frozen, freeze-dried and fresh fish food

I've seen some discussions here about the supposed value and potential drawback of each of these kinds of foods. There is a very good article in the September issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine, in The Skeptical Fishkeeper's column. She discusses the myths with various food science experts. Bottom line seems to be that they are all nutritious, any differences in nutrition are negligible and the safety of each type can vary depending on a number of conditions.

While I still believe fresh (as long as you are sure of the source) and frozen (name brands such as Hikari) are pretty safe, the article did change my opinion on freeze-dried, which I previously didn't think was as nutritious as fresh or frozen. Its a great read!

 

I'v read that sometimes the freeze-dried contains dust and so it's not good for the fish. I don't know if it's true or not.

 

The only "dust" I've seen in any of the stuff I've had or seen at the store is either added vitamins or particles of the worm/critter that have flaked off. You can probably just look at the list of ingredients and see what's in it.

 

I believe that this is an area where passions run high. Some believe that the frozen and fresh foods are risky and won't use them and that is certainly the right of the individual. Some beleve that the freeze-dried foods have effects that are not good. I am thinking each owner has to evaluate their fish load and the size of their tanks and the size of their budget and realize that there are some brands that are obviously more safe in any form of food than some of the others. There are some that do not contain the unnecessary items in fish food that the fish cannot digest anyway. Premium foods cost more and in some instances are not practical. But the main point is whatever you feed your fish, there is really no 100% right or wrong food. It is up to what you need and what your fish need and what your circumstances are.

One word of advice, if you decide that you want to feed your little ones frozen or fresh food, please be aware that unless you live where they are readily available in a local pet store or fish store, the shipping costs are quite high due to the added packaging needed. (and most places request that you use expeditied shipping for those shipments)

Rose

 

Yup good way to put it Rose, I just feed what my fish will eat and what I can get more or less.

 

I feed my fish frozen food everyday they are healthy and colourful and appear to be happy