Best color enhancing fish food?

[Saltyreef]

+1 for reef nutrition TDO.

I am a big NLS fan myself like @jda. Been using it for years. The owner frequents these forums too.

But recently switched to TDO chromaboost and couldnt be happier. My zoas were actively grabbing the small size pellets where as if NLS hit them in the mouth they wouldnt care.

Reef nutrition is headquartered only 45 mins away too so i have a long history with their products.

TDO chromaboost is actually what the original importer and cultivator of the black widow anemone used to feed them when I visited his shop

 

[Dan_P]

With astaxanthin, yes (it wasn't a super formal study, but it wasn't bad). I mentioned it in my quote above, but here's a link to the study that works and isn't a download:

https://nhrec.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/vdocuments.net_clownfish-astaxanthin-study-reed-mariculture-astaxanthin-level-average-preference.pdf

Thanks for this. Has this effect been shown in other fish? Just wondering how general the effect is and whether it is only a reddening agent.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Thanks for this. Has this effect been shown in other fish? Just wondering how general the effect is and whether it is only a reddening agent.

Yes, it has been demonstrated on a number of different fish both internally (like salmon) and externally (such as red tilapia* and other species listed in the block quote below), a few different inverts, and even flamingos.** It seems to primarily be a reddening agent (though it has been shown to have some other positive effects too), yes.

"Astaxanthin has been shown to promote growth and skin pigmentation in flame-red dwarf gourami Trichogaster lalius (Baron et al., 2008), blood parrotfish Cichlasoma synspilum × C. citrinellum (Li et al., 2018), green swordtail Xiphophorus helleri (Putra et al., 2020), discus fish Symphysodon (Song et al., 2017), rainbow kurumoifish Melanotaenia parva (Meilisza et al., 2018), and red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Cheng and Wu, 2019)."***

A similar effect has been noted for other colors with things like Spirulina (different carotenoids involved though).****

*Source:

Effects of dietary astaxanthin enrichment on enhancing the colour and growth of red tilapia, Oreochromis sp.

The aim of this research was to examine the effects of dietary inclusion of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis in commercial fish feed on the co…

www.sciencedirect.com

**Source:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312056401_Flamingo_coloration_and_its_significance

***Source:

Effect of dietary astaxanthin on growth, body color, biochemical parameters and transcriptome profiling of juvenile blood parrotfish (Vieja melanurus ♀ × Amphilophus citrinellus ♂)

To investigate the effects of dietary astaxanthin on fish growth and body color, blood parrotfish juveniles were assigned to three groups: control (CL…

www.sciencedirect.com

****Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349318472_Effect_of_Spirulina_Flour_on_Changes_of_Color_Intensity_in_Angelfish_Pterophyllum_scalare_Strain_Three_Color

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316959770_EFFECTS_OF_SPIRULINA_POWDER_IN_COLOURATION_AND_GROWTH_ENHANCEMENT_OF_AN_INDIGENOUS_ORNAMENTAL_FISH_TRICHOGASTER_LALIUS

 

[Dan_P]

Yes, it has been demonstrated on a number of different fish both internally (like salmon) and externally (such as red tilapia* and other species listed in the block quote below), a few different inverts, and even flamingos.** It seems to primarily be a reddening agent (though it has been shown to have some other positive effects too), yes.

"Astaxanthin has been shown to promote growth and skin pigmentation in flame-red dwarf gourami Trichogaster lalius (Baron et al., 2008), blood parrotfish Cichlasoma synspilum × C. citrinellum (Li et al., 2018), green swordtail Xiphophorus helleri (Putra et al., 2020), discus fish Symphysodon (Song et al., 2017), rainbow kurumoifish Melanotaenia parva (Meilisza et al., 2018), and red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii (Cheng and Wu, 2019)."***

A similar effect has been noted for other colors with things like Spirulina (different carotenoids involved though).****

*Source:

Effects of dietary astaxanthin enrichment on enhancing the colour and growth of red tilapia, Oreochromis sp.

The aim of this research was to examine the effects of dietary inclusion of astaxanthin from Haematococcus pluvialis in commercial fish feed on the co…

www.sciencedirect.com

**Source:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/312056401_Flamingo_coloration_and_its_significance

***Source:

Effect of dietary astaxanthin on growth, body color, biochemical parameters and transcriptome profiling of juvenile blood parrotfish (Vieja melanurus ♀ × Amphilophus citrinellus ♂)

To investigate the effects of dietary astaxanthin on fish growth and body color, blood parrotfish juveniles were assigned to three groups: control (CL…

www.sciencedirect.com

****Sources:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/349318472_Effect_of_Spirulina_Flour_on_Changes_of_Color_Intensity_in_Angelfish_Pterophyllum_scalare_Strain_Three_Color

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316959770_EFFECTS_OF_SPIRULINA_POWDER_IN_COLOURATION_AND_GROWTH_ENHANCEMENT_OF_AN_INDIGENOUS_ORNAMENTAL_FISH_TRICHOGASTER_LALIUS

Thanks again!

I knew about color enhancement in flamingoes.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I feed such a variety that I cant pinpoint any given food as a primary contributor to color, but definitely dont lack color or body mass.

 

[jda]

Has anyone actually measured the difference in color after fish started eating color enhancing stuff?

...not that I have ever seen with marine fish. I have fed food with tiny little pieces of flamingo, all of the rage of the day, calanus, roe, cyclops, etc. and I never can tell any difference. Of course, I have always fed a good variety of food since the get-go.

There are some things out there with African cichlids and discus, but most of it comes from the manufacturers. Most breeders and hobbyists that feed a variety don't seem to notice any difference either.

I have no doubt that going from a crummy diet to a good one can help a lot - used to see a lot of this in the 90s when people just wanted to watch the lions, eels and triggers devour goldfish as a diet staple.

 

[jda]

Also, since the NLS came out, I have had many angelfish change to adult colors and look as good as adults from the ocean. That did not happen before, or at least not for me.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I have gone a different route in feeding my tank.
Take some frozen scallops, muscles, shrimp, octopus, clam, krill, nori, frozen black worms and put it into food processor. Then I mix in some NLS pellets, algae pellets, selcon and amino acids a little ro water. Put it into baggies pressed flat and frozen. So cheap compared to frozen cubes. Fish have grown noticeable in just 3 weeks color is good and coral polyps really open up. Wife says it stinks but who cares.

 

[XyPP]

The best of the best

https://www.northfin.com/

 

[Karliefish]

Add selcon to your food .

This worked really well for me to color-up my fish

 

[smklaw]

Balance.

About all that I need to feed anymore is Mysis and NLS Pellets. These get colors that we used to pine for a few decades ago. The vitamins, fatty acids, spirulina, etc. in both of these are what I had to use selcon and zoe for years ago. However, I do mix in some other types of food from roe, seaweed, etc. I get my food from Brine Shrimp Direct and they have a mix called Caribbean Mix that all of my fish love that has all kinds of things in it - it has the astanxanthin and may other things in it. I also feed them pacific plankton (whole) and a few different kinds of pellets here and there - finishing a sack of PE Pellets and Formula 2 pellets that supplement my NLS.

Looked at their site and can’t find that mix
Ideas?

 

[Dbichler]

I can’t pinpoint any food either but if you only feed one food I’d bet you’re not going to get the best coloration of your fish. I feed diy seafood nls algae max pellet reef nutrition flakes red and green algae sheets. My emperor angel transitioned from full juvenile to adult in 3 years from this mixture so it must work. Nls algae max pellets is my most often fed food along with the nori for my tangs but every fish eats that as well.

 

[AydenLincoln]

I can’t pinpoint any food either but if you only feed one food I’d bet you’re not going to get the best coloration of your fish. I feed diy seafood nls algae max pellet reef nutrition flakes red and green algae sheets. My emperor angel transitioned from full juvenile to adult in 3 years from this mixture so it must work. Nls algae max pellets is my most often fed food along with the nori for my tangs but every fish eats that as well.

I do feed a variety! I think variety is good and animals in the wild don’t eat the exact same thing everyday they eat what they can find. Plus I wouldn’t like to eat the same thing everyday lol.

 

[jda]

Looked at their site and can’t find that mix
Ideas?

Frozen Caribbean Reef Mix

AY CARIBE FROZEN CARIBBEAN REEF MIX in convenient cube trays for reef tanks and communities.AY CARIBE CHUNKY FROZEN FLATS is a chunkier, meatier frozen flat for larger fish in a reef environment. AY CARIBE CHUNKY contains fresh frozen rinse

www.brineshrimpdirect.com