The real skinny on fish food..

Some will say Omega One because of their primary ingredients, but I fail to believe they are weighed properly. Some companies don't have people regulating how they weigh their ingredients (just like premium dog foods that list whole chicken as primary ingredient) - but they usually weigh these ingredients WET. Dry it out, and it loses 50% of it's weight. I think this is Omega One's play to trick people into thinking their product is more premium - especially when they use foods that are tasty to humans - such as Salmon, Halibut, and Shrimp.

IMO Hikari is the best. They seem honest about their ingredient content, and although they use Fish Meal as the primary ingredient, they fortify it with vitamin content. (Ie: Stabilized Vitamin C is very important, especially since it is water soluble.) Hikari Massivore, Bio-Gold, and Carnivore Sticks are much better than the other hikari cichlid pellets.

I have heard New Life Spectrum is good, but no personal experience.. I have also heard the Dainichi is good, but again, no experience and/or never seen them in the stores here. I think breed specific (ie: africian vs south american) pellets are going to be better than a 'universal' pellet. I think it's interesting that 2 similar Hikari pellets have 2 very different fish on them - Oscars and Frontosas, when they have very different dietary requirements.

my 2 cents.

Here is agreat article about fish foods...This guy has a lot of good reading...He really knows his stuff!!!
http://americanaquariumproducts.com/Quality_Fish_Food.html

frozen stuff is great usually, maybe u can give them that and then bring in flake or sumthing so that they get used to it gradually

i use life spectrum, really good stuff. and cichlid attack! pellets

HBH, Wardleys, Tetramin = All Garbage

Frozen Foods = Garbage.

Frozen foods lose 90% of their nutrition during processing. Also, most nutrient/vitamins are water soluble, and they lose their nutrition during the first few seconds in the tank. Also they are mostly moisture content.. if anything they are good for protein sources and enticing new tank inhabitants. Flakes are also garbage. They lose their nutrition very fast and most of them suck in the first place, if anything 'Crisps' would be way better.

The best food hands down is pelletized food because your fish will learn to ingest them like pills, which makes it so all those water soluble vitamins are actually taken in by the fish. Micropellets and Microwafers from Hikari are the best thing for small fish.

Bre;2103672; said:

Here is agreat article about fish foods...This guy has a lot of good reading...He really knows his stuff!!!
http://americanaquariumproducts.com/Quality_Fish_Food.html

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Great Link.. didn't read it all, but skimmed it.. he does know his stuff.

BeBlondie has had some awesome posts about nutrition and vitamin soluble durations.. Also do some title searches for "Hikari" - check out this thread, http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=124874&highlight=Hikari

Miles;2103504; said:

IMO Hikari is the best. They seem honest about their ingredient content, and although they use Fish Meal as the primary ingredient, they fortify it with vitamin content. (Ie: Stabilized Vitamin C is very important, especially since it is water soluble.) Hikari Massivore, Bio-Gold, and Carnivore Sticks are much better than the other hikari cichlid pellets.

Click to expand...

I'll second your $.02 on Hikari for a pellet food.

I prefer fresh foods as much as possible. But I also really like Mazuri gel diet and will recommend them highly for specific applications. Get well rounded nutritional content.

I had the least luck with color, growth, and health when I fed hikari exclusively. I've had much a better experience with HBH and omega1. The growth rate seems to be a bit less, but it's more consistent and the color is much better when I mix HBH and omega1. I've stopped buying Hikari unless it's on clearance, and I've been mainly buying HBH, Omega1, and Azoo pellets.

With that said, there is always an exception to the "rule". Hikari sinking carnivore and massivore are much easier to feed to picky eaters. Once I get them taking the hikari food, I'll switch to a different pellet.
I know everyone has their own experience, but mine has been better with what I have previously mentioned. Hikari is good stuff, but I think that others are just as good if not better.