are cheaper fish food flakes any good.

[jinx]

what do all you lot on here use, me i use novo bel flakes, tetra tabs, tropical tucker, etc, but i also buy the cheaper flakes at a 1/4 of the price, i/e billy peach and tropicana i think its called.

[Caryl]

I think the difference between the dearer and cheaper brands of fishfood is the overall quality. Think of it like feeding teenagers - although they ought to be eating good quality fruits and vegetables, they seem to survive quite happily on junk food.

The cheaper foods are OK but don't have as many nutrients in them. Don't quote me on that! I seem to have developed this opinion over time from reading various articles (probably find they were put out by the dearer fish food companies in an effort to get us to buy their foods rather than the cheaper ones!).

There seems to be a lot of science involved in developing dried fish foods so they contain all the required nutrients and vitamins. There are probably more of these, in more exact quantities, in the dearer foods than in the cheaper foods. Breeders say it makes a difference in colour and growth but perhaps the average tank owner would not see an appreciable difference.

I have a variety of foods here (Wardleys, Nutrafin, OSI). The only time I tried a cheap brand of bottom feeder pellets (can't remember the brand name), the fish refused to eat them and they fouled the tank very quickly (the pellets did, not the fish).

Don't forget that dried fish food loses it goodness very quickly once the container has been opened so always buy small amounts at a time and don't be inclined to buy huge bulk discount containers which takes you years to get through if you only have one or two tanks.

Fish like variety in their diet so make sure you alternate foods. Not only different dried foods, but give them live foods as well. Growing your own daphnia and mosquito larvae is easy. Dig up a few garden worms for larger fishes, and grow white worms for the smaller ones.

If you have bottom feeders like Ancistrus, they are partial to veges too so give them cooked peas (skin removed), slices of zucchini or cucumber.

[Warren]

Whether you are buying good food or cheap food it is always cheaper to get it in bulk. If you do buy a lot more food than you will use in a short time you could do what I do.

I rebag the bulk pack into lots of smaller ones. You have to suck the air out of the bag. Be carefull if you are using your mouth as it is really easy to suck in the flakes. Next put the bags in the freezer until you need them.

It is important to remove all the air you can as any that is left has moisture in it. When you freeze the food, the moisture comes out of the air and into the food. It will then be damp when thawed and go off quickly.

[Fee]

one major difference between cheap and more expensive brands of food are the levels of ash and phosphate. Cheaper food contains more of these and less protein and vitamins and therefore whilst not being as nutritionally valuable, they also create more waste and phosphate creates more algae growth. As most of our water supplies are already pre-loaded with pretty high levels of phosphate (from cleaning products- dish washing liquid etc) it is a good idea to try not to contribute to this problem.

[Rob]

Just a note that cheap doesn't necessarily mean crap - sort of what Warren said about buying in bulk. I usually get a bag of bulk flake from the local fish shop, I started getting it because per unit weight it was cheap, but I was concerned about the quality, but on asking I found out it's Wardley (reputable brand) food that the shop buys in in bulk and repackages. I don't feed directly from the bulk bag, I fill up a container and feed from that (each time you open the bulk bag it's going to absorb some of the moisture from the atmosphere and deteriorate - so pays not to open it more than neccessary).