DIY Food Binders

[cockroach]

For all those making homemade, gel type fish foods what are you using as binding agents?
I know most people use agar or gelatin.
Anyone trying something different like xanthum gum or others?

 

[andyroo]

Following.

We've also been thinking-through a snorkeler's fish-food stick that can be made & packaged by fishing communities & sold to/through hotels.
Heads/skin/guts & macroalgae in a course blend/slurry, with home-grown agar/carrageenan or egg-white as binder to be sun-dried to consistancy then frozen for parasites. Likely sold in a little biodegradable plastic tube loosely frozen with break-striations like a chocolate bar.

Thinking similar for my arowana based on whole crickets & roaches.
Recepies for this sort of thing were all over the old LOL (Loaches Online) forum, but not seen much since; no offense intended, but loach-people appear to be better "geeks" than you monster-lot

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

Following, I definitely need something that can be ”gummy” and doesn’t break as soon I wriggle it like a worm to try to convince one of my fire eels to take to anything other than earthworms - repashy isn’t cutting it yet it keeps breaking down as soon I wriggle it- need a better binding agent -

 

[andyroo]

DrownedFishonFire - is there a very small sausage casing? Fill with a syringe?
Maybe that's my market for invasive cane-toad - as gut/casing. Gross... that'd be a proper demonstration of love, to do this for your eels.

I'd think fish intestine would work: carp are bulk detritivores & should have miles of it (?)

 

[DrownedFishonFire]

andyroo interesting idea on the sausage casing. Is it easily digested by the eels from an mammal source? I know they have a hard time digesting some of the food when im looking at them at times they are struggling to swallow some bits. Thats why i break the shrimp into tiny bits for my biggest eel. The smaller one works on his earthworm for few seconds and comes back for more Im not sure if the casing will harm them but great idea if it was other fish like a pike or cichlid I wouldnt have to worry about it. Its just how I feel the fire eels are such a fragile fish in that area. Dont have easy access to catching the invasive carps for the casing source but gross on the cane toads lol they are not dime a dozen out here