Clients and friends often ask me how can you tell what is a good fish food. We could go into the specifics of protein content, digestibility, amino acids and their ratios, etc… We could talk about what’s written on the ingredients list at the back of the packaging… Such detailed speak of fish nutrition can be found in my older post – https://thefishvet.wordpress.com/?s=A+closer+look+at+fish+feeding
Without going into all those details, what I often tell people to look for or more literally, smell for, is for a strong dried fish fragrance. It should smell like dried anchovies. This way, you know that the food is made mainly from fish meal rather than from cheaper substitutes. Those that smell like bread or wheat have much lower nutritional value and is likely to pollute the tank. Also, the food should not smell or feel oily.
The price is another good indicator of food quality. The higher the price, the better the quality. If talking about koi food, then ~$20/kg is the approximate retail value of good fish food.
The last and just as important point about choosing a good food is that the fish will actually eat the food quickly and without hessitation (although, they may need to get used to new feeds).
So, to summarise what constitutes good fish food:
- Smell the difference
- Price difference
- Fish feeding frenzy
Good fish shops will be feeding their fish stock with good fish foods. So, they would often have tubs or jars that are already opened. When you’re at your LFS, ask if you may have a see, smell and feel of the foods that they feed their fishes and then you can decide which fish foods are the best.
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Yours sincerely,
Dr Richmond Loh
BSc BVMS MPhil (Vet Path) MANZCVS (Aquatics & Pathobiology) DipPMVeterinarian / Adjunct Lecturer Murdoch University / Secretary Aquatic Animal Health Chapter ANZCVS
The Fish Vet, Perth, Western Australia. Mobile Veterinary Service for fish and other aquatic creatures.
http://www.thefishvet.com.au
Ph: +61 (0)421 822 383
