(Part 3) Reddit mentions: The best fish food

Ideally you want to look for whole ingredients when you're looking at food. I have used Hikari and like it but I would consider it a mid-grade food, honestly. But I've had bettas live several years on it so it's not terrible. I consider things like soybean meal and rice bran to be more filler material. Brands like Tetra are cheaper and use more fillers; for example, on Amazon you can see these Tetra betta pellets; the first four ingredients are wheat flour, fish meal, wheat gluten, potato protein; you have to go several ingredients down to get another meaty ingredient (shrimp meal).

In comparison,Hikari Betta Bio-gold pellets have fish meal as the first ingredient, but it's followed by fillers (wheat flour, soybean meal, rice bran) and takes a couple more ingredients to find another meaty one (krill meal). Having an actual meaty ingredient first (meaning it's the most percentage wise, probably by volume but I'm not positive) makes it better but it's not great.

Lastly, let's look at my current preferred food, Omega One Betta Buffet pellets. The kind I have is slightly different from what's on Amazon (mine lists whole salmon, halibut, shrimp, and wheat flour as the first four ingredients), I got it at Petco a while back. The one on Amazon has salmon, whole herring, wheat flour, whole shrimp as its first four ingredients. Three of the four are whole ingredients (well, I assume the salmon is since it doesn't say salmon meal but not positive) with only one filler. This indicates a much higher quality food. The Northfin pellets someone else linked are similar.

So basically, you want to look for the first few ingredients to be a whole food product; meals are ok but whole ingredients are preferable. You want minimal fillers in the first few ingredients (corn, soybean, rice products are commonly used as filler in many animal foods, same with brewer's yeast). This was stuff I learned when I got a hedgehog and had to suss out high quality cat and dog foods for her but the principles are the same (I hadn't spent too much time on fish food, just knew brands to avoid and looked for reasonable quality ingredients anytime I had to choose a new one). This was actually a good exercise for me to take a closer look at my fish food and also remember why I avoid certain brands.

>Do they conform to the rule of 20-30 gallons for the first and 10-20 for each one after?

They do but they can still get big. Personally, despite wriing the wiki and saying the 20-30 rule of thumb all the time, I don't like the minimum sizes. In my own tanks, I found that 30gal for every two with no less than 40gal works out great. Basically, I wouldn't get a 40gal for three. Two will work, but if you're getting 3 I'd swing for a 55gal. The bigger the tank and the more understocked it is, the easier it will be to care for and your fish are more likely to be healthier. But figure out what is in your budget and what space you have available for a tank. If you can only fit a 40gal, I still recommend sticking to two rather than three.

>And are the tubs of fish flakes a complete diet for them or will I need to suppliment this with other foods?

I'll be frank, flakes suck. I know there are good brands out there but for the most part they're nutritionally lacking and muck up the water like no other. Not to mention the fact that a lot of people have swim bladder problems when feeding goldfish flakes. The best diet is a nice varied diet. Right now, my fish are eating mostly repashy soilent green, some Saki Hakari red, New life Spectrum Gold, blood worms, and veggies. They aren't fed all of that every day but having variation in their diet can make up for any short comings of any one food. If you can only pick one of those, I would get the soilent green and supplement with veggies like zucchini.

Thank you! I feed them tiny bit of flakes, but the whole tank loves the sinking pellet food from aquatic arts. I feel like it really has made both the shrimp and fish all healthy. Pretty good all in one food!! here’s a link if you’re interested

Here are some links to the food

https://www.amazon.com/Omega-One-Super-Color-Flakes/dp/B005MPS2DU/ref=sr_1_21?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1504830514&sr=1-21&keywords=omega+one+flakes

same food different size:
https://www.amazon.com/Omega-One-Super-Color-Flakes/dp/B002J7NHIY/ref=sr_1_5?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1504830514&sr=1-5&keywords=omega+one+flakes

https://www.amazon.com/Spectrum-Small-Formula-Sinking-Pellet/dp/B00176CSYW/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1504830617&sr=8-2&keywords=new+life+spectrum+small+fish

Ideally you want to feed a mix of both, but just one will do.

They can definitely grow up some more. They'll hit a growth spurt once you start feeding some more and changing the water. They should color up much more as well with the new food. Best of luck! please ask away if you have any more questions.

Damnit. I just noticed you're probably running a freshwater system after writing all of below... Oh well, might as well post it anyways!


When I first introduced my powder blue tang earlier this fall into my 72 gal mixed reef, it actually came with a light case of ich (Yea yea, shoulda QT'd the sucker, low budget constraints=no QT). I noticed before it even had any visible spots, since it was scratching a lot in the rocks, so this might be why I was able to beat it.

Here are the three steps, and I really think the combination of the three saved his life. The sooner you get this done, the better chance for success. When I first got him, he would not stop scratching on the LR, to the point where by the second day, you could easily see scratches in his skin. By implementing the 4 methods below, by 1 week, I could see huge improvements in the tang's health. 2 weeks, and signs of ich or any discomfort from the tang dissappeared. It's been 3 months, and I have yet to see ich come back in my tank.

1. Garlic extract. Specifically this product. This stuff comes in powder form, and when I first got it, I mixed 1 pill's worth of powder into a cup of water, and then poured it into my refugium (mind you, my system is about 100 gal in total). The allinin in garlic is really good for the fish's immune system, and it also boosts their appetite, which is also good for fighting diseases. I still dose kyolic every now and then by soaking the fish food in a solution of about 1/10th of a pill with water, and letting the frozen food thaw in the solution for about 10 minutes. Don't be afraid to feed them that garlic solution. I've definitely noticed an increase in appetite from all of my fish after 2 months of consistent use.
   
   
2. I got a cleaner shrimp about 4 days after getting the tang. These guys are amazingly pretty, and are really beneficial for your fish. I opted for a larger one because one of my engineer gobies loves munching on shrimp, hoping this one would be too big of a bite. I can thank him for a lot of the work, since he was the main stress reliever for my tang. For the first week, the powder blue tang and the shrimp were always together, and he was more than cool to have the shrimp on him eating the ich off while swimming around the tank, a true sight to see!
   
   
3. More garlic. This time, in the form of algae food. Only two of my fish (the powder blue tang and midas blenny) eat this, but they freaking love this like crack.
   
   
4. I've been running a UV sterilizer rated for 90 gal in my system since starting my system earlier this summer. I guess I have no idea how well of a job it's doing, but it seems to not be hurting anything, so I have yet to have any problems with it.

I liked this the best:

https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Aquatic-Tadpole-2-Ounce/dp/B002DZI1K6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1520212021&sr=8-1&keywords=aquarium+frog+food

But I also had success with this:

https://www.amazon.com/Tetra-77012-ReptoMin-1-06-Ounce-85-ml/dp/B0040HFTIC/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1520212021&sr=8-2&keywords=aquarium+frog+food

Edit: I say I liked the first one best because it was cleaner. The reptomin got mushy and cloudy

Edit 2: I'd like to add that the most cited ADF food is the HBH pellets. The reviews for these are great, specifically for ADF's, and if I had ADF's again I'd definitely get these. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QFS8J6I/ref=psdc_2975505011_t3_B002DZI1K6

I can't comment fully on the stocking since I've never kept rams, but everything else looks fine together.

The food won't work though since they're floating pellets. The cories won't be able to eat any of them since they'll all be picked off by your other fish. The food also doesn't mention the size of the pellet (0.5mm? 1mm? 2mm?), so it's hard to tell if your fish (mainly the tetras) can even fit them in their mouths. I would go with Northfin 0.5mm community pellets instead. They're small enough for even my smallest rummynose tetras to eat and they have quality ingredients to help promote fish health. You might need to find some quality flakes though considering how small your tetras are (frozen brine shrimp would be great too):

https://www.amazon.com/Northfin-Community-Formula-Pellet-Package/dp/B00M4Q02E2

https://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spectrum-Optimum-Flakes/dp/B00SBKXG84/

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=13936

Even though those Northfin pellets sink, I would still get something else for the cories too. My tetras in my 75g will pick at food that settles on the substrate. So to make sure that the cories get food, I also feed some Hikari Crab Cuisine (which won't fit in the tetras' mouths). I've heard shrimp pellets are even better for them, but I haven't tried any of those yet so I can't recommend any. Frozen brine shrimp is also a good option. Dropping in the entire frozen block will let it go to the bottom where cories pick at it. You may have to break off pieces though since you don't have quite as many fish as my 75g (to avoid rotting leftover food).

i myself prefer making it but in my uncles tank he uses a variety as it’s best for the fish.

Omega One Super Color Cichlid Small Pellets 16.25oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009NT1IG4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_YJIACbG3XCF0F

Repashy Soilent Green 6 Oz JAR https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J17NKTG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dLIACbJMJX5HT

Dainichi Cichlid Food - Color FX Sinking Small Pellet - 1.1 lbs https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0019HZV02/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UMIACb3R566SP

non affiliate links as i’d rather help than get a few dollars.

hope this helps but use a VARIETY of food!!

Happy cake day!!!

1 Rubber spatulas that I would use to mix up my cake, or icing colors which I use to die icings for cakes I make!

2 This one is a stretch but portal socks because Simon Pegg did voices for video games...and Portal is a video game!

3 I don't have any books on my WL. :P but.... I'd like to read this bag while I devour it's contents!

4 Mixing bowls. My SO tends to eat his cereal out of the few I have now >.<

5 Gecko food for our gecko! It even has a picture of one on the label!

6 Purple socks or purple nail polish!

7 Portal companion cube!

8 My (not so guilty) pleasure.

9 Pocket knife!

10 The definition of my childhood!

11 Literally for organizing!

12 My favorite hobby is baking!

13 PlayStation 4 could be geeky to some.

14 Made with 100% natural almonds!

15 Green socks!

16 I can wear these adorable leggings!

17 Funny candles!!

18 NSFW beads...

19 Gardening boots!

20 The item I love is this mixer!

I think you will buy these!

Buy commercial turtle food. You can get is specifically for hatchlings.

I fed my hatchlings this, which I just got at Walmart: http://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Repto-Sticks-0-92-Ounce-100-Ml/dp/B00025670U/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1367425469&sr=8-1&keywords=reptomin+baby

This is also pretty popular and easy to find: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Natural-Hatchling-15-Ounce/dp/B000ENIS02/ref=sr_1_4?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1367425487&sr=1-4&keywords=baby+turtle+food

One thing to remember: once your turtle gets settled, it will eat as much as you give them, and it will beg you for food constantly. That does not mean it's hungry. It's instinctual for the turtle to eat as much as it can when it gets the opportunity. You need to know what's best as its owner, and not overfeed it. Only the amount of pellets that would fit inside its head (probably not more than 4 or 5, if you're guy is quarter-sized).

If you overfeed it, it WILL have health problems down the line. Remember that the hatchling stage, just like with human babies, is one of the most important stages of its life in terms of nutritional development.

IMHO blood worms (red mosquito larvea), brine shrimp and daphnia are all great foods (hikari isn't the best or only food supplier but it had the best reviews on amazon, so I linked them). I've never ordered them from amazon but I guess that would work fine for the freeze dried stuff (be sure to soak these before feeding, because the can expand!). I have no idea whether the frozen bloodworms will thaw during transport, so I can't help with that, sorry! I usually get them at my local fish store :)

This stuff? https://www.amazon.ca/Calcium-Plus-6oz/dp/B00K6ZDF4W/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1549712544&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=repashy+leopard+gecko

Just so I understand, you use this for every feeding non-stop? Like, no days with non-dusted insects? I've dropped like ~$40 on supplements thus far but this would totally be worth it just for the peace of mind xD

I don't think it's that they don't like them (necessarily), but sometimes those pellets take a while to soak up liquids and hydrate, so they may not seem as appetizing. You can soak in Seachem Garlic Guard, that'll really get em goin. Or for now you can add a little tank water to a cup before you give it to them (let them soak maybe a minute like you would for a Betta and see what happens). But embers are pretty small. I haven't used your brand before and can't remember the size of mine but to use this as a guide since many people have used them, this (I couldn't find the pellet size on it though!) food would be too large for most of my fish and they are a little larger than the embers. Although you did say you crushed it. But, try the water and if that helps, you might buy some of the garlic guard, fish love it.

New Life Spectrum is considered one of the best. You can buy their goldfish pellets right off Amazon. I also really like Hikari, I use it for all my fish. It's a lot easier to find, as well, if you don't want to order off Amazon and don't have any dedicated fish stores.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spectrum-Goldfish-Formula/dp/B0002E7JG2

I should be getting mine in today. From what I remember it has a 42% protein content, which is fairly similar to other higher-end fish foods. I've heard New Life Spectrum is pretty well respected and liked and has everything a fish needs nutrient-wise. I ordered that too :> Couldn't help myself. Will update you on the bug bites if you'd like

Currently feeding this: https://www.amazon.com/Ocean-Nutrition-Atisons-Betta-Food/dp/B000YIYTH8

All in all, from what I've read, they're all the same. Rotating food only really applies if you're feeding live food to your fish in place of pellets.

Feed a variety of food. Small sinking pellets and frozen food (brine shrimp, mysis shrimp, bloodworms, and such) are food that all can enjoy. Gel food, like Repashy Soilent Greens, would be good for your bottom dwellers. Your other fish may eat it as well.

2-3 smaller feedings per day is preferable to only 1 big feeding.

You may find easier to feed one or two types of food per meal and rotate through feeding something different each meal than to feed a little bit of everything for every meal.

Thank you for the detailed feedback.

I've had this 55 tropical community tank for 10 years, and so far only 1 of the original fish has died - the rest have gotten huge off of flake food in an automatic feeder, so I haven't thought about fish diets in over a decade.

Do you think combining existing flake food with these two pellets would be good for meeting a whole community tank's needs?(rainbowfish, gouramis, cats, ghost knife)

maybe with occassional brine shrimp/tubifex cubes as a bonus?

https://www.amazon.com/API-BOTTOM-PELLETS-7-9-Ounce-Container/dp/B005XDCNMM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1510870911&sr=8-3&keywords=protein+pellet+fish+food&dpID=41GRJ5PnLZL&preST=_SY300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

https://www.amazon.com/New-Life-Spectrum-Float-Pellet/dp/B00BTIOP5I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510871031&sr=8-1&keywords=pellet+fish+food+float

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I use these: Aquatic Arts Pellets
I purchased them on December 6th, 2017 and I have barely made a dent in them. They should last you a long time. The algae wafers I use are Hikari.