Hikari..

[knifegill]

I keep my fish hungry and they will eat anything. I don't trust food companies to provide complete or even palatable diets for my fish. Pellet foods are a money saving necessity but a responsible critter keeper should always feed lots of fresh or even canned veggies to supplement the diet. I am grateful for massivore and a few other of their products but on the whole, pellet foods are mostly the equivalent of wrapping a daily vitamin in white bread and calling it dinner. Don't expect a corporation who needs to maintain its profit margins to provide you with a perfect food. They can't afford it.

That said, some hikari foods like 'massivore' are great and others like 'cichlid gold' are trash. Also check into HBH fish foods, they are often amazing and even made of the food they claim to be. Omega One and NLS also are great. But none of these are the nutritional equivalent a fresh head of asparagus or chunk of squid. Always mix it up for best results.

 

[NCStateFisher]

I keep my fish hungry and they will eat anything. I don't trust food companies to provide complete or even palatable diets for my fish. Pellet foods are a money saving necessity but a responsible critter keeper should always feed lots of fresh or even canned veggies to supplement the diet. I am grateful for massivore and a few other of their products but on the whole, pellet foods are mostly the equivalent of wrapping a daily vitamin in white bread and calling it dinner. Don't expect a corporation who needs to maintain its profit margins to provide you with a perfect food. They can't afford it.

i dont expect perfection i just was shocked at how ridiculously messy it was, i've heard u can feed pleco's cucumber slices is that correct? because that would be a really cheap and easy way to keep them healthy and happy i'd have no problem keeping up with that

 

[knifegill]

Cucumber is junk compared to zucchini. Canned or fresh green beans are great too. Asparagus is like growth steroids and hot peppers are also relished. Most any clean green is great. Broccoli stems work well, too.

I rubberband them to sanded-smooth chips of slate and they're usually gone in the morning. Seeds should be removed unless you discover something that eats them. Once in awhile a chunk gets lost and ends up somewhere in the tank but I haven't had anything bad happen from such occasions.

 

[NCStateFisher]

next time i go to the store ill definitely look for something appropriate then

 

[knifegill]

Yeah, I do the same. I consider a food worth buying if it's first four or five ingredients are something I would feed my fish. It usually goes something like: Fish Meal, Ground Earthworms, Pea Powder, Alfalfa meal, Wheat flour. You really can't away from the fish meal and wheat flour most of the time, but NLS and HBH often do. But $$...

 

[packer43064]

Yeah, I do the same. I consider a food worth buying if it's first four or five ingredients are something I would feed my fish. It usually goes something like: Fish Meal, Ground Earthworms, Pea Powder, Alfalfa meal, Wheat flour. You really can't away from the fish meal and wheat flour most of the time, but NLS and HBH often do. But $$...

Most of Omega One's line of foods have actual fish as the first ingredients. try it, It's great!

Also it's pretty cheap too.

 

[NightStorm]

I feed my CA/SA cichlids Hikari Cichlid Staple, Cichlid Gold, and Cichlid Bio-Gold+ and they eat the stuff ravenously. Have had no problems with the product thus far.

 

[dbcb314]

if it didn't cost so much, id throw out the cichlid staple I bought. clouds my water up like crazy.

tried hikari because everone seems to love it around here. ain't buying it no more.

 

[packer43064]

if it didn't cost so much, id throw out the cichlid staple I bought. clouds my water up like crazy.

tried hikari because everone seems to love it around here. ain't buying it no more.

How long do you let the food sit in the water. It shouldn't cloud the water if fed right. The fish should eat it and it all should be good unless it's sitting in the tank for awhile.

Also how much was the Staple....it's 9.99 for a 8 oz. bag at Petsmart. Unless your feeding multiple times a day and have alot of fish that's not crazy bad.

 

[Bully Fish]

The good thing about pellets is there isnt alot of mess. Just drop them in until the fish is no longer interested. No need to overfeed unless your fish is very skittish and you dont acually get to see it eat. If you have uneaten pellets you are overfeeding.