Pathology
- U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 1999. USDA Nutrient Database
for Standard Reference, Release 13. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page,
click here
(click on search and type
11667
in the search field and then report).
- "The
Use of Garlic Against Tapeworm in Discus"
Jack Wattley
- CYANOTECH Technical
Bulletins,
Spirulina.
- Alexander S. C. Chong, "Partial
characterization and activities of proteases from the digest track of
discus fish (Symphysodon aequifasciata)" Aquaculture 203
2002 pp. 321 - 333
- S.C. Chong, R Hashim & A.B.
Ali "Dietary protein requirements for discus (Symphysodon spp.)"
Aquaculture Nutrition 2002 6 pp 75 - 278
Fred Goodall |
