When it comes to NLS food, what size do I get?

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cideon

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Dec 16, 2011
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west texas
First off, my LFS don't carry it, so I guess I'll have to get it online from either amazon or petco... unless y'all can recommend a better online vendor?

The cichlids I want to primarily feed would be my oscar and firemouth. My oscar is quite happy with his container of floating medium size pellets of Omega One, but the firemouth is always too timid to swim up. I have been keeping him fed with some other brand, Aqueon, mini pellets. I know he is able to fit the mini size pellets for Hikari, but I can't keep using that as the oscar plows through everything that floats and keeps the firemouth away. So I was thinking changing the firemouth's food to NLS, and when it runs out, the oscar's too. My question is, what size of sinking pellet is compatible with the size my little guy can eat? Does the cichlid variety only come in 1mm? This situation might switch as the oscar gets bigger... he seems to ignore itty bitty food, so I'm worried that he'll need to stick to Omega One/Hikari for sized pellets.

I also have a growout with temp tiger barbs, severums, a convict, and a jack dempey. So far they all seem OK with the aqueon cichlid food (mini, I remind), but except for the tiger barbs (which I know will find a way), everyone should be able to grow into the mini Hikari size in a few months at their current rate. Actually, by then the tigers will be out, so for sure everyone should be good. Suggestions here too please?
 
I feed my 5"+ mbuna 1mm Cichlid formula and 3mm Large Fish formula. The Cichlid formula only comes in 1mm size
 
Would the large fish formula be less adequate for cichlids as they grow bigger and ignore the 1mm cichlid one (for example, my oscar and the sevs)? Or is it still pretty nutrient sufficient for them that they won't be too deficient of something? I do usually add frozen treats once a week, so hoping that might help...
 
cideon said:
Would the large fish formula be less adequate for cichlids as they grow bigger and ignore the 1mm cichlid one (for example, my oscar and the sevs)? Or is it still pretty nutrient sufficient for them that they won't be too deficient of something? I do usually add frozen treats once a week, so hoping that might help...
Click to expand...

Honestly, there isn't an NLS formula that doesn't have sufficient nutrients for all stages of your fish's lives. Any of the formulas will work perfectly fine and don't require any additional foods to be supplemented to the diet.


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I have a yellow lab cichlid that eats my puffers 6mm pellets whole, not that im recommending 6mm pellets...

But i agree, with the cichlids like that i doubt you would need to supplement their diet...


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The 2mm pellets to me is super super small, if I would have known the size of it I would have never purchased it, but now I have 5 pounds of it so all my small fish eat this stuff. The 2mm pellets are for fish 1.5inches to max 4-5 inches, my super red severum about 5 inches has to eat mouth fulls of the stuff so its really too small for him, my bass 7-12 inches cant even see the stuff, finally my 6 inch sun fish has figured out that its food but does not really eat the stuff because cant really see it. This stuff is for small fish even my guppies eat this stuff at this size stupid really. I will never buy this small stuff. If you have larger fish buy min 3mm, even then I dont think that will be big enough for allot of fish, I was thinking this stuff would be like Hikari Carnivore size but it was not even close. Next I am going to buy the 10mm pellets I hope its the size of massivore, even though i am thinking about 6-7mm would be that size so I am not sure 100%. I always figure if its too large you can always chop it up a bit, but if its too small its worthless. At least I have a good grow out group.
 
Personally I would stick with the Omega One. I would also get a sinking pellet. HBH has a good sinking pellet.
 
IMO nls is far better for your fish health and quality than hikari foods. You can find nls in the 5 pound buckets on ebay for 50-60$ . As for size... my 15 inch pbass all will readily eat 6mm pellets. That seems really small but here is the thing ppl don't know about nls.. it is a super dense pellet that is designed to be swallowed whole for best nutrition and also to keep your tank cleaner. If you get too big of a pellet your fish will think they need to chew it therefore losing nutrition. And also risking the fish may not like trying to chew on something so hard and rejecting the pellet. I would say go with 3mm thera A sinking. They are big enough your oscar will see and eat them whole but small enough for even african fish,so your firemouth can still get them also

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Thats true, they are a very solid pellet compared to massivore... Heck cutting one in half is even tricky without stronger scissors...


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