Feeding

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Just so I understand...say I switch to NLS. If I still fed frozen bloodworms and algae wafers (for my Otos), would that reduce the effectiveness of the NLS? For example, my Bolivian Ram loves to snack on the Hikari algae wafers I put in occasionally...would he benefit less from the NLS than if he ate that exclusively?
 
Of course not. =] At least, not in my opinion or experience. Having a vegetable-based food to supplements his nutrients would be a positive thing.
 
No, I feed it exclusively, truly exclusively. I did the same at the shop I was running and had fish breeding in sales tanks, and not just the usual cichlids and platies, but also galaxy rasboras, gold barbs, goldifsh, discus, and more.

What nutrients are lacking? NLS is itself a variety of foods. Variety is not a nutrient. What you need from a diet is balanced and complete nutrition. NLS provides this.

In nature fish have adapted to different food sources in order to achieve this higher goal, complete and balanced nutrition. So fry eaters in Lake Malawi eat fry, plecos eat what they eat, etc. But in the end they are all getting the same thing, the nutrients needed to feed their bodies. Their bodies have very similar nutritional needs. The liver of an oscar doesn't need different nutrients than the liver of a goldfish. The muscles of one species need the same nutrients as the muscles of the next. If the fish are fed a diet that is easy enough to digest that the oscar, goldfish, and pleco (as well as Moorish idol, mandarin, crayfish, axolotl, etc.) can all get the nutrients they need then they can all eat the same food. If the ingredients are high quality enough, and in forms that all of these species can digest, then they all get what they need from that food.

Fish may have a drive for other foods, but that doesn't mean it is needed. Animals adapt to have a high drive for things that are hard to find in nature. For example fat may be hard to come by for one animal so when it is available it will want as much as possible. In other cases salt may be limited and that is what that species has a high drive for. But if the conditions change (like being put in captivity and being fed a diet that is already complete and balanced) that instinct doesn't go away. This is exactly why humans are the way we are. In nature we don't get a lot of sugar, fat, etc. so when it is available we have a high drive for it. However, in today's world that is all too easy to come by, but the instinct is still there. So although we get enough we still want more. The fish are the same way. They can get a perfectly healthy diet, but if you offer certain foods to certain species they will still go crazy for it because it is a natural instinct they developed to make sure they got as much as possible when it was available in nature.
 
I think where the disconnect comes from is when people lobby to feed it "exclusively"...I'm just not sure I understand the limitations or benefits of that term. My personal opinion would also be natural foods like veggies and bloodworms would be beneficial...I'm guess the terminology confuses me when people prefer for it to be fed exclusively.

* I typed this before I saw fishguys response
 
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IME and that of many others (but obviously not all) the best results with NLS are achieved when it is fed exclusively. IME many people who have tried it but don't see what the big deal is did not feed it exclusively for months. without doing this there is no way of knowing how different it is.

I know that all this sounds like hype, too good to be true. But over and over I have these conversations and someone tries it exclusively and then comes back to me and says 'wow, I see what you mean now and why you like it so much'. I am not saying to try it blindly and never question it, please be extremely critical of it, but at least try it.
 
It should be exclusively. NLS is supposed to be complete and balanced as is, without supplementation of any kind. By adding anything to this you change how balanced it is. It may sound counterproductive to refuse to feed foods that are veggies to herbivores, but those foods are not complete and balanced and will alter the total nutrition that the fish receives.
 
Im curious to know if you feed ur fish one type of food lets just say NLS all the time nothing else, wud the fish act or be any different from say a fish that has a variety of foods? Cos if so, I wanna know.
 
Fishguy2727 said:
It should be exclusively. NLS is supposed to be complete and balanced as is, without supplementation of any kind. By adding anything to this you change how balanced it is. It may sound counterproductive to refuse to feed foods that are veggies to herbivores, but those foods are not complete and balanced and will alter the total nutrition that the fish receives.
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But what do you do about algae eaters? They're herbivores, they're need to be focused towards algae and other plant matter, they don't need the full package, they just need the algae.
 
In order for the fish to thrive all nutrients have to be met in the correct proportions, and since none of you are nutritionist, isn't leaving that decision to someone who's put over 10 years of research into their products. When you feed your fish with a variety of food, somehow you hope to give them a balanced diet, but do you honestly know what is in your mixture of foods? In reality, it is your guesswork at best. I agree with Fishguy based on real world experience, the only way to make a decision is to try it exclusively for 60 days.
 
HUKIT said:
In order for the fish to thrive all nutrients have to be met in the correct proportions, and since none of you are nutritionist, isn't leaving that decision to someone who's put over 10 years of research into their products. When you feed your fish with a variety of food, somehow you hope to give them a balanced diet, but do you honestly know what is in your mixture of foods? In reality, it is your guesswork at best. I agree with Fishguy based on real world experience, the only way to make a decision is to try it exclusively for 60 days.
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Exactly... Not every fish needs the same proportions!
 
HUKIT said:
In order for the fish to thrive all nutrients have to be met in the correct proportions, and since none of you are nutritionist, isn't leaving that decision to someone who's put over 10 years of research into their products. When you feed your fish with a variety of food, somehow you hope to give them a balanced diet, but do you honestly know what is in your mixture of foods? In reality, it is your guesswork at best. I agree with Fishguy based on real world experience, the only way to make a decision is to try it exclusively for 60 days.
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Makes sense...but here would be my trouble with trying the exclusive method. I have too many Otos. I have 7 in my 48 gallon tank (I was told a few would die within the first weeks or months, but they're all as happy as can be), and I have to supplement their diet with Hikari algae wafers. Difficulty with the "exclusive" part is that my Tetras, Danios and especially my Ram LOVE to munch on the wafers too. So, I assume Otos can't eat the NLS, and it's not like I'm gonna pull them from the tank to feed them so the other fish don't get the wafers. Any way around this if I wanted to try the exclusive NLS diet? Since the other fish would still be eating the NLS...I just don't understand how a few bites of algae wafers would ruin the diet.
 
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I get what you're saying HUKIT, but... my question is.... Who here has fed Omega One, Kens, or the higher end Hikari exclusively for months, then switched to NLS and found a noticeable difference? Most of the information we are seeing here is from the NLS forum website (not yours), which is biased at best. I won't argue that NLS, when fed exclusively, has great results. But I will argue that other foods don't do the same.
 
I feed omega one exclusively (no algae eaters yet) and my fish have great color, great activity level, and a healthy appetite, but that doesn't mean my algae eaters (if i had any) would too.
 
Fishguy2727 said:
Pellets are just as safe for children. Do your kids feed the tank?

IME pellets are cleaner and fill the fish up better. They also preserve their nutrition better. Oxygen and water both remove nutrients from the food and flakes expose every bit of nutrition to these effects. I would feed a pellet. Upgrade from Tetra, there are many options that are better. NLS has flakes, but even if you go with a different brand it will be an improvement.
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Thankyou.
My little girl does feed the fish.
I could try pellets. And hope she doesn't think there raisins! Lol
 
Well, if it's safe for the fish, it can't be much worse for humans lol, I wouldn't be concerned at all.
 
Homedog98 said:
Well, if it's safe for the fish, it can't be much worse for humans lol, I wouldn't be concerned at all.
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My child eats anything!! Even cat food has been on her menu before now! :(
I will give it a try though.
We don't really get many different brands in our stores. I think it's mainly tetramin, one called something like aquarium one, and a pets at home own brand.
Do you have to buy other brands online or would smaller pet stores stock them do you think?
Thanks
 
titchrules said:
My child eats anything!! Even cat food has been on her menu before now! :(
I will give it a try though.
We don't really get many different brands in our stores. I think it's mainly tetramin, one called something like aquarium one, and a pets at home own brand.
Do you have to buy other brands online or would smaller pet stores stock them do you think?
Thanks
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I know petsmart sells omega one, and some forms of hikari, but I think you have to buy New Life Spectrum online if petsmart is what you have.
 
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