Puttin’ Live Food By
or Carryin’ That Summer Bounty Into Fall
Fall is here, and with it the eventual end of the bounty of live foods that we have been able to collect and/or culture outdoors through the warmer months. Some of these cultures can be brought inside for the winter and continue to produce live food for our killifish; others are done for the season, unavailable until next year.
But the end of good weather doesn’t necessarily mean the end of good food for your fish. With a little work and attention to detail, you can preserve some of that bountiful harvest for later use.
Freezing
Perhaps the simplest and best method for preserving most live foods available to the hobbyist is freezing. It is particularly good for such freshwater creatures as daphnia, mosquito larvae and eggs, bloodworms and tubifex. Brine shrimp will also freeze well, but few of us grow enough of them to adult sizes to bother. Before freezing, drain off most of the water using a net or strainer. It isn’t necessary to remove all of the water, but the more you remove the less space will be required in the freezer. Freeze in thin sheets or as small cubes in ice cube trays. Once solid, the material can be removed and stored in freezer bags. Feeding is simple: break off a piece and thaw, or drop directly into the tank.
Drying and Pickling
For animal matter that does not freeze well, such as insects and their larvae (such as mealworms), drying may be the best answer. Create a shallow “cage” using an aluminum pie or cake pan. On the bottom place a layer of aluminum foil with small holes poked through (to enhance air circulation), then a layer of metal window screening cut to fit inside the pan. A second piece of metal window screen should completely cover the top of the pan. Set your oven at 200-250F. Put the live food on the bottom screen, cover with the top screen, and put in the oven with the door left ajar so heat rises through the pan and out. Check every ten minutes or so. When a specimen breaks easily in half and shows no sign of moisture on the inside, drying is complete. The resulting food can be stored in screw-top jars in a cool, dry place until needed.
What about soft things, like slugs, earthworms, and the like? These can be pickled. Using rock or unspiced pickling salt, place as much as will dissolve easily into a pan of boiling water. Pour into sturdy, heated jars and cool slightly before adding the live food. The hot water will kill the creatures immediately. When the jars have cooled to near room temperature, screw on the lids. Refrigerate until use. Soak in fresh water for half an hour or so before feeding to remove excess salt.
Reference: Volkart, Bill, “Live Food,” Freshwater and Marine Aquarium, November 1990, pp. 59-62.
— GCKA Newsletter, November 1997