# Brand of food?



## cru5hgruv3 (Mar 21, 2009)

I was wondering what everyones food regiment is and what brands they prefer and for what reasons. I am new to this hobby and only use the x-treme cichlid pellets that were reccomended to me by my lfs. as many post as we can get here im very interested to see


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## fancy diver (Mar 21, 2009)

Try New life spectrum 1mm cichlid pellets. I have had this conversation w/ a million fish store clerks. The general feeling is you cant go wrong w/ any of their products. *** checked that xtreme stuff seems like too much filler just like most commercial brands.


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## twohuskies (Mar 1, 2008)

I'm another NLS fan. I have a variety of tanks (not all are cichlids) and I use NLS for ALL of my fish. I use different varieties, of course, but my fish are the healthiest they've ever been on this food. Of course, I supplement with frozen and some veggies on occasion, but my staple is NLS.


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## SupeDM (Jan 26, 2009)

For my staple food I use OSI cichlid flake. I would use the NLS pellets however my fish will not eat pellets. PICKY I also treat with frozen occasionally. Spirulina brine shrimp and krill.


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## cru5hgruv3 (Mar 21, 2009)

Common everybody 50 views and 3 replies i think this can be very informative and interesting if you view it please take the two minutes to contribute what food do you use and are you happy with the results..


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

This isn't the first post on food *cru5hgruv3*.
If you use the search tool you could find hundreds maybe thousands of posts on which brand everyone uses and why. :thumb:

My intention isn't to cut your thread short, I just want to let you know why you have many views and few responses.
Just for kicks, I use a homemade seafood and vegggie mix, NLS and OmegaOne.
:thumb:


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## cru5hgruv3 (Mar 21, 2009)

no worry as with most boards theere is usually tons of post regarding certain subjects ...
and i understand that my only point is this post is that on doing a search there really doesnt seem to be atleast not that i can find lol maybe i missed it which is completely possible on in general that talks about it .... they all seem to be subject or species specific i was just curious to see the variety of choice and see wht the trends seem to be. i like things like that....


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## Morpheus (Nov 12, 2008)

I use Hikari Cichlid Gold sinking pellets. I use the sinking ones because then they stay out of my overflow. What species do you keep?


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## cru5hgruv3 (Mar 21, 2009)

Right now i only have 1 electric blue 1 electric yellow and 1 livingstonii but stocking more in about a week i am new to the hobby and have to say i am liking it and everything i am reading about it always wanted to be involved in it and never really had the chance.


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## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

NLS, it is the brand I have the most confidence in after researching the different available feeds.

smellsfishy is right - do a search on this and you will find literally hundreds of results and a lot of interesting (and some heated) debates, you must excuse that a few of us are hesitant as threads like this can occasionally lead to debates that get out of hand, I know I'm not interested in going through the same stuff all over again, it's very tiring.

You want a high quality feed without too many fillers, personally I avoid feeds with unnatural colour enhancers, simply because there are feeds that promote excellent natural colour by contributing to overall health, not just juicing the colours.

Personally I would use either NLS (highly recommended) or were there no such thing as NLS, Dainichi. I am not a fan of hikari, but whatever floats your boat!


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

Actually, I was involved in a pretty good one with *blairo1*.
Lots of good stuff on there if you search for that thread. :thumb: 
A lot of insight to say the least.


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## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

Yeah smellsfishy1 is a good sport, that certainly was a good discussion!



> I was wondering what everyones food regiment is and what brands they prefer and *for what reasons*.


The reputable and high quality pellet feeds that are available today and that have been mentioned here really are a culmination of years and years of Research&Development. The great thing about that is feeds are tailored very specifically and production process have been refined, allowing better preservation of nutrient and higher digestibility. These types of feeds can cater to the dietary requirements of a huge variety of fish, the result being that you no longer need to supplement or vary the diet, it also allows us to keep a mixture of herbivores, carnivores and omnivores whilst using one singular feed. In some instances anyway - some brands prefer to specialise in certain areas - ie a herbivore feed, so this probably wouldn't have the protein we wanted for carnivores, however what we are discussing here are complete, staple feeds that are intended to suit the entire spectrum.

The sorts of products mentioned already take the guesswork out of using _multiple_ products to try and meet the dietary requirements. If you choose to add to the staple on occasion (as I and many others do) then that is something that certainly can be done and is something that will be enjoyed by both parties - I personally like to use a mussel, salmon skin, shelled pea and shrimp mix that I freeze and cut into blocks for ease of use, it can really be enjoyable watching the fish and their behaviour when "treating" with such feeds. I give them a treat like that once every couple of weeks, some do it more often but again it's really down to preference and of course one must be sure that the fresh feed they choose is also suitable to the diet of their fish.

What you can do as a hobbyist is research the different feeds, aiming to find a staple diet - the basis and main source of nutrition for your fish. It is important that this feed is well balanced with high digestibility, a few companies have been listed already that are clearly the mainstay for the majority and as I have already stated, my preference is New Life Spectrum. With a good staple diet in place it is then down to personal preference if, and indeed how, you add to that - ie with fresh feeds, or the frozen alternatives.

I advise against adding vitamin products to high quality pellet or flake feeds as it can have detrimental effects (read up on vitamintosis) - just in case you have seen or been offered such products - really I would only use something like that if I were using a flake or pellet that didn't have a particularly good vitamin content, I argue in that instance, why do that when a balanced solution can be found in one specialised product. Of course some add vitamin supplements to their fresh and frozen feeds, again this is personal preference and is something I would practice with caution, be very careful not to overdo it and be aware that some frozen feeds already contain added vitamins, this is not something I do.

The more you _want_ to learn there more there is _to_ learn, that is what is so great about this hobby, you're off to the right start and asking the right questions. I have tried not to go into too much detail but rather just to give you an understanding of what today's products are capable of, if you're really interested then ask away, or hit me up with a PM if you want to keep the thread readable :lol:.


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## cru5hgruv3 (Mar 21, 2009)

well thank you for posting the info here but i am afraid my point was lost while i am always wanting to learn i meant this thread as more of a social thread i just like to hear ppls opinions on different things i find it interesting to hear things like thatas in what different ppl like and why im intrigued as into why ppl do or are drawn to do the things they do. like another example but nto fish related who drives what car and why not as much to learn what car is best just to learn something about the ppl im am talking to. I figrued it would be a good discussion . the info though is greatly apprecieated as is all the info i get on these forums the ppl here are wonderful in that respect and i like it here alot.

So that said lol if anyone would like to participate in my social query lol please do.


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## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

:lol: No worries, hence why I didn't go into any great detail.


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## cabinetmkr39 (Dec 11, 2006)

Hey try Ultra Color Fish food by Pretty Bird, It gives NLS New Life Spectrum a run for the money, some say its even better. Check it out.


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## josmoloco (Aug 23, 2008)

Pam chin does not recommended nls for staple because it is too concentrate. She does not even recommend it for once per day.


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## webgirl74 (Jan 30, 2009)

I use NLS myself as well. My fish love it and I've never had any issues with bloat or anything. My fish are also very vibrant and active, which I defintely partly attribute to the quality food. Pam Chin may think it's too rich, but why would you feed a lesser quality food that has more filler? I guess that's her opinion, but many hobbyists have used NLS for many years with excellent results. That being said, there are a lot of other quality foods out there, I just don't agree that NLS is too concentrated based on the results that so many hobbyists have had. Unless you are able to replicate the exact diet of a wild fish, you have to go with the next best option.


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## blairo1 (May 7, 2006)

Pam Chin may well have that opinion, but it is based on opinion rather than fact (unless she shows me otherwise), I have spoken with her a few times in the past and I very much respect her, but frankly, from all the research I have done, all the scientific papers and studies I have read, this just sounds a little bit ridiculous.

If Pam comes to me and says that indeed this is a view she holds and this is why, then I will be very open to it, but until then it is purely speculation, and it wouldn't be the first.

Either way lets not forget this thread is NOT about NLS, but about general feeds, so if you wish to continue this further, take it to my PM.
:thumb:


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