Is a varied diet essential for your pet?

[bettaMagenta]

Thanks to @sSjey for sharing that old article about food ingredients - it really got me thinking and motivated me to create this post.

I've always tried to provide my fish with a varied diet, mixing staples with treats like frozen, live, or other items. But it made me wonder, are they really getting anything different when we switch between prepared foods, or is it just the packaging that's changing?

So, I put together a list of the foods I currently feed, along with some new ones I'm looking to introduce. I've included the ingredient lists, but I haven't had a chance to review them yet - this is basically a first draft. My goal is to vary the ingredients, not just the brands, so I'll be going over this list and making changes as needed. I stopped at one page for now, but if there's interest, I'd be happy to create a second page with more foods and their ingredients.

I want to point out that these foods aren't listed in any particular order - it just happened that Hikari was the first one I came across, thanks to the article @sSjey shared. The article was actually highlighting how non-fish proteins like wheat and soy are used to boost protein percentages, and how using higher-quality fish ingredients could reduce the need for these vegetable proteins.

[bettaMagenta]

Thanks to @sSjey for that old Food ingredient article - it's the motivation behind this post.

I'm a fan of feeding a varied diet with staples, treats, and other items - frozen, live, you name it. But here's the thing: just because we're feeding multiple prepared foods, does that mean our fish are getting anything different besides the packaging?

I've put together a list of foods I currently feed, along with some I'm looking to introduce. These are just the ingredient lists for now, and I haven't had a chance to review them yet - this is basically a first draft. My goal is to vary the ingredients, not just the brands, so I'll be reviewing and possibly revising my feeding list based on this. I've stopped at one page for now, but if there's interest, I'd be happy to add a second page with more foods and their ingredients. Keep in mind these aren't in any particular order - Hikari just happened to be the first one I listed since it was the thread @sSjey posted the link to.

The article that sparked all this was talking about non-fish proteins like wheat and soy, which are used to boost protein percentages. The idea is that if we're using high-quality fish-related ingredients, we won't need those vegetable proteins to reach the desired protein percentages on the labels.

[sSjey]

One thing to keep an eye out for is wheat meal - it's basically a filler, so ideally it shouldn't be among the top three ingredients on the list.

[bettaMagenta]

As someone who formulates for a living, I've got a good grasp on the process. Many starch and protein grain ingredients are added to maintain granule integrity - think Bug Bites, with complaints about dust and inconsistent granule size. These cereal grain components serve a purpose, not for nutritional value, but for product consistency.

I'm not personally concerned about these ingredients if my fish enjoy the food, but I do want to mix things up. For instance, I don't want all my foods to contain the same gluten - take wheat, for example. One of the feeds listed had two other wheat products, so it's likely that combined wheat is the highest percentage ingredient.

You'll probably notice that store shelf foods, like Tetra, contain a higher percentage of these ingredients due to cost and shelf stability. Feel free to use these lists as you see fit and interpret them however you like. My goal is to vary the main ingredients in the foods I choose. They need to be nutritious and palatable for my fish - if they won't eat it, they'll starve. Nothing's wrong with wheat or soy, but I don't want all my foods to have the same top ingredients.

[kokomo]

One thing to keep an eye out for is wheat meal - it's basically a filler, so ideally it shouldn't be among the top three ingredients on the list.

I'm looking at the ingredient lists and I notice a pattern - Fish meal, Wheat and/or Flour and/or various meals. Hikari seems to consistently avoid this, but is it really that detrimental to the fish?

Considering my goal of varying ingredients, I'd like to explore alternatives that don't rely on these common components. I'm not saying Hikari is the only good option, but their formulation approach seems to differ from others. What are your thoughts on this?

[bettaMagenta]

In a word, no, it's probably not that bad of fish food. I mean, does it contain only what the fish would naturally eat? No, but that's not the point. The point is, Hikari, for example, they package their food in a way that makes it convenient for us to feed our fish, and for them to ship it. If they removed some of the stabilizers that help the granules hold their shape, and you bought a bag that got bounced around, shipped across the country, and handled by a dozen people, you'd probably end up with a half bag of broken nuggets and a half bag of powder. I don't think any reputable company would sell a food that's bad for your fish.

But, would it be good for your fish to eat only food where wheat is the #1 ingredient? I suspect not. Variety is key, and that's what I'm trying to achieve with my food rotation. And let's not forget about the impact of those lost nuggets on our tank water. The cereal grains might not be the best, but they're less poisonous to our fish than fish proteins.

I find it interesting that Bug Bites have started adding potato to their formula. I wonder if that's related to the complaints about granule integrity and dusting. As a recent user of Bug Bites, I'm not too concerned about the potato addition. I mean, I usually mill them smaller for my tetras anyway, so it doesn't make a difference to me. The fish still like them, and that's what matters.

[kokomo]

Potato starch could be a decent non-gluten alternative to wheat flour. I've noticed that using it as a 1:1 replacement doesn't provide the same binding properties, but incorporating it into the recipe in place of some of the wheat can still result in lower overall gluten content.

It's a slightly healthier option, in my opinion. Fish themselves aren't affected by gluten since they lack the digestive system to process it. However, research in fish farming has shown that excessive gluten in their diet can impede growth and overall health.

[Rampar]

I'm rather fond of the Bug Bites brand foods, they seem to be a good addition to my rotation, even with the addition of potato to their formula.

[bettaMagenta]

I've been a fan of Super Fresh for a while, but my aim is to mix it up with 4 or 5 different main ingredients. Bug Bites is my second favorite right now, and with their new formulas, I might end up liking a couple of them for my rotation. I still need to try them all out.

Specialty foods with less grain components are also on my radar - if I'm grinding them up anyway, a less stable granule might not be a big deal. And I'm not ruling out Tetra or Hikari if the fish love it or if it has a valuable color ingredient.

[graye]

The pendulum swings back and forth, but I'll take a contrarian view: most fish food ingredients are nothing more than marketing fluff, with one glaring exception - Soldier fly larvae. I've seen tangible results with these foods, and I must disclose that I occasionally collaborate with Fluval, one of the companies that utilizes these larvae in their products.

Non-insect flake and pellets, however, are largely indistinguishable from one another. My experience with dried Soldier fly larvae has been eye-opening. I ground them up and started feeding, only to notice a white residue at the bottom of the tank, which I attribute to the calcium content of the larvae. This got me thinking - manufacturers need a way to balance out this excess calcium.

Let's face it, all prepared foods contain some form of filler. I'm not losing sleep over it. In my 57 years of fishkeeping, I've only encountered a handful of brands that were subpar. The fish wouldn't touch them. One was a startup peddling a 'health food' that was overloaded with every trendy ingredient under the sun - they're defunct now. Another was a cheap bulk food that didn't cut it.

When I'm concerned about quality, I take matters into my own hands and make my own food or catch it. But when I want convenience, I opt for processed foods. I scrutinize the breakdown, prioritizing fibre content, as this is often a weak point for insect-eating fish. Protein levels are also a key consideration.

As for brand loyalty? Please. After nearly six decades in the hobby, I've seen brands come and go, get rebranded, or reformulated. I tailor my food choices to the specific needs of my fish, feed sparingly, and prioritize regular water changes. That's the secret to keeping tetras thriving for nine years or more.