Frozen Food seems like crap

[Mr.Jingles]

When looking at the nutritional values on the frozen bloodworms, brine shrimp, and other stuff, I noticed that the protien value was like 5%. My Omega One flake food is better than that, with 42%!

They also had 0% on every other thing besides moisture, which surpassed my omega one by 4%, topping off around 46%. I wanted to provide more of a substantial diet and substance for my blue acaras, but no cigar. looks like my flakes do a better job than the frozen food would do.

so, what on earth do you feed your cichlids that is so good?

 

[Darkangel]

The numbers do not tell the whole story. You are missing all the other stuff not listed like, fats, acids, various vitamins and minerals, chiton and other compounds. Stuff that may or may not be in your flake food or may not have survived the cooking process. Flake is a good food, the addition of frozen however is very beneficial. It also gives the fish a change of pace.

 

[goldfries]

hehe, alternating the food for your fish can be good for them.

 

[undertow]

My GT goes insane over frozen bloodworms!
Her colors come out ALOT more with a varied diet.
Besides that,she subsides on the following-

Hikari c-gold,nitecrawlers,crickets,frz.beefheart,
and Aquatrol's Spirulina20...And if my wallet says "yes", an occassional crustacean!

 

[Mr.Jingles]

the fat, at least, was listed with a low count. I dont know about minerals. my sister wasnt patient enough to let me look at the boxes for too long.

So, for 3 inch acaras, I should get blood worms, brine shrimp, and beaf heart?

 

[Darkangel]

Either or or all three would be good. Feed them sparingly and in rotation. Sometimes it is possible for a fish to become hooked on one type of food and refuse evrything but that food item. Experience here by any long time aquarist will attest to the fact that frozen foods give fish that little extra kick. If you can get live food that is even better.

 

[oscar andy]

Originally posted by Darkangel
. If you can get live food that is even better.

But don't use feeder fish, they only cause problems. Some good live foods are worms(meal, earth, wax...) crickets, ghost shrip.

 

[goldfries]

go for pellets and some other food on alternate meal times.

 

[niner9]

I think you miss read or your thing of blood worms has the wrong analysis on it. On my blood worms it say's crude protein min. 50%, crude fat min. 2%, crude fiber max.15%, moisture max.9%, phosphorus min. 0.9%. Blood worms are an excellent treat all my fish love them very much.niner

 

[MoJo]

Depending on the size fish we are talking about....I have purchased several products from JEHMCO that are excellent. You can read the ingredients and the amount on the labels and I believe on their website. I purchased 3 kilo of frozen krill...6.6 pounds of the stuff. It's outstanding. Very large pieces. I let it thaw at room temp and then put it in the tanks.

How many here have gone through the trouble of researching what your fish eat in the wild? Classic example for me were the Chromides I kept. I gave them the same fare as the rest of the fish...until I saw that a big portion of their diet is vegetable matter. Just throwing it out there. The amount of protein needed for individual species of fish does vary. Aptly pointed out is the value of a variety of foods and choices. IMHO it's key.

THeir is a site called the Bug Farm that I purchase super sized meal worms. The fish absolutely love them. You can also substiture raw shrimp or scallops as a source of good protein. This works escpecially well with the larger cichlids.