Fish Food

[CKutz]

hey guys, idk if this is the right place for this but i'll give it a try.

I was wondering if someone would feel like making a pinned topic on good fish food...it seems like something that would be worthy of being pinned if someone made a write up. maybe there is one and i just haven't come across it?

but the reason i'm asking is because often times you here "quality flakes" or something of the sort..and wth is quality flakes, and not quality flakes? or to get more technical, what %s of nutrients are considered good?

also i think one time a member was discouraging using sinking shrimp pellets for bottom feeders, because of them bloating the fish or something? i still use them, cause i don't know what else to use that isn't similar, i haven't really noticed any problems though.

but just as examples, it would be nice for someone to explain which foods are good quality, which foods should be avoided, and does "color enhancing" mean "horomones added" or is it just simple a marketing thing because most fish color up when they are fed..or if they are eating decent food.

thanks for anythoughts, just thought i'd throw it out there.

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

I think that would make a great thread for people. Normally the more fish listed in the first few ingredients, the better. But ingredients and dietary needs will vary depending on the needs of different species of fish.

Example of a lower quality fish food:

Hikari Cichlid Gold pellets: fish meal, flaked corn, wheat flour, gluten meal, brewer's dried yeast, starch, enzyme, garlic, astaxantin, DL-methionine, monosodium glutamate, vitamins and minerals including stabilized vitamin C

Example of a higher quality fish food:

Ocean Nutrition Omni Cichlid pellets:


Salmon Fillets, Euphasia superba, Adult Brine Shrimp, Wheat Germ, Euphasia pacifica plankton, Tuna Eggs, Marine Algae, Squid, Brine Shrimp Nauplii, Wheat Flour, Soya-Lecithin, Spirulina, Salmon Egg Oil, Kelp, Sea Clams, MPAX™ (Marine Protein Amino eXtract: Fish Meals, Select Amino Acids (DL-Arginine, L-Lysine, DL-Methionine, Betaine, TL-Tryptophan)), Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Biotin (Vitamin H), Vitamin B12, Riboflavin (Vitamin B2), Thiamine Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Tocopherol Acetate (Vitamin E), Panthotenic Acid (Vitamin B5), Menadione (Vitamin K3), Folacin (Vitamin B9), Cholicalciferol (Vitamin D3), Niacin (Vitamin B3), Retinol (Vitamin A1), Pyridoxine (Vitamin B6)), Minerals (Potassium Iodide, Iron Oxide, Manganese Sulfate, Magnesium Oxide, Zinc Sulfate), Ethoxyquin, and Carotenoid Pigments.


The reason why pellets can sometimes bloat fish is because they will expand in the fishes stomach. The best way to make sure this doesn't happen is to let them soak for a while before feeding. Color enhancing normally means they have actually added astaxantin or have large amount of shellfish as it is a chemical color enhancer found in shellfish. Spirulina and some types of Algae I hear can also work as a color enhancer.

 

[CKutz]

thanks a lot for all the info!

it's interesting stuff. i'll have to keep it in mind the next time i get fish food. it's hard to remember which ingredients are the important ones, but through this post, and some other stuff i read online i might be able to remember a thing or two the next time i get food.

thanks

 

[DiscusKeeper403]

Glad I could help! Fish nutrition can get really in depth, like you said especially when you break down the nutritional facts. I agree with you though, that someone with knowledge on the subject should do a good article to get pinned (or maybe even in an upcoming newsletter!)

 

[VespertineStar]

I wholehartedly agree with this because food seems to be a complete minefield. I tend to stick to SERA because it seemed like the best at the time I first started keeping fish and I don't really know if it's any good or not other than from my experience which seems to suggest the fish like it and it keeps them healthy. I mean what is a good protein content for a general flake food lol.

It might also help some newbies out by steering them away from the bag of food they get with their tank or a shop's cheapest food. I'm sure there's plenty of topics on the subject but I'll bet there's a lot of comflicting info in them.