Powdered diet vs Whole food diet

[PuddlesAqua]

I posted a thread a while back about how my yellow neos don't eat solid foods. Not vegetables, not veggie tablets, not algae tablets, not shrimp pellets, not frozen brine shrimp or worms, nothing. But I supplement their biofilm diet with some powdered foods. They molt well, they get berried and have babies, they are thriving.

So what is necessarily bad about a biofilm and powdered food diet? What is inherently superior in a whole food diet?

[mordalphus]

Feeding strictly powdered foods is dirty.

Also you are limited to the foods that come in powder.

It's also impossible to know if your shrimp are even eating the powdered food, or how much they are eating of it.

I guess it comes down to your personal preference, but you need to keep a close eye on your nitrates and phosphates if you continue to feed only powdered foods. A buildup of waste is bad for your shrimp.

[PuddlesAqua]

Yes, I'd prefer to feed solids but I haven't quite figured out what they want yet. I guess powdered food would decompose and raise nitrates, where do the increased phosphates come from?

[altiuscitius]

Originally Posted by PuddlesAqua

where do the increased phosphates come from?

From breakdown of organic matter, ie the powdered food, same as the nitrates.

[mordalphus]

Originally Posted by PuddlesAqua

Yes, I'd prefer to feed solids but I haven't quite figured out what they want yet. I guess powdered food would decompose and raise nitrates, where do the increased phosphates come from?

try starving them for a week, then buy one of the food sample bags several of the members here offer. Then after starving for a week, offer them several different pieces and see which one they like.

[Betta Maniac]

My TBs are the same. I *FINALLY* got them to try spinach this week after not feeding them for several days, but they completely ignore any solid food I put in the tank (with the exception of one little guy who always nibbles).

[Sharpchick]

What about repashy shrimp food?

[Betta Maniac]

My CBS love Repashy, but they mob everything.

[GeToChKn]

My CRS/CBS/golden go nuts for anything I give them. Powered food gets them into a frenzy in the water like someone just molted. Repashy food, they are looking for it before it even sinks to the bottom. Barely pellets they go nuts and fight over. Spinach gets a huge ball of shrimp that covers it until even the stems are gone and they pulled the spinach out from under the elastic holding it down. Blood worms create tug of war contests.