Frozen vs. Pellet Foods

[saltwaterfish.com Verified Sponsor]

Frozen vs. Pellet Foods, which do you prefer, do you feed both or prefer to feed one exclusively? I do a mix of both and throw flakes and nori in as well. I think having a well balanced diet helps your fish out long term and keeps their colors nice and vibrant.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I have always been a fan of frozen over pellet food!

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I use both. Fresh twice a day when I am home, and dry flake (Prime Reef) and pellet (TDO chromoboost) 10 total times a day on autofeeders.

 

[Australian_Reef]

I use both, previously I favoured frozen over pellet but lately I’ve moved the other way. Hikari seaweed extreme and vitalis platinum mainly.

 

[exnisstech]

I was almost all frozen with PE mysis being a staple. The last few years I've been feeding frozen flake and pellets of varying sizes but still heavy on the mysis. Fish all look good.

 

[strich]

I use both, previously I favoured frozen over pellet but lately I’ve moved the other way. Hikari seaweed extreme and vitalis platinum mainly.

As a fellow Aussie, have you considered Frenzy Fish Feeds pellets? I've only ever used them and afaik they're the cheaper shipped to door option.

 

[Paul B]

I personally would not feed any dry foods to anything except worms.

Dry foods won't have the essential oils of natural foods, are full of fillers like flour that offer no nutrition and have no living gut bacteria that controls immunity almost 100%.

Just my opinion, but in over 45 years none of my fish have ever been medicated, quarantined or died of any communicable disease and some of them are over 35 years old.

Of course, dry foods won't kill them, it's just not as good and most fish never get dry foods on the reef where they come from.

 

[Australian_Reef]

As a fellow Aussie, have you considered Frenzy Fish Feeds pellets? I've only ever used them and afaik they're the cheaper shipped to door option.

Yes I have. Haven’t as yet but if they had a good veggie pellet I would, especially as I’m getting through 250g a month now.

 

[Australian_Reef]

I personally would not feed any dry foods to anything except worms.

Dry foods won't have the essential oils of natural foods, are full of fillers like flour that offer no nutrition and have no living gut bacteria that controls immunity almost 100%.

Just my opinion, but in over 45 years none of my fish have ever been medicated, quarantined or died of any communicable disease and some of them are over 35 years old.

Of course, dry foods won't kill them, it's just not as good and most fish never get dry foods on the reef where they come from.

To be fair though they very rarely encounter frozen mysis either.

 

[fishface NJ]

Purchased frozen mysis. I make fresh food and freeze of clam, mussels, oysters, and fish eggs.

When I am away from my tank for a week I will feed pellets. This only happens twice a year.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I personally would not feed any dry foods to anything except worms.

Dry foods won't have the essential oils of natural foods, are full of fillers like flour that offer no nutrition and have no living gut bacteria that controls immunity almost 100%.

I recognize you have that opinion, though I do not share it or think it has adequate supporting information to act on it. I also do not get sick fish.

If it was easy to add fresh foods a dozen times a day, I might do it. Depending on the fish one keeps, feeding them many times a day (which is their natural mode of eating) may be as important as maxing the nutrition of each mouthful.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

To be fair though they very rarely encounter frozen mysis either.

Or terrestrial worms.

 

[strich]

I'm actually curious now - can you reliably feed much higher quantities of fresh frozen without breaking the bank? And how can you feed multiple times a day? I find I haven't the time to defrost and feed morning to night.

Would love to hear details.

Dry foods won't have the essential oils of natural foods, are full of fillers like flour that offer no nutrition

Maybe some do, but the ingredient list for frenzy fish feeds here in Australia doesn't have such filler stuff.

 

[EricR]

Frozen only here.
Have some flake for some reason but no fish go for it except clown fish.

Never tried pellets but should.
Would be easier for whoever I get to feed fish when I'm away on vacations, assuming I find some that my fish would eat.

 

[jackintheboxfish]

Genuine question: fish and many marine animals can’t synthesize DHA and EPA which are essential for them. Those are usually not present in pellets because of their poor preservability. So I wonder how do fish that only eat pellet not get health issues?

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

I feed both frozen and dry

 

[BriDroid]

I feed both. Luckily my tank runs really low nutrients ( have to dose NO3 and PO4 daily). I feed NLS marine pellets (a small amount) twice a day and a frozen food slurry (5mL) twice a day with my AF4 auto feeder. The frozen slurry is a mixture of Phyto Feast, Oyster Feast, Arcti Pods, Roti Feast, regular and spirulina mysis and spirulina brine. Even with all this going in, I still have to dose N and P to keep 4.5ppm and 0.052ppm.

 

[Paul B]

To be fair though they very rarely encounter frozen mysis either.

Maybe in Alaska they do.

I recognize you have that opinion, though I do not share it

I know you don't, but they asked for opinions and that is mine.

 

[Paul B]

So I wonder how do fish that only eat pellet not get health issues?

They do, that is why we have disease forums.

 

[BriDroid]

It has always made me laugh when I see frozen food marketed as a treat only???