Fish Food

[Morganna]

If the OP doesn't mind, can I butt in and ask where everyone buys their fish food?
Also, what do y'all think about Repashy Gel foods?

 

[AbbeysDad]

Also, what do y'all think about Repashy Gel foods?

I could be wrong (it happened once or twice before <hehe>) but I think it's a bit of a gimmick. I mean you could take any quality fish food and mix with plain gelatin...but why not just feed the food itself?

 

[ClownLurch]

I’m away from home atm but I’ll answer properly when I get back next week.
Though off the top of my head Im sure my dry foods are a mixture of three of the OPs recommendations in a previous thread fed on four days a week. Frozen twice a week and live once.

 

[bigroof]

Some good stuff here. Nice article.

I know a lot has being said about hikari food but my fish seem to love them. I use a some sort of a hikari brand food on all my fish.

My community tanks i feed:
Tetra min flakes
Hikari micro pallets
Bloodworms once a week

My Mbuna tank:
Hikari cichlid excel
Vitalis rift lake green
Some sort of a veggie once a week ( lettuce/ peas)

Central american tank
Hikiari cochlid gold
Fluval bug bites cichlid formula
Blood worms once a week

I alternate between the foods for each tank. They also have a starving day once a week. What do you guys think about Hikari food. It divides opinion.

 

[AbbeysDad]

I know a lot has being said about hikari food but my fish seem to love them. I use a some sort of a hikari brand food on all my fish.

I'm a little down on Hikari because back when I did the research for the Commercial Fish Foods article the response I got from the Hikari Customer Service Team was much less informative (and a bit condescending) compared to the other vendors.
They may have good foods but I'm uncertain of the quality of the fishmeal that they use and at the time I inquired, they would not eleborate except to claim studies of digestibility.

 

[bigroof]

I'm a little down on Hikari because back when I did the research for the Commercial Fish Foods article the response I got from the Hikari Customer Service Team was much less informative (and a bit condescending) compared to the other vendors.
They may have good foods but I'm uncertain of the quality of the fishmeal that they use and at the time I inquired, they would not eleborate except to claim studies of digestibility.

Thats another very informative article. Thanks for sharing. Hikari food is easily accessible. Majority of fish stores seem to have stock it. When i started fish keeping thats what the store employee recommended. Since i haven't had no issues with my fish with me feeding hikari, i just stuck to it. Atleast its not the only thing i feed. From what i have learned over the years there is no such thing as a best food. If you can rotate a few types of food, it seem to do the best as different brands have different nutrition values for the fish i guess.

 

[Byron]

I prefer to think of it as better foods, not best foods. And there is plenty of evidence when it comes to ingredients. I think this is covered in @AbbeysDad article, I don't need to repeat. Not all fish are created equal when it comes to what they need for good nutrition, though there are some clear guidelines. I think several of us have noted these in this thread. None of us can actually know if the fish are doing well with what we give them or not. But feeding quality foods is a better way of attaining that goal. The fact that the fish "live" or exist perhaps, and even spawn, is no guarantee of good health. Fish will take every step to reproduce whatever the circumstances. Itis the task of the aquarist to begin with quality food. We don't expect kids to live solely on junk food, it is no different with fish or other animals.

 

[AbbeysDad]

If the OP doesn't mind, can I butt in and ask where everyone buys their fish food?

I buy fish food wherever I can get the best deal. Right now for the Tetramin Tropical Flakes I have a recurring auto-ship setup on Chewy.
Like nearly everything else, you need to shop around for good deals on your preferred quality fish food. However, as Byron indirectly points out, you must read labels to select quality fish food and save pennies elsewhere! And again, mixing high quality commercial fish food brands perhaps offers the best well balanced diet.

 

[raylove]

I used to give a variety of flake foods but when I started including Tetra Pro it was soon clear that this was the one they preferred. My fish are mainly large tetras and barbs 4-6 inches long and they go for Tetra Pro so enthusiastically that I always get wet at feeding time. I've even had them jump at my fingers whilst I sprinkle it. They don't do this with any other food I've tried, and they seem particularly indifferent to Bug Bites, though that appears to be a good food. I've therefore dropped all other dried foods, now using just Tetra Pro with frozen foods 2 or 3 times a week and squashed peas now and again. Mysis Shrimp and Bloodworm are the favourite frozen varieties.
As an aside, I used to have a hatchet fish that loved his spinach!

 

[JenniferWarms]

Although you could feed BBS spirulina, they are most nutritious when fed within 24 hours of hatching before the egg sack is consumed. Feeding BBS spirulina is not really 'gut loading' and is most often done to grow out the shrimp. Like 'sea monkeys' you can grow out bbs into adult brine shrimp (but I never found it very practical).

I'm not a fan of Wardley foods. Unless they've changed considerably, their foods listed grain as the 1st ingredient and although it may appear to be high in protein, fish just don't process grain well.

You might consider Grindal worm's big brother, white worms as they are about twice the size. I culture a warm temperature variety (although they're best at about 60F) and find they are very prolific, although Grindal worms will tolerate much higher temps.

THANKS for the feedback!

Hello,

I wondered what everyone’s favourite fish food to use is?

I’m looking to get a good quality one or a variety if that is what people suggest.

I currently have:

2 guppies
3 mollies
3 tetras
2 African dwarf frogs

I feed the ADFs frozen blood worms & the fish a generic flake (although the fish steal the the bloodworms

)

All opinions will be gratefully received

Thanks!

 

[connorlindeman]

Hello,

I wondered what everyone’s favourite fish food to use is?

I’m looking to get a good quality one or a variety if that is what people suggest.

I currently have:

2 guppies
3 mollies
3 tetras
2 African dwarf frogs

I feed the ADFs frozen blood worms & the fish a generic flake (although the fish steal the the bloodworms

)

All opinions will be gratefully received

Thanks!

This thread already has many good responces as to what food is good.

 

[AmyKieran]

I recently have started making my own food for my cichlids, this is shrimp and peas blended up with water and added other pellet food, then frozen

 

[AbbeysDad]

I wondered what everyone’s favourite fish food to use is?

Here is a link to a comprehensive article I wrote a few years ago now that involved a lot of research and feedback from manufacturer representatives: Commercial Fish Foods.