American Livebearer Association :: Forum

Re: Vacation Feeding [by sleathmd]

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:17:12 -0100

Food & Nutrition::Vacation Feeding
Thanks for your help on this! - Martin

Re: The Multifunctional Dietary Properties of Spirulina and its use in Aquaculture [by mattandtomlivebearers]

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 01:43:49 -0100

Food & Nutrition::The Multifunctional Dietary Properties of Spirulina and its use in Aquaculture
Very good read. Thank you for sharing with us.

Re: Free Hatchery Feed Guide & Yearbook Download [by Melody]

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 01:50:37 -0100

Food & Nutrition::Free Hatchery Feed Guide & Yearbook Download
Thank you, sir!

Re: Feeding Your Fish: How do you do it? [by rcbows]

Sun, 28 Oct 2012 13:29:48 -0100

Food & Nutrition::Feeding Your Fish: How do you do it?
Here is how I feed my fish?

1. Do you feed Flake or Live food and why? I us flake food only, also wafers, & freeze dried.
2. What Brand and why? Usually Tetra and Hikari, because they are available locally. Live food is inconvenient and if I should get sick and go in the hospital my GF has to feed the fish and she wouldn't want to have to feed live foods.
3. How do you do it? Once per day usually 4 or 5 PM
4. Do you use tweezers or your hands? Tweezers, seems more sanitary and able to pick up individual flakes or groups of flakes.
5. Either way do you spill a lot or not? Spill a lot; falls on the shelf in front of tank or onto floor; Sometime tweezers are not tight enough on food.
6. How do you determine how much goes in each tank, and why? This is difficult for me, sometimes put too much; based on number of fish in tank and size.[/i]
7. Are you over feeding? [i]Yes
8. Do you sit and watch each tank eat before you go onto the next, to make sure you gave enough or too much? Yes
9. Do you clean the uneaten food out after each feeding?No
10. If you do and its a fry tank, how do you clean and how do you clean without sucking up fry? I use a small tubing vac DIy 3/16 hose flexible and rigid tubing
11. Do you have multiple tanks?Yes
12. How many and how do you feed them? (38) at last count
13. Water changes how often to keep water quality up after feeding? Once per week on most tanks; Dayly or everyother day on fry tanks

Re: A Batch of Gordon's Formula [by Melody]

Wed, 01 Aug 2012 20:12:19 -0100

Food & Nutrition::A Batch of Gordon's Formula
Beautiful Guppies, Dan! Guppies do well with 30-40% protein in their diet [Shim and Chua, 1986].

If you're going to the trouble of making your own fish food, you could avoid ingredients like commercial food with toxic preservatives (such as ethoxyquin), and source the nutrients naturally rather than add synthetic vitamins. Then you'll truly be offering a optimal nutrition for your efforts.

Avoid vegetables that are high in carbohydrates/starch/sugar and binders like oxalate. To make it more economical, you can use wild vegetables or 'waste' vegetables. Radish greens, for example, are usually tossed by humans, but they're even more nutritious than the radish.

Re: RECALL - Various Brands of Fish Food [by Melody]

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 14:45:58 -0100

Food & Nutrition::RECALL - Various Brands of Fish Food

Purina & Mazuri continue to expand their list of recalled brands due to elevated levels of Vitamin D. You can try to keep up by clicking the 'Animal Health' tab on this page.

For more information about the effects of elevated Vitamin D:

D Is For DEADLY – The Dangers of Excess Vitamin D in Pet Diets

Impact of Increased Temperature on the Fish Gastrointestinal System [by Melody]

Tue, 15 May 2012 17:50:12 -0100

Food & Nutrition::Impact of Increased Temperature on the Fish Gastrointestinal System

Part of the ALA's mission is conservation, and sometimes conservation research provides information that also aids us in fish care.

This study inadvertently demonstrates the impact on the fish gastrointestinal system when environmental temperatures are adjusted. While the effects may vary between species, we should be aware of the potential physiological changes that could occur when we adjust the temperature, or fail to provide optimum temperatures for any species.

The researchers looked at how gut function in various fish species is affected by both rapid and slow changes in water temperature, to better understand what will happen to different species when the climate changes.

"When the temperature of the water rises, the fish's body temperature climbs, activity in the gut increases, and more energy is needed to stay healthy," Gräns said. "Since changes in body temperature affect virtually all of a fish's organs, it's surprising that we know so little about how temperature changes impact on their physiology,"

Full story: Fish Guts Could Say Which Species Survive Climate Change

STUDY: Feeding Behaviour of Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) [by Melody]

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 01:59:56 -0100

Food & Nutrition::STUDY: Feeding Behaviour of Guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

This study provides some insight into the feeding behaviour of Guppies.

ABSTRACT:

The culture of maintenance ornamental fish among Iranian people is developing every day. One of the most important factors in selection aquarium fish is behavior of feeding. The feeding behavior of Guppy is poorly documented. In this experiment we study feeding behavior in P. reticulata by six treatments. Six aquariums with the same dimension were used and two points A & B with the maximum distance from each other were selected in each aquarium. In aquarium No.1 hand move with feeding in point A, in aquarium No.2 hand move without feeding in point A, in aquarium No.3 hand moves in point A and feeding in point B, in aquarium No.4 feeding without hand move in point B, in aquarium No.5 in semi dark conditions hand move with feeding in point A and finally in aquarium No.6 in darkness conditions hand move with feeding in point A were done. In aquarium No.1, 94% of fish moved to point A and in aquarium No.2 it was about 92%. In aquarium No.3, 95.5% of fish moved to point A and in Aquarium No.4, 74.5% of fish moved to point B. In aquarium No 5 and 6, 96% and 99.5% of fish moved and didn’t move to point A, respectively. Our results showed that this species is a visual feeder and a good aquarium fish for their feeding behavior.

Behavior of Feeding in Guppy: Poecilia reticulata

NatuRose: Back & Better Than Ever [by Melody]

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:55:02 -0100

Food & Nutrition::NatuRose: Back & Better Than Ever

I received a question about NatuRose recently which necessitated some digging and correspondence with the company, so I thought I'd share.

There have been some rather nasty rumours going around about this product. The main one is that the NatuRose presently on the market is expired because they stopped producing it several years ago. They did indeed temporarily discontinue the brand and moved into the human supplement market. However, they were able to increase yields so much they ended up with enough to serve both markets and NatuRose was relaunched a couple of years ago. Therefore, there is no need to automatically suspect that online retailers like Ken's Fish are selling NatuRose that is years past its due date.

The other rumor is that NatuRose is preserved with ethoxyquin, which is also no longer the case. They use all natural preservatives now... and kudos to them for that!

Additionally, the product now has a higher percentage of astaxanthin. While it does offer other nutrients, astaxanthin is its main claim to fame.

What I have found online is that competitors or those who otherwise have something to gain, will seed rumors in the hopes that consumers will panic and spread the misinformation further. Always verify anything you read online through reputable sources. Yes, that includes this post...LOL...feel free to contact info@naturose.com to verify this information.

NatuRose is a trademark of Cyanotech Coporation

RECALL - Wardley Advanced Nutrition Perfect Protein Tropical Flake Fish Food [by Melody]

Sat, 31 Mar 2012 19:36:41 -0100

Food & Nutrition::RECALL - Wardley Advanced Nutrition Perfect Protein Tropical Flake Fish Food

Press Release - March 2012

The Hartz Mountain Corporation Recalls Four Lots of Wardley Advanced Nutrition Perfect Protein Tropical Flake Fish Food Because of Possible Salmonella Health Risk

The Hartz Mountain Corporation, located in Secaucus, N.J. is voluntarily recalling product from four specific lots of Wardley® Advanced Nutrition™ Perfect Protein™ Tropical Flake Fish Food 1oz. size due to concerns that one or more containers within the specified lots may have been potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Hartz is fully cooperating with the US Food and Drug Administration in this voluntary recall.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Salmonella can affect animals eating the product and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated products. Especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the product or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe or chronic illnesses.

Salmonella is an organism which can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Salmonella can affect animals eating the product and there is risk to humans from handling contaminated products. Especially if they have not thoroughly washed their hands after having contact with the product or any surfaces exposed to these products. Healthy persons infected with Salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe or chronic illnesses.

The product was shipped nationally from December 20, 2011 through March 15, 2012. In total, 7,056 1-oz. containers of Wardley Advanced Nutrition Perfect Protein Tropical Flake Fish Food, UPC number 0-43324-00591-7, isolated to the lot codes PP34911, PP34912, PP35011 and PP35012, which were manufactured by Hartz at its Pleasant Plain, Ohio facility from two production runs, were shipped. A random sample testing conducted by Hartz as part of its quality control procedures detected the presence of Salmonella in each of the lots specified. Hartz is aggressively investigating the source of the problem.

Although Hartz has not received any reports of animals or humans becoming ill as a result of coming into contact with this product, Hartz is taking immediate steps to remove the product from all retail stores and distribution centers. Fish owners having purchased this product should check the lot code on their containers, and, if the code is not visible, or if the container has the following lot codes PP34911, PP34912, PP35011 or PP35012 imprinted on it, they should immediately discontinue use of the product and discard in the trash.

Consumers can contact Hartz at 1-800-275-1414 (24 hours/day 7 days/week) with any questions they may have and to obtain reimbursement for purchased product.