kimmy Hi All.

Well FINALLY found a NLS wholesaler that would deal and ship it international to me after contacting MANY places around the world Faint

I would like comments from you all on how much do you use for how many fishies monthly or yearly???

I am planning on ordering it for my fish breeding/project Now this should be good!

Also what types do you use for fry and adults? I have been told by the wholsaler that the Cichlid Formula is the best and comes in pellet sizes of 1mm, 3mm, 5mm, 7.5mm. Should i use pellets for fry or crushed flakes?

geelite, I may be wrong, but I think there is a fry formula...NLS Grow??? Something like that!

You can always crush up flakes or pellets, though.

I don't use NLS. I have in the past, but I don't use it anymore, so hopefully someone else can chime in with the info you need.

Whenever I feed pellets, I prefer to go with a smaller size than the fish actually need.

If your fish are accustomed to eating flake, I would make the transition to pellets very gradually rather than force it on them all at once.

It doesn't matter how good the food is, that's just a good practice.

Kim

Hello Kim, Yes they do have the Spectrum Grow Formula (0.5mm), i just recieved the pdf catalogue & price list Wiggle it just a little bit!

I have never used NLS either, its just that 95% of people in another thread saying they use it so i thought i will go for it too. I use Ocean Nutrition, and also want to get something that i can get direct rather then getting it from my LFS, too expensive as it is here.

I understand what you mean.

I like Hikari and Dainichi, and I think most of the Ocean Nutrition foods are great, too.

I tried NLS for about 6 months. I couldn't see that it made any difference in my fish appearance wise, so my guess is that they were pretty healthy to start with! So, I discontinued use of it.

Others swear by it...

I'm of the opinion that as long as you are feeding A quality food and your fish are doing well, you've got it under control!

Kim

Sorry, I'm not touching that one anymore, got me in too much trouble

What???wabawhat?? YOu have nothing to say???wabawhat?? And your actually going to keep your mouth shut??? wabawhat??


Good Gawd what is going on here!!!Spark on the debate my friend!!This is CH you know!


On the Floor Laughing Giggly On the Floor Laughing


On a note about the NLS

I have used it.It is a good food.Highly overrated in my opinion but nonetheless a good food.Before you go buy a huge shipment of the stuff I would pehalps order a small amount and try for yourself.If you see a difference then go for it.There are many great foods out there so do some research and try them out

Derek

Trouble??? What trouble???

This is OUR forum! Good Job

Sounds like geelite is paying a fortune for the food he's getting...Is the NLS (shipping and all) going to be any cheaper?

Kim

I really like the NLS. I've tried lots of other brands, but this is the one that I like the best. I use the 1mm pellets for all sizes of fish.

I don't know if I'd say it's overrated or just obnoxiously pushed by some. Just my opinion, but it's a good food, a little goes a long way, and I don't see much poop as a result. I did not notice any dramatic changes in fish color or any of that sort of thing, however.

I would definitely try to get a small amount to try first. You don't want to end up with a 5 lb. bucket of something that you are not happy with.

LOL yes perhalps that a better choice of words when it comes to NLS

On the Floor Laughing

Whats going on here CH??? dumb dumb ...now i'm not so sure about NLS Hmmmm

I cant just get a small amount and test, no one has NLS here on the island idunno

NLS is a good quality food. That said no single food should make up your fishes entire diet. You'll get better growth and color with a varied diet of quality foods. HBH & NLS makes a good line of fish food I'm sure others can recommend what they have been
using.

But they are probably a bunch of closet NLS feeders! Nanananaa

Don't mind the sarcasm of the responses to your thread it has been the (sore)subject of
"debate" in many past threads in many forums.

I'm using NLS almost exclusively again. I did a year's trial with exclusively using HBH foods now I'm switching back but I will use different foods to supplement their diet.

Now this should be good!

Cool...i just sent an email to HBH. I might get bulk from both.

Dave is perfectly correct with that statement. I too feed NLS to certain fish but not exclusively. My fish never get the same food two days in a row. Here is what I feed:

Several types of flake food including spirulina, spirulina wafers, NLS, frozen blood worms, frozen mysis, frozen brine shrimp, freshly hatched live brine shrimp, earth worms, raw shrimp plus any other good stuff I can get my hands on.

I really like the HBH Veggie Flake, and I also like Omega One products. (just to confuse you more, geelite!) I really really liked the HBH African Cichlid Attack, but have never started back using it after they had the recall last year.

I prefer flake over pellet just because in my twisted little mind I believe it is easier to digest...(Who knows if it is! It's just what I think...)

I do feed some pellets to my oscars - there is no way I would attempt to feed flake to those pigs...

And I don't have any problem with NLS, people who use NLS, or fish who eat NLS. Giggly

There are foods I won't touch...Wardley's products are off limits in my house.

I do think a variety is necessary when keeping a ton of different species with different dietary needs, but I also believe that one quality food is sufficient in most cases!

Blanched spinach goes over well in my tanks, as do blanched and shelled green peas. I've raised live baby brine shrimp for my ram fry, and I've made the homemade European shrimp mix for my big boys. I've even been known to put an orange slice in my tanks now and then, the fish seem to love it!

Basically, I try to keep it simple and nutritious, but not too varied during one time frame, because if I do have problems, I want to know where they are coming from!

Kim

Things are starting to get clearer now and thanks for the info DaveB, Buntbarsch and Kim.

Well i'm just gonna order all my stuff from Jehmco and get it shipped to me, and i'll order different foods from different brands and a whole lot of different products, they got everything Wiggle it just a little bit!

Since your starting out with multiple tanks, you can run your own experiments and try the foods out on different tanks. This will be a good way to determine what is working best for you and for the fish!

Kim

I will touch this because I am honest and I have nothing to hide. I couldnt comment like I wanted to before on other forums. I dont like the way certain people conduct themselves on some forums- pushing NLS like its the filet mignon of fish food. Does the name RD sound familiar to anyone? He is a self pompous @ss. And thats the nicest thing I can say about him.

Here is what I know- he bullies people and puts them on such a guit trip, they actually believe that whatever they feed their fish is harming them. Well its not all true. When you ask him to show you pictures of his fish, he posts pictures of his friends stock....I doubt he has any tanks of his own. He wouldnt have time to maintain then always having to stroke that big ego of his. I have seen him give Klaus a lot of crap for no reason. On one hand you have a lifetime of experience and knowledge, on the other just an obnoxious guy who sells fish food. Ask him how many forums have banned him, he must be a helluva nice guy...

The hobby has been around for decades prior to NLS being invented. So not all fish food can be that bad. Kim, Dave, and Klaus have good feeding tips...

I tried NLS. Its expensive. It didnt make my fish grow any quicker, they didnt color any better etc... but try it for yourself

I fed HBH Cichlid attack pellets to 15 cyprichromis fry and NLS to 12 cyprichromis fry of the same batch. Two seperate tanks of fry from the same batch- they grew the same, no color difference either. I tried the same experiment with Ruby Red Peacocks and yellow labidichromis- same results. I have read hobbyists say that peaock fry color earlier on NLS. That hasnt held true in any of my experiments.
NLS- $28, HBH $4...you do the math. Only truth I can see is that NLS is the true bandwagon fish food in the hobby. I couldnt produce the claimed results in my experiments to see it living up to its hype

sorry if I offended anyone with my opinion.

I have found best results growing peacocks/haps on nls 1mm, and then switching to tetra colour bits once they hit 3-4" or so. What works for me doesnt work for everyone though, just what i personally prefer.

les. i am a firm believer that peacocks colour based on genes. certain foods definetly bring out certain colours, but i have peacocks all feeding on the samething. some types will colour up fully at 1.5", and i have others at 2.5" not fully coloured.

Les, you should be flogged for bringing up that name. Nanananaa

I have fed a lot of different prepared foods down through the years. And as I am sure Klaus can tell you, prepared foods have come along way. I have tried NLS and like others have posted, havnt seen any real bonis to feeding exclusivley. Like Klaus, I also feed a varied diet to my fish...even letting the Mongolings feed my "tank busters" crickets and junebugs. I think that like us, our fish do better on a varied diet. I feed HBH, HaiKari, Omega one, Daianchi, frozen foods and fresh foods (both meat and veggies). I think that with a varied diet I have seen my fish exhibit more energy and have colored up better and faster.

I bought a one pound bucket of NLS almost two years ago, and I am just now getting down to the end. I wont buy another one, I just dont see that my fish eat it as well as they do other types of food. I have read the articles and I havnt seen the things posted other places. My fish, all of them, seem to eat the HaiKari pellets better than just about any other type of prepared food stuff. And the price difference is another issue. I can buy two containers of either HaiKari or Daianchi pellets as compared to one container of NLS.

So, taken for what its worth...which is free...I just dont see spending the money on food that dosnt work for me. I know that there are hobbiests out there that swear by NLS, and if it works for them, then do what works. But like others have posted, buy small and test it out before you go in full tilt. Good luck and keep us informed on your process.

Mongo, the fog has cleared and i see crystal clear now or unless someone else spoils it blinky

Les, who's RD? and whats the story? is he like the Dr Phill of Cichlid foods wannabe? or maybe i should not talk about it Hmmmm ...

Bradley, you are right- peacocks color as the males become dominant and as a result of genetics. Also, I agree Tetra color food definitely enhances the coloration once they are starting to color up. It seems to really bring out vivid reds and oranges. I dont want to get into specifics but you can plainly see on the label what is in the the ingredients food to enhance color...I have forgotten more about all this stuff lately- but I believe the main color enhancing ingredient is either astaxanthin or a derivative- and it works.

If you see beautifully colored 2" peacocks at the lfs or at a major chain such as Petco or PetSmart, its best to stay away as they have most likely been injected with a male hormone to get them to color up. Usually, the immediate color they display is temporary.

Gee...I would rather not get into a full blown discussion about RD. Im sure enough people who are reading what I have been posting are shaking their heads at me already. I dont want to come back on forums and be perceived as a bad guy....he is very knowledgable....however he pushes NLS on people harder than high pressure sales people trying to sell you a time share...I guess thats ok, its what makes sales people successful. But, if you dont agree with him, he utilizes forums as a tool to try and humiliate you for all to see. Thats why I dislike him. He hasnt done this to me, but I just dont care to see others trashed that way. Nobody deserves that

Food Discussion

Here is a link to one of the more civil and intelligent(at times) discussions regarding a couple of different fish foods on the market.

I think it pays to read what the primary ingredients are in the food you are feeding your fish no matter who's brand of fish food u use.

Enjoy
Cheers!!!

I use the NLS most of the time. I mix in a few others on a weekly basis but I use NLS for 2 reasons.
1) I have never had a problem with it and
2) One of my Club members is a distributor and I get it at a decent price.

I go through 2 of the large tubs per year on the 1mm cichlid each year.
and a couple of small containers of .5 grow.

I have tried a lot of others when I get containers at shows or meetings but saw
no difference (and no it was never for an extended test or time) so I keep using what I am used to.

Lazy I guess. peek a boo

NAH, ITS NOT LAZINESS. Its sticking to what works for you- smart way to be Good Job

Dave, RD seems to have cooled out since being banned by everyone so many times, but nevertheless still a salesman Now this should be good!

Hmmmm ..I see the "sponsors" forum is a little short of help. Perhaps Derek can pay RD to stop by and give a lecture on NLS for people to get a better understanding on HIS product???? On the Floor Laughing

You guys ought to be taken out back and beat with a four foot section of garden hose for even bringing up the name RD (which stands for "Royal D**khead" in my opinion).

GL, we "dinosaurs" have a bad taste (no pun intended) in our mouths on the subject of NLS. I case you havnt noticed, we had some people who attempted to cram the stuff down our throuts as the end all be all fish food. And no amount of argument would dissuede them from singing its praises from every piece of realestate taller than their collective IQs. We were even told that we werent feeding our fish right because we didnt have exactly the same results that they were having. So take our responses with a grain of salt. I still stick by my earlier suggestion, buy some and try it out...do an experiment where you feed one tank NLS and another something else. That way you can make up your own mind. No one should ever tell you that your way is wrong or wont work. I have been keeping fish for over 25 years now and I constantly learn new things from the "new guys".

4mongo

I bought a 5 pound bucket of NLS Cichlid 1mm 6 months ago for about $45 US on ebay plus $5 shipping. I feed it to the larger fish in my 55G and my 33L (3.5" max size now) but feed flake to my smaller/younger ones.

I have barely made a dent in that 5 lb. bucket in 6 months!

The fish do love it and I definitely saw a growth spurt when I started using it instead of Tetra Spirulina flakes. I give the tanks a little flake as well because there always seem to be a couple of fish who prefer it... always my albinos for some reason.

I'm sure there are many other foods that would have produced the same growth.

I make sure to keep it away from my Demasoni -- I've read they have longer intestinal tracts so it seemed unwise. Dunno if that's old wive's tale.

Hope this helps!

Don

Thank you all for your input Faint

Pseudospecialops, I don't know about my wife's back side, but I feed it to my demasoni.
On the Floor Laughing On the Floor Laughing
Raised and sold a lot of them over the years.

On the Floor Laughing On the Floor Laughing On the Floor Laughing

G hope you got all the info you need for your project.

Cheers!!!

psst! don't ever start a thread on the ideal qualities of a Yellow Lab! bring it on!

Is that a hint Hmmmm or you really mean it Giggly

Wow, I had no idea that there were so many that had these feelings about RD!! (He's always been helpful to me.) I know he can be extremely pushy about NLS, but I didn't know it was that bad. take that and that!

(My demasoni eat it exclusively and do fine with it too, Pseudo. )

I am sure its good food, I just dont follow the hype. Seems to be just as good as most better brands of food, but its cost prohibitive for me. I will stick to HBH Cichlid Attack pellets because I can buy them in bulk much cheaper. I get 8 pounds for about $32.

Also, that "guy" can be very charming and helpful- until the day you disagree with him Giggly

I heard he is living downstairs in Kim and Pete's house these days On the Floor Laughing

I have never tried the Cichlid Attack. I had a bunch of it they sent for the club but ended up throwing a couple of cases away after the recall a few months back.
You did see that right?
I hope to get more in March when I start sending out the begging letters again.

This is old -- I know, but figured I would post the link. I don't remember if it was posted on this forum or not.

HBH

I was in a store the other day and they had the same stuff. I wonder how we know what is old recalled stuff and what is new stuff. same packaging.

Like I said, old news. Not trying to start something but just wanted to make sure you knew.

Pat

I was about to post exactly what Finman57 posted. I hate it when someone beats me to it!

And I had bought a new container right before the recall and never took the time to take it back. Ended up tossing it to avoid accidents. Grrrr

thats a good point about the recall....I buy mine from Ken's fish (you can check him out online as I dont want to put in plugs for anyones business)

I am told that he returned his bulk purchases- anything you buy from him is new from his distributor. He buys in bulk and repackages your order in half pound bags.

You could conceivably make safer purchases when buying from a dealer as opposed to a store that you may not completely trust?

I don't think its so much of trust with a store as it is that even though they may know, they do not know where their distributor gets it and how long it sat in a warehouse.
I think I threw away around 50 or 60 cans of stuff. Even though we did not pay for it, it still hurt to see it go into the trash can. lol

So is the HBH Cichlid Attack pellets ok now to buy people?

geelite, it was pulled from the shelves here and returned to the manufacturer, so I'm assuming that what is avaible to us now is good.

I can't remember exactly what was wrong with it, something along the lines of the dog food scare and plastics??? (Am I totally losing it and making that up???)

Kim

It should be fine. The press release that I had the link for in my post is dated last June.