Post by paddysdaddy on Jul 25, 2012 11:58:32 GMT -6
Opinions on fish foods are like...all other opinions, LOL. Everyone has one, some aren't so good and two people rarely share opinions all the way.
My opinion on fish food is from a view of extreme nutrition but with a healthy side dish of frugality. The bulk of what I feed comes from the Florida Fish Farmers sources, bags of 40 to 50 Lbs with no pretty colors and no full page ads anywhere, but reading the ingredient list is as as informative as the $60 a pound stuff. This bulk food is supplemented with higher dollar ingredients like FD krill, FD brine shrimp, pure spirulina powder and egg yolk powder. These latter ingredients are as volatile in nutrition and water-trashing capacities as they are expensive, so serious moderation is necessary. I've been making my own fish food for a long time, this is not an easy process to master and my experience is getting better all the time, both in results and nutritional refinements.
My inside fish collection consumes over 1/2 lb a day, the outdoor koi are at over a pound so Hikari this or Hyper grow that is not an option. More money for fish!
The flip side is when foods ingredients are ordered, it ain't the $6 can of Tetra flakes kind of budget.
The upcoming batches are going to be a dry mix with gelatin powder, FD ingredients and powders, these keep well and are mixed with boiling water to produce a gelatin bound food to be used in a few days, that Repashy guy beat me to the market, dangit!
Today's orders topped $250 but includes 6# of FD Mysis shrimp, 11# of frozen brine shrimp, 5# of spirulina power (100%, not the usual 5% added for color to make the aquarist feel good), among other ingredients and vitamins. This is all in prep for what I hope to be a quantum leap in my breeding program, frankly these infertile Madagascar cichlids and very infrequently bred Synodontis cats are in for a battle with me and I am done fighting fair LOL. If my breeding hopes are unrealized, at least the fish will VERY well fed!
Please pardon my enthusiasm, just had to share
My opinion on fish food is from a view of extreme nutrition but with a healthy side dish of frugality. The bulk of what I feed comes from the Florida Fish Farmers sources, bags of 40 to 50 Lbs with no pretty colors and no full page ads anywhere, but reading the ingredient list is as as informative as the $60 a pound stuff. This bulk food is supplemented with higher dollar ingredients like FD krill, FD brine shrimp, pure spirulina powder and egg yolk powder. These latter ingredients are as volatile in nutrition and water-trashing capacities as they are expensive, so serious moderation is necessary. I've been making my own fish food for a long time, this is not an easy process to master and my experience is getting better all the time, both in results and nutritional refinements.
My inside fish collection consumes over 1/2 lb a day, the outdoor koi are at over a pound so Hikari this or Hyper grow that is not an option. More money for fish!
The flip side is when foods ingredients are ordered, it ain't the $6 can of Tetra flakes kind of budget.
The upcoming batches are going to be a dry mix with gelatin powder, FD ingredients and powders, these keep well and are mixed with boiling water to produce a gelatin bound food to be used in a few days, that Repashy guy beat me to the market, dangit!
Today's orders topped $250 but includes 6# of FD Mysis shrimp, 11# of frozen brine shrimp, 5# of spirulina power (100%, not the usual 5% added for color to make the aquarist feel good), among other ingredients and vitamins. This is all in prep for what I hope to be a quantum leap in my breeding program, frankly these infertile Madagascar cichlids and very infrequently bred Synodontis cats are in for a battle with me and I am done fighting fair LOL. If my breeding hopes are unrealized, at least the fish will VERY well fed!
Please pardon my enthusiasm, just had to share
