# Critique of this ingredients list



## chiroken (Sep 25, 2007)

would like some feedback on this cichlid food product based on ingredients please.

Claims: "Only the highest grade marine proteins and additives are used in all formulas. We do not use low grade ingredients or fillers. fish food is artificial hormone and pigment free."

All products are manufactured in CFIA /USDA/FDA registered and certified facility.

Ingredients: Whole Antarctic Krill Meal, High Omega-3 (DHA) Herring Meal, Whole Sardine Meal, Wheat Flour, Kelp, Spirulina, Garlic, Astaxanthin (Haematococcus Algae), Calcium Montmorillonite Clay, Vitamin A Acetate, L-Ascorby-2-Polyphospate (Source of Vitamin C), D-Activated Animal-Sterol (D3), DL Alphatocopherol (E), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamine, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Folic Acid, Biotin, Choline Chloride, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Selenium, Zinc.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein (Min) : 40%
Crude Fat (Min): 5%
Crude Fiber (Max): 5%
Moisture (Max): 9%
Ash (Max): 9%


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Looks good to me as far as I can tell. (I feel like I'm being set up)


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## Akari_32 (May 20, 2014)

Looks great! I haven't seen anything like that around here. What brand is it?


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Looks like the ingredient list for Northfin. If you look at it in terms of ingredients, and forget about the analysis, it contains top of the line ingredients. The key form is that the meals are whole, as opposed to being made up of waste products. There are lots of ways to make a food to have a good analysis, using inexpensive grades of meal and fillers, but not all the ingredients may be usable to the fish. I have some I am using ( three kinds 3 or 4 sizes of pellet and the algae wafer) and the fish like it and it seems to produce good results. I did speak to an aquaintance who had used it for 6 months prior to it's introduction, and he told it was great stuff. Only anecdotal, for sure, for what it's worth.
Whether it is better than other foods of a similar type, I can't say, but it is hard to argue that they didn't use good ingredients.


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## chiroken (Sep 25, 2007)

GTZ: not setting anyone up. Intentionally omitted company as I know there are those that would not support any ingredient list simply because it was company "x" and not company "y". Unfortunately I fear there will also be several that will not provide valuable and experienced opinion because they may not want to be found to support a certain company either. Unfortunate. I don't know enough to break down the ingredients correctly and in detail.

Yes, BillD, it is Northfin. I will get some samples and try it out. I do not have it retail close to me so I don't even know the cost for this food. I currently feed NLS 1mm cichlid. 2.2kg, 5lbs for $63, free shipping if order is $99+.


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

I've been using it without issues for about 6 months in my 75g. The fish seem to like it and aren't really showing any change one way or the other.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

Unfortunately Krill Meal is not an AAFCO recognized ingredient and is not legal to be used in fish foods in the U.S.

This is a recent ruling from FDA (in the past it was generally considered that krill meal and shrimp meal were the same). Shrimp meal is perfectly legal. FDA announced at the AAFCO annual convention in 2013 that they were not the same and krill meal did not have GRAS status for use in fish foods. Consequently the supply of krill meal in the U.S. has dried up. The main supplier (Akers Biomarine) stopped shipping the product to the U.S.

Still fine for those of you in Canada but not something you are going to see in the U.S. legally until the status with the FDA changes.

Sucks big time. Shrimp meal and krill meal are about the same nutritionally but krill meal is a much better flavor enhancer and adds such a nice smell to the food. I should also point out that krill meal is not "whole" krill. Krill meal (and fish meal for that matter) is made up of the leftover solid parts of the animal after the oil has been squeezed out. Krill oil is FDA approved for use in foods (both human, fish, and animal). The krill meal is the leftover material after the oil has been pressed out. It's still a very good quality ingredient though.

Andy


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## slater32 (Apr 27, 2015)

I feed NLS & Pardigm to our haps / peacocks & while browsing the net found some videos / info & now Northfin is readily available in the US.
Anyone have some solid first hand experience with the product & thoughts?
Have zero issues with what I'm using but always love hearing others experiences...

http://www.northfinusa.com/#!blank/wbtm9


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I switched from NLS to Northfin over a year ago. The fish don't seem any different. I like it better because it's less messy in the tank.


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## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

I have started using this the last little while as well
Price wise it is about the same as NLS based on weight...

Fish seem to like it, and my small comps will eat the 1 mm cichlid pellets while they won't eat the 1 mm NLS pellets

Overall my fish eat it, but then again they eat pretty well anything...(except my small comps)


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Narwhal72 said:


> I should also point out that krill meal is not "whole" krill. Krill meal (and fish meal for that matter) is made up of the leftover solid parts of the animal after the oil has been squeezed out. Krill oil is FDA approved for use in foods (both human, fish, and animal). The krill meal is the leftover material after the oil has been pressed out. It's still a very good quality ingredient though.
> 
> Andy


Northfin uses whole krill meal, which is made from the entire Krill, while Krill meal isn't. Same with the sardine meal. it is made from the whole fish. You do raise and important point with regard to what is on labels and how to decipher them. We have had Northfin principals speak about the food at our club and they were emphatic about the use of meals made from the whole animal as opposed to that made from the waste. It is an important distinction when making comparisons.


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