Repashy Superfood (for cichlids)?

[Allen Repashy]

Flowerpower,

I do not plan on marketing the gelling agent on it's own because it needs to be customized to work with different formulas based on the amount of protein, cellulose/starch, and minerals in the formula.

You CAN however, add things to it in small amounts without much effect. You might see reduced gel firmness as you ad more of something, but you should be able to easily add 5% of your favorite ingredient, or even pellets... without much change, and possibly, up to 10%. You would just need to try. One thing the gels do very well is give you a vehicle for adding medication to the diet. The gels lock in nutrients better than flake or pellet, and medicating a gel is the best way to guarantee internal delivery if the fish are still eating.

Cheers, Allen

@Allen/Rachel, will it be possible to purchase the gelling agent on it's own? Alternatively, could I mix other pureed ingredients into the formula w/out ruining the consistency of the finished product? The ability to do either would be of great interest to me personally.

 

[Madness]

Very interesting. I spoke with Ted Judy yesterday evening regarding questions about the food. First I was very impressed that I was contacted, I understand that Ted is eagerly trying to get the product out there, so who wouldnt openly contact a possible client? (several other food manufactures donnt) Ted had several things to say, and was very thorough in answering my questions. Though I am still unsure as to feeding my larger Cichlids, I am very impressed and may very well purchase some to feed to my fry, grow outs, bottom feeders and see what the big boys think. Like both Ted and Allen stated, this will not replace the main daily staple food that you feed your fish, but twice per week will work wonders.

I am always looking to expand the food that I feed my fish. I am currently feeding them several different brands of pellet, freeze dried and flakes. Also different types of frozen including my own homemade concoction. All of my fish have responded very well to the varied diet and all look very colorful and act very healthy. That being said, I will definitely purchase some of this to try once its released.

 

[msjinkzd]

I think the benefit for me is that this food doesn't break down and fall apart in the tank. this allows the fish to graze rather than binge eating. It also allows them a constant food supply without fouling the water. This has been great for my discus and small cichlid fry, as well as my invertebrates, nanofish, and catfish.

 

[flowerpower]

Medication? Hadn't thought of that. The versatility of your product is a huge plus.
The fact that you've candidly addressed our questions here on MFK doesnt go unnoticed either. All the best.
I can't wait to hear from other members here about their experiences with this food.

 

[Madness]

Medication? Hadn't thought of that. The versatility of your product is a huge plus.
The fact that you've candidly addressed our questions here on MFK doesnt go unnoticed either. All the best.
I can't wait to hear from other members here about their experiences with this food.

 

[Aquanero]

+2 points for transparency.

 

[Gatorxxx420]

Medication? Hadn't thought of that. The versatility of your product is a huge plus.
The fact that you've candidly addressed our questions here on MFK doesnt go unnoticed either. All the best.
I can't wait to hear from other members here about their experiences with this food.

I also agree with this. I think even if I used this food 3 times a week with my fry while maintaining a staple food could benefit them more than hurt them. I also have pleco's and other bottom feeders. My only concern with the larger Cichlids is them hossing it all before any of the other fish get any. So that's why I'd choose to stick with pellets for them. As for being able to add medication to it for fish still eating, this is also beneficial to any fish, especially in a hospital tank so the water doesn't foul up as fast.

At any rate, I'd be willing to give this a shot with fry and especially sick fish. I've seen where Tetra now offers Bloodworms and Brine Shrimp within gel, which I'm a tad skeptical on theirs based on the ingredients I've seen in it. It's also a nice feeling to have Allen on here answering questions directly, as most of the other companies do not and also dance around some questions, which makes me more inclined to try it and see what benefits if has for my fish. Especially since it's quality ingredients.

 

[Allen Repashy]

Thanks guys,

I realize that I am a bit of an unknown in the fish hobby, but please don't mistake me for just another company trying to throw another fish food out there. My whole entry into the dry goods business was unintentional. I was into fish before Reptiles, (where my name is well known) I bred my first fish in 1974 (various Rift Lake species).

I consider myself a breeder first, and then a dry goods manufacturer. In a nutshell, about 15 years or so ago, my close friend Philippe deVosjoli went on an expedition to New Caledonia and came home with a re discovered species of Rhacodactylus gecko, R. ciliatus. Commonly known now as the Crested Gecko. I took his founding stock, built it into a large colony, and introduced this species to the hobby as a mainstream pet species.

I quickly noticed their attraction to fruit, and decided that if I could come up with a complete diet using fruit and honey as the attractant, that I could popularize the species simply because of the fact that it would be the only pet gecko someone could keep without having to deal with live feeder insects..... I spent five years developing the product to the point it worked very well, and I am still refining it today.....

At the time< I was co owner of "Sandfire Dragon Ranch", the largest breeder in the world of Bearded Dragons, and White's Tree frogs..... I started working on supplements to solve problems in propagation that I couldn't solve with anything I could buy... which ended up being products I took to market.

The aquatic gel fish diets are an evolution of a tadpole gel I developed because tadpoles are graze feeders and pellet and flake foods just don't work unless you stand there and feed them all day..... uneaten food quickly spoiled..... So I developed the gel blocks and we could put a 16 ounce block in a 200 gallon tub (part of a 3,000 gallon recirc system) with about 4,000 tadpoles and it would take them 24 hours to eat the whole thing. They would swarm on it to the point that it would disappear, and all you could see was this big wiggly blob, that moved around the bottom of the tub as they pushed it about...

I have always believed that using the best quality, (usually most expensive) ingredients, more than pays for its self when you consider time, survival rate, and health benefits...

I took the tadpole gel public to get feedback on other species of frog tadpoles, and started getting a lot of good feedback..... from people crossing over and using it on their fish....... so I thought...... ok...... lets see where this goes..... and a year or so later, here I am.

Allen Repashy

BTW, If anyone really wants to keep up on press releases and stuff I am doing, I use my facebook page to make a lot of announcements. just look my name up and send me a request.

PS. I still haven't gotten back to my press release because I have spent half the day on this forum thread! LOL.

 

[fishman09]

Lots of info here. Looks like something ill try with fry and smaller cichlids down the road.

 

[aclockworkorange]

So, I've been following this thread and I've got a question for you cichlid guys thinking of feeding this to fry... Would you consider buying a higher protein/fat formula of pellet food designed for "growth" like NLS Growth formula at like $12 a pound, grinding it up, and using a high quality gelling agent to bind it with water?