Spirulina fish food

[dekstr]

I did some research and thought all fish like spirulina.

Today, I bought a 20 gram (the smallest size) container of spirulina flakes made by Big Al's. They market it as "specially formulated for all types of aquarium fish".

The ingredients say: "spirulina meal, fish meal, wheat germ oil, oat flour, algae meal, kelp, carrot, fish liver meal, small river shrimp meal, various vitamins and minerals. Contains no artificial flavour and colouring."

"Guaranteed analysis: protein 45% min, crude fate 5%, crude fiber 10% max, moisture 8% max".



I tried feeding it today to my tetras and they wouldn't bite. So that sucks.
The only thing that eats it are the cherry shrimps, since they eat about anything. Also, the protein percentage seems really high.

Anyone else with experience with feeding spirulina? What fish species did you feed it to successfully? Maybe I bought an old jar? Just noticed that there's no expiry date.

[fshfanatic]

I use "Aquatrol 20" and have yet to have a fish refuse it.

[spypet]

carnivore fish hate veggie food,
even algae eaters avoid the stuff.
I've been saying it all year.
just be glad you wasted your
money on the smallest amount.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fi...food-find.html

[mistergreen]

What exactly is spirulina by the way? is it BGA? or hair algae of some sort?

[SearunSimpson]

I never actually feed spirulina directly by itself. I usually find a food that has it in it, like NLS or simmilar. But if you want to feed it exclusively (which I don't suggest), you sometimes have to ''fast'' your fish onto it, by like, only dropping in a bit of it, and only it for a few days. The fish will learn quickly that it is edible.

[dekstr]

Originally Posted by spypet

carnivore fish hate veggie food,
even algae eaters avoid the stuff.
I've been saying it all year.
just be glad you wasted your
money on the smallest amount.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/fi...food-find.html

Well I guess I can keep trying--maybe mix it in some frozen brine shrimp water to get extra flavour. The only reason I bought it was because it was cheap $3. What food do you recommend that won't break the bank (i.e. not spending $15 on 150 grams of flake food)?

Originally Posted by mistergreen

What exactly is spirulina by the way? is it BGA? or hair algae of some sort?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiruli...ry_supplement)

Apparently it has "magical" effects for even humans.

[dekstr]

Originally Posted by SearunSimpson

I never actually feed spirulina directly by itself. I usually find a food that has it in it, like NLS or simmilar. But if you want to feed it exclusively (which I don't suggest), you sometimes have to ''fast'' your fish onto it, by like, only dropping in a bit of it, and only it for a few days. The fish will learn quickly that it is edible.

Do you think it's worth feeding spirulina exclusively? I mean it's supposed to have contain a lot of essential nutrients. The only argument I have against it as an exclusive diet is that it's not the fishes' natural food--flakes contain a wider range of foods that it is probably better.

"Protein

Spirulina contains unusually high amounts of protein, between 55 and 77% by dry weight, depending upon the source. It is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine, and lysine, as compared to standard proteins such as that from meat, eggs, or milk. It is, however, superior to all standard plant protein, such as that from legumes.

Essential Fatty Acids

Spirulina is rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and also provides alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA).

Vitamins

Spirulina contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E. The bioavailability of vitamin B12 in Spirulina is in dispute. Several biological assays have been used to test for the presence of vitamin B12. The most popular is the US Pharmacopeia method using the Lactobacillus leichmannii assay. Studies using this method have shown Spirulina to be a minimal source of bioavailable vitamin B12. However, this assay does not differentiate between true B12 (cobalamin) and similar compounds (corrinoids) that cannot be used in human metabolism. Cyanotech, a grower of spirulina, claims to have done a more recent assay, which has shown Spirulina to be a significant source of cobalamin. However the assay is not published for scientific review and so the existence of this assay is in doubt.

Minerals

Spirulina is a rich source of potassium, and also contains calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, and zinc.

Photosynthetic Pigments
Spirulina contains many pigments including chlorophyll-a, xanthophyll, beta-carotene, echinenone, myxoxanthophyll, zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin, diatoxanthin, 3'-hydroxyechinenone, beta-cryptoxanthin, oscillaxanthin, plus the phycobiliproteins c-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin."

[ikuzo]

pure spirulina is expensive. it is used by hobyist to enhance their fish color before going to a contest. sometimes mixed with astaxanthin to achive great color but can make your fish infertile.

[SearunSimpson]

I believe spirulina actually comes from a seaweed of some sort. Yes, it is said to have magical powers on humans, though, i guess those magic stores are called health food stores and you can get it there too. Its sorta pricey though, for the pure stuff from health food stores, but it is good to add into your home made mix. It is used to colour up your fish usually though.

I wouldnt feed it to your fish exclusively still, except for fry:
Mix some in with some water, and make a paste, and slowly add more water. Use a pipette to squeeze into a fry tank. I know this works for a "first" food for a bit untill they are able to take larger foods.

[mistergreen]

nope. Spirulina is

Spirulina is the common name for human and animal food supplements produced primarily from two species of cyanobacteria: Arthrospira platensis, and Arthrospira maxima. These and other Arthrospira species were once classified in the genus Spirulina

from Wiki..

So you can grow your own... We all grow algae.