# Changed food.



## courierman (May 17, 2019)

First post,Hi to all
I have kept many different species of fish over the last 50 years.I started a Malawi peacock set-up 3 months ago.I have 9 males(all different)around 3 inches long,all were bought at the same time,and are in a 4ft Fluval Roma.
The reason i joined the forum today was to tell everyone about my experience of changing from NLS to Northfin cichlid 2mm pellet food.
Being just 3" long the fish are still developing their colour,and it is fascinating to watch them change,but i have been amazed at how much more they have coloured up just one week after changing to Northfin.They have gained more colour in the last week than the previous 3 months.Unbelievable.
Also,as an added bonus i estimate they are producing around 50% less waste.Obviously there is more goodness being absorbed by the fish.
I wish i had started using it before.


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## ken31cay (Oct 9, 2018)

> Also,as an added bonus i estimate they are producing around 50% less waste.Obviously there is more goodness being absorbed by the fish.


I've heard this before but wasn't sure if it was true. I feed my 450gal Northfin exclusively and my 180gal New Life spectrum and didn't notice the difference myself. But then again my 450gal has over six times the amount of fish in my 180gal and I feed accordingly. I'll have to switch my 180gal over to Northfin to test if this is true.

But aside from that I've always preferred Northfin as it seems to be a higher quality food but that might just be my perception.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I didn't notice any difference either.


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## courierman (May 17, 2019)

I am surprised that you both saw no difference in colour or the reduction of waste.I,of course,looked for other reasons for the increase in colour but there has been none, apart from the food.Water parameters are the same as usual(ammonia,nitrate and nitrite all zero) and i do 50% water change every weekend.There has been no other changes.
To be honest the reduction in waste alone does it for me.It would be interesting to hear if anyone else has experienced the same,or has any ideas why the fish colours have increased so much over just 1 week,after being very gradual for 3 months.


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## courierman (May 17, 2019)

Forgot to say:
Ken31cay-A 450 gallon tank is something i might dream about tonight.That is one **** of a tank.What are the dimensions?


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## ken31cay (Oct 9, 2018)

It's 96"x36"x30" and I think the size is great for africans. For example after years of keeping Discus, now I wouldn't keep Discus in anything over 90gal due to increasing maintenance the bigger the tank. But the 450gal really works well for the fish I have in there and I'm continually surprised there's almost no aggression when even in a 180gal IME these same fish would kill each other.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

I didn't notice much change in color but did notice alot of difference in the amount of waste.


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## courierman (May 17, 2019)

Blue sunshine-Yes,obviously more food is staying in the fish which means that in theory,you should be able to feed a smaller amount each time,which should also reduce the risk of bloat i would think.Another point is that the food i am comparing Northfin to is Nls which many consider to be one of the best,and that probably is the case.but i believe Northfin to be in another league.Forgetting the colour aspect,yes or no,i suppose the fishes nutrition is more important really,and the colour is mainly for us apart from breeding time.I have many years experience and i can't remember a change in the brand of food affecting the amount of waste produced unless,of course,the amounts were different.
Keeping Africans though,means things can get messy now and again if you don't keep on top of it.I use a wave maker around 6" underwater towards the front of the right hand side glass angled around 45% downwards across the front glass which creates a clockwise current which directs the waste along the left side glass and also along the back,to be collected by the intake at the bottom of the back right hand side,creating almost a full circle of flow ,and if some waste doesn't get collected the first time,the current will go around in exactly the same direction again and again until it is all gone.30 minutes twice a day is usually enough.The fish seem to enjoy it as they line up in a row at the wave maker end to get a ride on the current,which is quite funny to watch as they all take their turn and then go back in the same order and form an orderly queue for another go.


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## BlueSunshine (Jul 13, 2014)

I have no experience with new life spectrum. As new comers to the hobby we were told new life spectrum was the best at one time but had really dropped in quality. This was the opinion of two brothers that had been in the hobby for 47 years and used new life spectrum for over 25 of those years.They put us onto extreme aquatic foods. After using only extreme for quite a few years I thought it a good idea to find another quality food, as not to be tied to just one. Northfin is what we came up with.
As far as my wife and I are concerned, both northfin and extreme are good to go.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

If you compare the old formula of NLS to the new formula of NLS you will see the ingredients have changed for the better...closer and even better than the original ingredients. Not saying NLS is better than Northfin, but quality is excellent.

A selling point of Northfin is they don't use preservatives.

I do know experienced people who like extreme aquatic as well.


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## james1983 (Dec 23, 2007)

DJRansome said:


> A selling point of Northfin is they don't use preservatives.


This was determined awhile ago to not be completely true.

https://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/foru ... od.677309/


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## Kipnlilo (Feb 23, 2018)

I'm a Northfin user and believer. Good stuff! Not discrediting NLS at all, my fish were healthy using it. I prefer the Northfin over it simply because my fish seem to like it better. It's like they could tell which brand I was going to put in. A spoonful of NLS and they were at the top waiting, a spoonful of Northfin and they were practically jumping out of the water, splashing and going nuts for it. Why? Only my crazy fish know. Lol!


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## noddy (Nov 20, 2006)

I have used both NLS and Northfin for a few years now and the only difference I see is less red sludge in the canisters at cleaning time compared to when I used NLS exclusively.


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## Skybox (Nov 9, 2018)

Been a fish hobbyist for 20 years, got out it for a while and just recently set up a new African malawi tank. I found this forum and it seemed that Northfin was most popular, NLS maybe a very close 2nd. In the past I had always fed AquaDine to cichlids and was happy with it, but thought I would see what all the hype was about with these other 2 brands.

Tank is mostly peacocks and mbunas, but with the Northfin cichlid pellet there were a few fish that would always spit out back out and not eat at all. Next I tried the original formula NLS and that seemed to be the fishes favorite. Now that NLS changed the formula, I'm not sure which is most suitable for med sized cichlids and the cichlid pellet is only avail in a small 1mm pellet now - which is for baby fish. I had to return a bottle due to the size change.

I contacted NLS and they recommended New Life Spectrum tropical formula medium pellets for Africans, so I'm waiting on that shipment. Anyone using the new Tropical formula that lists medium pellets (rather than 2mm) on label? If so, how are your fish taking to it? I keep reading it's not the same and some fish won't eat it.

I'm real close to going back to Aquadine avail at my LFS: 
https://www.aquadine.com/pages/freshwater-blend-center

Appreciate any information or advice -Thanks


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I use NLS Cichlid Formula 1mm sinking pellets for all my fish and always have up to 8".

I did buy a gallon package of Northfin and liked it as well, but back to the NLS with improved formula.


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