Down the Tropheus hole
- Thread starter fishguy1978
- Start date
The protein % is cut off the picture. Some of the protein in the ingredients is animal based (squid, fish, krill) but there is protein in plant based products as well. Almost all of the "veggie" foods I have fed my tropheus over the last 15 years has some animal protein. The key to preventing bloat in tropheus & other herbivorous fishes is clean water (nitrates <10 at peak on water change day) & high quality feeds.
No. I highly recommend reading the following sticky on bloat.
From that ....
Protein
Protein in & of itself does not cause bloat. Most excess amino acids are excreted - even by fish classified as strict herbivores, and while excessive amounts of protein can put extra stress on a fishes liver, as those excess amino acids have to be deaminated by the liver before they are excreted, this process does not cause bloat. Excessive amounts of protein can also lead to fat accumulation in the liver, and over time can cause serious health issues, even death in extreme cases - but again, this does not cause "bloat".
The whole protein causes bloat thing is nothing more than a myth that has been perpetuated in this hobby by those that don't have a clear understanding of how a fish assimilates protein. The only time that I limit protein intake is when the fish begins to gain size. Then I shift them over to more of a maintenance diet, just as one would with a puppy as they begin to mature. Young fry & juvies have high metabolic rates, which require high energy fuel on a constant basis. If you limit that, you will limit growth. Hence feeding a high volume of "greens" to a juvenile fish known to be prone to bloat isn't the answer at all.
Having said that, excessive overfeeding of any food can on its own cause blockage, and constipation, and the end result is also a "bloat" like condition.
IMO the vast majority of bloat cases have little or nothing to do with the diet. One does NOT want to limit amino acid (protein) intake with a fry/juvenile. To do so will simply limit growth & overall health in the fish. But that doesn't mean that you feed your fish until it's abdomen is extended like a balloon!
I have raised some of the most bloat prone species of fish on the planet (Tropheus sp., Tropheops macrophthalmus, etc) on diets of 50% protein, 10% fat (fry & small juvies), and never lost a fish to bloat.
From that ....
Protein
Protein in & of itself does not cause bloat. Most excess amino acids are excreted - even by fish classified as strict herbivores, and while excessive amounts of protein can put extra stress on a fishes liver, as those excess amino acids have to be deaminated by the liver before they are excreted, this process does not cause bloat. Excessive amounts of protein can also lead to fat accumulation in the liver, and over time can cause serious health issues, even death in extreme cases - but again, this does not cause "bloat".
The whole protein causes bloat thing is nothing more than a myth that has been perpetuated in this hobby by those that don't have a clear understanding of how a fish assimilates protein. The only time that I limit protein intake is when the fish begins to gain size. Then I shift them over to more of a maintenance diet, just as one would with a puppy as they begin to mature. Young fry & juvies have high metabolic rates, which require high energy fuel on a constant basis. If you limit that, you will limit growth. Hence feeding a high volume of "greens" to a juvenile fish known to be prone to bloat isn't the answer at all.
Having said that, excessive overfeeding of any food can on its own cause blockage, and constipation, and the end result is also a "bloat" like condition.
IMO the vast majority of bloat cases have little or nothing to do with the diet. One does NOT want to limit amino acid (protein) intake with a fry/juvenile. To do so will simply limit growth & overall health in the fish. But that doesn't mean that you feed your fish until it's abdomen is extended like a balloon!
I have raised some of the most bloat prone species of fish on the planet (Tropheus sp., Tropheops macrophthalmus, etc) on diets of 50% protein, 10% fat (fry & small juvies), and never lost a fish to bloat.
