Are these ingredients suitable for homemade fish food?

[rockyfox]

I recently came across some fish pellets and thought I'd share the ingredients with you all to get your thoughts. Here's what's in them: sword prawn, Jingou shrimp, squid, wheat germ, spirulina, Ganoderma polysaccharides, Norwegian seaweed, corn, garlic, minerals, vitamins A, D3, C, E, B1, B2, B6 & B12, β-carotene, folic acid, nicotinic acid, pantothenic acid and essential amino acids like methionine and lysine.

[bettaMagenta]

The ingredients listed don't match the brand I'm using, but I do agree that corn is the one thing that raises some questions.

I also noticed wheat germ isn't in my brand, interesting difference.
My brand does contain garlic though - I'm curious, is that for flavor or actual nutritional value?

[WildFins]

I usually pay attention to the top ingredients. The first five look alright to me. Not a fan of the wheat germ, but it's the only land-based grain in that initial list. Plus, no fish meals, that's a plus.

[boomer]

I agree with wildfin, avoiding meals is key. Instead, go for whole fish or shrimp. Cereals aren't easily digested, but they're often used as binders, so they're hard to avoid unless you're making your own food.

[graye]

Icelandic seaweed would make me feel better about this. The "Norwegian" label seems like a marketing ploy to me, trying to appeal to the new age crowd. I use a type of seaweed from a local island and it's fantastic for my herbivores. But let's be real, it's the same sea and the same seaweed as what's in Norway. I recall the Norwegian Blue parrots from Monty Python - not exactly the most reassuring association.

[Nutty]

I've used food that's similar to what they'd find in nature.

[graye]

Good fish food is work, and it takes space. I've got daphnia tubs, but to be honest, daphnia's overhyped. My test is how many eggs my killies produce on different diets - daphnia's only slightly better than high-quality flake. I hatch brine shrimp daily, and in my large setup, I buy them in bulk - one pound cans, twice a year, at $0.50 CAD per day. I culture white worms too, which give great results when used every few days. In season, mosquito larvae are another great option.

I do feed some flake, but I choose it based on the nutritional breakdown, not the ingredients. Some fish need fibre, some need protein, and so on. A diet of just prepared food is like living off supermarket frozen meals - it's not ideal. Fish will put on weight with prepared foods, and they're great for growth, but that's not enough for me.

When I was younger, live food was out of the question - it's complicated, and I didn't have the space. Sometimes I spend an hour in the fishroom, working on the cultures, and barely touch the tanks. I'm a bit of a food snob, I guess - I'd rather skip a meal than microwave a prepared package. I like to feed my fish well. Seaweed in food? Great, but I prefer to give them the real thing - seaweed torn off dried leaves is cheaper and better. My rainbows and milleri platys love dulse.

In a few hours, I'll be heading out to learn more about my favourite fish, and while I'm away, the fish will be eating bug bites. I've got someone who knows what they're doing coming in to feed them every few days. Those prepared foods are useful, especially bug bites, which have led to good egg production in my killies. For me, it's all about the nutritional breakdown, especially the fibre content - that's what matters.