Do you look for certain fiber % in food

[Ruturaj]

I have been looking at minimum analysis of few different foods and found vast difference in fiber percentage

AAP PREMIUM ALL NATURAL: 19-21%
NLS thera A, algaemax: max 8%
NLS Ultrared: max 7%
Northfin most formulas: max 5%
Okiko platinum: min 3%

Why many foods list it as max like it's bad like ash?
Do you target any particular fiber percentage?
I couldn't find many resources on this topic. Nutrient requirements for fish recommends 3-5%, but wouldn't it depends on fish?
What's your take?

I was talking to a vet yesterday who was feeding mix of algemax, thera a and some hikari foods and really paid good attention to fiber in fish's diet.

 

[neutrino]

The reference I'm familiar with says essentially the same thing as your references.

Fiber is characteristic of some ingredients and not others. For example, fish meal (according to what I've read) does not have fiber, while grains, like wheat, corn, etc, do. My understanding is "fiber" in fish food can be or do one of two things:
1) An incidental characteristic of a grain or starch used primarily as a binding agent in dry commercial fish food.
2) Add weight or volume to the food without serving a nutritional need for the fish, whether as a side effect of using alternative (plant based) sources of protein or as the cost cutting effect of some ingredients.

I pay more attention to other ingredients vs fiber. I've seen foods with what I consider inferior ingredients, which I also found by experience to produce inferior results, that show low fiber on the packaging. In other words, judged by some pretty extensive personal food testing, ime low fiber content listed on the package doesn't always equal a better product.

RD. can check my work and can no doubt add more detailed information

 

[Ruturaj]

The reference I'm familiar with says essentially the same thing as your references.

Fiber is characteristic of some ingredients and not others. For example, fish meal (according to what I've read) does not have fiber, while grains, like wheat, corn, etc, do. My understanding is "fiber" in fish food can be or do one of two things:
1) An incidental characteristic of a grain or starch used primarily as a binding agent in dry commercial fish food.
2) Add weight or volume to the food without serving a nutritional need for the fish, whether as a side effect of using alternative (plant based) sources of protein or as the cost cutting effect of some ingredients.

I pay more attention to other ingredients vs fiber. I've seen foods with what I consider inferior ingredients, which I also found by experience to produce inferior results, that show low fiber on the packaging. In other words, judged by some pretty extensive personal food testing, ime low fiber content listed on the package doesn't always equal a better product.

RD. can check my work and can no doubt add more detailed information

At current stage I wouldn't feed anything beside northfin or NLS because of the quality ingredients. Still was curious about 4-5 in northfin vs 7-8 in NLS. Other two felt little extreme sides.

 

[RD.]

From a past discussion …...

Fiber is a non nutrient, and in an aquarium setting the more fiber that you add to the diet, the more waste is created from that non nutrient filler. From a recent post of mine in another discussion.

I've always been of the belief that feeding fish is part art, and part science. The art portion comes with time, and experience. Some learn early on with regards to correct methods, types, and amounts to feed, others never do.

I have always found the science part quite fascinating, and while I agree that one should always start with comparing what's in our glass tanks with what takes place in the wild, we have learned through science that many species, especially among the cichlid group, are very adaptive, with very plastic gastrointestinal systems. So plastic that some cichlids not only adapt (such as drastically shortened intestines) in captivity, but also do so in the wild during seasonal weather changes. Most cichlids lead a life of feast or famine dictated by the rainy/dry season. So while a diet of 25% fiber may be typical in the wild, at least during certain times of the year, in captivity 5-10% may be more than adequate. In fact, I have bred and raised numerous species of fish classified as strict herbivores, on a diet that was 5% crude fiber - and never once experienced dietary issues among the fish. Those fish still consumed shells/chitin as part of their diet, but with a more nutrient dense diet I could feed less overall, and less often, compared to their diet in the wild.

So other than with small fry or very small juveniles, my focus has never been on the frequency of feeding, but more so on the quality of the food, and the quantity being fed.

NLS has higher amount in those formulas due to the plant matter inclusion rate, but due to the quality of the aquatic plant matter being utilized cannot and should not be compared to grain.

 

[Ruturaj]

From a past discussion …...





NLS has higher amount in those formulas due to the plant matter inclusion rate, but due to the quality of the aquatic plant matter being utilized cannot and should not be compared to grain.

Thank you RD. That was my assumption as well, NLS uses more plant matter than northfin, which I prefer as well.

I understand that fiber from aquatic plant is better than fiber from grain. My friends have been asking for food recommendation, and NLS and northfin cost arm and leg in India (2.5-3x from here and given economical difference it makes it completely non affordable to many). There are multiple low quality food companies and almost all are using very little to no algae. I found hikari to be better among those and I recommend bio gold plus or gold but both have 2% fiber. What would you suggest in this case, feed some terrestrial veggie once in a while or just stick to pellets or may be mix some spirulina or other widely available algae?

 

[RD.]

Fiber is fiber, no natter the source, the difference is the level and types of nutrients that come packaged along with that fiber. It's like comparing the high ash content from spirulina, to the high ash content from the head/shells/scales of low quality shrimp/fish meal. Clearly the excess ash/mineral content from the former, would be more desirable than the resulting ash content from the latter. The high nutrient pay load from the spirulina is worth the extra resulting ash content from that raw ingredient.

It's impossible for me to address your question without knowing what your friends have available to them, at a cost that is reasonable to them. When it comes to plant matter, my choice is always aquatic, over terrestrial.

 

[Ruturaj]

Fiber is fiber, no natter the source, the difference is the level and types of nutrients that come packaged along with that fiber. It's like comparing the high ash content from spirulina, to the high ash content from the head/shells/scales of low quality shrimp/fish meal. Clearly the excess ash/mineral content from the former, would be more desirable than the resulting ash content from the latter. The high nutrient pay load from the spirulina is worth the extra resulting ash content from that raw ingredient.

It's impossible for me to address your question without knowing what your friends have available to them, at a cost that is reasonable to them. When it comes to plant matter, my choice is always aquatic, over terrestrial.

Thanks, I misunderstood at first, I was thinking that it's like having right amino acids or fatty acids in protein or fat respectively.

I looked up foods available there, most are Chinese food brands which are inexpensive. Only known brands I found were tetra and hikari. I think recommending them some boiled spinach once a week with bio gold would be beat way to go. All the cheap food are using spinach, carrots etc and some even terrestrial meats. I know I do prefer aquatic veggie as well now but there doesn't look any good one, may be hikari algae wafers.

Funny thing saw this YouTube video, guy was reading ash content from food and saying it's good for digestion.