Does food really matter?

[donkey]

I was at Albertsons tonight and saw they have a bunch of their fish food buy one get one free.The 16oz can of pond pellets was like $7 so I bought one and got one free.I was just wondering what difference it makes which fish I feed with this.I gave some to my cichlids and they gobbled it down.Almost looked like they enjoyed it more than the cichlid pellets.Is it bad for them?As long as they eat it then it seems to me like it would be ok but I really don't know.Is there a special reason its for pond fish ? Anybody know?

[tsunderl]

Good question. I would venture to say the difference would be the protein and fiber content. Pond food usually has color enhancers which are good. Another concern would be bloat depending on how much it swells after ingested.

Dunno... Great deal but I don't think I'd feed it exclusively.

[kewlkatdady]

i would certainly saturate the food with water before the fish got it (soak it in a cup for a few minutes)

but then I would again be concerned about protien levels and just make sure that the fish's digestive system can process it.

be careful but if it works...awesome.

[fischlein]

just compare the ingredients

[donkey]

just compare the ingredients

Thats easy to say but all food has different ingredients even from different brands.Some food is made for color and some for growth , etc..
I was just really wanting to know why you feed pond pellets to pond fish and cichlid pellets to cichlids and if it really matters.Like power steering fluid is for power steering and trans fluid is for trannys but they are the same thing but they want you to buy both.

[fischlein]

but you can check for the % of the crude protein , if it has byproducts etc.

[greeneyed]

The order of ingredients will tell the tale.

[bcdudley]

In my experience, fish raised on better foods are also healthier fish. I don't use anything except New Life Spectrum foods anymore and I rarely have any sick fish.

[cichlidkeeper]

thats what all my sa ate before i sold them. cheap way to feed big fish, and it works

[Deltad]

i was wondering this myself... thanks!

[fishman76092]

Just like in the food we eat--- quality makes a difference.

Don't buy crap food for you or your animals.

[Carg]

I buy the crappiest, cheapest wardley pond pellets in the 5 pound bag (33% crude protein-soybean is the main ingredient) but I also feed my fish frozen brine shrimp and blood worms every few days.

I think quantity is more a concern (over feeding) if you mix up the diet, then you can get away with the cheap stuff.

My fish are breeding, colorful, and full of vim and vigor (whatever the hell that last part actually means-my fish got it).

[khrister]

I buy the best for my fishes. I even make Home made treats. I closely look at ingridients and make sure my herbivores takes high level of plant based protein (e.g spirulina and kelp) and my carnivore gets high level meat based protein from Krill, shrimp, fish etc. Although we can not mimic their food in the wild a 100%, we can atleast try to give them a close alternative. I am also wary about the binders that they use in dry pellet foods. Some of them are not meant to be eaten by fishes. JMHO!

[donkey]

Don't buy crap food for you or your animals

Well if its crap food why are we feeding it to our koi?Koi are some of the most expensive fish out there.By the way I eat what is considered crap food all day everyday and yes I may be fat but I am very healthy.

[NursePlaty]

I try to feed a variety of foods so they wont be stuck with the same meal. So if one type of meal is bad than the other foods can compensate for it.

[flamenco-t]

Well if its crap food why are we feeding it to our koi?Koi are some of the most expensive fish out there.By the way I eat what is considered crap food all day everyday and yes I may be fat but I am very healthy.

Most of the serious koi keepers won't use the cheap stuff. Some of the high end food contains mud clay that enhance the immune system and promote superior color.

The best thing that you can do is variety. Even carnivore fish requires some green in their diet (they get this in the wild by eating a small herbivore fish)

The best diet for any fish is the natural diet in the wild. But realistically this is not possible in captivity. I feed all my big fish algae wafers on top of their massivore delight. But their main diets is tilapia fillets, smelt and shrimp (I go through about 5-6 lbs per week on all the fish)

[China8USA]

Its ok. I got a 50 lb bag for 20 bucks from a feed store. Purina pond food. Its not bad. My larger fish love it.

[oscar-lover]

We used to get something called as Hi-Red or Excel-Red in India, these were specifically made for flowerhorns to enhance their redness (:confused:).....these were normally sold in bulk (big boxes anywhere b/w 3-5 pounds) and were very cheap compared to Tetra Cichlids sticks or Hikari or NLS...

I used to feed all my big fish with these and they liked it......most fish get away with whatever you feed them....just dont overfeed them....

My other cheap food option was shrimps and beef heart....fish just love it and they get their protein....

[cmurphy19]

I think it would be fine

[bgbdwlf2500]

Since its pond food is the issue the amount of water? Easier to overfeed and cloud a tank vs the pond?