Why I Feed NLS EXCLUSIVELY To My Fish
U.S. Made Fish Food for the U.S. Bred Fish!
I am normally pretty tight-lipped about this topic because what people think of a product is entirely subjective. I don't speak much about what I choose to feed my fish because in all honesty, in this hobby, its personal preference. There is no right food, and wrong food to feed your fish, AND there will always be people who like to feed certain products to their fish... cat, dog, reptile, animal... child, and there will be brands and products that others will HATE -- and... thats OK!
What it all boils down to, is what your fish will eat. It doesn't matter what kind of food that you buy your fish, or how much money it costs, or where the product originated from if your fish won't eat it.
I am the typical fishkeeper for being a "brand loyalist". It doesn't matter what brand the product is, If I am able to get everything I need from a specific brand, I will convert in a heartbeat. Sure, that sounds fickle, but, people are allowed to change their minds whenever they want. Its how people learn, and grow as time passes.
For example, I used to be a Hikari loyalist... (yeah... I was there once...) Nothing you could say to me about Hikari brand food was going to change my mind about how I felt about the Brand or their food. You could get fry food, baby pellet, small pellet, veggie wafers in ANY category of the fish keeping trade. You could get your pleco pellets, invert sticks, medications, water treatment solutions, etc... you name it, Hikari made it. The appeal of Hikari to me, was that It was more of a "one-stop-shop" and Hikari products were ALWAYS available -- how could it not be with a brand spanning back a hundred years, and the product made to be affordable the world over? I am all about saving money where I can, especially on fish food when you have a ton of fish to feed.
Now, Hikari wasn't the only brand that I have ever tried at this point. I have tried many of lines of food from many different brands including (but not limited to) Omega One, Tetra, a variety of Ken's fish foods, NorthFin, Seachem, API, Aqueon, Wardly, Fluval, Ayazaka, and Dainichi (to name a few...). Every single one of those brands fell short of being a wholesome well balanced food in comparison to NLS, in MY opinion, however, that is not to say that NLS isn't without its faults -- the biggest of which WAS when I first started offering NLS to my fish ages back when I came across the brand. My fish flat out rejected the food entirely. At the time, I was confused and couldn't figure out why... NLS has fantastic ingredients, the pellet is small, and dense so it sinks. It isn't loaded with filler, and it has natural preservatives. "What is the issue, fish??"
I can only relate it to a child who will not eat their veggies at the dinner table and will nearly STARVE to death just so they do not have to eat whats good for them. Humans crave the things that aren't found in the wild: sugar, fat, and carbs via macronutrient foods. You can offer a kid these unhealthy things all day, and then immediately switch them to a more healthy option lacking those desirable ingredients, but, I guarantee it will not be well received. The same rule applies to fish, or cats, or dogs just as equally.
Now, when switching to a new food, I like to stop all food completely for 48 to 72-hours, and get them nice and hungry, and then start them on the new pellet in small quantities and then gradually increase the quantity gradually. This method generally works very well. I believe this process has to be done gradually in order for the switch to be made.
Manufactured pellets make fish keeping easy(er), and some fishkeepers couldn't imagine having to MAKE their own food their fish, because it can be very time consuming having to make yourself food, possibly your family, your other typical American household pets, and then your fish food -- If you are the only person that cooks in the house, and you have to do all of this in addition to making your own food, I FEEL YOUR PAIN!
Anyway, to better elaborate my on my first statement, where I said I do not feed NLS exclusively to my fish, I simply don't. I also feed Repashy, bloodworms, artemia, and daphnia. a varied diet is key in happy healthy fish pigs.
I have been a Repashy gel fish food loyalist since I ever heard about the product. Allen's food is just too good to ever be removed from my fish food stores ('stores' here meaning, stock). Allen and I have had a few conversations before about his fish food, and let me tell ya, he is a perfectionist, but, I like the way he does things. Repashy Super Gold, and Soilent Green was, and has been my staple fish food apart from NLS fish foods because it is so flexible. You can add anything you would like to the mixture, and you fish will eat it! (It is especially good when needing to medicate your fish.)
At the end of the day, what you choose to feed your fish is your choice. It doesn't matter what others think of the food, it matters what your fish think of the food. If you feed Hikari, Omega One, NLS, Repashy, NorthFin, fresh veggies, homemade gel foods -- It doesn't matter. Whatever you choose to feed your fish is the BEST food you could feed your fish.
