Colour Enhancing Food

[subnormal]

Ive just had to buy some more food for my tropicals, I noticied some colour enhancing food and brought it because it was only a few dollars more and the guy at the shop talked it up abit.
My question is this, does it really work? And if so is there a noticable difference?
Thanks

[wombat1100]

I have bought some before, a few years ago now and i can't really say i noticed the difference all that much.
But, i did have alot of fish breeding in the tank at that time so there was a lot of "natural" live food available at the time so they were all in really great nic, i guess you will be the test subject in this one mate.
Let us know what happens please, I would be interested to know
Dazz

[PeteFromTassie]

What brand of food? Is it colour enhanced with hormones?? You can have issues with females eating it and taking on Male's attributes, not breeding and apparently becoming sterile. Great for display tanks I guess...

I use NLS and Hikari, which are natural colour enhancing foods. They are bloody excellent, I'm sold (even though it is expensive though).

Cheers,
Pete.

[joz]

I myself have used the commercial stuff before with only so so results.
But years ago dealing with a private importer who fed his fish some secret Brand X color food worked a treat.Even solid blue fish were becoming red :ohmy:

[PeteFromTassie]

Why would you want all your fish to turn red! :wacko: HA HA HA! :lol:

[joz]

LOL,it's kind of silly isn't it.
I was not the one feeding the fish,it was some dodgey Queensland breeder/importer.
His red fish were magnificant,his blue ones looked interesting :rolleyes:
Unfortunately his red fdish soon lost their brilliant redness :angry:

[subnormal]

from what the guy at the fish shop told me its ment to have more vegetable extracts that bring out the natural colours more, kinda like that shampoo thats ment to make your hair shine.

[Jools]

from what the guy at the fish shop told me its ment to have more vegetable extracts that bring out the natural colours more, kinda like that shampoo thats ment to make your hair shine.[/b]

Colour Bits hey, it wont happen overnight, but it will happen!!!!!

[Sloory]

I feed my oscar food that says it helps with colour and i must say, his colours are awsome!
Though i'm not saying it IS because of the food.

[subnormal]

Ok ive had the fish one this colour enhancing food for almost 3 weeks, fish colours appears to be more vibrant. Im hoping it will help bring the rainbows into colour alittle quicker.

[Marc]

I've been following this thread interested to see the outcome. I have a bit of experience on this one now and I would add that yes the colour enhancing food does work.

In my case I'm using Tetra Colorbits, and the Tetra Flake (also color enhancing). In my big cichlid community tank all the fish are very vibrant and displaying full color, but most noticeable is my Frontosa tank where many of them have developed a real blue color. There's a couple of them in there that you have to have a hard look at to work out if they're not Zaire's or similar instead of Burundi's.

I'm definately a fan of Tetra ColorBits, but you do pay a few more $$$ for it, but my fish certainly do love it.

[Sloory]

In my case I'm using Tetra Colorbits, and the Tetra Flake (also color enhancing). In my big cichlid community tank all the fish are very vibrant and displaying full color, but most noticeable is my Frontosa tank where many of them have developed a real blue color. There's a couple of them in there that you have to have a hard look at to work out if they're not Zaire's or similar instead of Burundi's.

I'm definately a fan of Tetra ColorBits, but you do pay a few more $$$ for it, but my fish certainly do love it.[/b]


I'm also using these on my young German blue rams and it has really worked on them in just 2 weeks. :)

[GoGuppy]

I've been following this thread interested to see the outcome. I have a bit of experience on this one now and I would add that yes the colour enhancing food does work.

In my case I'm using Tetra Colorbits, and the Tetra Flake (also color enhancing). In my big cichlid community tank all the fish are very vibrant and displaying full color, but most noticeable is my Frontosa tank where many of them have developed a real blue color. There's a couple of them in there that you have to have a hard look at to work out if they're not Zaire's or similar instead of Burundi's.

I'm definately a fan of Tetra ColorBits, but you do pay a few more $$$ for it, but my fish certainly do love it.[/b]

G'day all

I looked up the Tetra UK site and found an article called UNDERSTANDING AND IMPROVING FISH COLOURATION. Here's the link:

http://www.tetra-fish.co.uk/tetratropical/...p;from=tropical (http://www.tetra-fish.co.uk/tetratropical/articles/ArticleDefault.asp?NewsID=57&from=tropical)

It's a fairly detailed article, but I think what they mean is "not all colour enhancers produce the same results" or something like that, as well as providing a hugh plug for Tetra products. :wink:

Cheers

Peter

[matt_Frontosa]

The best colour enhancing food for fish on the market at the moment would have to be New Life Spectrum food

Best.

[Marc]

I know that it's (NLS) pushed on another forum that just so happens to have a vested interest in the product. Have you used it yourself Matt?

[subnormal]

Im using the spectrum colour enhancing food now, previously used JBL but the LFS i went to didnt stock that brand so i went to spectrum. Seems pretty good. Big flakes though i have to brake them up for my fish. I wouldnt be able to tell you which brand was better I will probley stick with the spectrum only because its the easiest to buy for me.

[CichlidFreak]

I use New Life Spectrum on all my tanks and I find it works brilliantly. Not only that, but the fish absolutely love it! Its great that its hormone-free too.

[Marc]

So is that the selling point of NLS compared to other foods? .. the hormone free?

I've tried to source it locally but been unable to. I think Age of Aquariums sells it online via their site, I might try some.

[CichlidFreak]

I'd say thats one of the selling points, the others being how well it works in regards to colour enhancing and also how palatable it is to the fish.

There are quite a few places in Melbourne that sell it. What suburbs are near/around Sunbury? I might be able to tell you the closest place to you.

[subnormal]

Could someone please explain the advantages of being hormone free?

[ace027]

I feed NLS to my Fronnies and they absolutely love it, they have nice colour and spawn regularly, I feed the fry NLS grow and they too are benefiting from it.

[Sloory]

I'm getting some ADA food tonight with my apisto's from the airport, i'll let you all know how it go's.
Has anyone here ever used it?

[silkieboy]

i'm using Breeders Blend. I was drawn to it buy the claim that it enhances the natural colour for the fish for example my red fish become redder and my blue fish become bluer and not purply hehe. The astanxathin they use is also not synthetic plus it's got a nice fresh smell to it.

Another bonus is that it's an Aussie product ;)

My fish love it and they do seem to express a more intense colour but i'm sure a good varied diet and unstressful life would do that too.

[PeteFromTassie]

Yeah but breeder's blend is a flake, and I don't rate using flakes much... :-(

Haven't heard of ADA though?? Let me know what it's like and where we can get it! ;-)

ROCK ON!
Pete.

[Sloory]

Haven't heard of ADA though?? Let me know what it's like and where we can get it! ;-)

ROCK ON!
Pete.[/b]


Aqua Design Amano.
I got it with my apisto's from sydney.
I'll let you all know how it go's.

I'll give it a good few weeks though.