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Shelf life of opened fish food

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Gambusia
MFK Member
Usually pellet/flake fish food have an expiration date on them. Assuming the food is used well before the expiration date, once I break the seal how long would you say it is good for. Some say stop using it after 6 months, others say a year because they lose nutritional value after time due to exposure to light, air and heat. I have also read that if you refrigerate or freeze the food after opening they last longer. Also do flakes “go bad” faster than pellets? I am wondering what you all have to say. Thanks in advance.
 
Keep cool and dark this will help prolong the shelf life to as close to expiration as possible.

Often times fish will turn up their nose at expired food. If you have reason to believe its gone bad or fish start acting different chuck it.



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Not sure if flakes expire quicker than pellets, but with either one I always found that emptying all the food into an airtight ziplocked bag helps with keeping fresh..after that I put the ziplock back in the original container just to keep light from penetrating through the clear ziplock. I always store these types of processed foods in the fridge..haven't done a study on it, but I believe the cool air of a fridge helps prolong freshness. The main key is keeping as much air away from the food just like potato chips
 
I keep all the fish food in the refrigerator, I always check the expiration date before I buy it

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If the food goes bad, as in oxidation of fats and oils begins to take place, or mold sets in from excess moisture content, you should be able to smell it, and your fish will generally refuse to eat it.

With regards to storage, several different vitamins are sensitive to oxygen including vitamin C (ascorbic acid) and vitamin B (thiamine) and to best prevent rapid decline in those and other nutrients store your food in a cool, dark, and dry environment. (not on top of your fish tank!) If you plan on keeping an opened container of food beyond 12 months, store the main container in the freezer, taking out a months worth of food at a time. Generally speaking, if stored properly, once the factory seal is broken most foods can be fed for a 12 month period without any issues. I personally have never stored dry fish food in the fridge, and only once in the freezer as an experiment. That food (freezer stored) was fed for over 2 years without any issues in growth or overall health in several species of fish.


HTH
 
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