The Truth About Fish Food (Hikari Is A Wash)

echoofformless

echoofformless

Peat Advocate & Defender Of Snails
Oct 1, 2005
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Phil Uh Del Feeya
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The Truth About Fish Food

How many of you have actually read the ingredients on the so-called high quality fish foods? (I'm targeting Hikari...but there are others. I'm also only referring to the staple foods, not the single products like krill and blood worms)

It's the same crap as the cheap stuff. Read the ingredients. Yet they charge several times more for it? And so many aquarists bite the bait and think they're getting some kind of seriously amazing food.

Next time you have the chance, read the labels. There's not much in Hikari that's not in the cheap stuff. (except maybe MSG...as if this is something fish would want??) Omega One is the only "premium" brand that actually uses ingredients which might merit a higher price tag. And even then, I question whether that actually enhances fish health at all. (Though I do use Omega One.)


Another thing" almost all fish foods have the same basic ingredients...and that goes even to those foods that are said to be for certain species such as cichlids. It makes me question whether or not there's a reason to buy a seperate kind of food for my cichlids or just stick with the good ol' tropical formula.

I wonder what everyone else thinks. I personally believe that we're being duped by a lot of labelling and marketing when it comes to fish foods, though not always as of course there are many specialty foods that serve a very definite purpose.
 
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I've read bottles also.

The only TRUE difference in my opinion is when between regular flakes and the flakes sold for goldfish. Goldfish flakes have less nutrients in them (or at least less Nitrotgen-containing stuff) to make up for the fact that they eat more.
big appetites, those fish.
 
So i'm sitting here reading hakari sinking carnivore pellets.Where this MSG you elude to?
furthermore it comes a lot closer to the nutritional needs of my predatory fish than the cheap stuff,It doesn't crumble and foul the water like the cheap stuff.And I have seen good growth while using hakari products.I have never used omega products so I really can't compare the two in a side by side.and in fairness i really can't compare hakari products on a usage basis but I can compae the ingredients on labels and yes theres a difference in ingredients between the product lines-Anne
NUTRITION FOR CARNIVORES
Below are the agreed upon nutritional requirements for predatory fish
below that is a list of necessary vitamins usually supplied and just for informational
purposes.
PROTEIN:: 45% or more (this would be the ideal)
FAT:: 3% Min. to 6% Max.
FIBER 2% Min. to 4% Max

VITAMINS and what they do
-------------------------------------------------------------
Fat Soluble Vitamins
VITAMIN A promotes cellular growth
Functions: - normal vision, cell growth and resistance to infection
Deficiencies: - poor growth, poor vision, abnormal bone formation and
hemorrhaging at the base of the fins
VITAMIN D3 important for developing bone
Functions: - calcium blood levels (?)
Deficiencies: - unknown
VITAMIN E important for the development of the sex organs in breeding fish
Functions: - antioxidant, may paly a role in muscle cell respiration
Deficiencies: - anemia and poor growth
-------------------------------------------------------------
Water Soluble Vitamins
VITAMIN (B1)
Functions: - Thiamine-aids growth, digestion and fertility, nervous system
Deficiencies: - poor appetite, muscle atrophy, convulsions, loss of
equilibrium and poor growth
VITAMIN B2 Riboflavin- regulates enzymes
Functions: - vision, protein metabolism and enzyme functioning
Deficiencies: - photophobia, cloudy lens, dim vision, abnormal
colouration of the iris, striated constrictions on the
abdominal wall, dark pigmentation, poor appetite,
anemia and poor growth
VITAMIN B3 Nicotinic Acid-needed for proper digestion
Functions: - plays an important role in lipid, protein and amino
acid metabolism
Deficiencies: - loss of appetite, poor growth, lesions in colon,
erratic motion and weakness, edema of stomach and
colon
VITAMIN B5 Pantothenic Acid-controls metbolism and hormones
Functions: - adrenal functioning, cholersterol production, normal
physiology and metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor growth, sluggishness, clubbed gills, loss of
appetite, hemmorhagic skin and cellular atrophy
VITAMIN B6 Pyroxidine-enzymes and metabolism of protein
Functions: - plays a vital role in enzyme systems and protein
metabolism
Deficiencies: - nervous dissorders, fits, loss of appetite, poor
growth, rapid and gasping breathing, flexing of
opercles and hyperirritability
VITAMIN B12 Cyanocobalamin- metabolism
Functions: - enzyme systems, cholesterol metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor appetite, poor growth, anemia and dark
pigmentation
VITAMIN C Ascorbic Acid- formation fo teeth and bones , healing wounds and formation of
cartillage
Functions: - enzyme systems, bone, tooth and cartilage formation
and healing
Deficiencies: - hemorrhagic shin, kidneys, liver, intestine and muscle
tissue, eye lesions and scoliosis of the spine
VITAMIN H Biotin- promotes cell growth
Functions: - enzyme systems, purine and lipid synthesis, oxidation
of lipids and carbohydrates
Deficiencies: - loss of appetite, poor growth, anemia, skin lesions
and muscle atrophy
VITAMIN M Folic Acid- formation of blood and metabolism
Functions: - blood cell formation, blood glucose regulation and
fish metabolism
Deficiencies: - poor growth, lethargy, dark skin, anemia and fragility
of the caudal fin
CHOLIN growth and breakdown nutrients (fat) regulating glucose
Functions: - good growth and food conversion
Deficiencies: - poor growth, poor food conversion, hemorrhagic kidney
and intestine
INOSITOL permeability of cell membrane
Deficiencies: - poor growth, distended stomach, skin lesions and
increased gastric emptying time
p-AMINOBENZOID ACID- stimulates growth (not proven essential)
Deficiencies: - no abnormal indication in growth, appetite and
mortality
 
I guess I should mention that not all Hikari foods have MSG. I know for sure their betta food does, and some others that I don't know off the top of my head.

As far as the line Anne's talking about, I can see paying the premium for Hikari or some other comparable product. Good point to bring up.
 
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Ohio said:
I've read bottles also.

The only TRUE difference in my opinion is when between regular flakes and the flakes sold for goldfish. Goldfish flakes have less nutrients in them (or at least less Nitrotgen-containing stuff) to make up for the fact that they eat more.
big appetites, those fish.
Click to expand...
Actually, that's incorrect. Proper goldfish food contains less protein than regular food.

Because goldfish are cold-water fish, they need a lot of carbohydrates and regular tropical fish food is high in fats and proteins.

Roan
 
echoofformless said:
I guess I should mention that not all Hikari foods have MSG. I know for sure their betta food does, and some others that I don't know off the top of my head.
Click to expand...
IMO that's probably because most people who have bettas don't even read the labels on the foods they feed them. They don't even research on how to keep their fish properly. Betta owners are a dime-a-dozen.

Most people who own predators, like be-blondie, DO read the labels. It's not every average Joe that has a predator fish. They have to do the research and know what they are doing -- for the most part.

Therefore, companies like Hikari cut corners where the consumer knowlege is low (bettas) and don't scrimp when knowledge is high.

Purely my opinion

Roan
 
I just got some food 2 days ago, and reading the ingredients, the OSI cichlid formula was the same as the OSI vivid color cichlid formula. However, the protien was higher, fat content lower, and Vit.C higher for the vivid color. They were the same brand and price, but I would assume the ammount of each ingredient, as well as the quality, might have something to do with the price difference between brands.
 
Hikaris bloodworms are superior in quality to most others, IME. They're fatter, plumper, and *juicier* :sick:
 
Personally, as far as flakes go I just feed dollar store food to my tropicals, but I supliment this with veggies, table shrinp, brine shrimp and green marine algae. Also I let algae grow on everywhere in my tank exept the front glass, and even then I'me slow on cleaning it.
 
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