Fish Food Reviews

[CanadianJoeh]

I will be posting food reviews here, adding new ones as I go. The rating is simple - "Recommended", or "Avoid". (Important - These ratings are not simply based on my experience or opinion of this food. I have done sufficient research into what goes into fish food, what is to avoid, and what is optimal. Disagree as you wish).

Piscine Energetics
Recommended
Piscine Energetics is both high quality and great for the environment. The company operates in Vancouver, catching loads of the invasive Mysis Shrimp. They then produce frozen and pellet foods, which is becoming more and more popular. The pellets are around 67% pure mysis shrimp.


Hikari
Frozen: Recommended
Pellets and Flake: Avoid

HikarI is a bit of a double-edged sword. Their frozen foods are good, while their dry foods are very low quality and absolutely to avoid.

 

[goldface]

HikarI is good stuff, whether frozen or pellet.

 

[CanadianJoeh]

HikarI is good stuff, whether frozen or pellet.

When the first ingredient is fish meal, it isn't good stuff

HikarI is good stuff, whether frozen or pellet.

Lots of people use Hikari, and therefore lots of people will disagree with me.... and that is okay

HikarI is good stuff, whether frozen or pellet.

With no disrespect intended, I simply fail to see the "premium" qualities of Hikari, when it is filled with fillers that are going to make fish bloat and absorb less nutrients :

 

[goldface]

Lots of people use Hikari, and therefore lots of people will disagree with me.... and that is okay

And I'm sure many will disagree with me, and not just over Hikari. I also like Tetra and Sera for their flake foods.

 

[Tony_097]

Omega one has always been a favorite of my fw fish and my sw fish as well.

 

[CanadianJoeh]

Omega one has always been a favorite of my fw fish and my sw fish as well.

I'll be getting there soon

 

[Addie42]

And I'm sure many will disagree with me, and not just over Hikari. I also like Tetra and Sera for their flake foods.

out of curiousity I just skimmed over all of those brands (Tetra, sera, and Hikari- the brand in question here) and most of the flake food has the first ingredient "fish meal"
and it's just random manufacturing by-products.
Fish food (and cat and dog food and presumably all other animal foods) do not have very strong regulations even in Canada. Sorry @residents of the united states but the food and drug regulations here are much more defined than they are in the states

btw this brand Piscine Energetics .... the first product that I clicked on had mysis shrimp as the first ingredient, and fish protein concentrate as the second
what is fish protein concentrate? possibly the same exact thing as "fish meal"? but just worded differently?


looks like it to me!!! (if you look at the links it is just explaning various meat processing techniques and the by-product is what is being sold to these companies as a main/second ingredient to avoid food waste. They do this because 1. they can get money of their trash and 2. someone else will pick it up)

Does this mean if a synonym for fish meal is the second ingredient- it isn't good stuff?

 

[CanadianJoeh]

out of curiousity I just skimmed over all of those brands (Tetra, sera, and Hikari- the brand in question here) and most of the flake food has the first ingredient "fish meal"
and it's just random manufacturing by-products.
Fish food (and cat and dog food and presumably all other animal foods) do not have very strong regulations even in Canada. Sorry @residents of the united states but the food and drug regulations here are much more defined than they are in the states

btw this brand Piscine Energetics .... the first product that I clicked on had mysis shrimp as the first ingredient, and fish protein concentrate as the second
what is fish protein concentrate? possibly the same exact thing as "fish meal"? but just worded differently?


looks like it to me!!! (if you look at the links it is just explaning various meat processing techniques and the by-product is what is being sold to these companies as a main/second ingredient to avoid food waste. They do this because 1. they can get money of their trash and 2. someone else will pick it up)

Does this mean if a synonym for fish meal is the second ingredient- it isn't good stuff?

Like I said they are 67% mysis shrimp. Some fish protein concentrate isn't a big deal to me. It's when the first ingredient is fish meal is when there's a problem. Presumably roughly 50%+ of the food is made of fish biproducts? Suproduits in french. Could just be the bones, the tails, the scales. You have absolutely no idea what it is. OmegaOne is generally whole salmon or halibut. NLS is whole Antarctic krill. PE mysis shrimp. Tetra, Hikari, etc...... fish meal.

 

[Addie42]

Like I said they are 67% mysis shrimp. Some fish protein concentrate isn't a big deal to me. It's when the first ingredient is fish meal is when there's a problem. Presumably roughly 50%+ of the food is made of fish biproducts? Suproduits in french. Could just be the bones, the tails, the scales. You have absolutely no idea what it is. OmegaOne is generally whole salmon or halibut. NLS is whole Antarctic krill. PE mysis shrimp. Tetra, Hikari, etc...... fish meal.

where are you finding this claim?

 

[CanadianJoeh]

where are you finding this claim?

Which claim

 

[Addie42]

Which claim

that the product contains 67% mysis shrimp? I can't find it anywhere on the website for the pellets

this is literally just me copying and pasting goldfish flake ingredeints from PE
Mysis Diluviana, Fish Meal, Wheat Flour, Soy Flour, Soy Protein Concentrate, Grain Distillers Dried Yeast, Spirulina, Manganese Proteinate, Zinc Proteinate, Copper Proteinate, Iodate, Iron Proteinate, Cobalt Proteinate, Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, dl-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Supplement), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin-5-Phosphate, Niacin, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin K Activity), Folic Acid, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Biotin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of Vitamin C), Ethoxyquin (Preservative), Sodium Alginate, Soy Lecithin, Choline Chloride, Sorbitan Mono-Stearate, Sorbitol, Red 7 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake, Yeast Extract, Anise Oil, TBHQ (Preservative).

You said you didnt want fillers but obviously this company isn't any better than hikarI and likely prides themselves on somehow having mysis shrimp as the first ingredient on all their products. This is just the way they are marketing it as "healthier" than brands ppl like and trust more

 

[Tony_097]

The best food in the hobby is as debatable as it gets if you guys had to name the best of the best you wouldn't be able to IMO.

 

[Addie42]

The best food in the hobby is as debatable as it gets if you guys had to name the best of the best you wouldn't be able to IMO.

yeah I just think it's unfair to say one brand is bad and another is high quality when they are pretty much the same thing

not saying anything is good or bad at all, just pointing out the ingredients. He's doing a food review so I feel it is fair for me to analyze the ingredients of his recommended product as he did to hikarI

 

[Nikki2577]

The best food is whatever my fish likes best. Lol

 

[FrostedFlakes]

I wouldn't exactly say that hikarI and that other brand are basically the same because, as I see it, having mysis shrimp as the most abundant element as opposed to fish meal is better in my book. I personally use Omega One, but I prefer not to use foods with an ingredient list like hikari. If you like it, that's great I am not here to dispute that, but the hikarI list is almost all meals, with seemingly no whole ingredients.

 

[Tony_097]

I think of flakes and pellets to be more of a side dish for fish not a good staple food but they can live off of it. Some people also look for ingredients the fish would eat in the wild like feeding frozen or live rotifers and copepods to fish or other tank mates as they would in the wild. Some others can also think of fish meal and whole salmon as luxuries to our fish.

 

[Addie42]

just because something is first on the ingredient list doesn't mean that is half of the product, it just means it is the most abdundant ingredient and possibly just marginally

 

[FrostedFlakes]

I understand that, but to me it's better even if just marginally, ya feel?

 

[DarkOne]

I started using HikarI in the mid 80's and always had great results.

PE has been around for 18 yrs and they harvest mysis shrimp from fresh water lakes so wild caught with no disease/parasite control (that I could find). Their claI'm is that their foods are freshwater harvested so they won't infect saltwater fish. Great, what about freshwater fish?

They can claI'm mysis shrimp as the first ingredient because it's by weight before it dries out. Once processed, it would push it down the ingredients list and push up FISH MEAL to the main ingredient. D'oh!

I've been trying out a bunch of foods and TetraColor Tropical Granules (thanks LRB) have been very good for my fish. I've had more spawning action from many of my fish that should't be spawning in my hard tap water. They also get frozen foods but I've not seen spawning behavior before adding TCTG to their diets.

I haven't been impressed with Omega One flakes, freeze-dried or frozen foods.

 

[Addie42]

I started using HikarI in the mid 80's and always had great results.

PE has been around for 18 yrs and they harvest mysis shrimp from fresh water lakes so wild caught with no disease/parasite control (that I could find). Their claI'm is that their foods are freshwater harvested so they won't infect saltwater fish. Great, what about freshwater fish?

They can claI'm mysis shrimp as the first ingredient because it's by weight before it dries out. Once processed, it would push it down the ingredients list and push up FISH MEAL to the main ingredient. D'oh!

I've been trying out a bunch of foods and TetraColor Tropical Granules (thanks LRB) have been very good for my fish. I've had more spawning action from many of my fish that should't be spawning in my hard tap water. They also get frozen foods but I've not seen spawning behavior before adding TCTG to their diets.

I haven't been impressed with Omega One flakes, freeze-dried or frozen foods.

this is the kind of food review that I find interesting lol
I really do appreciate hearing reviews that are decades in the process. Food and regulation over pet food is terrible so I honestly don't believe many brand claims at all.

"FDA Regulation of Pet Food
There is no requirement that pet food products have pre-market approval by the FDA. However, FDA ensures that the ingredients used in pet food are safe and have an appropriate function in the pet food." this is literally from US food and drug website

The only pet foods I've had decades of experience with are cat foods, and some of those are sketchy

 

[AquaticJ]

Having 13 tanks, I’ll feed any food my fish will eat as long as it covers basic nutritional needs. My favorite is Omega One cichlid flakes because MY fish eat it. I have HikarI First Bites and again use it because MY fish eat it. They both cover basic nutritional needs. There’s no studies to show “fish meal” (whatever that even is actually made out of) is harmful.

 

[abarb]

My fish like hikarI food better than omega one so that is what I usually feed them. Besides my betta.

 

[Cheesecake]

I've always wondered what was in fish food.

And this is a thread from CanadianJoeh experience. He isn't saying, don't ever ever ever use [insert name], he's saying what's worked for him. The quality\preference of food (as I'm sure everyone knows) varies between company, fish, and aquariest.
To me it sounds like this thread started bashing some brands just 'cause they don't have the same quality ingredients. Not everyone can afford pricier food.
Edit: AquaticJ has a very good point.

 

[mollybabes]

Vitalis is the best fish food.

 

[CaptAnnDuchow]

Having 13 tanks, I’ll feed any food my fish will eat as long as it covers basic nutritional needs. My favorite is Omega One cichlid flakes because MY fish eat it. I have HikarI First Bites and again use it because MY fish eat it. They both cover basic nutritional needs. There’s no studies to show “fish meal” (whatever that even is actually made out of) is harmful.

Fish meal is just ground up dried fish amd fish pieces.

 

[CaptAnnDuchow]

Ummm actually he is saying exactly that. He states in his opening that this isn't just his opinions or experience but his vast research.

I will be posting food reviews here, adding new ones as I go. The rating is simple - "Recommended", or "Avoid". (Important - These ratings are not simply based on my experience or opinion of this food. I have done sufficient research into what goes into fish food, what is to avoid, and what is optimal. Disagree as you wish).

Piscine Energetics
Recommended
Piscine Energetics is both high quality and great for the environment. The company operates in Vancouver, catching loads of the invasive Mysis Shrimp. They then produce frozen and pellet foods, which is becoming more and more popular. The pellets are around 67% pure mysis shrimp.


Hikari
Frozen: Recommended
Pellets and Flake: Avoid

HikarI is a bit of a double-edged sword. Their frozen foods are good, while their dry foods are very low quality and absolutely to avoid.

I've always wondered what was in fish food.

And this is a thread from CanadianJoeh experience. He isn't saying, don't ever ever ever use [insert name], he's saying what's worked for him. The quality\preference of food (as I'm sure everyone knows) varies between company, fish, and aquariest.
To me it sounds like this thread started bashing some brands just 'cause they don't have the same quality ingredients. Not everyone can afford pricier food.
Edit: AquaticJ has a very good point.

 

[Mr. Kgnao]

Having some experience with food labeling laws at the point where the sausage is made, so to speak, I'm pretty skeptical that the quality, or really even the general contents, of a product can be divined through an ingredients list. It's mostly just marketing. I once worked in a restaurant that sold 'ready made' frozen meals, which, of course, had to be labelled. Plenty of anecdotes, but perhaps the most telling would be dividing the sugar content into: granulated, brown, corn syrup, simple syrup, cane, and "spices", so that it would no longer occupy the first spot on the ingredients list.

 

[Nikki2577]

Having some experience with food labeling laws at the point where the sausage is made, so to speak, I'm pretty skeptical that the quality, or really even the general contents, of a product can be divined through an ingredients list. It's mostly just marketing. I once worked in a restaurant that sold 'ready made' frozen meals, which, of course, had to be labelled. Plenty of anecdotes, but perhaps the most telling would be dividing the sugar content into: granulated, brown, corn syrup, simple syrup, cane, and "spices", so that it would no longer occupy the first spot on the ingredients list.

Yes, I have just read about how they can/do manipulate the % on fish food to fit the desired amounts of each like protein etc.

 

[AquaticJ]

Ummm actually he is saying exactly that. He states in his opening that this isn't just his opinions or experience but his vast research.

I would ask for more information and proof of the research, “HikarI is a bit of a double-edged sword. Their frozen foods are good, while their dry foods are very low quality and absolutely to avoid” is very broad and 100% an opinion. I can get nip picky about say Spectrum brand and say that most, if not all, ingredients are not a natural diet for most fish. So for example, Antartic Krill and wheat flour is not in the natural diet of any fish we would keep. So why is that okay but ground up fish makes something low quality?

 

[Addie42]

I would ask for more information and proof of the research, “HikarI is a bit of a double-edged sword. Their frozen foods are good, while their dry foods are very low quality and absolutely to avoid” is very broad and 100% an opinion. I can get nip picky about say Spectrum brand and say that most, if not all, ingredients are not a natural diet for most fish. So for example, Antartic Krill and wheat flour is not in the natural diet of any fish we would keep. So why is that okay but ground up fish makes something low quality?

A lot that was said initially about the % mysis shrimp and preservative shaming made me question if there was that much analytical research done at all

IMO I think it's just a good idea to switch brands all the time (like I do with shampoo- for new benefits lol)

 

[Cheesecake]

Ummm actually he is saying exactly that. He states in his opening that this isn't just his opinions or experience but his vast research.

I realized that after I posted.

 

[DarkOne]

Googling a few ingredients lists from various brands is not exactly "vast research" and most of this IS just opinion.

 

[mimo91088]

Omega one and NLS are fantastic.

 

[Cheesecake]

Omega one and NLS are fantastic.

Eh, goldfish eat it but bluegill don't so I'm not too crazy about either.

 

[mimo91088]

My bluegills loved omega one flakes. Mix some in with frozen food at first. Once they get a taste for it, they devour it.

 

[Cheesecake]

My bluegills loved omega one flakes. Mix some in with frozen food at first. Once they get a taste for it, they devour it.

Well my bluegill aren't eating anything right now.

Alternative Food?

 

[Tony_097]

My bluegill love the omega one flakes

 

[Cheesecake]

They try to eat em', but they spit them out after about 5 seconds.

 

[Tony_097]

Every fish is unique in their own right I have kept mollies and clownfish two fish I can say are little pigs not want to eat certain foods like pellets or flakes.

 

[mimo91088]

Well my bluegill aren't eating anything right now.

Alternative Food?

Have you tried bloodworms? I've seen wild caught eat them on day 1.

 

[Cheesecake]

Have you tried bloodworms? I've seen wild caught eat them on day 1.

Funny you should say that. If you read that thread then you know recently they've stopped eating them (I don't know why). Please message in that thread so as not to get off-topic in this one .

 

[Tony_097]

Whats the worst food out there that we can all agree on ?

 

[abarb]

I think wardley food is some of the worst. The first ingredient is fish meal then the next 5 are fillers in the tropical flakes. I used to feed it a few years ago but switched to better quality foods and my fish never eat wardley fish food now.

 

[Tony_097]

I think wardley food is some of the worst. The first ingredient is fish meal then the next 5 are fillers in the tropical flakes. I used to feed it a few years ago but switched to better quality foods and my fish never eat wardley fish food now.

I heard the shrimp pellets or whatever they make are utter garbage.

 

[CanadianJoeh]

Whats the worst food out there that we can all agree on ?

Probably Wardley or Nutrafin Basix

 

[Cheesecake]

Wardley is .

 

[jake37]

I *hope* wardley shrimp pellets aren't bad for fish because everything I have love them (cardinal tetra, kuhli, cory, pleco, upside down cat, swordtails); if they are bad what should I use instead of them. I actually got them for the kuhlI because they sink but the tetra and swordtails gobble down the flakes at the top and then the pellets on the bottom. The female swordtail are esp bad as they will run through all the pellets around the tank non stop till they are gone. Anyway if they are bad for the fish what pellets should I get instead ?

 

[abarb]

I *hope* wardley shrimp pellets aren't bad for fish because everything I have love them (tetra, kuhli, cory, pleco, upside down cat, swordtails); if they are bad what should I use instead of them. I actually got them for the kuhlI because they sink but the tetra and swords gobble down the flakes at the top and then the pellets on the bottom. Anyway if they are bad for the fish what pellets should I get instead ?

They aren’t that bad for the fish but they just have horrible ingredients. My fish like it too but I only feed it once in a while because I have other foods. Omega one shrimp pellets are pretty good (IMO).

 

[dlboge]

The following chart is compiled from the labels of some commercial pelleted fish foods. Nutrient percentages are directly from the label. Ingredient percentages are APPROXIMATIONS from the label, based on the simple math that results from realizing that suppliers want to maximize their profits. The prices are for roughly 1 to 2-pound buys. Note I make no recommendations. Everyone has their own personal beliefs about what food should be and I don’t mess with beliefs. Suffice to say I’m very surprised by what the chart says.

 

[Lovecich]

What this thread tells me is that maybe it's not a good idea to buy the same fish food each time.