Color Enhancing Food

[Guanchy]

I see so many fish food labelled as Color Enhancing, do you think that they really work? and if they do, how would they help enhance their color?

 

[Ohio Mark]

I believe they do work. I've also used plain old paprika. It seems to me I had heard that paprika is an ingredient in some color-enhancing flakes. I use "Omega One Natural Protein Super Color" flakes a lot. It says they are made with "fresh seafood" and it does smell salmon-y. Oddly enough, my fish didn't care for it at first, but now they really go for it. I guess they just had to adjust to it.

 

[VeiltailKing]

I like the New Life Spectrum color enhancing food. I think it works:

Electric Blue Ram

• VeiltailKing
• Oct 28, 2018
• 2

Copper Betta

• VeiltailKing
• Nov 24, 2018
• 1

 

[david1978]

I like reading articles and deciding. This one is interesting and gives farther links.
Color enhancement, explained | Sonny's Fish Room

 

[Fanatic]

I never really liked color enhancing foods, mostly because how they were labeled, it just deterred me from wanting those foods. They do and don't work, there are wrong ways to make the food with color enhancing properties. Some brands of this food can be filled with terrible ingredients, including artificial colors to make the pellets or flakes look dark in color, making you think that it actually will make your fish change color. There are also really good brands of food that can help enhance color, and they would contain certain dark red spices or keratin, like astaxanthin which is a deep red color enhancing supplement for not only fish, it's also very healthy in a human diet. Certain processed fish or seafood meal in the food also has something to do with it. Aqueon has a color enhancing food and it contains squid, which would be great for darkening. As Ohio Mark said, paprika is a natural spice that fish like to eat, and it also plays a part in color as well.

Here, you can see that this brand of food by Aqueon is an example of a bad choice, mostly because it contains a ton of different sulfate elements at the bottom of the ingredients list.


I used Omega One for a long time, but recently I have switched over to North Fin and seeing how this food is now, I would never switch back.

 

[WTFish?]

I believe they do work. I've also used plain old paprika. It seems to me I had heard that paprika is an ingredient in some color-enhancing flakes. I use "Omega One Natural Protein Super Color" flakes a lot. It says they are made with "fresh seafood" and it does smell salmon-y. Oddly enough, my fish didn't care for it at first, but now they really go for it. I guess they just had to adjust to it.

Great to know! May I ask how to use paprika? Never heard of this, just sprinkle like flakes? I’m almost out of my fluval flakes, maybe OMEGA ONE next time
I was also curious @Guanchy about color enhanced foods, glad you asked.

 

[Guanchy]

I like the New Life Spectrum color enhancing food. I think it works:

Electric Blue Ram

• VeiltailKing
• Oct 28, 2018
• 2

Copper Betta

• VeiltailKing
• Nov 24, 2018
• 1

Beautiful fish!

I believe they do work. I've also used plain old paprika. It seems to me I had heard that paprika is an ingredient in some color-enhancing flakes. I use "Omega One Natural Protein Super Color" flakes a lot. It says they are made with "fresh seafood" and it does smell salmon-y. Oddly enough, my fish didn't care for it at first, but now they really go for it. I guess they just had to adjust to it.

Paprika really? i love Paprika in my food, my color has not change at all yet! maybe i need to use more lolol but seriously ive never heard of it for fish, i would love to learn more about it.

Great to know! May I ask how to use paprika? Never heard of this, just sprinkle like flakes? I’m almost out of my fluval flakes, maybe OMEGA ONE next time
I was also curious @Guanchy about color enhanced foods, glad you asked.

Yes! and i asked because Fluval Bug Bite has a color enhancing one that i want to get

 

[THRESHER]

I've been using Cobalt Aquatics Ultra Color food. States it has "Double Color Enhancing" on the label. I got it because it was on sale (50% off) for a giant jar and figured I'd try it and see. Also contains Probiotics & Prebiotics. Hard to tell if it works, but when people come over they say my fish's colors is more "Enhanced" lol!

 

[WTFish?]

Beautiful fish!


Paprika really? i love Paprika in my food, my color has not change at all yet! maybe i need to use more lolol but seriously ive never heard of it for fish, i would love to learn more about it.



Yes! and i asked because Fluval Bug Bite has a color enhancing one that i want to get

My thoughts exactly, why am I not more colorful!!?

 

[Ohio Mark]

I just sprinkle paprika on the water as though I were feeding very fine flakes.

If you start looking brighter in color, Guanchy, we'll know why -- paprika.

 

[WTFish?]

I just sprinkle paprika on the water as though I were feeding very fine flakes.

If you start looking brighter in color, Guanchy, we'll know why -- paprika.

Thanks Mark....
***digs through spice cupboard...

 

[Makennaroni+Cheese]

Before we switched to pellets we used flakes for my goldfish. I wasn't paying attention to the brand I grabbed and I only realized after I got back from the store that it was a colour enhancing flake. (I don't remember the brand, it was like 3 years ago) I couldn't tell you if it enhanced his colour or not because it turned the water as orange as him within a couple of days.

 

[Fanatic]

I just sprinkle paprika on the water as though I were feeding very fine flakes.

If you start looking brighter in color, Guanchy, we'll know why -- paprika.

I knew that paprika was good for fish, but is it safe for bettas specifically?

 

[Ohio Mark]

I knew that paprika was good for fish, but is it safe for bettas specifically?

I have never tried feeding it to bettas, so I'm not sure.

 

[Fanatic]

I have never tried feeding it to bettas, so I'm not sure.

Hmm, certainly not up for a science experiment today, will have to check some sources.

 

[Ohio Mark]

Hmm, certainly not up for a science experiment today, will have to check some sources.

I have fed it to all of my fish, so I would assume it's okay for bettas... but I'd feel better if someone else weighed in.

 

[Makennaroni+Cheese]

Hmm, certainly not up for a science experiment today, will have to check some sources.

It seems like some brands add paprika to food for bettas, so I don't know why it WOULDN'T be safe? ()

 

[jaysurf7]

I always wondered that also,some people say that it does work over time,bringing out the natural colors more over time.i haven't really used it consistently that long to notice if it does,perhaps there's ingredients in the food that can affect pigmentation,sorta like if we eat to many carrots it can change the color of our skin. BTW never knew fish can eat paprika.