# new life spectrum



## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

hi all, my question is that i have 2 150gram/5.3oz new life spectrum cichlid formula. one is 1mm the other 2mm that the lid says best before for the 1mm june 2014 and the 2mm dec 2014. one just opened today the other unused.
i did buy these a long time back not realizing it would take me so long to get up and running.

is this a guide and may still be used without any problems for my fish? or is it not advisable to be used?

thanks for any help on this, as i'm not sure. :-?


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## smitty814 (Sep 27, 2012)

I'm sure the "best used by" is just a guidline oz. Maybe refridgerate if you're worried.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

I agree with smitty814. I buy the large buckets of NLS and store them in the freezer and just refill the smaller containers for use in the fish room.

I also do the sniff test to see if the food smells off or rancid and discard it if it does. There can be a loss of nutrients in food that is past the 'Best before date' but I would think that you should be good for a couple months beyond that. Try to keep the food out of direct sunlight, away from moisture and heat and keep the lid closed snugly.


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## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

thanks heaps guys, so in the fridge it goes. will that give me more than a couple of months past use-by.
if not then i have learnt a lesson on this hey


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

I personally never use food past the expiry date, and I try to use food up within 5 to 6 months of opening the container. If I still have some left over at that point I'll pawn it off on somebody else and buy myself a fresh bag.


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## plug (Nov 10, 2013)

I think that the best before date applies usually to any vitamins added to the fish food
Apart from that, I don't think there is an issue with expired food.


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## pablo111 (Dec 10, 2013)

Yes, there is an issue. Among other things, the fats will start to break down in the food and the proteins will oxydize. Ever eat a bag of chips that's 2 weeks past the best before date? Not so great right? Don't put your fish through that.


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## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

thanks for your replies all, i have the nls in the fridge now as its hot here ( our summer that reaches 42c ) but will err on the side of caution with the useby dates. so out it goes at the due date.
we spend a lot of money on our fish over here so better safe than sorry hey.


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