Mazuri Article

To feed as a gel

Mix one part (by weight) of dry Mazuri powder to one part (by weight) of boiling water. Example- 4 oz. dry powder to 4 oz. of water. Only mix enough for about one week of feed, as it will spoil. Keep refrigerated. If quantity made is more than a week's worth, freeze unused portion in ziplock bag.

Hint: Spoon quantities of mixed food, while still hot and soft onto waxed paper. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and press flat. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Feed by cutting tank sized portions, drop directly into tank. Store unused portion in covered container or ziplock bag.

If a scale is not available, use about half the volume of water to the volume of powder. Example- 1/2 cup dry powder to 1/4 cup water. This is a starting point, experiment to find the proportions that work best for you.

To feed as crumbles

Mix as above, except use less water. Example- 4 oz dry powder to 3 oz. of water (by weight). If you find that the mixture is too dry, add a little more hot water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture is just moistened. Spoon into pan or baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. The next day, cut into small ice cube size chunks and process in a food processor until a nice granular texture is obtained. You can make up a large quantity of processed food, take out a week's worth, for the fridge, and freeze the rest as crumbles in a zip lock bag.

When using this method, the ratio of powder to water is important. About, is not good enough. A half oz. too much of water will result in a sticky mass that will not crumble. If this happens, all is not lost. Just return the batch to the fridge and leave uncovered one more day, then reprocess. Or you could feed it as you would a gel. Preparing the food this way, I feel, requires a scale. A small dieters scale, available in most drug stores for about $3.00 works fine.

Regardless of which method you use for feeding, remember the old adage of not feeding more than the fish will consume in a few minutes. I find that this food will cloud the water if overfed. Feed lightly more often, rather than heavily, once. Catfish in the tank will give some leeway in this.

Adding additional ingredients

Using Aqua-gel is an excellent way to add other ingredients and nutrients to the diet of your fish. Some ingredients that could be used are powdered spirulina (about a tablespoon per 8 oz. of dry mix) and astaxanthin (Naturose), (about one teaspoon per 8 oz.). For a real protein boost, try dried shredded shrimp or freeze-dried cyclop-eeze, again, about a tablespoon per 8 oz.

These additions are added dry to the powder and mixed thoroughly before the water is added.

Other additions that could be used are vitamins or medications.

Sources

Mazuri Aqua-Gel Mazuri 314-768-4861 http://www.mazuri.com

Spirulina powder Wet Thumb Aquatics 586-725-0960 http://www.wetthumbaquatics.com

Ken's Fish 508-823-4043 http://www.kensfish.com

Astaxanthin Jehm Co Inc. 800-521-6258 http://www.jehmco.com

Cyclop-Eeze Jehm Co Inc.



	Mazuri Aqua Gel Preparation
		By Gene Baudier


To feed as a gel Mix one part (by weight) of dry Mazuri powder to one part (by weight) of boiling water. Example- 4 oz. dry powder to 4 oz. of water. Only mix enough for about one week of feed, as it will spoil. Keep refrigerated. If quantity made is more than a week's worth, freeze unused portion in ziplock bag. Hint: Spoon quantities of mixed food, while still hot and soft onto waxed paper. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and press flat. Refrigerate for 24 hours. Feed by cutting tank sized portions, drop directly into tank. Store unused portion in covered container or ziplock bag. If a scale is not available, use about half the volume of water to the volume of powder. Example- 1/2 cup dry powder to 1/4 cup water. This is a starting point, experiment to find the proportions that work best for you. To feed as crumbles Mix as above, except use less water. Example- 4 oz dry powder to 3 oz. of water (by weight). If you find that the mixture is too dry, add a little more hot water a teaspoon at a time until the mixture is just moistened. Spoon into pan or baking dish and refrigerate, uncovered, overnight. The next day, cut into small ice cube size chunks and process in a food processor until a nice granular texture is obtained. You can make up a large quantity of processed food, take out a week's worth, for the fridge, and freeze the rest as crumbles in a zip lock bag. When using this method, the ratio of powder to water is important. About, is not good enough. A half oz. too much of water will result in a sticky mass that will not crumble. If this happens, all is not lost. Just return the batch to the fridge and leave uncovered one more day, then reprocess. Or you could feed it as you would a gel. Preparing the food this way, I feel, requires a scale. A small dieters scale, available in most drug stores for about $3.00 works fine. Regardless of which method you use for feeding, remember the old adage of not feeding more than the fish will consume in a few minutes. I find that this food will cloud the water if overfed. Feed lightly more often, rather than heavily, once. Catfish in the tank will give some leeway in this. Adding additional ingredients Using Aqua-gel is an excellent way to add other ingredients and nutrients to the diet of your fish. Some ingredients that could be used are powdered spirulina (about a tablespoon per 8 oz. of dry mix) and astaxanthin (Naturose), (about one teaspoon per 8 oz.). For a real protein boost, try dried shredded shrimp or freeze-dried cyclop-eeze, again, about a tablespoon per 8 oz. These additions are added dry to the powder and mixed thoroughly before the water is added. Other additions that could be used are vitamins or medications. Sources Mazuri Aqua-Gel Mazuri 314-768-4861 http://www.mazuri.com Spirulina powder Wet Thumb Aquatics 586-725-0960 http://www.wetthumbaquatics.com Ken's Fish 508-823-4043 http://www.kensfish.com Astaxanthin Jehm Co Inc. 800-521-6258 http://www.jehmco.com Cyclop-Eeze Jehm Co Inc.