flakes or pellets

[tomomothy]

Agree. Not pointing to or trying to argue with anyone in this thread, but in general, some people really get this wrong when they talk about pellets swelling up inside the fish or when some think a fish that lives in deep water can't afford to take in any air-- which is the other thing some people say.

Some people may see their pellets swell a bit in water and conclude it must be the air in the pellets, but imo/ime it's not so much how much air as how much starch. If you've ever cooked rice or oatmeal or pasta you can see this. So it's not so much about floating or sinking as it is the ingredients, meaning some pellets will swell very little or some more than others, whether floating or sinking. I've checked this and some (floating) pellets swell very little compared to others. Secondly, since when can't fish (or animals in general) handle their stomachs expanding to any degree? It's funny how I've seen the same people that will let their fish gorge themselves on brine shrimp or worms or frozen fish food or market shrimp, etc. think they have to soak their pellets, squeeze out the air, not feed any floating foods, etc.

As for deep water fish not being able to ingest air, what do you think happens when they eat other fish, including their swim bladders? Some of the same people who think it's a bad thing to let their fish feed at the surface, in case they gulp some air, think nothing of taking them out of the water to strip eggs or fry or measure them, etc.

I don't know about certain man made fish with odd shapes and unnaturally configured guts and intestines, maybe they need special care, but otherwise I've never seen where floating vs sinking foods makes a difference to fish digestion. It's more about what's in the food and not overfeeding than anything else ime. As far as flakes vs. pellets for larger fish, sure it's possible to feed them flakes, just takes a lot more of them for a large fish compared to small fish, so pellets are more efficient imo.

On the point of fish gulping air, yes they will consume some when eating another fish, but I would imagine its far less than what they would when consuming flakes or floating pellets, especially taking into consideration how much people tend to overfeed.

I have seen that but it's because the pellets were too big. I switched to smaller pellets and never had that problem again, and that was a messy oscar. Flakes are easy to feed because they are a one size fits all kind of food. If the right sized pellets are fed, there is no comparison between the two.


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+1 Also, when I had an oscar, he was just as messy with hikari cichlid gold as he was flake food. NLS on the other hand wasnt as messy since it was swallowed whole. Point being if pellet food is softer it can be very messy, like a flake, but not all pellets are like that.

 

[4D3]

granules = crumbles, which also tend to leach nutrients rather quickly due to their design.

Hi,

The granules are the same size as the pellets, the only reason I can see for them eating these over the floating pellets is the fact they get to hunt.

They have been on pellets and granules the same amount of time.

If granules are junk food, why is the tetra color granules recommended as one if the most complete, balanced fish food available?(I am asking a genuine question.... if the granules are not as good then I'll not buy them again)

Regarding the granules leaching nutrients, my fish eat them within 1 minute of me putting them into the tank!

Thanks

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[aclockworkorange]

Hi,

The granules are the same size as the pellets, the only reason I can see for them eating these over the floating pellets is the fact they get to hunt.

They have been on pellets and granules the same amount of time.

If granules are junk food, why is the tetra color granules recommended as one if the most complete, balanced fish food available?(I am asking a genuine question.... if the granules are not as good then I'll not buy them again)

Regarding the granules leaching nutrients, my fish eat them within 1 minute of me putting them into the tank!

Thanks

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Not sure who is recommending those as the most complete and balanced, unless you're balancing equally with starch...

Ingredients: Fish Meal, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Wheat Germ Meal, Wheat Flour, Corn Gluten, Feeding Oat Meal, Potato Protein, Shrimp Meal, Dried Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Monobasic Calcium Phosphate, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Lecithin, Algae Meal, Soybean Oil, Yeast Extract, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Inositol, Niacin, A-Tocopherol-Acetate, Riboflavin-5-phosphate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Stabilized Vitamin C), Choline Chloride, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Biotin, Cyanocobalamin, Cholecalciferol, Manganese sulfate, Zinc sulfate, Ferrous sulfate, Cobalt nitrate. Coloring Agents: Beta-Carotene, Red 3 dye, Ethoxyquin and Citric Acid both as Preservatives.



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[neutrino]

If granules are junk food, why is the tetra color granules recommended as one if the most complete, balanced fish food available?(I am asking a genuine question.... if the granules are not as good then I'll not buy them again)Sent from my Evo 3D GSM using MonsterAquariaNetwork App

Naturally, all granules aren't created equal. It's going to depend on who makes them and what, exactly, is in them. As far as Tetra color (in whatever form) being highly recommended, it's a matter of whether you're talking about the maker's claims-- most fish food products out there claim to be great-- or who is doing the recommendation. Fish food is an area with a LOT of different opinions. I see people with fish food opinions that to me are way, way off, based on my own experience with the same products, but to each their own.

 

[neutrino]

@tomothy

As far as fish gulping air. I've never seen it be a problem for any otherwise healthy fish, including having kept and bred fronts for years-- a classic deep water fish. If it was really the issue some make it out to be, it would be completely inconsistent to think you could take them out to strip eggs, measure them, ship them, etc. without expecting problems to result from gulping air as they try to breathe out of the water. Yet people do those things all the time without giving it a thought and with no lasting effects at all.

...And I've yet to see even a normally deep water fish that won't go for an insect that lands on the surface of the tank and then go about their business without the slightest difference.

Not picking at you, but just making my case.

 

[tomomothy]

@tomothy

As far as fish gulping air. I've never seen it be a problem for any otherwise healthy fish, including having kept and bred fronts for years-- a classic deep water fish. If it was really the issue some make it out to be, it would be completely inconsistent to think you could take them out to strip eggs, measure them, ship them, etc. without expecting problems to result from gulping air as they try to breathe out of the water. Yet people do those things all the time without giving it a thought and with no lasting effects at all.

...And I've yet to see even a normally deep water fish that won't go for an insect that lands on the surface of the tank and then go about their business without the slightest difference.

Not picking at you, but just making my case.

I didn't take it as picking at all. Having never owned a deep water fish while old enough to be knowledgeable about them Im pretty ignorant about their needs. I didn't know if the extra air was problematic from flake food/floating pellet and Im glad you chimed in. I have only heard their they have more delicate GI tracts and wasn't sure to what extent if at all the air would be problematic

Sent from over there

 

[4D3]

Not sure who is recommending those as the most complete and balanced, unless you're balancing equally with starch...

Ingredients: Fish Meal, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Wheat Germ Meal, Wheat Flour, Corn Gluten, Feeding Oat Meal, Potato Protein, Shrimp Meal, Dried Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Monobasic Calcium Phosphate, L-Lysine Monohydrochloride, Lecithin, Algae Meal, Soybean Oil, Yeast Extract, Ascorbic Acid (Source of Vitamin C), Inositol, Niacin, A-Tocopherol-Acetate, Riboflavin-5-phosphate, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (Stabilized Vitamin C), Choline Chloride, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Vitamin A Palmitate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Biotin, Cyanocobalamin, Cholecalciferol, Manganese sulfate, Zinc sulfate, Ferrous sulfate, Cobalt nitrate. Coloring Agents: Beta-Carotene, Red 3 dye, Ethoxyquin and Citric Acid both as Preservatives.



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The local fish shop told me that tetra color was the best food available which is why I have been buying it!

Is there a better alternative?

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[tomomothy]

The local fish shop told me that tetra color was the best food available which is why I have been buying it!

Is there a better alternative?

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They probably meant its the best fish food THEY have available, so they can still make some money.

 

[4D3]

They probably meant its the best fish food THEY have available, so they can still make some money.

The brands I have available:

hikari
Tetra
Aqua one

Which should I buy,I want the best for my fish, money is no object.

If there is a different brand I need to import that's fine just need to know

Currently they get tetra cichlids pellets mixed with hikari gold in the morning, then at 6pm when I get home from work they get a custom mix of beef heart, prawns, brine shrimp and spurilena mashed and frozen.

They also get that mix at,10pm

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[Mythic Figment]

The brands I have available:

hikari
Tetra
Aqua one

Which should I buy,I want the best for my fish, money is no object.

If there is a different brand I need to import that's fine just need to know

Currently they get tetra cichlids pellets mixed with hikari gold in the morning, then at 6pm when I get home from work they get a custom mix of beef heart, prawns, brine shrimp and spurilena mashed and frozen.

They also get that mix at,10pm

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I would choose Hikari every time. They are a good brand. There are better ones available online, but Hikari is a quality food sold in a great many places around the country. Tetra is a fair/poor grade food in my opinion. And I have no experience with Aqua One, so can't comment there. Some folks have mentioned it already, but they have told me NLS is a very good brand. I actually intend to get some NLS once my other pellet food is gone.


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