# Alternative to smelt??



## nycvr6 (Apr 30, 2003)

Here is the problem. I bought a few pounds of smelt, cleaned them and froze them into feeding size portions. Everytime i feed the smelt i let it sit out and thaw, then i drop it in. It is VERY messy, it seems to flake apart into a million tiny pieces when the P's bite at it. It makes a big mess, and i dont feel like doing a gravel cleaning everytime i feed smelt. Are there alternatives that are cleaner but just as healthy? Does anyone else have this problem? Right now i mix up feeding between, beefheart, squid, smelt, and shrimp, i need to figure something out to avoid the mess associated with the smelt, all the other foods dont make a mess, and anything left over is easy to take out with my aquarium grabber thingies, except smelt which breaks into tiny flakes everywhere. Someone please help me out ....thanks!!


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

If you cut them into smaller peice so they can eat it in one bite then you shouldnt have a mess. Other than smelt, salmon and any other fish would do just fine. Smelt appears to be the cheapest.


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## nycvr6 (Apr 30, 2003)

o snap its eric said:


> If you cut them into smaller peice so they can eat it in one bite then you shouldnt have a mess. Other than smelt, salmon and any other fish would do just fine. Smelt appears to be the cheapest.


Even if cut into smaller pieces it seems to flake apart. It actually even breaks apart as it floats down in the water. Nobody else has this problem? maybe its the batch i got, maybe theyre flakey smelts, haha. There is a video clip in this album, the one titled P Feed, i think its the one showing as soon as you open this link you can see the mess smelt makes, and that clip is a smelt shrimp mix:
Video Album
Thanks for the help BTW.


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## o snap its eric (Feb 19, 2003)

I think your smelt has gone bad. The only way they flake is from cooking the fish. I microwaved thawed smelt one time and the fish flaked apart when my piranhas ate it. I believe you just purchased a bad batch


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## Atlanta Braves Baby! (Mar 12, 2003)

I feed my Ps smelt all the time and I never get this problem. All I do is clean out the smelt after i buy it, freeze it, and dethaw(sp) itbefore i throw it in. I dont even cut it into small peices. They just bite of chuncks without making a mess. Maybe I just have 
tidy Ps


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## nycvr6 (Apr 30, 2003)

Ok thanks all, ill pick up some more smelt this week and give it a shot.


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