# Thawing food - hot water?



## Lector (May 6, 2005)

When i feed my ps tilapia how should i unthaw? usually i just fill it with hott water and let it sit for a while, but i heard thats not good ?


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## cueball (May 24, 2005)

i would just let anyfish thaw natural....it only takes 10 mins,


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

i put the food i defrost for my rhom in a little glass dish. cool water. dont want to start the stuff cooking if the water is too hot. it defrosts really quick anyways even in the cool water.


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## RB 32 (Mar 2, 2005)

cueball said:


> i would just let anyfish *thaw natural....it only takes 10 mins,*


This is the Best way..


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## jestergraphics (May 29, 2007)

or a microwave works even better but the 1st couple times will be trial and error cause you can set your time for too long and it will begin to basically cook it thus defeating the purpouse of feeding raw. So yeah letting it sit or water is the safest bet but getting the time right on the micro speeds things up a bit, I usually do it till its no longer solid but still seems "crunchy" (by feel) from the frost/ice from being frozen then I kneed it in my hand on the walk to the aquarium to finish the unthaw and its good to go.


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## NeXuS (Aug 16, 2006)

mine never takes 10 mins to thaw out natural try 2 hours or you guys just wait until the ice melts around it? in 10 mins my shrimp is still hard as a rock


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## wartooth (May 11, 2007)

Puff said:


> i put the food i defrost for my rhom in a little glass dish. cool water. dont want to start the stuff cooking if the water is too hot. it defrosts really quick anyways even in the cool water.


x2


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## Guest (Jul 26, 2007)

I also use a little dish, I don't think anthing from your tap will "cook" your food or denature the protein. I would just use warm water or a dish with cool water like Puff said.


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## AE Aquatics (Alex) (Jan 15, 2006)

The only right way to do it is under cool running water. Harmful bacteria is prevented from growing and multiplying in cold temperatures.


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## NeXuS (Aug 16, 2006)

hell ill use cold water for now on then no waiting for 2 hrs for me


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## PygoManiac (Jul 26, 2004)

I keep it under running tap water, total defrost in under a minute.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

PygoManiac said:


> I keep it under running tap water, total defrost in under a minute.


while you waste a shitload of fresh water...while the world is wondering why the Earth's fresh water supply is dwindling.

just use the dish and cool water. it takes all of 2 minutes, and you dont waste water.


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## BlackSunshine (Mar 28, 2006)

Microwave on defrost for 10-15 sec. it will be thawed enough. especially if you pre-prep it and cut it into bite sized chunks.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

Puff said:


> I keep it under running tap water, total defrost in under a minute.


while you waste a shitload of fresh water...while the world is wondering why the Earth's fresh water supply is dwindling.

just use the dish and cool water. it takes all of 2 minutes, and you dont waste water.
[/quote]










Whats the negatives on thawing shrimp with hot water?


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## PygoManiac (Jul 26, 2004)

Puff said:


> I keep it under running tap water, total defrost in under a minute.


while you waste a shitload of fresh water...while the world is wondering why the Earth's fresh water supply is dwindling.

just use the dish and cool water. it takes all of 2 minutes, and you dont waste water.
[/quote]

Maybe you dont know that normal people waste a lot of water when they take a shower.


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## Winkyee (Feb 17, 2003)

I thaw in water just about temp of the tank.


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## Puff (Feb 14, 2005)

PygoManiac said:


> I keep it under running tap water, total defrost in under a minute.


while you waste a shitload of fresh water...while the world is wondering why the Earth's fresh water supply is dwindling.

just use the dish and cool water. it takes all of 2 minutes, and you dont waste water.
[/quote]

Maybe you dont know that normal people waste a lot of water when they take a shower.
[/quote]

which is why i dont bathe...









obviously a shower wastes more water, but i just try to limit how much water i waste any way that i can. obviously others are different, but that was just IMO. i consider bathing and being clean an essential thing to do...i dont view using a gallon or two of water to defrost a small chunk of food for your aquarium fish a good way to waste water...

flushing the toilet wastes a lot of water too...but it is another essential...unless you like to sh*t in the woods.

we are involved in a hobby that wastes a lot of water, so i try to limit that as much as i can. obviously some ppl dont care about wasting water, but they are just ignorant.


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## fubbotubo (Apr 10, 2007)

water is an essential resource to life.

I also use cold water in a small cup. The food should defrost in a minute. Prawns are really suceptible to heat and will cook in anything that isnt cold.

Whenever i have uneaten prawn in my tank, the shell is a tint of pink because it has been slightly cooked in the tank water


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## PygoManiac (Jul 26, 2004)

> i dont view using a gallon or two of water to defrost a small chunk of food for your aquarium fish a good way to waste water...


I dont waste more than a gallon or 2 of running water when I defrost food, but I get your point.


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## wartooth (May 11, 2007)

Tango374 said:


> Whats the negatives on thawing shrimp with hot water?


Probably not much wrong with thawing in hot water if you're gonna feed them right after. Maybe the only other thing is that you'll cook them in the hot water and they'll get tough and rubbery. People generally don't like to defrost raw meats in warm/hot water because it creates a breeding ground for excessive bacteria, but that applies if people are gonna eat it.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

Anybody Saute their fish's shrimp?


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## wartooth (May 11, 2007)

Tango374 said:


> Anybody Saute their fish's shrimp?


If you're being serious: I wouldn't. A well-seasoned pan may have herbs & spices that fish are sensitive to. And a brand new pan may have traces of chemicals used during fabrication. Not that you couldn't have thought of that yourself.


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## Grosse Gurke (Jan 3, 2003)

I always thaw food in hot water...you guys think to much. The reason I like to do this is it gets a more of the oil out of the fish...so it doesnt go in my tanks.


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## Lifer374 (Dec 5, 2003)

Yes I'm very serious. Brian Scott wrote an article in his column "top of the food chain" in TFH about feeding Pygos and serra's. One of the points brought up was to feed shrimp raw or lightly sauteed. Just wondering if anybody really uses this technique


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## wartooth (May 11, 2007)

Grosse Gurke said:


> ...you guys think to much.


Yes, I'm guilty. Caffeine's a hell of a drug. I'm embarrassed.







I'm still a newbee.


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## need_redz (May 11, 2007)

cold water works just as fast as hot water so just use cold water..its much better..if i thaw down somthin in hot water the pranhas wont eat it unless there really hungry


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