# Common fish food brands--flake food



## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

I was wondering if there was any scientific data on the quality of the common brands of flake fish foods (and perhaps others, like crumbles, etc.) available to the average aquarium owner?

I do realize that location might play a part--does the food sit in a hot warehouse before it gets stocked in the cooler store? For example, I picture Tetra Min flake food sold at Wal Mart sitting around in hot conditions longer than for a regular aquarium fish store, though the price seems to be considerably lower.

Anyway, the fish foods that I have access to locally or in a nearby city 1 hour away are these:

Omega One
Hikari
Tetra Min
Wardley's

My opinion is that they are listed above in the order of quality except perhaps Hikari vs. Omega One, where I find the Omega One price lower but the quality at least (if not better) than Hikari. 

The problem is that his is subjective. I look for a rancid or fresh odor coming from the container, how readily the fish go after the food, etc., as an indicator, and this is not a scientific method of determining food quality. 

I recently was faced with an hour trip (each way, two hours total) to Columbus to get some of the "better" stuff and ended up buying Tetra Min flake food locally to save the trip. I was surprised at how fresh it smelled. I deliberately did not buy it at Wal Mart and instead bought it at a local pet shop that has a bank of aquariums but is not as popular as Petland. I also paid a couple dollars more there, but I thought that it was probably fresher than that from Wal Mart.

Is this latter part sound reasoning, or does Wal Mart quickly put their fish food on the shelves when considering that it gets to the store via distribution centers across the nation?

Would I do just as well to buy the cheaper Tetra Min at Wal Mart and save the money?

Opinions are welcome, but I'll seriously consider facts.

And I'm not looking to bash Wal Mart here. While I don't think I'd buy fish from a place where the sale of fish is not a real priority, they do have perhaps the best guarantee around: 90 days on their fish.


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## crash_kt (Aug 8, 2007)

If im right Wal-mart seals there tetra food but thats were i live it might be differnt there.


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## eklikewhoa (Jul 24, 2006)

I only feed my fish NewLifeSpectrum.


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## elaphe (Aug 24, 2006)

I feed New Life Spectrum Small Fish Formula for the staple. For supplements I feed Ocean Nutrition Freshwater Community Formula flakes and Cyclops-ezze flakes.

I tried the ADA foods. My fish would eat them just fine, but they lost almost all their color. The NLS really brings out the colors and the Cyclops-ezze flakes really bring out the reds. If it wasn't so "rich", I would feed this for the staple. They recommend only 20% of the diet be this food.

I always order mine on-line. You can get anything you want for a fraction of the LFS price (including shipping).

Brian


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## Terra Incognita (Jun 12, 2007)

I usually only feed Hikari and NLS products, and my Walmart just recently started stocking both. Whenever I go to walmart, I always notice there's new fish food for sale. Their livestock selection, as expected, is deplorable, but I think for the most part, their supplys are up to par, atleast their food. If I go in on Monday, and the shelves are full of food, I come back (for example, of course) Wensday, and there's some gone.. on Thursday, it's full again.

So I think for the most part, you're getting as fresh as you would at an aquarium store, for much cheaper. Hikari Bio-Gold+ at my LFS is $8 for the size I buy, and $4 at Walmart. It's 50% cheaper, and I kind of imagine it comes from the same stock.


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

They're nearly all soy and fish don't eat a lot of soy in the wild. There's a few people that there's problems with soy.

I just grow worms, white worms where it's cool and grindals where its warm. I'll state categorically fish do much better on only worms than any combination of the most expensive dried foods. 

Fish seem to get fet on cereal based foods and they don't on worms, which are supposed to be "fattening". Go figure.


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## JanS (Apr 14, 2004)

For flake, I have good results with the OSI, Ocean Nutrition (both fresh and salt fish love this brand) and Omega One formulas.

As for buying from WalMart, I do buy the Bettamin there, but as you know, there's a huge turnover of that with all of the poor Betta's they sell.

I don't have the time or desire to drive too far for food, so if it's not available at our local store, I just order it from Foster and Smith or Pet Solutions.


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## Left Coast DJ (Nov 16, 2006)

I used to do exclusively Hikari. Now I mostly get all of my dry food from Kensfish.com. My CRS go crazy for the his color enhancing flakes - and his color flakes don't have copper.

DJ


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## t2000kw (Jul 29, 2006)

Left Coast DJ said:


> I used to do exclusively Hikari. Now I mostly get all of my dry food from Kensfish.com. My CRS go crazy for the his color enhancing flakes - and his color flakes don't have copper.
> 
> DJ


Do the others use copper for coloring? Do you use any of the other flake foods he has for sale? He has so many I don't know how to choose.


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## KnaveTO (Jul 4, 2007)

First off, as much as I hate to say it but the food at your Walmart will more likely be fresher than the food at your LFS if it is the Tetra or other such common foods as they will turn over the product faster than your local store.

As for scientific data. Packaging Laws in Canada require that the ingredients be listed on the packaging as well as the nutritional content. I believe the United States has the same or similiar laws. Of the list you described Omega One is the best. Go to their site and look at it and read the information there. They use human grade foods in the preparation of their food. That being said your LFS is the place for that as no major chan sell that brand as far as I am aware of. However there are other brands that I have heard of that are excellents was well. You can buy some from Unclerick on aquabid.com (every review he has received there is positive, no negative comments in his history ever). I have heard excellent things about Dainichi (sp?) brand food as well as good things about Ocean. Check out the companies websites for more information is usually the best source of data.


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## EahInMass (Aug 29, 2006)

I've been using NewLife Spectrum for a few months now because O.S.I. was becoming increasingly harder to find. Since the switch, I have noticed an enormous improvement in the color of my Rummynose Tetras. It truly is phenomenal. I have also noticed that the fish went crazier for the O.S.I., but when they aren't offered that, they will gladly accept what the NewLife Spectrum! They also recieve a variety of frozen and live foods as well.


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## Left Coast DJ (Nov 16, 2006)

t2000kw said:


> Do the others use copper for coloring? Do you use any of the other flake foods he has for sale? He has so many I don't know how to choose.


I'm no scientist, but most shrimp breeders (primarily CRS ones) tell you to avoid food with copper. And copper is usually mentioned in ingredients as "copper proteinate" or something similar. Even my Hikari pellets had copper. I don't think copper affects fish - but copper may affect shrimp behavior and breeding. Again, this is from what I've heard and read online (#11), not something I've personally tested.

As for KensFish.com, he has realy good stuff. I feed my fish & shrimp golden pearls, along with Ken's Premium Color Flakes with Naturose. My fish bioload is very small; so 1/2 lb. lasts a very long time for me.

DJ


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## tkos (Oct 30, 2006)

One of the major things to look for is how long you have had a food on your own shelf, opened. Things like Vitamin C go off pretty quickly when exposed to air. Buy the smallest food container you can, and buy often. That way you get the freshest of whatever. I tend to use Hagen's food, their colour enriching formula (they say it is shrimp or krill shells that help give the red colour boost).


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