What makes flake food so bad?

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BassetsForBrown

Plecostomus
MFK Member
Dec 2, 2012
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Boston
It is common wisdom on this forum, and many other locations on the internet that once Cichlids reach a certain size, a transition from flakes to pellet-type foods should be made as far as the staple is concerned. Is this just because the flakes inevitably dirty the tank more? Or that commercial flakes lack the adequate substance required by these fish? My LFS buys pure Spirulina flakes in 10lb quantities - which is a huge volume to see in person lol - from a non-brand name side source of some kind. Until they are crushed you can easily find flakes in the barrel spanning 5inches.

They only feed their African's and SA/CA's these Spirulina flakes, though the the SA/CA's supposedly also get periodic shrimp/worms. They have some very large Cichlid's as well. I won't mention the name but in the state of MA they are a very highly regarded LFS specializing in Cichlids.

Why are these flakes OK for their fish but not others? If the fish prefer the flakes why force them to eat pellets?
 
It's more what you said at the beginning. The pellet form allows for the fish to get the largest amount swallowed with the least mess. Flakes don't always get eaten 100%, so some will inevitably get left in the tank.
 
pellet or or not, not all the nutrients will be absorbed by the fish, though it will retain some but not at all will be absorbed. the reason why pellet somewhat is 'favored' (i do not know which is better k?) is because it's like a whole serving of food which pellets provides is a big intake compare for the flakes that is not always 100% eaten, but for the spirulina part, it's one of the most healthiest food everyone that could take it could eat. google it out. Well, pellet training is like forcing so pretty much that's that.
I'm not one of those health conscious guys but soon enough once you see the nutritional value of spirulina you might try it out yourself.
 
RampageRR said:
It's more what you said at the beginning. The pellet form allows for the fish to get the largest amount swallowed with the least mess. Flakes don't always get eaten 100%, so some will inevitably get left in the tank.
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Bingo. Feeding flakes to large cichlids is just downright messy and wasteful, the obvious exception being eartheaters. I aim to make a mess with the flakes and crumble when feeding my geos as it allows them to carry out their natural feeding habit of sifting the substrate and searching for food.
 
BassetsForBrown said:
It is common wisdom on this forum, and many other locations on the internet that once Cichlids reach a certain size, a transition from flakes to pellet-type foods should be made as far as the staple is concerned. Is this just because the flakes inevitably dirty the tank more? Or that commercial flakes lack the adequate substance required by these fish? My LFS buys pure Spirulina flakes in 10lb quantities - which is a huge volume to see in person lol - from a non-brand name side source of some kind. Until they are crushed you can easily find flakes in the barrel spanning 5inches.

They only feed their African's and SA/CA's these Spirulina flakes, though the the SA/CA's supposedly also get periodic shrimp/worms. They have some very large Cichlid's as well. I won't mention the name but in the state of MA they are a very highly regarded LFS specializing in Cichlids.

Why are these flakes OK for their fish but not others? If the fish prefer the flakes why force them to eat pellets?
Click to expand...

It isn't that flakes are bad. They are just inefficient for larger fish.

Flakes lose some nutrient to the water once they become super saturated with water. Pellets are denser and take longer to reach this super saturated state, so lose nutrients to the water at a slower rate as well. Now lets say you have a 5" cichlid that needs 4 grams of nutrients per meal. Depending on the pellet saturation rate, it could take 3-5 times the amount of flakes to give the proper amount of nutrients.

And then you have to deal with all the unbeaten flakes from such large feedings dirtying up the water that your water change schedule would need to be once every two days if not every day.

And of course, not all flakes are created equal. Fish food is often something where you get what you pay for. If you buy the cheapest flake on the shelf, it is very likely to be the least nutritious. Fish grow accustom to a certain food source and don't want to stray from it. It's an instinct many species have. Trying new foods can be dangerous because it could make you ill. Many fish keepers will "train" (a more comfortable term than force though sometimes they are the same) their fish to accept a wide variety of foods so as to ensure a balanced diet with plenty of nutrients.


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