Colour Enhancing Foods

styla12 · Mar 20, 2020

Hi Guys,

Was wondering what the best foods are to enhance the colour of my fish.

Went to a LFS and their fish have lovely colours. Asked them how they are so nice and bright and they said they use these pellets that really bring the colour out (attached photo) and the food makes a massive difference so I bought some too.

I also bought the Aquarian flakes (photo attached) and plan on feeding both pellets and flakes. Will these two do a good job in enhancing colours of my fish or do I need something else?

Also, I feed my fish once a day at the moment should I be feeding them twice? I feel like I may have been underfeeding them so am not seeing true colours.

My water parameters are:
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0
Nitrate - 20
PH-7.4

Thanks so much for any help in advance!

Metalhead88 · Mar 20, 2020

A healthy fish will display nice colors even without "color enhancing" food.

The trick is to stay on top of maintenance with big and at least weekly water changes and feed a high quality food. I'm unfamiliar with the food in the pictures. The first ingredient should not have "meal" in it.

Can you post a picture of the fish in question?

styla12 · Mar 20, 2020

I have been doing weekly water changes and always keep on top of parameters and they all seem constant at what I posted.

I have attached a photo of German Blue Ram. I feel like it should be a bit more yellow or am I just worried for no reason.

I have also attached the flakes and pellets ingredients list. Are these any good, if not what should I be using can you recommend something please?

Thanks

Byron · Mar 20, 2020

Foods do make a difference to fish health, and as Metalhead said, healthy fish will be colourful. The product in the third photo in post #3 (Aquarian I assume) is something I would toss in the garbage; "fish derivatives, cereals, oils and fats...derivatives of vegetables...yeast" are not going to make any fish healthy, quite the reverse. The other, AquaCare, is little better, with more yeast, and "meals" instead of whole fish, shrimp, etc.

Omega One foods are one of the best. Another is New Life Spectrum. Both have whole fish/shrimp and not "meals," and neither have yeast, nor "derivatives" whatever those may be (I hate to even imagine). There are other equally good brands that other members can mention. I use these two, along with Bug Bites, because I can get them locally. Flakes and small pellets for upper fish, sinking pellets and other sinking tabs, disks, etc for substrate feeders if you have them.

You also asked about frequency...fish do not need anywhere near the amount of food that manufacturer's suggest. Once a day is adequate, and thenmissing one or two days a week won't hurt (I do this). Fry are different, requiring more frequent feedings in order to develop properly. And feed minimally; upper level fish should eat up what you give them in a matter of seconds. Substrate fish (cories, loaches, catfish, cichlids) need time to deal with the sinking tabs, etc. But don't overfeed. The fish willnot be any healthier, but can be less healthy. Being ectothermic, fish do not need massive amounts of food to produce internal heat.

styla12 · Mar 20, 2020

Byron said:
Foods do make a difference to fish health, and as Metalhead said, healthy fish will be colourful. The product in the third photo in post #3 (Aquarian I assume) is something I would toss in the garbage; "fish derivatives, cereals, oils and fats...derivatives of vegetables...yeast" are not going to make any fish healthy, quite the reverse. The other, AquaCare, is little better, with more yeast, and "meals" instead of whole fish, shrimp, etc.

Omega One foods are one of the best. Another is New Life Spectrum. Both have whole fish/shrimp and not "meals," and neither have yeast, nor "derivatives" whatever those may be (I hate to even imagine). There are other equally good brands that other members can mention. I use these two, along with Bug Bites, because I can get them locally. Flakes and small pellets for upper fish, sinking pellets and other sinking tabs, disks, etc for substrate feeders if you have them.

You also asked about frequency...fish do not need anywhere near the amount of food that manufacturer's suggest. Once a day is adequate, and thenmissing one or two days a week won't hurt (I do this). Fry are different, requiring more frequent feedings in order to develop properly. And feed minimally; upper level fish should eat up what you give them in a matter of seconds. Substrate fish (cories, loaches, catfish, cichlids) need time to deal with the sinking tabs, etc. But don't overfeed. The fish willnot be any healthier, but can be less healthy. Being ectothermic, fish do not need massive amounts of food to produce internal heat.

Think I should switch to New life spectrum and Omega one too. Concerned about this derivative stuff and "meals".

Could you please send me Amazon links or where I could buy them. When I checked seems to be many versions of each product so I want to make sure I get the right one at the right price.

Thanks so much mate!

Byron · Mar 20, 2020

styla12 said:
Think I should switch to New life spectrum and Omega one too. Concerned about this derivative stuff and "meals".

Could you please send me Amazon links or where I could buy them. When I checked seems to be many versions of each product so I want to make sure I get the right one at the right price.

Thanks so much mate!

I'm in Canada, so may not be able to track down UK distribution. But the brands are these:

Nutrition | OmegaSea®

www.omegasea.net

New Life Spectrum Optimum Flakes — New Life Spectrum®: Fish Food

New Life Spectrum® Optimum Flakes use the Spectrum Nutrition Formula. They are suitable for smaller, surface feeding community fish. While pellets provide higher nutrient density and stability in water, this is a great solution for those fish conditioned to flakes or as a transition from flake foods

www.feedspectrum.com

https://fluvalaquatics.com/us/bug-bites/

You'llnotice the NLS mention "colour enhancing," which may or may not be all that much, but healthy food will improve fish colours, other things being equal.

styla12 · Mar 20, 2020

Byron said:
I'm in Canada, so may not be able to track down UK distribution. But the brands are these:

Nutrition | OmegaSea®

www.omegasea.net

New Life Spectrum Optimum Flakes — New Life Spectrum®: Fish Food

New Life Spectrum® Optimum Flakes use the Spectrum Nutrition Formula. They are suitable for smaller, surface feeding community fish. While pellets provide higher nutrient density and stability in water, this is a great solution for those fish conditioned to flakes or as a transition from flake foods

www.feedspectrum.com

https://fluvalaquatics.com/us/bug-bites/

You'llnotice the NLS mention "colour enhancing," which may or may not be all that much, but healthy food will improve fish colours, other things being equal.

Thanks so much buddy!

The Omega one flakes seem to be difficult to obtain here.

Do you think the New life spectrum optimum flakes and pellets would be a good idea.

Would these 2 photos attached be a good idea? Also, should I feed a mix of both at same time?

Byron · Mar 20, 2020

No mention has been made of fish, except for the rams. Upper level fish can be fed flake food and small pellet. Substrate level fish (fish that eat off the substrate) need sinking foods. Rams are substrate feeders, and the pellets will provide this.

It is usually good to have a variety; I have three upper level foods and three sinking foods, alternating each day. Both foods here will feed upper level (the pellets do sink but not that quickly), and the pellets that get to the substrate will feed those fish.

Retired Viking · Mar 20, 2020

Byron said:
Foods do make a difference to fish health, and as Metalhead said, healthy fish will be colourful. The product in the third photo in post #3 (Aquarian I assume) is something I would toss in the garbage; "fish derivatives, cereals, oils and fats...derivatives of vegetables...yeast" are not going to make any fish healthy, quite the reverse. The other, AquaCare, is little better, with more yeast, and "meals" instead of whole fish, shrimp, etc.

Omega One foods are one of the best. Another is New Life Spectrum. Both have whole fish/shrimp and not "meals," and neither have yeast, nor "derivatives" whatever those may be (I hate to even imagine). There are other equally good brands that other members can mention. I use these two, along with Bug Bites, because I can get them locally. Flakes and small pellets for upper fish, sinking pellets and other sinking tabs, disks, etc for substrate feeders if you have them.

You also asked about frequency...fish do not need anywhere near the amount of food that manufacturer's suggest. Once a day is adequate, and thenmissing one or two days a week won't hurt (I do this). Fry are different, requiring more frequent feedings in order to develop properly. And feed minimally; upper level fish should eat up what you give them in a matter of seconds. Substrate fish (cories, loaches, catfish, cichlids) need time to deal with the sinking tabs, etc. But don't overfeed. The fish willnot be any healthier, but can be less healthy. Being ectothermic, fish do not need massive amounts of food to produce internal heat.

I just picked up Omega one for my tetras, thanks for confirming my research I did on fish food.

styla12 · Mar 20, 2020

Byron said:
No mention has been made of fish, except for the rams. Upper level fish can be fed flake food and small pellet. Substrate level fish (fish that eat off the substrate) need sinking foods. Rams are substrate feeders, and the pellets will provide this.

It is usually good to have a variety; I have three upper level foods and three sinking foods, alternating each day. Both foods here will feed upper level (the pellets do sink but not that quickly), and the pellets that get to the substrate will feed those fish.

Perfect I need food for guppies and rams so the NLS pellets and flakes should cover both.

I can switch the pellets sometimes with the aquacare day in day out.

In regards to flakes do you advise I don't switch with the Aquarian ones? If so, are you familiar with any other good flakes I can rotate with the NLS flakes?

Thanks again for all your help buddy

Guppy10 · Mar 20, 2020

I find the branded , in nice tubs, to be massively over the top compared to loose feed, which has the same % levels of proteins etc but without the packaging. I use algae tabs with exactly the same ingredients as the tubs of known brands but get 200x more for my money. I am a tight fisted Yorkshireman after all . I work in food and I no wot goes on. Same product goes cheap if it's not straight or small as the supermarkets want and it's the same product ! I'll let you read into that wot you want as I can't say more.

styla12 · Mar 20, 2020

Guppy10 said:
I find the branded , in nice tubs, to be massively over the top compared to loose feed, which has the same % levels of proteins etc but without the packaging. I use algae tabs with exactly the same ingredients as the tubs of known brands but get 200x more for my money. I am a tight fisted Yorkshireman after all . I work in food and I no wot goes on. Same product goes cheap if it's not straight or small as the supermarkets want and it's the same product ! I'll let you read into that wot you want as I can't say more.

Where can I buy that from?

Guppy10 · Mar 20, 2020

Try eBay. Don't choose for brand name, just look at the % ingredients of said brand name compared to a loose feed supplier. No frills if you like. I can't say brands but do you really think they produce there own food ? Nope. It probably all comes from a very few suppliers, same as our food, and that I will guarantee

Guppy10 · Mar 20, 2020

You can produce for tesco or sainsbury but the best stuff went to lido, I kid you not, can't say more.

Colin_T · Mar 20, 2020

What sort of fish do you have?
What sort of fish looked bright and colourful at the pet shop?

--------------------

Fish will show better colours when they have a dark substrate, lots of plants (including floating plants for shade), and a dark background.

Adult fish show more colour than juvenile or young fish.

Some species of fish naturally have more colour than other species.

--------------------
Paprika and orange foods like pumpkin, apricots and orange squash can be added to food to enhance orange and yellow colours in fish.

Blueberries and purple carrots can be added to food to encourage blue colours in fish.

Beetroot can be used to enhance red colours.

It is best to use the juice from the above list of foods. Wash the food with water, dry them and then juice them. Soak some frozen food like prawn or fish in the juice for a few minutes and then feed it to the fish. Do this daily and after a few weeks the fish should show better colours.

Colour enhancing foods and juice from colourful foods will only improve colour for healthy fish and while the colour foods are being used. When you stop adding the colour enhancing food, the fish will lose the extra colour after a few weeks and look normal again.

Colour Enhancing Foods

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