Hello folks-
I have been keeping/breeding/importing/exporting African Cichlids for over 30 years now.....and I finally gave into this NLS food....I bought a jar of it.
I see all the tasty good ingredients....I see how good it is supposed to be....yet, I just dont get it. Its like everyone buys it...uses it and praises it .....like lemmings running off a cliff.....WHY??
First off, let me preface this whole "rant" with the fact that I am not slamming anyone that uses it, nor Pablo or his company. If you like it...use it.
All the fish I have...currently only 52 tanks.....had 1510 tanks at one time...yes....one thousand five hundred and ten....I had a HUGE breeding operation.
I have ALWAYS fed OSI Spirulina flake to ALL my Cichlids...and they LOVE IT....and get huge, GORGEOUS coloration, breed like fiends and are healthy as can be.
That and I rotate foods every other feeding or 2, with frozen brine, and I mix Hikari Spirulina (cichlid) and a wheat germ small pellet (which I soak first).
OK, now the "rant":
Let's look at this LOGICALLY folks, shall we?? Just cause "Joe" uses food "x" and loves it...doesnt mean that is correct.
Speaking specifically about Rift Lake Cichlids, as that is my area of expertise, I will bring a few observations that all should understand.
Hard pellet food, is NOT NATURAL....PERIOD!! In the wild, fish live in waters anywhere from 5 meters to 50 meters (on average). They RARELY if EVER, feed off the surface. EVERYTHING they eat, is in the water...the water column, or in/on the rocks or substrate.
NOTHING is hard.....NOTHING is DRY!! PERIOD!! Everything is super-saturated with water. Everything that is ingested, is in the water, hence, full of water itself.
The digestive tract of the Cichlid...which has evolved over MILLIONS of years, is designed to eat saturated foods. Only since the 1970's have they been commercially exported these for tanks and hobbyists. You CANNOT change millions of years of evolution.
This is the exact reason why fish develop gastrointestinal blockages and develop bloat and many other nasty diseases.
You cannot eat a whole steak you have to cut it up first. Swallowing a pellet, is like devouring a steak whole. I am sure you are getting the premise by now.....blah blah blah.
Just like in humans or any living thing, you need a varied diet....man cannot live on McDonalds alone.
Another HUGE point it what most people dont understand, or have been conned into believing, by fish stores and fish food producers, is that you need to feed your fish 2 to 3 times per day. WRONG!! SOOOO WRONG.
The foods that are made today are so full of protein, vitamins and other trace items, that your fish need to be fed only ONCE per day.
In the wild....fish forage ALL DAY long to get nutrition. Your current food provides more nutrition in one feeding that a Wild fish would get in 2 to 3 days of foraging. It is a competition to survive.
Contrary to popular belief....if you feed less, your fish are more healthy. Just like in humans....if you decrease your caloric intake, you lose weight. Losing weight effects about 104 systems in your body....and your health and immune system is boosted.
Fat fish have health problems...low immune systems and fatty build ups around testes and ovaries. This results in lower egg production, lower semen count and less frequent spawns.
I see all these pictures of people proudly displaying their fish...lol...they are all FAT. A cichlid should NEVER have a fat belly EVER. Do some research, look at books, youtube videos, etc, of LAKE FISH. They all have flat stomachs. They all look fit and thin. Thats a healthy fish. Overfeeding kills.
Lastly, and I apologize for the length, but you need to know all the aspects of fish keeping. More important than ANY food, whatever you feed...is WATER QUALITY!! PERIOD!!
More issues arise from poor water quality than any other reason. Here are the facts. Water changes promote health, lower stress, boost immuno-functions, and encourage growth.
Fish secrete a hormone, that is "read" by all other fish in the area, that lets them know if the population is too large or small. Thus, will stunt or retard growth or maturation, based on levels of that hormone.
By doing water changes, you not only remove the Nitrate and other dissolved solids, but you remove the hormone as well. So your FISH GROW.
The creation of the solid pellet is to make many things easier for the hobbyist. As to not foul the water, etc etc etc. It makes a lazier hobbyist. It promotes and fosters the idea that flake is dirty and pellet is cleaner. So, I can feed more often (as prescribed by the food company/vendors) - they WANT you to feed more....they SELL MORE FOOD that way. ...and....they will SELL MORE FISH too....in the long run, as your FAT fish....will die.
You want gorgeous, healthy, colorful fish...that breed and have bigger spawns and healthier fry? Then get up off the couch and do your water changes. EVERY SATURDAY...make it a religion....actually 2 to 3 times a week is better.
You can NEVER do enough water changes. There is never a time when its too much. Water changes drive growth. Watch your fish get huge fast. Its not the food...its the water....PERIOD!!
Anyhoo...Sorry for the long rant....I could go on and on, but this is longer than I intended it to be.
I hope I have helped enlightened some or all of you....if you do as I say...You WILL have healthier, happier fish.
Take care all.....(now...turn off the TV and do that water change!!) LOL!!
