The Truth About Fish Food (Hikari Is A Wash)

I don't like Hikari either. I have found wardley's food is my favorite, and its also the cheap stuff. Just comparing algae waffers, the number 1 ingredient is fish meal, algae doesn't come in until #12. On the wardleys, the number one ingredient is algae. The only vitamin listed on wardley's is vitamin C so I can only compare that, but on Hikari, it has 45 mg/kg, and wardleys has 1400 mg/kg.
 
There's actually a lot of variance in fish food, via the ingredients list you wouldn't realise it and we do get ripped off on fish foods for sure.

The number one cost with creating fish food is getting the protein levels up to somewhere acceptable, fish meal is generally the primary protein source in most food, although this is often boosted with plant proteins (soy being a current fad). Fish meal primarily comes from two sources, fish by-products (ie. leftovers from a tuna cannery) or harvesting of fish for direct fish meal production. Different species obviously have degrees of variance in the quality and quantity of available proteins, lipids and amino acids. The duration from capture to processing also plays a huge part in the quality of the meal produced as fish lipids are highly prone to oxidization, gastric enzymes can contribute to overall deterioration of the fish and fish are also readily degraded by bacterial activity which in itself has many complex chemical by-products.
Now to make things even more variable, the raw fish material has to be made into fish meal, which is ussually through quite a complicated cooking, pressing and drying method, with each stage potentially affecting the quality of the end product via heat degradation and further oxidization of lipids and amino acids. Then there's the choices of preservation and storage of the end product many of which can potentially lead to even further degradation.

As you can see this single ingredient you see on many fish food packages is home to potentially massive quality variance. As it's usually the most expensive ingredient, I'm sure many fish food manufacturers are tempted to cut corners and save money where they can to a certain degree, after all the average end user doesn't know the difference.
 
I don't know about fish foods, but I can tell you that with cat and dog foods brand and cost do make a difference...

It pains me to see people feed their pets generic supermarket foods and cheap products like Dad's and Nine Lives. The main ingredients in these foods do not stay consistent or come from the same source. Basically the bag you buy one month, even though the ingredient list is the same, may be using entirely different ingredient sources and quantities the next month. Bad for your pet, and in the long run definitely leads to health problems like allergies, skin irritation, urinary problems, digestive problems, etc.

More expensive brands like Science Diet or Iams stick with the same ingredient source in the same quantity for every bag they sell.

I'd imagine fish food may work the same way.
 
webcricket said:
More expensive brands like Science Diet or Iams stick with the same ingredient source in the same quantity for every bag they sell. . . .
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Yes, they are very consistant death-in-a-bag.

I will NOT buy Iams or Hills brand products ever again. We suspect that Hills, which we fed to our collies, was partly responsible for the horrible cancer that one of our dogs contracted. We can't prove that, of course. HOWEVER, when our vet recommended Hill j/d Perscription diet for our collie with severe hip dysplasia, I decided to contact Hills and ask them how much omega 3 and Glucosamine was in a can. My options were to feed that or go with gluc pills.

Hills refused to tell me. I asked them repeatedly to tell me how much was in the can and they refused. They told me to ask my vet. My vet does not know because they won't tell HIM. I told my vet and he was pretty shocked. I fed the pills instead.

I've noticed lately that my vet is selling other foods besides Hills now. Good for him.

Unfortunately, the Whole Dog Journal prohibits anyone publishing their yearly Top Ten Dog Food list, so I can no longer get that informaiton for you, but I did find this one at Flint River Ranch -- who makes an awesome dog food:

http://www.rachaelresk.com/frr-dog/petfood-articles.htm#Top Ten Dry Dog Food Recommendations-

You'll note that Hills and Iams are not on the list of good foods because they are not. If you go down the page to "DOG FOOD COMPARISON" you'll see how Hills and Iams stack up against the other foods.


I feed all my dogs Natural Balance.

Roan
 
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Roan Art said:
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
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Roan, I think that is an excellent point.
 
joephys said:
I don't like Hikari either. I have found wardley's food is my favorite, and its also the cheap stuff. Just comparing algae waffers, the number 1 ingredient is fish meal, algae doesn't come in until #12. On the wardleys, the number one ingredient is algae. The only vitamin listed on wardley's is vitamin C so I can only compare that, but on Hikari, it has 45 mg/kg, and wardleys has 1400 mg/kg.
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Algae wafers is actually how I started my distaste for Hikari and discovered Omega One. I couldn't believe how many so-called algae wafers/discs had hardly any algae in them, especially the Hikari. It was like regular fish food made into sinking discs and being sold at a premium. Ticked me off.
 
Roan Art said:
Yes, they are very consistant death-in-a-bag.....
I feed all my dogs Natural Balance.

Roan
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You don't have any good recommendations for decent cat food by any chance do you ?

Oh and sorry for the :OT:
 
I prefer the Hikari Algae Wafers far more over the Wardleys...and heres my reasons why :)


-Wardleys first ingredient may actually be algea...but all the rest of the stuff worries me. Corn? Corn Meal? Corn Gluten Feed, Dried grains, rice flour, corn flour??? HUH?? I never knew that fish required so much chicken food (Yep....those are also some of the prime ingredients in the feed mix for my chickens)
Hikaris is Fish meal based primarily rather than the corn. I think that makes much more sense. :huh: Hikarie claims to have Vit A, Vit C, Vit D3, Vitamin E. Wardleys only vitamin claim is Vitamin C...yes higher than what Hikari's is...but not as well rounded.

Both are at the same crude protein levels(32%). I have found one other sinking pellets that my loaches love (really gets them clicking) that has 43% crude protein and a great ingredient list. Its the TetraMin Tropical Tablets. My cory cats, brochis, loaches, stick farlowella, and all my pl*cos love them.

I made the decision to stick with the Hikari because I didn't like all the chicken feed in the Wardleys and feed the TretraMin Tablets as well for variety. I still have a bag of the Wardleys wafers...but I am seriously considering feed them to the chickens. I let you know how that goes over :D
 
Fish food no matter which brand you use is really not that expensive. I feed cyclop-eeze which is $10 for a 30gram can. This can will usually last about 2 months.
$10/60 days is about $0.17 a day. What other pet can you feed for that?
 
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