New Life Spectrum Vs. Omega One..any thoughts

[cabrego]

OMEGA ONE

Guaranteed Analysis
Min. Crude Protein….39%
Min. Crude Fat………11%
Max. Crude Fiber…….2%
Max. Moisture………. 8.5%
Max. Ash……………..8%
Min. Phosphorus…….(.5%)
Min. Omega 3 ………. 2%
Min. Omega 6………...1%

INGREDIENTS: Whole Salmon, Whole Herring, Black Cod, Halibut, Whole Shrimp, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Fresh Kelp, Lecithin, Astaxanthin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Phosphate (Source of Vitamin C),
Natural and Artificial Colors, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Tocopherol (Preservative), Ethoxyquin (Preservative).

************************************************** ******
NLS

Guaranteed Analysis
Min. Crude Protein….34%
Min. Crude Fat………5%
Max. Crude Fiber…….5%
Max. Moisture………. 9%
Max. Ash……………..8%
Vit A…….8000 IU/KG
Vit D ………. 450 IU/KG
Vit E………...200 IU/KG

This is off my jar of NLS cichlid formula, below is a list off the forum as I am to lazy to list all the ingredients off the jar.

Krill, Herring, Wheat flour, Squid, Algae Meal, Soybean Isolate, Spirulina, Beta carotene, Garlic, Vitamins and trace elements. The protein percentages vary(34-50%), depending on specific formula, with Ash content usually below 9%. Fat (Omegas 3 & 6) is 5-9%, moisture is around 6-7%. Some formulas such as Thera+A contain extra Garlic, and the Finicky Fish formula contains a large amount of Mussel. For more detailed information, please read the label on the jar.

This is a post from the nls forum. I hope someone can post a better list if one exists.




So is personal preference the decision maker?

[jbeining75]

It is almost alwats personal preference... Omega one is a great food.... The two best on the market are probably NLS and Hikari Bio-Gold.... It is all upto the user though.... I personally prefer Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold for my Oscars....

[Rue]

Based on ingredients the Omega One tops the Hikari.

I use the Omega One...good and easily available.

[jbeining75]

Based on ingredients the Omega One tops the Hikari.

I use the Omega One...good and easily available.

Just FYI to everyone who reads this the aquarium business is self regulated and those numbers are verified by noone outside of the companies....
It could be 100% protein also but the fish can only digest and process as much as his body will allow. The rest is depleted as waste. Hikari uses natural digestive enhancers to increase the digestion intake of the protein and other beneficial ingredients.. NLS also uses a stimulant... I'm unsure of Omega One....I'm sure it does but I'm not completely aware of it... All three seem to be top tier foods...

[Fishguy2727]

What do you mean NLS uses a stimulant?

Omega One uses artificial colors. If you buy veggies flakes you expect them to be green right? Well they know that and make them green. If you check the ingredients you can see they are not usually different enough to account for such strong color variations. This tells me they are marketing for what the consumer expects rather than letting the food speak for itself, the way NLS does.

Omega One has too much fat. Fat deposits in the body (such as in or on internal organs) can cause major health problems long term. This can lead to things like fatty liver disease. NLS keeps fat down at about 5% so that there is not enough for extra, unhealthy fat deposits. This may lead to a 'but my fish have been fine on it for x years', but that doesn't mean that they are not going to develop problems, or that ones that have died did not die because of things like this.

Another thing to consider is: Have you heard of any other single food that not only prevents HLLE but actually reverses it when it is already present? NLS has done this.

Protein is not just protein. Those numbers are based on lab tests, not necessarily what the fish can actually break down and use. Many companies fill their food with protein rich filler that is not actually available to the fish. So the extra just comes out the other end (or causes digestive problems) and only 10%, not 40%, is actually available to the fish. NLS uses easily digestible proteins that will not cause problems, even in fish with sensitive digestive systems like Mbunas and Frontosas.

The other thing is that the ethoxyquin in NLS is only what is already in the meals being used, which is required to be in those meals by law. NLS does not add any ethoxyquin to the food, they simply admit that it is in there. I do not know if Omega One does the same. I emailed them with that question and never received a reply. This makes me think they may be adding it, but I am not sure. I do not know if tocopherol has any negative effects like ethoxyquin is beleived to cause.

[Rue]

...I hope they're paying you...

It's starting to sound like snake oil.

[Fishguy2727]

The results speak for themselves. I can talk all day, if you don't see the results after a couple months don't feed it, I can't blame you. I just try and show people that they may be overlooking a good option for food if they have NLS available but do not even try it.

[Kaga's Kritters]

My lfs recommended Omega One and that is what I was using, but I did buy some NLS to try. I don't see any difference in the fish between the two foods. They are both very good foods. And my fish aren't picky, so they eat anything anyway, lol. I am going to use up the NLS since I have it, but will probably just go back to using omega one since it is available locally for me.

[jbeining75]

Fishguy NLS has natural additives that stimulate the digestive track to increase usage of protein, and essential vitamins is what I meant...

[Fishguy2727]

What are those additives? Where did you hear that?

[sailor]

Here we go another Hatfield and Mackoy. I agree that nls is a great food for my fish. It is what I use for all of them. I am very happy with the results and am going to stick with it.

I don't think there is another brand of food out there that will put their competitors in the same light as they put themselves. Any reserch or scientific data can be made to show anything you want and every company does it. I do find some of the claims NLS makes on the website a little far fetched - like the dramatic colour improvement in 10 days.

I am not mud slinging NLS, far from it. I just think you can make scientific research say anything you want it to say.

Just my 2 cents

[Fishguy2727]

I agree that some of the claims on their site seem unfounded. All I can say is try it, worst case you find out you are not missing out on a better food, so why not?

[Bassfan]

Ive noticed a few things feeding my oscar the nls. He seems much more energetic (happy), more shiny, and it seems like hes grown half an inch since i got him 2 weeks ago. I really like nls large cichlid formula. When he gets bigger im going to get the jumbo fish formula.

[cocoa_pleco]

theyre both good.

i go with hikari since some people have been having trouble with NLS. however, my main reason for hikari is its the one my oscar really likes

[Incredulous_Ed]

I Was feeding Hikari to my bolivian rams for a while. They never really shows good cloration. After I started feeding NLS, the m ales developed fin extensins and nice colors. Plus it got rid of their internal parasites. Just my experience.
Does Omega one offer pellets?

[Rue]

Yes, I have goldfish pellets and marine pellets on hand...so I know they make them...

[jbeining75]

Ive noticed a few things feeding my oscar the nls. He seems much more energetic (happy), more shiny, and it seems like hes grown half an inch since i got him 2 weeks ago. I really like nls large cichlid formula. When he gets bigger im going to get the jumbo fish formula.

Budman when Oscars are small their size explodes.. Regardless of what food is fed.. Hikari Omega and NLS are aall top tier foods and worth taking a look at.

[Nautilus291]

I use nls but I also feed a variety of foods to keep things changed up. I also use biogold plus. Fish seem to eat up anything I through in the tank even the cheepo brands that I bought when I didnt know any better. I slowly feed them the cheepo brands everyonce in awhile to get rid of them.

[Fishguy2727]

Not all oscars have fast growth, but it is correct that just because an oscar grows does not mean the food is amazing.

NLS has proven over and over to be the best food out these. I have said it before and I will say it again, I used Hikari extensively before I switched to NLS. The whole reason I switched to NLS is because the results were much better than I ever got with Hikari. Hikari is not bad, but it is not as good as NLS.

I don't want to cause fatty liver disease and other problems from the high fat in Omega One and many other foods. Nor do I feel it is necessary to use artificial colors (something we do not yet understand the health consequences of) to convince the fishkeeper the food is good, the results should do that. And since Omega One didn't even respond to email about the ethoxyquin I am will not give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

They are all good foods, but that doesn't mean one does not exceed the others. One or two people having abnormal results with NLS does not mean the other thousands have not seen incredible improvement after switching to NLS.

Just read through the Nutrition article and testimonials on their site and decide if it is just another good food. Frankly if you have not tried it as the exclusive food for a few months I do not think you can say NLS is just another food.

[cabrego]

Not all oscars have fast growth, but it is correct that just because an oscar grows does not mean the food is amazing.

NLS has proven over and over to be the best food out these. I have said it before and I will say it again, I used Hikari extensively before I switched to NLS. The whole reason I switched to NLS is because the results were much better than I ever got with Hikari. Hikari is not bad, but it is not as good as NLS.

I don't want to cause fatty liver disease and other problems from the high fat in Omega One and many other foods. Nor do I feel it is necessary to use artificial colors (something we do not yet understand the health consequences of) to convince the fishkeeper the food is good, the results should do that. And since Omega One didn't even respond to email about the ethoxyquin I am will not give them the benefit of the doubt on that one.

They are all good foods, but that doesn't mean one does not exceed the others. One or two people having abnormal results with NLS does not mean the other thousands have not seen incredible improvement after switching to NLS.

Just read through the Nutrition article and testimonials on their site and decide if it is just another good food. Frankly if you have not tried it as the exclusive food for a few months I do not think you can say NLS is just another food.


I see this thread exploded a bit, for some reason I am not recieving any instant email notifications.

I just started on NLS on friday and my oscar has grown 3 inches in 3 days, is this normal?

Ok.. maybe not, I must admit though yesterday my fish seemed a bit more energetic than normal. The main problem I have with NLS is the size of their sinking 1mm pellets (cichlids). It is very annoying when they fall in the cracks in the gravel.

[Rue]

LOL...I'm so glad he didn't grow that fast...I was gonna sic Hazmat on you to see what was brewing underneath your foundation...either them or GhostBusters...

[Fishguy2727]

Ignore what the label says it is for (cichlids, goldfish, discus, etc.). They are all effectively identical. Just pay attention to the pellet size and whether it floats or sinks. I agree, they need a little more variety as far as small floating pellets, as well as large sinking pellets. That is one reason I like sand so much.

[Bassfan]

Oh and i also forgot to mention, my oscar since feeding the NLS has more white around the edges of his fins which is cool. It was a little bit noticeable before but after a few weeks of feeding him the nls large cichlid formula the white has been more noticeable.

[Tooch]

Effective immediatly, I am resigning myself from any future food debates between Hakari and NLS. LOL these threads always turn out the same.


BTW, I use Hakari :ezpi_wink1:

[Fishguy2727]

Just try NLS and check out their website, especially the Nutrition article and testimonials.

[NickFish]

I've tried both.

IME, there is no substitute for live foods, but of those two, NLS is best by a long run.