Repashy Superfood (for cichlids)?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
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Ps the cups in tees video are a half pound so the smallest packet makes 4 of them.
 
The cost is being misled here it goes farther than I thought and the cost isn't that bad here's info from another thread on what it makes

2 oz packet $8 = $4/oz = $2/half pound gel
4 oz packet $12 = $3/oz = $1.5/half pound ge
l 8 oz packet $20 = $2.5/oz = $1.25/half pound gel
16 oz packet $32 = $2/oz = $1/half pound gel
64 oz packet = $70 = $1.09/oz = $.545/half pound gel

Nice breakdown. Thanks.

As a staple, this can still be pretty expensive, but if used for fry, or as a snack, a $20 packet can last you a good while. For special, and finicky eaters, I could definitely see a big demand for this product.
 
Just realized I can improve the prices even more to:
2 oz packet $7 = $3.50/oz = ~makes approximately 1 lb of food
4 oz packet $10 = $2.50/oz =~ makes approximately 2 lb of food
8 oz packet $18 = $2.25/oz = ~makes approximately 4lb of food
16 oz packet $28 = $1.75/oz = ~makes approximately 8 lb of food
64 oz packet = $60 = $.94/oz =~makes approximately 32 lb of food
 
I guess that depends on what kind of fry. :) Not trying to sound "smart", but if its livebearers probably community plus, ancistrus iw oudl say soilent green, etc. I would be happy to give you advice that is more focused, just let me know what type of fry you plan to rear :)
 
I simply don't see any advantage in feeding a reconstituted dry powder food, over a quality pellet food, to the vast majority of cichlid species. If I crush my pellets into a fine powder, and reconstitue them using a vegan algae substance such as agar-agar, am I somehow magically increasing the overall nutrient profile of that food? I think not.

I think that kinda ignores most of what he said. And as he put it this is not about competing against premium pellets but rather creating a niche product.

As for most everyone else who looks at this product and perceives that it might not be the best thing for cichlids... I have no idea what they are smoking, at-least when looking at Africans. Most non predatory Africans are grazers and will benefit in a huge way from having regular access to food. The binge eating most fish go through with pellet feeding 1-2 times a day is not typically healthy for their digestion and compaction happens even when feeding NLS, I've had it happen. I read his deconstruction of his product and thought I'd found something great. This would solve a huge problem I've had with frontosa (compaction and air in dry foods) and duboisi bloat from dry foods as well as their grazing nature.

Actually the water content of the gell is really important if you intend to use this as a food for grazers. If it didn't have a high water content you would potentially kill your fish, as RD points out drink 6 glasses of water then try to eat a steak, you'll eat less, but then you know what happens you eat a little more in another hr or two(assuming you have another 6 glasses) and so on. The water acts as a natural intake regulator.

Will this become my #1 food, HECK NO. But I do plan to pick this up pronto and try it out with my grazers, and fronts.
 
While I respect everyones choice in what & how they feed their fish, I find it difficult not to respond to the previous post.

As for most everyone else who looks at this product and perceives that it might not be the best thing for cichlids... I have no idea what they are smoking, at-least when looking at Africans. Most non predatory Africans are grazers and will benefit in a huge way from having regular access to food. The binge eating most fish go through with pellet feeding 1-2 times a day is not typically healthy for their digestion and compaction happens even when feeding NLS, I've had it happen.

I have personally kept numerous species of African cichlids, pretty much all of the species that are considered by the masses to be bloat prone magnets, such as various Tropheus sp., Tanganicodus irsacae, Tropheops Macrophthalmus, P. demasoni, Labeotropheus fuelleborni, Labeotropheus trewavasae, several species of Melanochromis & Metriaclima as well as numerous other species of mbuna classified as herbivores, and over a span of 15+ years in keeping mbuna never once encountered bloat in any of my tanks. All fed on pellet foods of various kinds, by various manufacturers.

The largest producers of African cichlids in the world, all feed pellets. Some of these commercial breeders have been in this game longer than many of the members here have been alive. Ask them what they're smoking, I'm sure they'll have a good laugh as you explain to them how they have all been going about their business wrong for the past 40+ years. The exporters of these same species of fish, such as the late Stuart Grant all fed commercial dry food as well. I know this, because one of my friends used to work for Stuart & one of his duties was feeding all of the wild caught fish at his facility. Again, he never once encountered bloat in any of Stuarts wild fish while feeding "dry" food, and that includes all of the fish kept long term in Stuart's display tanks. Ditto to a past collector on Lake Tanganyika that I used to converse with (Mark Young) - who specialized in Tropheus, and never once encountered bloat in any of the 10's of thousands of Tropheus that he collected while he was in the biz. According to Mark, the key to preventing dietary stress, was to not overfeed the fish. No overfeeding, no problem.

If you want to understand how "bloat" typically comes about then please read the following past discussion. http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?448533-Bloat-in-CA-SA

If someone is allowing their fish to binge feed, then that becomes a case of operator error, not feed problems. The fact is, many hobbysist do tend to overfeed. To date I do not believe that there is a single food that has been created, manufactured & otherwise that has not been blamed for bloat in someones fish. I've seen & read it all over the years, yet 100's of thousands of other hobbyists feed these same foods with no issues. Hmmmmm.

I haven't ignored anything that Allen has stated, and I wished him well in his new venture, and still do.

Having said that, anyone could add finely crushed fish food to gelatininzing/binding agents & do the same thing. Unless I'm missing something, that's all this product is, and I do not mean that in a disrespectful manner. Fish food powder that is then reconstituted with water, and bound together with gelatinizing/binding agents. The quality of the final "mixed" product is entirely based on the raw ingredients & nutrient levels found in the powder, just as it is in any commercial food.

For those that want to feed their fish water logged fish food, and see an advantage over that vs feeding traditional dry foods, I have absolutely no problem with that, anymore than I do with those who choose to feed fresh/frozen/freeze-dried etc.

Cheers!
 
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