How to Make Gel Fish Food in 7 Minutes
Most fish foods fit into one of four categories: dry (e.g., flakes and wafers), freeze-dried, frozen, and live foods. However, gel food for aquarium fish is a unique addition to the hobby that is sold by companies like Repashy Ventures. It comes in a jar of powder that you mix with hot water and let solidify into a jello-like consistency. When dropped into a fish tank, the gel food quickly sinks to the bottom and is easy for both small and large fish to nibble on.
Unlike many other fish foods, Repashy gel does not disintegrate rapidly in water but rather maintains its form for up to 24 hours, which is perfect for slow eaters to munch on throughout the day without adversely affecting your water quality. Goldfish keepers love it because the gel food is soft and moist, easy to digest, and gentle on their sensitive swim bladders. Owners of plecos, otocinclus, and other catfish love it because you can spread the gel on rocks or decorations and let your fish scrape it off with their suckermouths. You can even feed the pure powder as a first food for baby fish.
Repashy sells many varieties that cater to the specialized diets of community fish, goldfish, aufwuchs grazers, wood eaters, and more. You can easily mix two flavors together or incorporate other things into the gel, such as medication, vitamin supplements, or pureed vegetables.
How to Make Repashy Gel Food
- Gather the materials
- Repashy gel food
- Measuring spoon or cup
- Container to store the gel food
- Microwave-safe mug or bowl
- Water
- Pour 1 tablespoon of the gel premix powder into the storage container. If desired, you can add vitamin supplements, medicine, or other foods to the mix.
- Microwave 3 tablespoons of water in a mug or bowl for 1 minute.
Note: To increase the recipe, simply mix 3 parts of water to 1 part of powder (e.g., 3 cups of water for every 1 cup of powder). If you are making a large amount of gel food, it may be easier to boil the water.
- Add the hot water to the container and stir until the powder is fully dissolved.
- Wait 5 minutes for the mix to solidify. For larger amounts of gel food, it may take a little longer to completely set.
Tip: You can also dip rocks, wood, or decorations in the liquid gel before it sets. This allows suckermouth catfish and aufwuchs grazers to graze off the hardscape as they would in nature.
- Once the gel is firm, scoop out a portion and feed it your fish.
You can store the excess food in the refrigerator for two weeks, or cut the gel into smaller pieces and freeze them for up to six months. Some people even pour the liquid gel mixture into ice cube trays to set and pop out a cube when it’s time to feed the fish.
If you’re curious about our other favorite fish foods that we personally use, check out our article on 5 High-Quality Fish Foods That You Have to Try. Have fun feeding your fish, and enjoy nature daily.