Pei-Chi & Rodney | 3 days ago

Fintastic Studio Beef Heart Recipe

Our homemade beef heart mix has been a staple food for growing discus and other carnivorous tropical fish. This recipe combines lean beef heart with quality fish foods and nutritional supplements to produce a highly palatable, protein-rich food that freezes well and is easy to portion.

Home made beef heart recipe in sandwich zip lock bag.

Recipe

Ingredients:

*1kg lean ox heart, trimmed of all fat and sinew

*250g fish granules or pellets

*1 large handful of good quality tropical fish flakes

*2 tablespoons crushed garlic

*6 spirulina tablets, crushed into a powder

*2 tablespoons vitamin C powder

*4 × 1500mg fish oil capsules

*1 tablespoon fish meal (optional)

*1 peeled banana

Method:

1. Prepare the Beef Heart

Carefully trim all visible fat, connective tissue and sinew from the ox heart, leaving only the lean meat.

Cut into 2–3 cm cubes. If preparing ahead, divide into 1 kg portions and freeze until required.

Before making the mix, fully thaw the beef heart and drain away any excess blood. This helps produce a cleaner mixture that creates less mess in the aquarium.

2. Prepare the Pellet Mixture

Place the fish granules, fish flakes and fish oil into a large bowl.

Pour over enough boiling water to completely cover the pellets. Allow them to soak until they become soft and develop a mashed potato-like consistency. The hot water also helps dissolve the fish oil capsules.

Mix thoroughly until evenly combined.

3. Prepare the Supplement Mix

In a food processor, combine:

-Crushed spirulina tablets

-Fish meal (if using)

-Crushed garlic

-Vitamin C powder

-Banana

Blend briefly until the ingredients are evenly mixed.

4. Blend the Beef Heart

Add approximately one-third of the thawed beef heart to the food processor and blend until smooth.

Continue adding the remaining beef heart one-third at a time, allowing each batch to fully blend before adding more.

Take your time. Fully thawed beef heart blends much more easily than partially frozen meat. Large pieces or semi-frozen cubes often leave chunks that many discus will refuse to eat.

5. Combine Everything

Once the beef heart has been blended into a smooth paste, add the warm pellet mixture to the remaining beef heart paste and blend until completely combined.

6. Portion and Freeze

Spread the finished mixture into thin sheets approximately 2–3 mm thick.

Freeze until solid, then break or cut into portions as needed for feeding.

Tips for Success

*Different brands of fish pellets or granules can be used as the binding ingredient. Pre-soaking them in boiling water helps them blend smoothly and reduces floating particles.

*Around 100 g of mixture fits perfectly in a standard zip-lock sandwich bag and rolls out evenly.

*For frequent use, we prefer reusable L-shaped document pockets. They are much more durable than sandwich bags and can be washed and reused many times.

Store frozen and only remove what you need for each feeding to maintain freshness.

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Fintastic Studio Beef Heart Recipe

Recipe

Tips for Success

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