While I don't completely agree with Dioks rather direct approach lol, he's not far off the mark. A lot of your threads, Reefer, are way out there in left field, and I have never believed that you are 38 yrs old. The only reason I even post in some of your threads is so that if someone new to the hobby reads it, they don't blindly follow your advice. A lot of it isn't that good. Not attacking, just sayin ......
You can repeat this until you are blue in the face, but according to the manufacturers ingredient list your top choice for carnivores consists of a LOT of plant matter. Far beyond the typical gut content one would find in a prey fish.
Perhaps you missed this the first time around, so I'll repeat it again; "
Ultra Predator, which Cobalt states
"highlights meat proteins and gut contents of fish prey." Really, does it? Out of the top 5 ingredients listed by dry weight, only one is fish based (prawns) the next 4 are all plant matter, one being CORN. Exactly how does that in any way mimic what a predator would consume in the wild? How much algae, kelp, seaweed, and CORN does a predatory species require in captivity? How much plant matter can most predatory species digest, assimilate, and utilize? Think about it. Instead of just reading the crude protein level actually consider the amino acid content of that protein, and their source. Predatory species eat fish, with some gut content, not the other way around. "
Pet food ingredient lists North America are listed by percentage of dry weight. So now do the math. If you add up the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th ingredient, the chances of them adding up to more *plant matter*, including CORN, than the main ingredient, would be very, very likely. Almost an absolute given. If this was a bet in Vegas, I would bet it all. When I see raw ingredients such as corn, soybean, and as you say a formula such as their Spirulna flakes:
....... that sends red flags up for me, as it should for all consumers.
Great BIG red flags. When a company goes cheap in one area, they generally do the same wherever they feel they can get away with it. This goes with almost everything in life, so instead of being bamboozled by fancy marketing, pay attention to the little details. The founders of this company are all from United Pet Group, they aren't just simple hobbyists that decided to come up with a better mouse trap.
I looked at this company when it first hit the market 7-8 years ago (it's not new), I hit the back button almost immediately due to a few reasons. One was raw ingredients such as soybean and corn, that's farm feed quality, might as well toss some feather meal in while one is at it. Reminds me of another food that came out yrs ago that some of the peeps here got all excited about, until I pointed out some of the flaws, such as feather meal. lol This isn't a terrible brand, but it sure as hell ain't anywhere near my definition of "best". So by all means continue to feed it to your fish, Reefer, while I continue to not feed it to mine.