Good pellet food

[islandguy11]

One difficulty I do have is recognizing what ingredients my fish need and what is just cheap filler. Going through the samples that I got from Supercichlid.com, I finally found one that they like. It is NLS Probiotix, which seems like a gimmick, because how could you even maintain a probiotic culture in a pellet food? But the rest of the ingredients look good, and all of my fish eat it.

Probiotics have been used in fish food for quite a few years, and there are many scientific studies that show the benefits of use (as well as possible negative points of over-use). Insofar as manufacturing of pellets and maintaining the cultures: "....heat-inactivated versions have been shown to retain benefits for the host." (http://www.global-engage.com/life-science/prebiotics-probiotics-synbiotics-aquaculture/), so if done properly it's not much of an issue I'd guess.

When I feed fish foods with probiotics to my large Flowerhorn in bare bottom tank I can easily see he has less waste compared to foods that don't contain them. That said I try to feed a balance of both types.

 

[Coryloach]

which seems like a gimmick, because how could you even maintain a probiotic culture in a pellet food?

It's heterotrophic bacteria. They resist drying, unlike nitrifying bacteria.

Hikari is full of fillers. It's like feeding yourself burgers every day....I like them too....the burgers, not the fish food.

Fish will in time respond to New life spectrum in the same manner.
My clown loaches turned up their noses to market shrimp and mussels, so go figure...It's a matter of fish getting used to particular foods, not the taste of the food. New life spectrum has more natural fish food in those pellets than hikari. Perhaps your fish are carbohydrate addicts and like the wheat.

My denison barbs below are nearly 3 years old. I got them as colorless juveniles. They grew up on New Life Spectrum only.

The first 2 pictures are mine, the 3rd one is someone else's denison barbs..See the color difference?

 

[RD.]

Then keep feeding Hikari …....

 

[Cardeater]

Bug bites are junk as RD explained in his link.

If you wanna feed BSL, Northfin is way better.

Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal, Whole Antarctic Krill Meal (Euphausia Superba), High DHA Omega-3 Herring Meal, Whole Sardine Meal, Wheat Flour, Organic Kelp (Laminariales), Spirulina, Garlic (Allium Sativum), Astaxanthin, Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamin A Acetate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Cholecalciferol, Alpha-tocopherol Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Super Cichlids, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamine, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Sulfate Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Selenium, Zinc, Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis)

Northfin Fish Food Bug Pro 2mm Crisps

Boost cichlid health with Northfin Bug Pro Crisps 2mm fish food—high-protein, nutrient-rich crisps for vibrant colors and growth. Shop now at Super-cichlids!

www.supercichlids.com

I like the samples from Super Cichlids also plus I know their customer service is excellent. I had an issue with an order (it can happen with anyone) but they went out of their way to make it right (and it certainly cost them money in shipping and product) but I'll be giving them more business in the future.

On a sidenote, I haven't been to their site in awhile because I probably have 2+ years of food stocked up but I noticed they just started carrying freeze dried bloodworms.

Freeze Dried Black Worms

Shop premium fish food, supplies, and accessories at Super Cichlids! Discover top brands like Northfin, Dr. Bassleer, and Aquerum Blackworms. We specialize in cichlids, tropical fish, and aquarium essentials, offering expert advice, fast shipping, and exceptional customer service for all aquatic...

www.supercichlids.com

One more note: they sell many of their products through their Amazon and eBay accounts in addition to their website. I just mention this because TMobile had an eBay $5 coupon for their TMobile Tuesday promos last month and I used it to order food from their eBay front. I'd use the Amazon front bc I get extra credit card points from getting Amazon gift cards. I'm filled up on food so I probably won't order again till Black Friday

 

[Cardeater]

Like the others said, I think it's worth the effort to get them on better food. It can be difficult bc a lot of the poorer quality foods can be more palatable for the fish. For example, they went nuts over Sinking Carnivore. All the fish loved it's soft texture but I decided I'm no longer feeding foods with a lot of filler.

In fact, I have three big bottles of Tetra fish food that I stopped feeding last year. The jars just sit on these plastic covers to make sure the fish cant jump out by accident.

 

[DRC]

Bug bites are junk as RD explained in his link.

If you wanna feed BSL, Northfin is way better.

Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal, Whole Antarctic Krill Meal (Euphausia Superba), High DHA Omega-3 Herring Meal, Whole Sardine Meal, Wheat Flour, Organic Kelp (Laminariales), Spirulina, Garlic (Allium Sativum), Astaxanthin, Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamin A Acetate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Cholecalciferol, Alpha-tocopherol Acetate, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Super Cichlids, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamine, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Sulfate Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Selenium, Zinc, Rosemary Extract (Rosmarinus Officinalis)

Northfin Fish Food Bug Pro 2mm Crisps

Boost cichlid health with Northfin Bug Pro Crisps 2mm fish food—high-protein, nutrient-rich crisps for vibrant colors and growth. Shop now at Super-cichlids!

www.supercichlids.com

I like the samples from Super Cichlids also plus I know their customer service is excellent. I had an issue with an order (it can happen with anyone) but they went out of their way to make it right (and it certainly cost them money in shipping and product) but I'll be giving them more business in the future.

On a sidenote, I haven't been to their site in awhile because I probably have 2+ years of food stocked up but I noticed they just started carrying freeze dried bloodworms.

Freeze Dried Black Worms

Shop premium fish food, supplies, and accessories at Super Cichlids! Discover top brands like Northfin, Dr. Bassleer, and Aquerum Blackworms. We specialize in cichlids, tropical fish, and aquarium essentials, offering expert advice, fast shipping, and exceptional customer service for all aquatic...

www.supercichlids.com

One more note: they sell many of their products through their Amazon and eBay accounts in addition to their website. I just mention this because TMobile had an eBay $5 coupon for their TMobile Tuesday promos last month and I used it to order food from their eBay front. I'd use the Amazon front bc I get extra credit card points from getting Amazon gift cards. I'm filled up on food so I probably won't order again till Black Friday

Speaking of Supercichlid discounts, I also found a link on their site that verifies and provides a discount code to active duty military and veterans.

 

[RD.]

It is NLS Probiotix, which seems like a gimmick, because how could you even maintain a probiotic culture in a pellet food?

They use a cold re-extrusion process to ensure that the bacteria remains viable, and they test each batch post extrusion. They are also the only company that I am aware of that utilizes this technique.

New Life Spectrum Probiotix — New Life Spectrum®: Fish Food

New Life Spectrum® doesn’t do marketing gimmicks. If we release it, it has to work. We’ve created a real probiotic food with a biologically effective concentration of probiotic bacteria(at least 3 million viable cultures per gram!). The probiotics aren’t just coated on the surface. Plus, thanks

nlsfishfood.com

I wrote a sticky on this subject several yrs ago, you might be interested in reading that as well.

The Use of Probiotics in Aquaculture

The use of probiotics in aquaculture has been around for decades but has gained some new popularity in the past few years due to a few fish food manufacturers incorporating some of these bacteria in their food. While numerous publications & studies about the use of probiotics and/or...

www.monsterfishkeepers.com

 

[Galantspeedz]

Since we are on the topic of food... out of curiosity... what do you all think about this food.

It's not a branded food but it does not dirty the water and is the only type of pellets that my ITs (3 out of 5) will eat

This food is mainly for bottom feeders and I am considering on feeding my rays with it too since it has no color enhancers, natural or otherwise. Hope I am not wrong

 

[Galantspeedz]

Amount of vitamins stated

 

[Rocksor]

Cereals and pea meal, not so good. What is dried grass? I'm assume the corn starch is the binder.