# Fish food



## nixx (Nov 10, 2010)

I was just told today that flakes food almost has no nutrient compare to sinking food. So i was suggested to use sinking food. But my tank is planted w glosso, how can my fish eat the sinking food? I have guppies n neon tetras


----------



## ThaChingster (Feb 25, 2011)

Sinking foods are usually eaten from halfway up the aquarium to the top. 

My tetrabit sinking granules are almost always eaten within 5 inches of hitting the water in my 38 Gallon


----------



## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

I'd be surprised if pellets were made from anything but the same thing as flake foods, just in a binded into a different form. Added to that, pellets can come in a sinking and floating formula, one being puffed, and the other being very solid and compressed.

I really like Omega One foods. The ingredients are quality. I use the Flakes, as the pellets do not come in a wide enough variety of sizes. However, the reputable and popular NLS (New Life Spectrum) foods, I've also used and been satisfied with, come in many pellet sizes, suitible even for neons and juvinile guppies.

Lastly, guppies, and many live bearers have mouths with upturned lips that are perfect for eating food from the surface. Why make them eat picking food out of a carpet?


----------



## acropora1981 (Aug 21, 2010)

The fact that a food sinks for floats has no bearing on its nutritional content.

Pellets do however usually contain more mass than flakes, but that just means you feed more flakes to equal the same amount of pellets.

The best food on the market right now is New Life Spectrum. Never seen anything like it in my 20 yrs keeping tanks. I use it on my home systems as well as all my commercial setups. I use both the pellets and the flakes. They even have floating pellets.

The float vs. sink is usually more designed to meet the fish's style of eating. Some fish are surface feeders (swordtails), some are mid feeders (tetras) and of course some are bottom feeders.


----------



## carmenh (Dec 20, 2009)

I've heard that, and in a way it makes sense. Exposure to air causes oxidation, meaning nutrient loss. In a flake the entire morsel is basically surface area and is exposed, where in a pellet only a portion is surface, so in theory the inside part of a pellet will retain more nutrients. However, I think almost all fish foods contain ethoxyquin as a preservative/antioxidant, so that might void the whole oxidation argument


----------



## nixx (Nov 10, 2010)

Oh i also forgot to say i have kuhli loach. I am looking for a food tat all 3 will eat or something the loach can clean up at the bottom, cuz the flakes r untouch. That why the guy recommended the pellets to me


----------



## splur (May 11, 2011)

That's weird, my kuhli loaches will go out of their way in harms way of the larger fish to get flakes. Maybe you're overfeeding them?  They only really need 1 flake.


----------



## Pamelajo (Aug 9, 2009)

Ethooxyquin is toxic to fish and inverts HBH is one food that does not have it.
see more info here:http://www.canadianaquariumconnection.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8388


----------



## adrenaline (Jan 17, 2011)

as far as feeding goes you do not have to stick with only 1 type of food...

I have tried feeding more or less every food out there to my fish. Right now i feed a combination of Omega 1 pellets (colourmax and kelp/spirulina) and a mixture of Omega 1 flakes (colour max, kelp/veggie, cichlid) and my fish are thriving. 

I also have NLS pellets which get mixed in once in a while and frozen foods. For my cichlid fry i tend to use NLS grow to slowly get them on pellets, i use pellets just because its easier and a bit cleaner in a tank full of cichlids. they literally DEVOUR the food. I find my fish took to the Omega 1 pellets better than the NLS. but it would be personal preference i guess. 

as far as nutritional content, read the packaging. You would need to feed more flakes than pellets simply because of the mass and size of food. but nutritional content should be similar if not the same.


----------



## loonie (Mar 29, 2008)

I buy some of my fish food/flakes from angelfish.ca and they are good.


----------



## bettasandbeads (Aug 18, 2010)

*fish food*

I find that it is better for your fish if you alternate the types of food. That way anything that is missing from one type of food will be present in the other. 
No food is perfect. The best is to read the ingredients. Pick the type of food the best for the way your fish eat. Bottom feeders, surface feeders and middle feeders.
I feed mainly Atisons Betta Pro to my Bettas. It is a floating pellet. But alternate with either frozen or live black worms and brime shrimp.
I also use a flake food and NLP for my other fish. The 0.5mm pellets are great for small fish and juveniles.
Just my two cents worth.
Catherine


----------



## Pamelajo (Aug 9, 2009)

Ted Dengler Coletti, Ph.D. says in his book 
Aquarium Care of Livebearers 
"In terms of fish food, variety truly is the spice of life. Just keep it fresh and feed it lightly."


----------



## nixx (Nov 10, 2010)

I picked up tetra color sinking pellet today. Fish went crazy as soon as it got in the water and i am okay that at least they got a nibble of it before got to the ground. And then the shrimps took care of the rest.


----------

