NLS

[RD.]

RD has suggested in the past that if you just don't feed them for a few days till they get really hungry, most fish will eventually switch over rather than starve.

This is true, but I have also stated the following. See below from a couple of yrs ago.

One thing that I have learned over many years of keeping a vast amount of different fish species, it doesn't matter how nutritious a food is, if your fish won't readily consume it.

Trust me, I understand that fish can be selective due to smell/taste, and even sight, and I was recently taught a lesson in that regards by an adult male Amphilophus that I have been feeding for going on 8 yrs, so it pains myself as much as others when a fish (for whatever reason) decides to ignore a certain brand or formula, but it happens. I get that. And in this case it wasn't NLS. lol Long story short, at one time I believed that fish could be pushed in any direction that I wanted, and I have come to realize that sometimes that is much easier said, than done. And I completely understand why some folks switch brands.

The end result over the years is not all brands, or formulas, will elicit the same feed response. Some fish have chosen floating over sinking, some prefer flakes over pellets, some larger pellets over smaller, some smaller over larger, some red over green (exact same formula), some have such fine senses that for whatever reason they have refused to eat a newer version of the exact same formula/brand. I can go back & forth between old bag, and new, and 100% rejection on the new, and 100% consumption of the old - yet according to the manufacturers label nothing has changed. Interesting, but I am guessing that the fish is tasting (or not) something that the manufacturer is not coming clean on - such as a change up in raw ingredient (by dry weight) listing. The food is only rejected once in the mouth (for the count of 1-2 seconds) before being spat out. Hmmmmm.

Having said that, I have had mixed reviews by my fish, and NF. Some would eat it with gusto, some not so much. If you go back to post #27 in this thread, it was NF that my big Amph recently turned his nose up. He still refuses to eat the food out of the new bag. Same food, same formula, same exact size, and supposedly exact same ingredients as old bag. But still hammers old food, from old container. Hmmmmm. In this case it has nothing to do with training, and everything to do with a fish intelligent enough to tell the difference. Something has shifted, no question about it. Usually when this happens and there is no trace on the label, well......

A couple of years later, that big Amph I mentioned above, still won't eat the new Northfin pellets. Could I force him to via starvation, most likely, but with this fish I suspect that it would take a month or more, and to what end? He gets agitated just smelling NF, and will go off his feed for a couple days after simply smelling it in his domain. He won't even attempt a taste anymore. Same size, same color, same brand, same formula. Go figure. Other than not liking the taste, or even the smell of the new NF, he will gladly consume pretty much anything else that I toss in the tank - so at 10 yrs of age why starve him?


So yes, I completely understand those folks that don't want to dick around with training fish via starvation, soaking the pellets in frozen blood worm juice, or whatever. Some fish take some serious work, others take to a new food, or any food, like it was their last meal.

 

[punman]

Over the last 15 years New Life Spectrum has been my main go to fish food along with some NorthFin in recent years. Just this week I ordered a couple of jars of NLS Cichlid and AlgaeMax formula. Two things different that I noticed, was the pellet size was listed as a range (1-1.5 mm) instead of just 1 mm as it was in the past; and the jar was opaque. Anyone know the reason for those two changes and how long ago they came into being?

 

[RD.]

The size changes started years ago when New Life began manufacturing their own food, on site in FL. Opaque jars would help limit light, so I would assume that is why that change was implemented.

 

[PhishMon84]

ordered a 5lb bag of northfin, we'll see if the fish like it.

 

[Fattytotti]

Read many good reviews from this forum recommending NLS product and decided to buy the Ultrared for my flowerhorns. Did they change the ingredients? My pellets are green instead of red which I saw from from some YouTube.

 

[Jexnell]

Mine are green as well

 

[Fattytotti]

Mine are green as well
View attachment 1502354View attachment 1502355

Thanks for replying. Seems like they change the formula. The pellet used to be red I think. My flowerhorns feed on this new formula and starting to lose its redness. Fed them some other red pellets like hikari Vibra Bites and CZ aqua red blaze and their redness came back.

 

[FESHMAN]

Same here, all of my fish used to take it and spit it out. Then I tried starving them for a couple of days, now its one of my staples for years. And yeah the older formula used to be bright orange now its more of a "fish food color". But my fish still take it no problem.

 

[Fattytotti]

I guess they did some cost cutting by reducing the astaxanthin (chlorophyll pink) which can make fishes red if they have the gene.

My fishes have no issue accepting the pellet, just that i purchase this for the purpose of enhancing my fishes red as the name mention "Ultrared" but much to my disappointment that this new "naturox series" makes my fishes lose its colour.
I realise they also remove the note: Feeding to yellow fish may cause a shift to orange colouration from this new naturox series.

 

[Cardeater]

I have the new formula and the fish like it and the dority rainbows look more red.