# New Life Spectrum



## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

So I heard ALOT of people use that kind of food to feed their cichlids. I've seen this in stores but never paid much attention to them. So what are some Pros and Cons of it? Does it really enhance color? Is it expensive? I really want to make my Kenyi fry be more blue


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

ok i found that they sell it for 50$ at my fish store for a 5 lbs bucket. If its good id probably buy the bucket but maybe ill just try it out first with the 300gram or 150 gram.


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## Floridagirl (Jan 10, 2008)

Its actually a good price if you can buy in bulk(5 lb). It helps fish stay healthy. I'd play with the lighting in your tank, if you want the fish more blue.


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

i already got like a flurescent strip.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

if you want blue put a 50/50 bulb in the strip, as for nls it's really good food for the fish wether it helps with color of not it keeps them pretty healthy and a healthy fish is a pretty fish


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

whats a 50/50 bulb? IM really new to bulbs and have never kinda changed em....


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

I cannot speak to Africans. I can speak to NLS and it's coloration effects on Oscars, Discus, and Firemouths. The answer is yes, it can significantly improve coloration. My fish never looked better.

The problem I have is that when feeding NLS I was vacuming poo by the ton out of the substrate and filter maintenance requirements increased.

In all fairness, this was after switching from Hikari Bio Gold Plus and there is a huge reduction in waste when feeding Hikari Bio Gold Plus (I'm not kidding, the difference is significant). That component of the product marketing is not hype, it's real. Just as the claims by NLS that it will improve coloration are real.

But I eventually switched back to Hikari Bio Gold Plus, choosing less waste over improved coloration.

To get the full effects of either food, it should be fed almost exclusively. I have no problem feeding Hikari Bio Gold Plus exclusively as the "Hikari Germ" breaks the poo down so much that there is no risk of constipation. Feeding any other pellet "exclusively" concerns me as constipation generally results from a strictly dry food (pellet) diet.

The Disclaimer..... I do not know if Hikari Bio Gold Plus is suitable from some Africans as it is a very high protein food.


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## cjacob316 (Dec 4, 2008)

when you look at the different tubes they come in different light intensities and spectrums, a 50/50 in a blend of 10,000k daylight and blue actinic bulbs in one


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

I've fed NLS exclusively to tanganyikans for years. It's a very good quality food. You do have to watch how much you feed. It's very nutritious and easily overfed. I've not had a problem with excessive waste when using this food as long as I don't overfeed.


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

I feed NLS also. 1mm pellets to my mbuna and community flake w/garlic to fry and my community tank. I also feed the community pellets to that tank. Prov, what NLS do you feed to the Tangs, 1mm? I'm setting up a 20g high shellie tank and I was wondering if I could feed them the same stuff.


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

alrite thanks!


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## sage (Sep 30, 2002)

just my opinion, but you won't likely need the 5 lbs bucket unless you're running a rather large fish room. that's alot of food for even a few tanks, let alone 1 or two. i've fed NLS to Tangs & Mbuna & in neither case did I use more than a few pinches per day for all of my tanks.

fish food does have a shelf life & the nutritional value will decline over time.


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

alrite so buying the 5 lbs is not worth it? im pretty sure ill be into cichlids for the next 5 years maybe!


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## sage (Sep 30, 2002)

IMO it's probably not worth it unless you have alot of tanks. would you feed your cat or dog dry food that you bought 5 years ago?


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

o i have 2 tanks 30 and 45. and does the food lose vitamins/freshness over years???


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## kmuda (Nov 27, 2009)

il0veCichlids said:


> o i have 2 tanks 30 and 45. and does the food lose vitamins/freshness over years???


Yes... the general recommendation is food over 3 months old should be tossed.


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

oo alriteeeeeeeee ill buy the 300gram one later then. and btw how do u put up a signature? i put one up and it doesnt show? sorry i ask you here but ttheres no other section and i dont want to start a thread about it lmao


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## punman (Oct 24, 2003)

Similar questions about shelf life for NLS on their promotional sites state minimal deterioration after a year and even two years not a problem if frozen or kept cool.
Yes, 5 lbs is a lot but it is way cheaper. I buy a 5 lb bucket and split it with one or two people and end up with 1.5-2.5 lb at an excellent price that I can use in a year or so.


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

thX^^ i'll try splitting it with my uncle !


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Shelf life of NLS is two years from date of manufacture.

See this and this.

There's a lot of other good info on the forum they run. That's one of the things I really respect about Pablo (the maker of NLS). He's even posted here. Seems to be a pretty straight shooter. I just recently bought the big tub of NLS because I've now got 25 species of tanganyikans that I'm raising/keeping on it. It's done them well, carnivore, herbivore and anything in between. I don't supplement with anything.


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## il0veCichlids (Nov 9, 2009)

wow thanks for the links! and btw how do u post things in ur signature? i posted something and it just doesnt show


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## SupeDM (Jan 26, 2009)

To post something in your signature you need to turn on the signature line in your profile.


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