Unpopular opinion- NLS not impressed...

[Cardeater]

On a side note. Does storing the dry food in the freezer make a big difference in keeping it fresh?

I always put half in a ziplock back so I'm not opening the whole thing all the time but never thought of using the freezer.

I remember RD did a test of this a few years ago that he posted in a thread somewhere here. He seemed convinced it was helpful so I trust his judgement. I think it didn't matter if you used up the food in a reasonable amount of time.

I also have heard of others here doing it with big containers and just taking out a months supply from freezer. Those giant buckets is where I'd be concerned about quality if you're not able.to use it in a timely manner.

The one food that I wouldn't do it is with NLS probiotics in case the cold killed the probiotic bacteria.

 

[Cardeater]

Up until very recently I never really paid attention to fish food ingredients. My train of thought was, well I don't know diddly squat about fish nutrition, but hikari, fluval, NLS, tetrafin etc etc sure do, so you leave it in their hands and trust that the product they're making is tip top.

Then I started reading threads about the low %'s of actual quality ingredients and also the very low grade "fillers" that are also used, some it would seem are top secret. So I started looking at the ingredients, not that I really knew what I was looking for, but it soon struck me that the amount of ingredients in these products that you wouldn't neccessarily associate with fish are vast. Wheat bran, brewers dried yeast, flaked corn, wheat flour, corn gluten meal, rice bran.

This is about the same place where I started and I also listened to some YouTubers. Some had decent advice but I also realized a lot of them get free samples in exchange for promoting a product or they sell the product. That does not make their advice necessarily bad, though.

The ingredient list that really got me to examine this stuff was when I saw the Hikari sinking carnivore that a lot of people like:

Ingredients
White Fish Meal, Shrimp Meal, Alfalfa Meal, Wheat Flour, Alpha Starch, Brewer'S Dried Yeast, L-Lysin, Dl-Methionine, Fish Oil, Vitamin A Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Source Of Vitamin C), D-Activated Animal Sterol (Source Of Vitamin D3), Vitamin E Supplement, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Choline Chloride, Inositol, Calcium Iodate, Manganese Sulfate, Magnesium Carbonate.

Massivore first ingredients are full of fillers too and split up probably so they don't wind up ahead of the better ingredients listed first.

INGREDIENTS
Fish meal, krill meal, brewers dried yeast, cassava starch, soybean meal, wheat starch, fish oil, wheat flour, dried seaweed meal, spirulina

 

[RD.]

The main enemy of food is heat, light, and oxygen. Exposure in the extreme of any of those will certainly decrease shelf life. I have kept buckets of food in the freezer yrs ago, but I no longer do. As long as food containers are stored in a reasonably cool, dark, dry location, most commercial foods will be good for a couple of years. What I always do, is take out a couple of months worth of food at a time out of the larger containers or bags. And I never store food on the top of my tanks, something that I see frequently in pics/vids posted online.

 

[Galactik]

The main enemy of food is heat, light, and oxygen. Exposure in the extreme of any of those will certainly decrease shelf life. I have kept buckets of food in the freezer yrs ago, but I no longer do. As long as food containers are stored in a reasonably cool, dark, dry location, most commercial foods will be good for a couple of years. What I always do, is take out a couple of months worth of food at a time out of the larger containers or bags. And I never store food on the top of my tanks, something that I see frequently in pics/vids posted online.

Makes sense. That's something I need to stop doing. All my stuff sits on top next to the lights lol.

 

[Toiletcar]

I’ve had a lot of success w/ NLS. All my cichlids, swordtails, and clown pleco love it. They also get dried krill at the same time sometimes, and will still eat the NLS too.

 

[Wharf]

And I never store food on the top of my tanks, something that I see frequently in pics/vids posted online.

Taking notes....

 

[Ogertron3000]

Taking notes....

Me too, I think we all do this.

 

[esoxlucius]

Just a little light hearted look of perspective on this thread.

I've just got back from my LFS with my young boy after spending ages mulling over the fish food section. Going from brand to brand meticulously reading ingredients, weighing the job up, being a thorough hobbyist, very proud of the fact i'm trying to take care of my fishes every dietary need.

Then on the way home my missus rings me, "call in to the shop on your way home love, we're running short of milk". So me and the young lad pop into the supermarket and whilst i'm getting the milk my lad says to me, "dad can I get a packet of these chicken nuggets for my tea?". Without even blinking an eye i said to him, "Sure son, pop them in the basket".

I got home and my missus said "what the hell have you got him these for, they're made of absolute crap".

And everything became as clear as a bell, in an instant.

RD. You have a lot to answer for my friend. Lol.

 

[xraycer]

I personally Have a few brands of foods not just one. I also think the fish benefit from ingredients from each brand furthermore the fish don't get disinterested of eating the same food.

Thomas, while I whole heartedly agree with most of this post, the last part is something many of us, as humans, reflects onto our pets.
Modern humans, in the modern world, now cook our food and add all sorts of seasoning to enhance the flavorings of our food. We are no longer in survival mode, as in our earlier times. Our palate has become spoiled. Watch a show like "Naked and Afraid", and you'll almost get a sense what it's like to be always hungry and on the edge of starvation. At these points, food flavoring becomes a non issue.
I don't believe that fish becomes "tired or bored" with the same old, same old food everyday. Creatures like koalas and pandas, eats just one food source their entire life. I can't ever see a lion, ever turning away from a wilderbeast kill, because that's what it's been eating for months now.

With the exception of my Giant Gourami and my bullhead, all my fish gets NLS. The ones on NLS have been fed only NLS for at least 5 years, and they always pounce on it at feeding time.

 

[tlindsey]

Thomas, while I whole heartedly agree with most of this post, the last part is something many of us, as humans, reflects onto our pets.
Modern humans, in the modern world, now cook our food and add all sorts of seasoning to enhance the flavorings of our food. We are no longer in survival mode, as in our earlier times. Our palate has become spoiled. Watch a show like "Naked and Afraid", and you'll almost get a sense what it's like to be always hungry and on the edge of starvation. At these points, food flavoring becomes a non issue.
I don't believe that fish becomes "tired or bored" with the same old, same old food everyday. Creatures like koalas and pandas, eats just one food source their entire life. I can't ever see a lion, ever turning away from a wilderbeast kill, because that's what it's been eating for months now.

With the exception of my Giant Gourami and my bullhead, all my fish gets NLS. The ones on NLS have been fed only NLS for at least 5 years, and they always pounce on it at feeding time.

You tell my Datnoid that lol but I get what you are stating and true about wild animals thriving on one certain food such as eucalyptus leaves for koalas. Believe me I'm a Animal Planet , National Geographic fanatic.