What makes a good Fish Food?

[M3Shark]

So, I was standing in my LFS earlier today looking at all the different variates of frozen food they had. An I realized that I have no idea what to actually look for in a food. They all seem to list, min % crude protien, min % crude fat, max % crude fiber, max % moisture, and total Omega 3 fatty Acids. But what do those values actually mean for a fish?

I guess the question that I am asking is what nutritional values do you look for? What are you looking for a high percentage of and what are you looking for a low percentage of, and how do those values effect a fish/corals color, growth, health, etc.

Thank you.

 

[REEEFMAN]

What are you trying to feed?

 

[jdareef]

Rod's food (original), PE Mysis Shrimp, and some type of plankton. All saturated with Brighthwell Aquatics liquid garlic.
Joseph

 

[M3Shark]

no no no... I understand what some of the "recommended" good foods are. And I understand that the best food for any individual depends a lot on whats in their tank.

I guess I was trying to get a deeper understanding of what makes a "good" food "good" nutritional. I mean if they bother to list these nutritional values on the label, then there must be some meaning to them. What do these values effect on a fish/coral? Can a food have too much protein? not enough? what about fat? too much, too little? Are you looking for a proportion of fat to protein?

I mean, I am sure at least some of us on here look at the nutritional value of our own food that we consume as humans and make a decision, using what is shown to us, as to if a food is "good" for us or not? maybe based upon calories, or fat, or protein, or vitamins... etc. I am asking if we/should we/how do we make those same decisions for our fish/corals using the nutritional values that the manufacturers give for us.

maybe I was a little more clear on what I was asking this time.Then again i may just be rambling again. It was just looking at all the different packages got me thinking.

 

[jdareef]

LOL my bad! I just saw the title and skimmed through the details. Sorry, I don't have the answer for that question.
Joseph

 

[M3Shark]

LOL my bad! I just saw the title and skimmed through the details. Sorry, I don't have the answer for that question.
Joseph

LOL, no problem, I do that sometimes too.



So... Does no one base their food choices on nutritional value?... That doesn't seem right...

 

[aleonn]

I look at protein content and supplement with Selcon for the most part. The Protein % in PE Mysis is much larger and visible when compared to Hikari mysis, for example. So in a way, you get more for your money, and more nutritional value.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen much in terms of nutritional labeling and daily nutritional requirements info in regards to fish food. Right now imo we can only base off of type of food (mysis vs brine shrimp), protein, omega 3 fatty acids, and vitamin content.

 

[M3Shark]

Ok, so the higer the protein, Omega-3's, and vitamin content the better.

What about fat and Fiber? Can you have to much fat or fiber? Too Little?

For instance:

H20 PE Mysis:
Protein: 8.6%
Fat: 1.6%
Fiber: .5%
Moisture: 87.7%
Omega 3: .5%
Vitamin C: 1000 IU per kg.

H20 Reef Caviar (Fish Roe):
protein: 22.1%
Fat: 6.4%
Fiber: 1.3%
Moisture: 67.9%
Omega 3: .8%
Vitamin C: 1000 IU per kg.

Obviously the reef caviar from a protein and Omega 3 aspect is much better. But should I be worried about the fat content? or the Fiber?

 

[aleonn]

Wow, I thought PE Mysis protein content was a little higher. I'll have to check my numbers later.

Too much fat content isn't good for their health either. May lead to obesity and other health-related problems. Don't know much about fiber, though, never considered that as a variable in fish feeding!

You can always switch different foods out for each day, so that they don't get too much of certain ingredients, and don't miss any important ones in their overall diet.

 

[dahenley]

i have not real knowledge, but someone that i trust at my LFS (which is hard to come by sometimes...) said to look at the ingredients... things at the top of the list are usually more in quantity. so if you see krill and other good foods at the top, then its a more high quality food. if you pick it up and you find fish meal and wheat flour or something like that in the top of the list then its most likely a crappy filler type food.
as far as frozen and such..... i have no luck. i just get a variety and they can eat a little of everything.. (fast food and gourmet for say lol)

i have about 8 different frozen foods. different brands and such and even 2 or 3 of the same food but different brands to keep things different and to get a variety.)

i hope this helps a little....

 

[scubasteve06]

I would guess that having a lot of protein, but not much fiber would make it harder for our fish to pass what they ate. Bloat is a common occurence in freshwater fish that are fed food items high in protein like beefheart and bloodworms, and not enough food that is high in fiber like nori, and seaweed delight type foods. I have 4 different kinds of frozen food on hand for my fish. I have Formula 1 frozen, Formula 2 frozen (same ingredients as formula 1, but with more seaweed and fiber), Prime Reef and PE Mysis. I feed one cube of any of these 4 in the morning, another cube of any of the 4 in the afternoon (just not the same as I did in the morning) and in the evening another 1 of the 4 yada yada " ". I also drop in a pinch of NLS spectrum pellets either before or after the cube of frozen. The NLS pellets have tons of different ingredients in it that are very good for fish. Lots of fruit and veggies in the NLS pellets too. Like Dahenley said variety and diversity is key when feeding your fish. I'd say if a food has lots of protein and fiber and little fat then its good to feed it to your fish. They always tell us as humans to take in fiber to help with BM's and to keep our digestive tracts regular, why wouldn't it be any different for fish? FWIW...