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What Constitutes a Superior Fish Food?

While there are still many unknowns in the subject of tropical fish nutrition, especially if one takes into account the thousands of various ornamental species that hobbyists keep and breed in captivity, when it comes to commercially prepared diets, in my opinion the best approach is to use a high quality food that satisfies the crude requirements of all species, especially with marine fish. Freshwater fish may only look mediocre on a mediocre diet, but most will survive. Saltwater fish, on the other hand, must have a nutritionally complete and properly balanced diet; it is a matter of life and death in many of the more demanding species such as Surgeonfish, Angelfish and Butterfly fish.

This is a basic guideline I will suggest as to how to choose a superior fish food:

1. Palatability: Fish are governed by olfactory senses and to certain extent taste buds. Needless to say, unless the fish is attracted to the food, no matter how nutritionally superior it may be, it will be useless.
   
   
2. Food as energy intake has to surpass energy output (i.e., locomotion, metabolic function, etc.), especially in marine fish. Even though they may be eating in an aquarium, they can and often will waste away slowly until they cease to exist. A nutrient packed food will produce substantial growth rate and optimum health.
   
   
3. The type of protein used has to be easily digested and absorbed by herbivores, omnivores and carnivores. As stated earlier, fish do not receive an abundant food source in our miniscule aquarium environments. Whatever food you feed, it must provide ample daily nutritional requirements for the fish to thrive. Superior food generally produces less waste, hence less pollution in your aquarium.
   
   
4. A high quality fish food should be able to bring out the wide spectrum of natural colors in a fish, not just the color red. It should not turn a Yellow Tang or Yellow Labidochromis orange, which is often caused by excessive use of astaxanthin.
   
   
5. Fat content should ideally be below 10% to avoid fatty liver disease, except in the case of juvenile fish, which require fat as an immediate energy source in order to spare the much-needed protein for building muscle.
   
   
6. Choose a food that can maintain long-term health for years, not months. I have personally maintained numerous Angelfish, Surgeonfish, Butterfly Fish, etc., for over 10 years, and they show no sign of aging! How long do fish live if their nutritional needs are met? I suspect that in many cases it should be 20+ years. I also suspect that very few hobbyists have kept the aforementioned species of fish alive for such long periods of time. For some people one or two years would be considered a success story! We are not talking about Damsels, Clown fish, Triggerfish, or other species that are rather easy to keep in captivity, but the marine species that are considered ultra delicate by most hobbyists.
   
   
7. Superior food generally produces less waste, hence less pollution in your aquarium. In other words, excess undigested protein, fiber, minerals (ash), will expel through the gills and feces creating phosphate, ammonia, and nitrogen compounds. This is the reason why Kelp, Spirulina, grain and other difficult to digest proteins should keep at a reasonable percentage. Many hobbyists seem to think that they have to add more Kelp, vegetable matter or Spirulina into their fish's diet, unknowingly adding more pollution to their aquarium. Fish simply cannot utilize all the additional mineral (ash) and fiber. A quality food usually contains ample amount of vegetable matter and minerals. Always remember, what goes in has to eventually come out.

Many might ask whether a food that fits all of the criteria described above even exists?

It is with great reluctance that I say yes, New Life Spectrum fish food. This philosophical concept and 30 plus years of cumulative experience in commercial fish breeding form the foundation for formulating this food.

For some people this might be viewed as self-serving, but by not revealing this fact, I would be guilty of playing games in fear of criticism. In my opinion, it would be unethical for me to not mention my food, in the same way that it would be unethical for a person to discover a drug that could cure malaria, but withhold the information since it might be viewed as self-promoting due to potential financial gain. I do not consider telling the truth as self-promotion, and my business philosophy has always been "marketing through education." In the end the truth will always prevail, and falsehoods will be exposed. I am certainly not a legend in my own mind that is willing to ruin my reputation after 35 years in the Tropical fish industry. People who claimed it can’t be done have not yet used New Life Spectrum foods, or they are using them only as supplemental food. As of today, none of the so-called experts has proven me wrong.

People who use New Life Spectrum along with many other foods might attribute their fish looking healthier because of a varied diet. This is far from being the case. If New Life Spectrum is not incorporated into the diet, chances are the hobbyist will notice the deterioration of both health and color within 30 days. If you want your fish to look their best, the key is to feed New Life Spectrum exclusively. New Life Spectrum is the only food that makes a very specific guarantee: Feed New Life Spectrum exclusively for 10 days, and you will notice the enhancement in color and vitality of your fish or we will refund your money. I want to emphasize the word "notice" but it will take at least 30 days to show the full benefit of feeding Spectrum exclusively.

Many people might wonder why exclusively?

The beauty of New Life Spectrum is the simplicity of a sole food that provides your fish an optimal diet. Sometimes hobbyists that keep reef aquariums are able to maintain healthy fish with frequent water changes (adding trace elements), addition of vitamins and minerals, and numerous sources of foods that are comprised of a balanced diet. But, with New Life Spectrum anyone can take the guesswork and mystery out of fish feeding and maintain thriving fish reliably and consistently. In other words, you can utilize complex methods and your fish may thrive, or you can use a very simple method of feeding New Life Spectrum and watch your fish thrive. The choice is entirely up to you.

In order for the fish to thrive all nutrients have to be met in the correct proportions, such as: Calcium, Iodine, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Sodium, Potassium, Iron, Copper, Zinc, Manganese, Selenium, Chorine, Carbohydrates, Fiber, Vitamin A, B6 & B12, C, D2 & D3, E, K2 & K3, Pantothetic Acid, Niacin, Biotin, Thiamin, Riboflavin, folic Acid, Myoinositol, Omega 3 & 6, all amino Acids: Arginine, Histidine, Isoleucine, Lysine, Methionine, Phenylalanine, Threonine, Trytophan, Valine.

If one uses vitamins in excess, it can cause hypervitaminosis in the fish; if too little is used, it will cause poor health. When you feed your fish with a variety of food, somehow you hope to give them a balanced diet, but do you honestly know what is in your "mix" of foods? In reality, it is guesswork at best. We have painstakingly experimented for many years to come up with the right proportions to produce healthy fish, and the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

We have conducted experiments for over 10 years at New Life International. We have managed to keep Parrotfish, Angelfish, Surgeonfish, Triggerfish, Butterfly fish, and even some of the more difficult species such as Rock Beauty, Regal Angel, and Moorish Idol just to name a few, and all exclusively fed with New Life Spectrum. We have yet to encounter lateral line and/or fin erosion, or hole in the head syndrome. If they will eat New Life Spectrum, chances are they will thrive. We also experimented with Malawi and Tanganyikan cichlids, as well as numerous species of herbivore, omnivore, and carnivorous freshwater Tropical fish without encountering any dietary issues, including bloat. Not even in the ultra-sensitive digestive track of species such as Tropheus moorii and Labeotropheus!

This is why our guarantee extends only to exclusive feeding. We know what the fish is getting in its diet with New Life Spectrum, but we simply cannot guarantee other companies' food—in most cases, we don't even know exactly what is in it. Krill and whole Herring are the most easily digestible sources of protein, and they have the best amino acid profile with the added bonus of omega 3 fatty acids. It should be a no brainer to use these ingredients as the main protein source, but good ingredients cost money, and the result is less profit for the manufacturer.

Unfortunately, like most things in life, it all boils down to the bottom line…$$$$$$.

Human nature tends to resist change and this new concept might not be widely accepted by the majority of hobbyists, as the concept of feeding a varied diet has been cemented into the conscious and subconscious mind of almost every hobbyist worldwide. Don't be an expert too quickly, as many of the so-called experts are people who simply know so much that they have no room left in their heads to learn anything new. As for myself, I will always be a bare-footed Charlie! There are always new things surfacing on the frontier of fish keeping, so I always keep an open mind to new information and discoveries. To quote David E. Boruchowitz, the editor of Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine, "Much of scientific wisdom today began as heresies of another time."

In the end it's really up to aquarists to experiment in their own aquariums, and draw their own conclusions, and I would strongly encourage fish keepers to experiment with even one aquarium, or one fish, and chart the results.

Remember, only dead fish follow the current. Review the facts and think for yourself.