Why New Life Spectrum???

[RD.]

Blood Worms every once in a while actually benefit your fish.

Really, how so?

I would also love to know exactly what nutrients are found in foods such as blood worms, crickets, fish eggs, etc, that can't be found in a quality pellet food?

A common mistake made by many hobbyists who chant the "variety" mantra. It's not all about the ingredient list, it's what nutrients those ingredients add to the formula, and their bioavailability. As in amino acids, fatty acids, carbs, vitamins, minerals, etc.

Variety is not a nutrient.

This is just a hobby for most people, a way to relax, get in touch with nature, whatever. People can feed their fish Russian caviar if that's what floats their boat. The reality is that there has been very little research performed on the actual nutrient requirements of most of the tropical fish kept in this hobby, so all that most of us are doing (myself included) is taking an educated guess when it comes to providing nutrition to our fish.

But an educated guess doesn't equate to simply taking a wild guess based on nothing more than a personal feeling.

As an example, crickets do not have a proper calcium/phosphorous ratio. This is exactly why when feeding herps many insects (including crickets) require calcium supplementation prior to feeding. For some people in the fish hobby who live in an area with sufficient calcium in their tap water this won't present an issue as if required most tropical fish can uptake calcium from the water, but in an area where the tap water is low in calcium, or completely void, if too many crickets are being fed to the fish over time this could lead to a number of different health related issues. It could potentially affect growth rates, create bone/scale/skeletal disorders, etc.

So yes, I agree with Forrest, pellets are an all in one food that take care of any deficiencies found in the wild.

Are they a perfect food designed by the fish gods themselves? NO. Is this a perfect science? NO.

But it is a science, and one where countless millions of $$$ have been spent over the past 100 years. If one can view that science with an open unbiased mind, and is capable of thinking outside the box along the way, it is most definitely possible to feed a fish in captivity, better than most would ever eat in the wild.

 

[HerCrenVie]

Most fish do love bloodworms, yet overall bloodworms are a very poor source of nutrients. I wouldn't feed them to my fish if I won a lifetime supply for free. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

How do you know this? Let me paraphrase you: "I'm guessing that you have all sorts of scientific data & studies that will support that view?"

 

[Miguel]

This is just a hobby for most people, a way to relax, get in touch with nature, whatever. People can feed their fish Russian caviar if that's what floats their boat. QUOTE]

Signature material

 

[RD.]

Hmmmmm, that's funny Miguel. I might have to use that as my sig line. Maybe just for today. lol


Hercrenvie - I know that, because I make it my business to know things like that.
Anyone who feels that I make things up as I go along is more than welcome to prove me wrong anytime that they get the urge.

Oddball posted the specs on bloodworms aka midge fly larvae (Chironomidae tetans) in a past discussion. Again, anyone who feels that info is off is more than welcome to challenge that info.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?329567-Nutritional-benefits-of-bloodworms



**edited to add: It appears that ON has changed the nutrient analysis of their frozen bloodworms since Oddball posted that info in the link above.

The correct data according to the following link is .....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16865

Guaranteed Analysis:
Protein 4.7% min
Fat 0.3% min
Fiber 0.8% max
Moisture 97.0% max

Ingredients:
Bloodworms, Water, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Beta Carotene, Biotin, Hydroxocobalamin (source of Vitamin B12), Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamine HCL)), Amino Acids (Dl-Methionine and L-Lysine) and Trace Elements (Calcium Chloride, Potassium Iodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Magnesium Carbonate, and Zinc Sulfate).

 

[fishman09]

I've been told that freeze dried krill is probably the best way to go when supplementing NLS


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[Vanimal]

Hmmmmm, that's funny Miguel. I might have to use that as my sig line. Maybe just for today. lol


Hercrenvie - I know that, because I make it my business to know things like that.
Anyone who feels that I make things up as I go along is more than welcome to prove me wrong anytime that they get the urge.

Oddball posted the specs on bloodworms aka midge fly larvae (Chironomidae tetans) in a past discussion. Again, anyone who feels that info is off is more than welcome to challenge that info.

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?329567-Nutritional-benefits-of-bloodworms



**edited to add: It appears that ON has changed the nutrient analysis of their frozen bloodworms since Oddball posted that info in the link above.

The correct data according to the following link is .....

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=16865

Guaranteed Analysis:
Protein 4.7% min
Fat 0.3% min
Fiber 0.8% max
Moisture 97.0% max

Ingredients:
Bloodworms, Water, Vitamins (Ascorbic Acid, Beta Carotene, Biotin, Hydroxocobalamin (source of Vitamin B12), Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamine HCL)), Amino Acids (Dl-Methionine and L-Lysine) and Trace Elements (Calcium Chloride, Potassium Iodide, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Magnesium Carbonate, and Zinc Sulfate).

They don't sound that bad? Most brands add vitamins and minerals to them. As a treat I think they seem pretty healthy.


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[dragonfish]

I've been told that freeze dried krill is probably the best way to go when supplementing NLS


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Why freeze dried over frozen?

 

[tomomothy]

Its seems a lot of people advocate variety on the notion that fish eat a variety of things in nature. What I think a lot of people tend to overlook, as RD pointed out, is that a high quality pellet will accomodate most if not all of those needs by incorporating nutrition from a variety of sources. I myself feed freeze dried blood worms on occasion to my umbees, but only do it because they enjoy it.

To squirtles point, I would say my umbee grow outs are growing quite nicely feeding just on nls, but if nls promotes slow growth, why would that be? Could it be since fish would prefer to eat meat more they pig out on that and it fattens them up? Or is there more to it than that

 

[RD.]

I didn't say that blood worms were "bad", or that they would kill anyones fish.
I said:

....overall bloodworms are a very poor source of nutrients

Perhaps using the term "very" was a poor choice of words, but personally I do not see a single nutrient found in frozen or freeze dried blood worms that cannot be gleaned from most commercial foods. Freeze dried has an advantage over frozen is with frozen the vast majority of what one is paying for, and feeding to their fish - is water. That alone makes it very low in nutrient value on an ounce for ounce basis.

I've been told that freeze dried krill is probably the best way to go when supplementing NLS

I suspect that I know who told you that, and no disrespect intended to that individual - they would be wrong.
Think about it, why would one supplement with krill, when krill is the main ingredient in NLS food? If one really felt the need to supplement with additional protein/fat, enzymes, or whatever, I would feed fresh/frozen squid once a week.
I don't, but to each their own .......

 

[Modest_Man]

Its seems a lot of people advocate variety on the notion that fish eat a variety of things in nature. What I think a lot of people tend to overlook, as RD pointed out, is that a high quality pellet will accomodate most if not all of those needs by incorporating nutrition from a variety of sources. I myself feed freeze dried blood worms on occasion to my umbees, but only do it because they enjoy it.

To squirtles point, I would say my umbee grow outs are growing quite nicely feeding just on nls, but if nls promotes slow growth, why would that be? Could it be since fish would prefer to eat meat more they pig out on that and it fattens them up? Or is there more to it than that

The real question is, is the fastest growth possible what is best for the long term health of the animal? And the answer to that is definitely no.

I've been feeding NLS only for the last three years and couldn't be happier (just bought a 5lb pail of the 3mm sinking). But I'm also not trying to grow Jabba the Hutt fish as quickly as possible...Someone send me a "healthy" fish that dies suddenly of no apparent reason and I'll do a necropsy and show you the fatty deposits on the liver from improper feeding.