While it's not going to kill your fish, it certainly isn't a premium formula of fish food. lol
There is no way that anyone can judge the quality of a protein such as fish meal by simply looking at a label.
There are numerous grades & types of fish meal, and they can vary greatly in quality, and price.
When a manufacturer simply lists "fish meal" that quite often equates to processing plant leftovers. When ingredients such as fish meal are derived from processing plant waste (which is very common in the fish food industry) that fish meal will typically have a very high ash content due to it being mostly comprised of heads, bones, and scales. Essentially the leftover "racks" of the fish, vs a "whole" fish meal such as Herring meal which is comprised of the "whole" fish. The same would apply if one was using leftover shrimp parts, vs "whole" krill. Using generic terms such as "fish meal" also allows the manufacturer to buy & use whatever has the most appealing price tag throughout the season. It could be white fish meal, menhaden meal, anchovy meal, etc.
The bottom line is that the overall quality of all fish meals is ultimately based on the quality of the raw product, such as overall protein content & the amino acid profile of that protein, as well as the processing & storage methods used. Even fish meal derived from "whole" fish can vary greatly in crude protein content, amino acid content & its bioavailability.
You can find the NRC's (National Research Council's) CP & amino acid stats for the 4 most popular forms of fish meal in the link below. Note the CP (crude protein) content of each meal listed, and the amino acid levels. Herring meal scores much higher than any other fish meal, including other fish meal derived from "whole" fish, such a Menhaden & Anchovy. It's also much more expensive, which is why not a lot of manufacturers use it in their food.
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/frg/AFRIS/Data/332.HTM
Omega also uses processing plant waste.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?397026-Omega-One-vs-NLS
Make sure to read post # 16.
Either way, I wouldn't feed the food posted in this discussion if I was given a lifetime supply for free.
There is no way that anyone can judge the quality of a protein such as fish meal by simply looking at a label.
There are numerous grades & types of fish meal, and they can vary greatly in quality, and price.
When a manufacturer simply lists "fish meal" that quite often equates to processing plant leftovers. When ingredients such as fish meal are derived from processing plant waste (which is very common in the fish food industry) that fish meal will typically have a very high ash content due to it being mostly comprised of heads, bones, and scales. Essentially the leftover "racks" of the fish, vs a "whole" fish meal such as Herring meal which is comprised of the "whole" fish. The same would apply if one was using leftover shrimp parts, vs "whole" krill. Using generic terms such as "fish meal" also allows the manufacturer to buy & use whatever has the most appealing price tag throughout the season. It could be white fish meal, menhaden meal, anchovy meal, etc.
The bottom line is that the overall quality of all fish meals is ultimately based on the quality of the raw product, such as overall protein content & the amino acid profile of that protein, as well as the processing & storage methods used. Even fish meal derived from "whole" fish can vary greatly in crude protein content, amino acid content & its bioavailability.
You can find the NRC's (National Research Council's) CP & amino acid stats for the 4 most popular forms of fish meal in the link below. Note the CP (crude protein) content of each meal listed, and the amino acid levels. Herring meal scores much higher than any other fish meal, including other fish meal derived from "whole" fish, such a Menhaden & Anchovy. It's also much more expensive, which is why not a lot of manufacturers use it in their food.
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGA/AGAP/frg/AFRIS/Data/332.HTM
Omega also uses processing plant waste.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?397026-Omega-One-vs-NLS
Make sure to read post # 16.
Either way, I wouldn't feed the food posted in this discussion if I was given a lifetime supply for free.
