Best food for RED colouring?

[Sinister-Kisses]

Now that I have my baby super red texas settling in, I'm thinking about what to feed them to really help them get their super red colour as they mature. Thing is, I won't feed them garbage just for the sake of enhancing the red - Hikari, for example, is not an option as they have corn in the ingredients, and I refuse to feed any of my pets corn. So I'm looking for a good quality food first and foremost, with red-enhancing qualities secondly. Not interested in hormoning or chemically inducing colour, something natural. I think what I want is a food high in ASTAXANTHIN - natural red enhancer, right?

I'm leaning towards NLS Ultra Red, which I actually have a small jar of the small-sized pellets on hand for my baby creamsicle midas that I'm growing out. I know NLS is a good food, so that's my top pick I think?

Looking around online, I've also seen OceanFree XO Ever Red and Okiko recommended...they do both note astaxanthin on the front of the packages, but the rest is in a language I don't know so I have no idea what the ingredient list looks like lol. Are these good, and meet my requirements of high quality and natural?

 

[Krismo962]

Trying out new food

hikari bio gold plus wud be a very good choice for flowerhorn.

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

don't make the same mistake as me

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Yeah...those foods from overseas do make me nervous for that reason. I won't feed Hikari either...super gold plus doesn't look like it has corn in the ingredient list, but the ingredient list looks like junk IMO. I think I'll stick with NLS...much, much better ingredients.

 

[sarmatian07]

There is also such food, but the fraction is very small.

 

[Jexnell]

I would use NLS flakes until they are big enough to eat the 1/2mm Super Red pellets whole without chewing.

This is my Amphilophus Saggitae when I got them

They were feed exclusively NLS, one of those little ones grew into this beast

 

[aussieman57]

North Fin makes a good product also.

 

[Bbuckley]

I've always had good luck using krill to bring out the red in fish, its naturally high in astaxanthin as far as I'm aware.

 

[FJB]

Variety is key. Best is a varied diet. Single type of food is inferior, regardless of type.

 

[Jexnell]

I've always had good luck using krill to bring out the red in fish, its naturally high in astaxanthin as far as I'm aware.

I agree with this totally. When my Oscar was big enough to eat freeze dried krill she got a couple each meal.

This is how she looked when I started giving her the Krill.

Couple months later

End result

 

[Sinister-Kisses]

Yes, I always vary food. I've got NLS ultra red and Northfin Krill Gold on order. Thinking about adding Repashy redrum mixed with grub pie. And Ive already got an existing selection of "regular" NLS, Northfin, Bug Bites, and Omega One on the go.