New Life Spectrum Nutri/Gel

[Oscar Mike]

Has anybody tried this? It looks kinda like repashy but I can't find an ingredient list or instructions anywhere online. How much gel food would 1oz of the powder make? It's $80 for 1600g, but if it multiplies in weight after adding water it might be more cost effective than buying 5lb buckets of pellets

 

[RD.]

When considering cost/value you need to consider the fact that water has 0 nutritional value, a concept that I attempted to explain in great length in a past discussion about Repashy. So to answer your question, you will be paying $80 for 1600g of food. (at least according to your info)

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?455488-Repashy-Superfood-(for-cichlids)


HTH

 

[Oscar Mike]

Thanks for the link RD. It says the nutri/gel has a higher density of nutrients, so without knowing the ingredients it sounds like a concentrated powder version of the pellets. If you were to mix 1oz of pellets with gelatin or agar agar, it would just dilute the nutritional value meaning you have to feed more weight. But if you mixed 1oz of the high-density powder with 2oz of water (or however much the instructions call for), then it might still have the same nutritional value as 3oz of pellets depending on how concentrated it is. If this is correct and 1600g of powder turns into 4800g of gel food, wouldn't that be the same as two buckets of pellets (similar to a protein shake vs solid foods)? I'm not necessarily trying to save money as much as avoid buying 3-4 different pellet sizes

 

[RD.]

Your thinking is spot on. If the powder is concentrated, and more nutrient dense than their pellets, then indeed it could prove to be more cost effective and certainly a solution to your feeding problem.

 

[RD.]

I can't find the nutrient levels, but here's what I could find with regards to preparing the gel mix, and the quantity of powder vs water.

http://www.f3images.com/IMD/UserManuals/NL80008.pdf

You could always email New Life International and request the nutrient profile of whatever formula you are considering.

 

[Oscar Mike]

I actually just sent them an email asking for the ingredients and guaranteed analysis so I'll post their response in the morning (unless someone here has a bottle...)

 

[Oscar Mike]

Alright here's the full label for the saltwater formula https://db.tt/xrApZMt1

Guaranteed Analysis
Crude Protein (Min.): 50%
Crude Fat (Min.): 9%
Crude Fiber (Max.): 5%
Moisture (Max.): 10%
Ash (Max.): 7%
Vit. A(Min.): 16000 IU/Kg
Vit. D(Min.): 5000 IU/Kg
Vit.E (Min.): 400 IU/Kg

Ingredients: Whole Antarctic Krill, Whole Fish, Agar, Beta Carotene, Spirulina, Chorella Algae, Omega-3 Fatty Acid, Ulva & Red Seaweed, Kelp, Mollusks, Garlic, Whole Wheat Flour, Alfalfa Meal, Vitamin A Acetate,Vitamin D Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Thiamine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Calcium Pantothenate, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Stable C), Choline Chloride, Ethylenediamine Dihydroiodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate

So it does have about twice as much crude protein, fat, and vitamins as most of the pellet formulas, but if you have to add 3 parts water then it would dilute everything by 75%. Still looks better than most gel foods but I'm probably just gonna stick with pellets

 

[Rayne]

I tried the Rapashy gel and didnt really see the appeal. It seemed pretty high maintenance and certainly more expensive than regular old good quality pellets.

 

[RD.]

So it does have about twice as much crude protein, fat, and vitamins as most of the pellet formulas

If you are referring to NLS pellets, that would be incorrect. In fact, some of their formulas such as the Grow formula would closely match the nutrient level found in this gel food, before it has been reconstituted with 75% water.

As I stated in the Repashy discussion linked to above - there are some applications were gel foods can apply, and work very well, but in most cases a nutrient dense pellet will always win out.

 

[Oscar Mike]

You're right, some of the nls formulas have 40-50% min protein but even if the nutri/gel had 100% the final mixture would only be 25%. The powder does have exactly twice as much vitamin A/D/E as the pellets, but not after adding water so I agree pellets would make more sense