Cichlid Food

[ladyoutlaw50]

Good Evening Everyone
I am currently feeding my cichlids cichlid floating pellets and Tetramin crisps for cichlids. I feed them the crisps in the morning and the pellets in the afternoon - they know feeding time as they are all ganged up in front when they see me go to the cupboard where the food is. This is quite comical to say the least.
What I am wondering -- I have seen all types of ads for food that will enhance their colors and such -- what is up with that?? Is it safe -- I worry about dyes and such. My gang is thriving on what I am doing now and don't want to mess them up -- but was curious about this color enhancing stuff

thanks

[Drip Loop]

New Life Spectrum seems to be one of the favorites and its a product I have used for years. Other than just being good for bringing out the fishes colors, the quality of the food is top notch. Try it and see if you dont agree.

[Incredulous_Ed]

The best food for them would be New Life Spectrum. There are no artificial dyes or anything like that.

[ladyoutlaw50]

Thank you very much --- off to the pet store I go tomorrow!!! LOL -- I am almost out!

[Kuli_Loach]

Some people have success with NLS and some with Hakari, both are very good foods. I personally fed my africans a mixed variety of frozen with a tetra color mixed in a little along with the occasional seaweed.

[sandy_n]

While I do agree that New Life Spectrum is a very good food I don't agree that it is the only good food. A food is only good for your fish if it does well on it.

[Kuli_Loach]

Exactly. I have always said variety is the best possible food for them with a biweekly cleansing of there system with krill. NLS and Hakari are top notch but there is other foods that are just as good or better or worse etc.

[Nick89]

There isn't a food thats perfect for all fish.. It depends on the fish really. But usually NLS or Hikari is the more popular choice. I myself am going to get the Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold+. Its a top notch food right up there with the NLS brand.

[Fishguy2727]

NLS has been shown to be great for any fish. There are other great brands, but I have used Hikari extensively as well as NLS, and NLS is a lot better.

There is absolutely no need for variety if the food is complete and balanced. NLS does this. I have not found any other food that does. Fish actually do even better on NLS exclusively than when it is used in variety.

Krill will not flush out their system. Actually in Mbunas and other fish a lot of krill can cause problems. Things like peas will help cleanse the digestive system and mbunas like vegetation like that. If they are on a high quality food they won't need their digestive system cleaned out.

Fancy goldfish are very susceptible to digestive system problems and all mine get is NLS and they are doing great on it.

[The Wedge]

I was using hikari excel for herbivorous cichlids and as soon as I started feeding them NLS they won't touch the Hikari. They have become quite snobby. They were eating on the top now that the NLS is sinking...they won't touch floating food.

[Kuli_Loach]

It's all a matter of opinion and unlike some I do not try to force one type onto anyone like some but give several feeding options that have been successful and they all work the same way basically.

[angelcakes]

It's all a matter of opinion and unlike some I do not try to force one type onto anyone like some but give several feeding options that have been successful and they all work the same way basically.
i agree with kuli oops sorry mr prototype:hmm3grin2orange: it is a matter of opinion,you cant force feed a fish on one brand try and make his diet vary,but i wouls suggest hikari:19:

[ladyoutlaw50]

Again Thanks to all!!!

[Fishguy2727]

I do not try and force my opinion on anyone. I try and disprove all the false 'facts' that are constantly thrown around. Things such as 'they need variety'. No, they need a complete and balanced diet. 'There are many top notch foods'. Yes and no. There are some that are much better than most liek Hikari and Ocean Nutrition. I have used Hikari very extensively before I used NLS and there is no doubt that NLS is much better so when people try and say it about the same (especially people who have not used Hikari as much as I did and use NLS exclusively the way I do which is how it provides the best results) I make sure that these less than true facts are not the last things left on a thread because then people think it is the truth.

Other foods will provide great results, I am not saying they won't. I am saying that NLS will provide EVEN BETTER results. So if you were impressed to see what Hikari did, wait until you see what four months of just NLS can do.

It is more than opinion. Opinion is 'I tried this one. My fish like it. So I think this is the best.' I go by the facts. I compare the results of using different foods. Looking at how NLS can not only prevent nutritional problems like Malawi Bloat and Head and Lateral Line Erosion (HLLE), but even reverse things like HLLE. Not a single other food can do these. When across the board fish on NLS exclusively look more robust, have fewer health issues, and have colors that exceed what almost every single other diet results in, it shows that NLS is better than them.

I do not try and force my opinion. I simply try and share the facts I have learned over years of using this food, as well as all the information out there available on it out there. I try to prevent the wrong 'facts' from persisting and try to prevent incorrect ideas about fish diet from continuing to be spread. Honestly, if someone has not tried it exclusively for at least four months, they don't have the experience with it to say it is not the best because there is simply no way for them to know.

All I ask is that people read the article on it that I wrote, about my experience with it. Then check out their site, specifically the nutrition article, testimonials, and the video. Then give it the four month try. If after that you think it is just another high dollar food, fine. But I am confident that doing this will help show people just how good it really is.

[Drip Loop]

It's all a matter of opinion and unlike some I do not try to force one type onto anyone like some but give several feeding options that have been successful and they all work the same way basically.

I figure once you get it narrowed down to the 2 or 3 favorites, its all a matter of opinion. When I say go with NLS, im only speaking from my experience which has been great. Thats not to say there aren't other brands fish will gain benefit from just as much. So to say were pushing one type onto someone is a bit misleading.

[bandittcj]

I've tried a variety of foods for mine. They do just as well on basic flakes only, but I do give them some greens.

[Kuli_Loach]

I did not name anyone in my post so don't act like I did. NLS is good, Hakari is good, Variety is good, and many others are good. All it comes down to is experience and all fish are different. My experience is my fish hated NLS and loved Hakari. My variety mix done better than what my Hakari did really so I fed both, hakari and mixed variety frozen. Thats what I had success with but many have had success with NLS over Hakari and Hakari over NLS, it is all a matter of what the fish like. I am one of the guys who like frozen.

[Fishguy2727]

Yes, but if the person didn't actually get their fish on NLS for a few months then they don't have experience with it. That is the only problem with NLS. Many fish don't take to it right away and most people aren't willing to get their fish hungry enough to eat it. Healthy fish can go weeks without eating, yet most people aren't willing to go more than a couple days or so before they start feeding their old food again. I now of very few people who have actually tried NLS exclusively for more than a couple weeks and it was nto as good as Hikari. The only one I can think of is Lady Hobbs. I think she had her parrots on NLS for three months and they had lost color. Maybe it would have ended up much better months later, maybe not. That is the only reliable example I know of. So I don't think many have success with Hikari over NLS, maybe a VERY FEW true exceptions are out there. But almost all of the cases in which people actually try NLS exclusively for four or more months have results that are "freakin' amazing" (according to the owner of a local aquarium and pond setup and maintenance business who finally realized the difference NLS makes (he was VERY relunctant to believe the hype)).

I think there is a significant difference between NLS and the other closest brands.

I think if you got your fish on NLS and tried it exclusively for a few months you would see a difference.

You did not say my name, but I think we all know who you meant. No big deal.

[Kuli_Loach]

Why should I change my fishes diet when what they are getting is good for them and they like it?

[ladyoutlaw50]

Well, those last few posts were very interesting to say the least!!
I am going to try NLS -- I do have a couple of questions
the first -- where do I go to read these articles that people have written -- I am still new here and trying to find my way around.
The 2nd question is -- how long do i present the new food to my fish before I go back to the old food.. That is providing they don't take to it at first?
I now am using Tetra ---
Ok I have a 3rd question as well --- can someone give me the names of some online places to buy NLS -- I was given one already -- bigalsonline.com --haven't had a chance to look it all over --
again thanks everyone for all the help -- I truly appreciate it -- I look all the posts over and make notes and go from there!!
you all are fantastic!!!

[Fishguy2727]

It may be good for them, but something else may be much better. You never know if something is better until you try it. That doesn't mean try everything, but when something comes along where all the facts point to it being really good, it is worth trying. Worst case you are where you are now but know of another food that is not as good as your current diet. Best case you find a food that is even better. It is our duty to these animals (any in our care) to do the best we reasonably can for them. They have no control over who buys them, how they are kept, what they are fed, their water change schedule, or anything else. That is all on us. For that reason we need to always be on the lookout for ways to improve our methods. Settling on one thing because as far as we can tell it is 'good enough' is nto good enough. There is always a better way and we need to constantly be open to new possibilities of what that may be.

Just read the article I wrote, which is in my blog. Then check out their site (nlsfishfood.com) and read the nutrition article, read the testimonials, and watch the video.

The fish can easily go a week without food. That will get them hungry and very likely to try anything that is offered.

[ladyoutlaw50]

thanks -- for all your information -- I truly appreciate it

[Fishguy2727]

I just want to make sure all the right facts are out there, not the common (yet wrong) ideas that are spread too much.

[Kuli_Loach]

Ok I am done here. Did I say NLS was bad as you are talking it? NO I did not. I quite simply said there is other feeding options. Like I said before, every fish is different and prefers different food. I am saying try what you want and what you have success with, keep it. I have had plenty of fights with you over this and I am tired of it. You have said before in the exact way that all other foods beside NLS is no good. I am done here before I get into trouble by getting too angry in here. By the way, big als is probably the best place to get food and all aquarium supplies, they are usually cheaper anyways.

[sandy_n]

I stand by what I said before...there is NO one best food out there for every fish. Just as there is no one best food for all dogs. I don't care what the company says. I have seen this personally many times with dog food companies that say their food is the best for all dogs. Indeed, their ingredients were in fact very good. Many dogs did very well on these foods, while others that were being fed this "best food for all dogs" because that is how it was being promoted (statistics by the company included) did not do well on them at all. You can have the best ingredients in a food but if for whatever reason your fish doesn't do well on it than those best ingredients aren't best anymore.

[Fishguy2727]

I never said to blindly keep them on it. All I said was try it. If it actually is not as good as your other diet, great, you are making sure your fish are on the best diet possible which is exactly what I am asking anyone to do. There are other good options, I never said there wasn't, I even specified there was. All I am saying is if someone never tries NLS they don't know it is not even better. I want even better. Some people stick with good enough.

Debates are fine. Don't take them as arguments or fights. Take them as sharing information.

I never said no other foods are good. I even try to specify that there are other great foods. What I want people to see is how NLS has proven to me and MANY other people that NLS is EVEN BETTER. That doesn't make all other foods crappy and NLS amazing, it makes NLS that much better if in most cases it is even better than Hikari, Omega One, Ocean Nutrition, etc.

I stand by what I said too. If someone hasn't even tried NLS on their fish they have absolutely nothing to say in reference to it being any better or worse than other foods for any or all fish. Those of us who have tried it know good it is, those who haven't should try it or simply talk about what they use, not what they haven't.

I am not trying to argue with anyone and no one needs to take any of this personally.

[sandy_n]

Hhhmmmmmmmmmm, debates are great and can be quite educational. I'm not sure why you're bringing up the subject of arguments and fights though.

[Fishguy2727]

Mr. Prototype mentioned that he has had plenty of fights with me over this. I brought it up to show that I do not think a debate is a fight or argument as long as it sticks to the facts and is helpful, even if heated. I think one debate three months ago doesn't mean one now would not educate more people about the issues. If people are annoyed by 'yet another NLS debate thread', they can simply move on to the next thread and help others with other issues rather than be bugged by another NLS thread.

[Kuli_Loach]

When you fill every post you make with NLS advertisement it gets annoying. It's not the food but the fact we have it thrown at us every time you post that "it's the best" or "no other food is as good as NLS." I am tired of it. I am now stepping off my soap box.

[Fishguy2727]

I do not advertise for NLS. I let people know what works for me. It is no different than someone mentioning that Hikari worked best for them when it comes up or explaining that filter X, heater Y, or light Z is best. I am here to help people improve in every way they can. If that means asking someone new to this forum or fishkeeping what they feed or if they have tried NLS, then that is fine. This is a Cichlid Food thread, it is about diet. Other threads I mention it in are about food or food came up. Should I just stop suggesting what has proven to be best to me because people who are on here more than others have already heard it?

[Kuli_Loach]

No what you can do is stop doing what you are denying which is putting it in every post you make.

[Kaga's Kritters]

i got a thing of nls and tried it recently. i see absolutely no difference in the fish. i was using omega one food and they did great on it. my fish will pretty much eat anything, so they don't really care what I feed them. I have used wardley essentials food too. I really don't see much difference in the fish at all with either food. Wardley and omega one are easier to get then nls too.

you can pretty much feed your fish whatever has ingredients that look good, that you can easily obtain, and they like. I don't worry much on the brand name, I pay more intention to the ingredients. I am a big one on picking dog food too, most brand I won't use because of the ingredients....and this includes many of the well known brands. Just because the company says its good doesn't mean it is.

Try researching what kind of nutrition your fish need and then find something that gives them that, or at least as close as you can get.

[Nick89]

From my experience, feeding just NLS to my oscar namely, he gets bored of it and would like to try something else. But i do agree with Mr. Prototype as well. He has a lot of experience with his way of feeding his fish, with frozen foods, variety of pellets, and it worked great for him. And fishguy is the same way, as he has his way of feeding his fish, and he offers great help too. Nls is good, hikari is good. Not everyone can afford the higher price of NLS. Some can. I personally have had a bad experience now with NLS SINKING pellets.. they float to the gravel and it gets un-eaten..I wish i had gotten the larger floating ones to really get a better result (pellet size). But I might try the hikari bio-gold+. It comes down to preference and what you can afford.

[ladyoutlaw50]

I thought I would give the NLS a try -- I just ordered a small bit from bigalsonline -- will give it a whirl and see what the gang thinks!! I will let you all know after a couple of weeks -- my opinion!! LOL
Thanks for all the good advice and all the opinions -- made lots of notes!!

[Drip Loop]

Really nice to see someone who cares enough to get it right. :19:

[Halelorf]

My ocellaris clownfish has been fed NLS marine food exclusively for 3 months now and it's color is very good. It was being fed frozen mysis shrimp as it didn't accept NLS for the first week. I have noticed a color change in the fish. The colors are more distinct and when two colors meet the difference between the two is very sharp. I have been feeding my new German Blue Ram cichlids NLS cichlid formula exclusively for a week now and both pairs have been coloring up very nicely. I know it can seem like Fishguy2727 is doing a paid advertisement for NLS on any thread that deals with food but he is only doing his part on this forum. He is discussing what has worked for him and trying to advise others to try out his methods and see if they get the same results. If you haven't tried the methods he has given don't flame him for it or write him off. If you have and found it not to your liking, then advise people on what you have done and how your results have worked better/worse compaired to his. It's just fish food people, take it easy :c3:.

[Kuli_Loach]

Ok look, it's not the food. I respect the food NLS at the fullest but when someone post and in every one of the post nearly it says something about NLS, that is advertisement and that is what I am mad about. I could not get my fish to eat NLS and I ended up throwing it away. If you would have seen my fish on my variety VS my Hakari, there was no difference really and the colors shinned. I have pictures and my Africans had awesome color and they were on frozen and some other cheap food. Yes NLS is good but it's no the answer to our prayers like fishguy makes up believe. Hakari is good, frozen is good, a lot of different foods are good but they are just that, foods and not a cure all.

[Fishguy2727]

That's the point. YOU HAVEN"T EVEN TRIED IT. You tried to get them to eat it but they didn't. So you really have absolutely no experience with it except they didn't take to it. That doesn't disprove it all. That means what I have told people before, many are very relunctant at trying it at first. How long did you try and get them on it? A sin did not feed anything except NLS and they refused and then you returned to your normal diet.

No one is saying they won't look great on other foods. What I am saying is that they look at least as good and in most cases a lot better on NLS. No one ever said that others foods are no good, they are all crap, etc.

Again, I post it when it comes up. It is not like someone asks about what filter to use and my reply is just 'NLS is the best food out there, all others are crap'. That is the impression I am getting from what you are saying. You make it sound like I can't type about anything except NLS, even when the post and discussion have nothing to do with diet.

Kaga:
How long were your fish on NLS exclusively?

Just so everyone knows, there are things that can undo the benefits of a great diet. Poor water quality, the wrong pH, temp, etc. Having stressful combinations, these can all undo any benefit a diet may offer.

It may be annoying to see it so much, and I don't mean to be annoying. But It is just as frustrating for me to see so many posts against it by people who haven't even used it, or kind of used it once but didn't allow for it to truly do what it does over time when fed exclusively. Even worse is when people talk about how their fish look great so apparently that means NLS is not as good as it has proven to be to others. Or theoreticals about variety. Basically there is a lot of debate over it and almost all of it is from people who have never even tried it.

[LosC]

I got some NLS coming in the mail and I can't wait. This is the first time I've heard somebody trashing NLS.

[Nick89]

Its always best to get the best for your fish, but again, not everyone has the money to spend for it (the nls food). If you can afford it then great try it, but if you cant, then dont worry about it, and feed a cheaper (not quality wise, but price) food you can afford and that your fish will like. I am going to try the NLS again exclusively like fishguy has told everyone. I will keep them on it for the next 2-3 months and then give my opinion. Id like to get through the sinking pellets so i can move on to the floating pellets, But either way i want to see for myself, actually try the food for more than a month and then give my opinion. If Mr. Prototype wants to feed his fish hikari, or omega one, or even wardley with a variety then thats his choice, and what he believes is best for his fish and gets the best results.

[Incredulous_Ed]

Its always best to get the best for your fish, but again, not everyone has the money to spend for it (the nls food). If you can afford it then great try it, but if you cant, then dont worry about it, and feed a cheaper (not quality wise, but price) food you can afford and that your fish will like. I am going to try the NLS again exclusively like fishguy has told everyone. I will keep them on it for the next 2-3 months and then give my opinion. Id like to get through the sinking pellets so i can move on to the floating pellets, But either way i want to see for myself, actually try the food for more than a month and then give my opinion. If Mr. Prototype wants to feed his fish hikari, or omega one, or even wardley with a variety then thats his choice, and what he believes is best for his fish and gets the best results.
Well, Nls would be cheaper in the long run, because you dont have to buy all these other foods needed for "variety" diets.

[The Wedge]

I have never seen two guys fight so passionately over fish food, man this is a trip...please keep going :) Let's just say I have learned a lot on each side of the issue. This thread has helped tremendously...PEACE

[ladyoutlaw50]

I agree with "The Wedge" I have learned alot re: both sides of the coin. I am going to try NLS and have my gang let me know what they think!! Thanks to all who gave their input!!

[Kuli_Loach]

It's not the fact of the dang food but you advertising it in every one of your dang posts! OMFG I am tired of this crap man. If you want to get back to food, what can be better for them than what they would eat in the wild? For most Mbunas, a heavy diet of green algae which is actually less expensive if you make yourself a culture.

[Kaga's Kritters]

Fishguy2727 - my fish were on it for about a month. I am now just feeding them the rest of what I have of a few different foods......nls, omega one, wardley, and dried bloodworms and baby shrimp as a treat. Like I said before, my fish will eat anything, lol. I have never had them refuse food. I don't have a problem with nls, I just don't think its as great as you are saying it is. It's a good food, yes, but not magic. I would rather feed my fish something I can get easily at a local pet store, not something I have to order. I especially am not going to pay the extra for shipping to get a food that is not really that much better than others I have used. It just doesn't make sense. I understand you think nls is some miracle fish food or something, but it's not. It's just one of the top of the line foods, but not the absolute best. If you want to tell others that you have used nls and have good results and really like it then fine, but stop acting like it is the only food that should be used. This whole "nls is the only fish food you should ever use" attitude is annoying. You are constantly cramming it down our throats. Their is a big difference between recommending a food and forcing it on someone.

[Fishguy2727]

So you have not tried it exclusively for at least four months? Well then, I guess we all know exactly how much experience you have with it and how much you can say from experience and how much you can say from...

It is not in every post of mine. It is in every post of mine where diet is being discussed. If diet is being discussed should I ask around and see if anyone minds me giving my experience with it before I do what a forum is here for, share information? Everyone else is free to share their experience too.

You need to read the article in my blog about why nature is not ideal. It explains why 'natural' foods really aren't very natural at all.

Their diet should not be based on your convenience but on their best interest. If you will sacrifice that so you can feed a food that is easier for you to find that is your decision, but don't recommend it to anyone.

If NLS is not the best based on your extensive one month trial, what is?

I don't cram it down people's throats. I recommend it. Then someone brings up information that is misleading, false, or a twist of the truth. Then more information from both sides comes up and then you get a thread like this.

The Nutrition article on their site also helps explain some of the myths and misconceptions about diets, captive and wild. Have you read my article, their nutrition article, watched their video, and read through the testimonials? Did you then try an exclusively NLS four month trial? If not then you can't say it isn't the best. You can't say something else is better. You simpyl don't have the experience to say a word about it.

I have been feeding it exclusively for about two years and to many types of fish. I would think that is a more reliable sample group than a one month trial on one tank, but that would just be what science believes (larger sample size = more reliable results).

[Kuli_Loach]

Ok so it was one week was not enough and I should have fed a month... Now kagas said she fed it a month and that wasn't enough. You tell us to go to there site and read... You tell us to read your articles on it. I am sorry, I didn't realize you were always right and the master of fish keeping. Look, telling us we need to go to there site and read and then read your article for NLS (which I figure is the longest one you have) man that is freaking advertising that brand. I am tired of this, I am out.

[Kaga's Kritters]

Feeding it for one month is long enough. If their is no difference at all by then why would I continue? You "better than thou" attitude is very annoying. You need to get off your high horse and quit acting like you know everything. Just cause a company says their food is the best doesn't mean it is. You can go to the websites of every brand of dog food and each will tell you their food is the best and tell you why. But in all reality most of them are not really as good as they say. Every company is going to "toot their own horn". If an independant researcher did research and then recommended a certain brand I would be more likely to believe them. You do seem to be advertising nls and you are cramming it down our throats. No matter what anyone does, if they don't agree that nls is the best then you say they are wrong. Not everyone has to worship nls like you. Get over yourself man, your attitude is p!$$ing a lot of people off.

[Fishguy2727]

I don't think people are wrong for not liking NLS if they tried it properly and it didn't provide the usual benefits. It does take up to four months to truly see the difference. Sometimes longer, but over time there is a significant difference between NLS and any other diet I have ever tried. And it needs to be fed exclusively. If people have not done that and then come to the conclusion that it is not as good as their usual diet then they are wrong for making major assumptions on VERY little onformation. A short trial period is simply not enough. And it is not just me. There are tons of people who have tried all sorts of diets and NLS has been the best. For freshwater, marine, inverts, etc. Yet others tried it for a month and it didn't turn their fish around that quickly. That means their other diet wasn't so bad that only a month of NLS wasn't enough to show drastic changes.

So you simply refuse to read about. Refuse to give it a proper trial. That sounds to me like what you are saying I am, up on a high horse and the almighty knower about all things fish and too stubborn to admit that maybe there is something better than my current method.

I never take a company's word as fact. I go by the results, which I achieved after long trial periods. I ask people to go to their site in addition to the article I wrote because their site actually has a lot more information about the food than any other food I have seen. They show before and afters. They allow people to share how well it performed with their fish. It is not just another BS writeup about how they try to improve it with a bunch of minor facts to support it. They let the results argue themselves, which is all that should matter.

Until people actually try it with a proper trial they need to stick to what they know, their current diet. Lady Hobbes did it right. She tried it, and for three months. Her parrots lost a lot of color. That is one exceptional case that goes against the major trend, but she tried it properly. Yet others want to argue against after only a week or a month and even then sometimes didn't always feed it exclusively and can't figure out why they didn't get the results everyone who has used it for a considerable amount of time is talking about.

Can you guys try and find some posts where it was inappropriate to have been brought up?

Persistance in the facts and cramming it down people's throats are two very different things. I simply want to share the information with as many people as possible.

Again, I am not asking people to use NLS unquestioningly. I don't and don't want them to worship it or advertise for it. I don't want them to just take my word and defintiely not just the company's word for it. I want them to research it and then give it a proper trial. After that they should share their results with the rest of us, good or bad. That is the only way to know if it is better in that situation.

[Kaga's Kritters]

Their are people that swear by different dog foods too, but that doesnt mean I should switch what I feed my dog. I can go to any pet food site and see testimonials on how great their food is....doesn't mean I am going to agree. I really don't see why it should take 4 or more months to see any difference. If the food is so much better than others then you should be able to see a difference within a few weeks, not a few months. And if the previous food was so good that it did take months to see any difference then that must mean they are not that much apart in how good they are. Also if you have to feed nls exclusively and not give your fish any other kinds of treats (bloodworms, shrimp, etc.) or the food doesn't work then that makes me even more cautious about it. I mean what the heck is with a food that if not fed exclusively then u don't get the benefits of it???? Seems a little odd to me. You think you are just being "persistant in the facts" others are seeing you as being pushy and trying to cram nls down our throats. You always try to make it sound like nls is the best and is the only food that should be used and anyone that thinks you should feed something else is wrong and doesn't know enough about nls or fish nutrition to know what they are talking about. GIVE IT A BREAK MAN!

Also I have not said that you bring up nls inappropriately....so I don't know why you are going off on that. Others have even said it hasn't been brought up inappropriately....the problem we have is when you do talk about it you go on and on and on and on......you don't have to make a post about how great it is 10 different times in one topic. We get the point after one post. If you want to question someone else's opinion on another food or something then talk specifically about that, not go on again about how great nls is and how wrong the other person is and crap.

[Nick89]

Fishguy, or someone who knows more in depth about this food. Could you explain to me how this particular food is better than a brand like Hikari or omega one? Whats in this food that makes it the ultimate food for a fish? Im just curious..

[Fishguy2727]

Just so it is out there, I don't think this is the ultimate fish food. I hope it is not. I have found it to be the best diet out there at this time. I can't wait until something better comes along.

The results make this food what it is. Simple as that. The color improvement exceeds any other brands. My cousin who runs an aquarium and pond maintenance business was finally convinced when in a 180 reef tank he setup, the owner feeds both NLS and other more traditional foods for those types of fish. Some don't eat the NLS. He said those look great, like every other one of that type fo fish. He said the ones that will eat the NLS "are freakin' amazing", his exact words. It makes a difference.

The ingredients are better. The balance is better. Every single vital trace element and micronutrient is there. Just read through the sources provided for more information.

I have found that many who swear by an inferior food have not tried the better ones. They try one, it works, maybe very well, so they decide it is great. In some cases even when things go bad they blame them on other issues. There are few exceptions to this.

The difference here is that there are so many testimonials by very advanced people in fishkeeping that there is a difference. The at the time President of the American Cichlid Association wrote a letter to the owner of NLS about how he was breeding Lake Victoria cichlids. The NLS was so good it brought out colors in subdominant males that he thought were females because of their coloration. Any letters anywhere close to that sent to any of the other companies?

If you have a great food but also feed a significant amount of other foods then by definition that better food is diluted and may not have the same effect. It is about complete and BALANCE. Other foods, especially things like high in protein like the usual 'treats', can throw this balance off a lot and dilute the nutrition. This can mess up the results.

I never said the other foods were no good. Yet again, I have said they are great. The difference is that NLS is even better. This is why it may take longer to see an improvement when moving from a high quality food to an even higher quality food than from a lower quality food up to a very high quality food.

I don't keep posting it unless someone keeps questioning it or posting false 'facts'. I am not going to just post once and ignore it if people keep going against it, kind of like how they should not just post once and ignore it if I post again and they think I am wrong.

Another poster made it sound like I randomly push NLS when it was completely off topic, not you.

[Kuli_Loach]

Ok guys, I am convinced, NLS is the best thing since sliced bread-Sarcasm. Look man, keep burying yourself in a deeper hole because you are too deep for me to even bother with anymore. Go drive around and toot NLS's horn, they love that! I am so glad to have the amazing fish professional that knows whats best for my fish and everyone else's on here! Man I could so choose a few choice words for you but seeing as I am a nice person and apparently I DO know a thing or two seeing as you have been on here over a year longer than me and I still have a lot more rep. than you and everything, I am going to do the right thing and drop it and not make any more 3 page posts so you don't have to make any 8 page posts to TRY and counter mine. Good luck and have a nice day!

[Drip Loop]

This thread is epic. NLS #1

[Fishguy2727]

Try it or don't try it. If you don't try it, keep talking about the foods you feed. If you give it a good true trial then share it with us all. But please do not ask anyone to censor themselves simply because you disagree. I talk about the food. If you guys just want to argue at the person then we have nothing to talk about and there is no point for that to be posted.

I never said I know what's best for yours or anyone else's fish. I suggest people keep an open mind and an eye out for things just may prove themselves better than their current methods, whether it be filtration, water change schedule, diet, aquascaping, etc.

At this point if anyone wants to discuss the food, let's do it. Only gain can come from sharing information. If anyone has issues with how I present information, keep it to PMs since it does not pertain to the discussion at hand, something that should stay productive for all who read it.