Nls?

[johnhammond]

After reading the forums I finally made the switch from regular old goldfish pellets to NLS. Suddenly my white fish are starting to turn yellow. After about a week of feeding the NLS, a pure white telescope is now noticeably yellow. Looking at the package it says it "enhances the natural color", is it just dying the fish orange?

Secondly, and I think this is just a temporary thing, but the fish haven't cottoned on to the fact that the pellets sink, so they don't eat right away. I've now got massive algae bloom - started right after I changed to NLS.

Anyone else experienced this? After reading good things about it on the forum - and paying about twice as much as 'regular' food - I was expecting it to be better.

John

[teach]

I havent used that type of food but I bought some food that "enhanced color" and I had a bunch of the same problems.

[travie]

After reading the forums I finally made the switch from regular old goldfish pellets to NLS. Suddenly my white fish are starting to turn yellow. After about a week of feeding the NLS, a pure white telescope is now noticeably yellow. Looking at the package it says it "enhances the natural color", is it just dying the fish orange?

Secondly, and I think this is just a temporary thing, but the fish haven't cottoned on to the fact that the pellets sink, so they don't eat right away. I've now got massive algae bloom - started right after I changed to NLS.


It takes all fish some time to get accustomed to new foods. I would reccommend to vaccum all the food once it sinks to the bottom right away. Eventually they will realize it is food and eat it. How can they be eating it if you say they don't recognize it as food and it falls to the substrate? Just wondering, because that confuses me. But if they do bite and eat a piece or two I'm not sure for the changing of color, I have no experience with goldfish. Sorry I'm about not knowing about the color change.

[Mvjnz]

Quite possibly there is some kind of colour in the food which is making them yellow (same as when people go orange from eating carrots). It was prolly meant to be used for gold coloured goldfish. White isn't a very common colour in goldfish so they prolly thought it wouldn't be an issue.

I'd get some food with no dye in it, or if you have the time make your own goldfish food. You can find heaps of recipes online, and the ones I've seen don't look very difficult. Basically just some gelatin and veggies.

[Fishguy2727]

There are no dyes in NLS. There are four natural color enhancing ingredients. It means the fish use those ingredients to enhance their natural colors. I have never noticed any yellowing of the white in any of my goldfish. I have noticed though that when I get new ones they are a yellow-orange and after a month or two on the NLS they are the nice bright red-orange to red.

If they aren't eating all the food then you are overfeeding. If you need to feed a little and come back in a little while and give them a little more than that is fine.

Do you have gravel or sand? If you have gravel are the pellets falling between the pieces of gravel?

Also keep in mind that since NLS is more nutritious they do not have to eat as much so you may just be overfeeding in general.

[Cichlid*Newbie]

Ive been using NLS for about 6 months..and haven't noticed any problems. They love the food and its all gone before it starts to sink lol..they eat it right on top of the water...is white the fishs natural colour..or could the yellow be the natural colour coming out...its hard to say.

[labnjab]

I just ordered some NLS for our goldfish. From what I hear its great stuff. I've been thinking about starting a blog or a journal tracking their growth and color over several months

[btate617]

Like already said NLS isnt turning your fish different colors, also it is a better food so dont feed as much, and your massive algae bloom is more than likely from over feeding. you are putting to many nutrients into the water. I don't use NLS, but have done tons of research on it and have many friends in the area who swear by it, I only use XTREME CICHLID DIET which is pretty much the same as NLS. Do a water change, keep your lights off if you have them and cut back on the feedings and the bloom should eventually take care of itself, you will be starving the algae from what it needs to thrive. Hope that helps.

Brian

[johnhammond]

Thanks for the advice - I think I'll stick with it a little longer. I have a sand substrate, so the pellets sink and the fish find them as they spend the whole day picking through the sand anyway.

The white telescope goldfish is the one I use for my avatar and there are some bigger pictures here on a recent thread when he got sick http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/aquariumforum/showthread.php?t=30033 He is definitly very white, but now he looks like he has a dirty face :-) I just want to get in there and wash it! I've also got a "blue oranda" who has picked up a yellow tinge - this yellow I think has been there all the time though. Come to think of it, my calico fantail's white bits have stayed white.

It does sounds like I've probably been overfeeding, I'll cut way back and see if they adjust. I'll let you know!