Why Fish Won't Eat Their Food?

[katiekelsey]

My tropical fish ate the cheap brand of flake food. But now that I bought a better brand of flake food they won't eat it. Anyone know why?

 

[Anemone afterlife]

What are the kind of fish and what food?

 

[rmiller]

It may take time for them to adjust to a new type of food.

 

[katiekelsey]

I have playts, danios, black skirt tetras, etc. I just bought New Life Spectrum flake food and they won't eat much of it.

 

[Andy Sager]

Pretty much all animals have a problem in one way or another when their food is switched. This is why it's best to slowly mix in the new food to the old food and gradually limit then eliminate the old food until the fish ( or animal) is used to only eating the new food.

Hope this helps

 

[ashleynicole]

My fish won't eat NLS... it rots in the tank with barely a nibble. I try to feed a variety of flakes, pellets, live, fresh, and frozen foods. For prepared foods I feed omega one. Seems to have the most quality ingredient list I've found yet.

 

[Super_Blueberry]

There's something to be said about change. I started with NLS because of the added garlic, but when my local shop stopped carrying it, I tried omega one. Fish wouldn't touch it. Now I have to get the NLS off ebay.

 

[Andy Sager]

I'm curious, when did fish become farmers and grow and eat Garlic? I know certain fish will taste like the food they eat ( i.e. Tilefish taste like Lobster because that's all they eat) but it should say something about the food that there needs to be an ingredient that fish never get in nature in order to get them to eat it.

Just sayin'

 

[ashleynicole]

They add the garlic because its supposed to be good for the immune system and repel parasites.

 

[Andy Sager]

They add the garlic because its supposed to be good for the immune system and repel parasites.

I understand but just find it curious. I've raised and kept millions ( yes MILLIONS) of aquarium fish over the past 40+ years and never needed to use garlic to keep them healthy. That's why I would question the quality of the food that it needs to have garlic ( an unnatural food source to fish) added to it for health reasons. Better aquarium keeping habits will keep the fish's immune system going and repel diseases.
Just sayin'

 

[ashleynicole]

I understand but just find it curious. I've raised and kept millions ( yes MILLIONS) of aquarium fish over the past 40+ years and never needed to use garlic to keep them healthy. That's why I would question the quality of the food that it needs to have garlic ( an unnatural food source to fish) added to it for health reasons. Better aquarium keeping habits will keep the fish's immune system going and repel diseases.
Just sayin'

I get what your saying. My fish wouldn't eat it regardless.

 

[Coyne]

I think that the garlic is added in addition to the other quality ingredients, not to make up for the lack of quality ingredients.

 

[Brookster123]

I understand but just find it curious. I've raised and kept millions ( yes MILLIONS) of aquarium fish over the past 40+ years and never needed to use garlic to keep them healthy. That's why I would question the quality of the food that it needs to have garlic ( an unnatural food source to fish) added to it for health reasons. Better aquarium keeping habits will keep the fish's immune system going and repel diseases. Just sayin'

I will have to agree here, I understand wanting to protect our little buddies, adding Something that does not naturally occur in their diet?? Hmmmm

 

[Andy Sager]

I think that the garlic is added in addition to the other quality ingredients, not to make up for the lack of quality ingredients.

All I'm thinking is that if the food was good enough to keep the fish healthy, the garlic would either be unnecessary or redundant. It just goes against what I know about fish keeping and gardening. Garlic is grown in the ground and not in the water so the fish don't eat it under any circumstances so how could anything it has in it be necessary or helpful (Actually, too much water makes Garlic grow really poorly. lol ) If it helps "fortify" the food to make it better, that again means to me that the food is not a good one without it. Adding vitamins, minerals, etc makes sense but not a foreign substance.

Maybe I'm just too "Old School"

 

[Coyne]

The active ingredient in garlic is called allicin. Is it at all possible that allicin IS part of a fish's natural diet, but that it comes in a form other than garlic? For example: Carrots are an easy and inexpensive source of beta-Carotene, but they aren't the ONLY source of beta-Carotene.

Additionally, people often supplement their fishes' diet with various fresh vegetables that aren't likely available to the fish in their natural habitat. However, these vegetables are still contain beneficial building block materials
Also, Im having a hard time seeing the difference between adding "vitamins and minerals" and adding allicin in the form of garlic. Why is one ok and not the other?

Antarctic Krill and Herring are common ingredients listed on many fish foods from different companies. Neither of these are found in the rivers of South America, the lakes in Africa or the still waters of Asia. They are, however, easily (relatively) farmed in the ocean and are an excellent source of fish friendly proteins and Omega-3 fatty acids; so they use them in fish food. Should we not use them because they aren't part of a hobby fish's natural diet?

Certainly whether or not there are benefits to including garlic/allicin in a fish's diet is up for debate. There has been some research and experimenting done by actual scientists. While this research does tend to lean on the side of it being beneficial, it has been ultimately inconclusive. This said, none of the research that Ive come across (admittedly, not a lot) had sited any negative impact on the health of fish that have ingested it. So while it may be "foreign" it doesn't appear to be harmful.

 

[Super_Blueberry]

Penicillin, Advil, DayQuil, etc. Is that part of our natural diet? Do we benefit by taking those?

 

[Brookster123]

Yup! I take fish oil pills every day!! But than again I can read a label...

 

[ashleynicole]

The active ingredient in garlic is called allicin. Is it at all possible that allicin IS part of a fish's natural diet, but that it comes in a form other than garlic? For example: Carrots are an easy and inexpensive source of beta-Carotene, but they aren't the ONLY source of beta-Carotene.

Additionally, people often supplement their fishes' diet with various fresh vegetables that aren't likely available to the fish in their natural habitat. However, these vegetables are still contain beneficial building block materials
Also, Im having a hard time seeing the difference between adding "vitamins and minerals" and adding allicin in the form of garlic. Why is one ok and not the other?

Antarctic Krill and Herring are common ingredients listed on many fish foods from different companies. Neither of these are found in the rivers of South America, the lakes in Africa or the still waters of Asia. They are, however, easily (relatively) farmed in the ocean and are an excellent source of fish friendly proteins and Omega-3 fatty acids; so they use them in fish food. Should we not use them because they aren't part of a hobby fish's natural diet?

Certainly whether or not there are benefits to including garlic/allicin in a fish's diet is up for debate. There has been some research and experimenting done by actual scientists. While this research does tend to lean on the side of it being beneficial, it has been ultimately inconclusive. This said, none of the research that Ive come across (admittedly, not a lot) had sited any negative impact on the health of fish that have ingested it. So while it may be "foreign" it doesn't appear to be harmful.

Ditto.....

 

[ashleynicole]

Penicillin, Advil, DayQuil, etc. Is that part of our natural diet? Do we benefit by taking those?

Lets see penicillin kills beneficial bacteria along with pathogens and can lead to complications like yeast infections as well as a compromised immune function since the beneficial bacteria in our gi tract is a first line defense against invading pathogenic microorganisms. Not to mention misuse has lead to resistance.

Advil is one of the leading causes of stomach ulcers.

 

[Brookster123]

Could have sworn someone needed aquarium advice here, check 1...2....including myself