Best dry food for C/A cichlids? Northfin vs NLS?

[ccichc]

Comparing the ingredients of both Northfin and NLS.

I'm trying to research the thiaminase content of squid and krill (bulk portion of NLS) vs Herring has thiaminase as does sardines which leads us to another topic lol

 

[ccichc]

The priorty of this thread, being the emphasis on the non-critical aspects of diet (to me) is a bit over blown.
In nature, omnivorus cichlids (a majority of species) get the bulk of their diet from decaying leaf litter, detritus, picking at ubiguitous algae, and an occasional prey item.
So most wild caught cichlids are thin, and so seldom get daily meals.
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Yet these same diet obsessed aquarists will only do a 25% or 50% water change per week, and allow nitrates to soar into double digets of 10 or more ppm,
when considering something as important as normal nitrate levels in nature that barely reaches 1 ppm in nature, which should really be prioritized.
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Water quality is always most important. I went bare bottom for all my tanks after a while, keeps nitrates very very low.

 

[RD.]

Comparing the ingredients of both Northfin and NLS.

I'm trying to research the thiaminase content of squid and krill (bulk portion of NLS) vs Herring has thiaminase as does sardines which leads us to another topic lol

The B1 content in the vitamin premix would resolve any potential issues, in the vast majority of dry fish foods.

 

[duanes]

Is that a gecko they’re eating? Very cool, looks like a toy haha

Yep a gecko, they are everywhere, and local geckos tend to have territorial disputes that sometimes get messy, if so the cichlids clean up the carnage.
Nothing on this island goes to waste, if at all possible, from ocean fisherman scraps to shrimp parts.

 

[newworld]

Just to add to the conversation i know a fish farmer in south florida that raises mainly mbuna and new world cichlids which are unbelievable and feeds only dry dog food…like Duane mentioned i believe water changes are overlooked

 

[RD.]

Just to add to the conversation i know a fish farmer in south florida that raises mainly mbuna and new world cichlids which are unbelievable and feeds only dry dog food…like Duane mentioned i believe water changes are overlooked

I know a fish farmer in S. Florida that used to feed baby formula to his African cichlids. Tons of it daily, said he used to clean out the local stores on a regular basis. But he also said that the fish gleaned a lot of nutrients from the large concrete vats, that not only had plenty of aquatic vegetation/algae but also plenty of insect larvae, nymphs, etc. It was years before he could afford any type of food that was actually designed for fin fish.

Having said that, those kinds of feed, such as dog food, low quality trout chow, baby food, sawdust, whatever isn't ideal either.
Optimum water conditions go hand in hand with an optimum diet, through all life stages of a fish.

 

[RD.]

Or ask thebiggerthebetter and Viktor can explain how lower quality farm feed worked out for him in the past, and what he feeds now as a staple.

 

[neutrino]

Huh. So the best dry food for fish is dog food... or... feeding dog food or any other junk to your fish is okay, just do your water changes. Don't make me laugh.

Canine Cancer And Diet - Reducing Their Exposure - Fleming Island, Florida (woofgangflemingisland.com)

more and more carcinogens are being found in kibble, as the production has become largely industrialized. When crops and meat byproducts are deemed not safe for human consumption, they are often added to dog food, even when there are known contaminants such as Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) and Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) that are known carcinogens.

...The cooking process used to create kibble is at an extremely high temperature that renders enzymes inactive, kills good bacteria, and denatures proteins. What it does not do is kill all of the mold spores that may have contaminated some of the ingredients.

... manufacturers add synthetic nutrients to comply with the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutritional standards in order to put “complete and balanced” on the label. The problem is that these synthetic nutrients can be sourced from unknown countries resulting in substandard quality, manufactured using a process that involves chemicals, and they can be harmful to pets.

 

[ken31cay]

I know that the water quality is infinitely more important than the quality of food. Not sure where this thread is going or maybe I'm missing something...

 

[ken31cay]

My point is that any reasonable diet works, yet most aquarists will pooh pooh that most important aspect of keeping an aquarium.
Water changes,
Many aquarists will obsess over NLS or Aqueon, when a 100 % water change per week, will do much more for fish health, than a few grams of fish meal..
And is really just about labor/time and the pittance cost (in most cases in comparison of fish food) of water

I agree with this. Though of course I do also try to get a good quality of food, which for me has been NLS and Northfin.