The proof is in the poo

[DMD123]

I have been using NLS for many months now with a little Dainichi and Omega One that I had mixed in. The majority was NLS. I noticed that the fish would release these red clouds of poop and also the tank would get absolutely filthy even though I was gravel vac'n three times a week with at least 30-50% changes each time. In an endeavor to have a cleaner tank, I decided to try Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold+. It has a pro-biotic in it that is supposed to reduce waste. I mixed this in with the Omega One and Dainichi and took out the NLS and..... I have had a cleaner tank. the stuff does reduce waste and seems to help it break down.

Just wanted to share the experience mixing this product in my mix. I know there will be debates on the whole food thing but I will use this product because I have seen good results.

 

[Anthraxx]

hrmm i do trust your opinion... and i am sick of all this red crap everywhere

 

[master chi]

Question is.. Is the less waste a matter of a probiotic,or a matter of the food being less digestible?
To me seeing the fish poo is a good sign that your fish are healthy and are properly digesting their supplied diet. Now I do use NLS,but am not against using other brands. It just has been proven over time to be the best overall staple for my fish. Hikari,Omega One,and Dainichi have all been proven to be quality foods as well. I'm not sure you could go wrong with either brand.

 

[DMD123]

To me it seems like more food is being digested and used if the waste is reduced. I had read a review on one of the Oscar websites where the user claimed less waste. So I decided to give it a try and it does seem to reduce the output. I use pill boxes with the days of the week with measured amounts of food in them so the amount fed is about the same as before but just less mess. I think I will mix some NLS with the Bio-Gold+ and see if the combo will reduced the red poo effect. Im not sure I will 100% eliminate the NLS from the diet but I think the Bio-Gold+ does what it says.

 

[fishman09]

See I looked at it completely differently in the fast that NLS poop seemed very well digested and compact and that wasnt the case when using other foods. To me the solid compact poop is better no matter the amount. Only case that would worry me is more poop than whats being comsumed. IMO the more poop the better and NLS poop seems much more formed and processed than on other foods I have used. If more food is being digested more foods will be expelled via waste from what I understand.

 

[Anonymous]

Weird conversation...

I would have to say ,(at the sake of sounding disgusting) your fish has diarrhea. Too much "spicy" foods, spicy as in (this case), something may not be agreeing with the fishes digestive system. The feces should be solid. If the symptoms continue I would cut back on one ingredient of the fishes diet , or cut back to the primary food source (maybe just feed the NLS) for a while. Diarrhea isn't good for any other living creature (besides a cow perhaps).

Good luck!

 

[DMD123]

The fish never really had 'solid' looking waste with NLS. All the fish seemed to poop out these 'red clouds' as they swam along. I have just started mixing in some NLS with the Bio-Gold+ to see if any changes occur. Whatever the case my tank is cleaner now that I feed a limited amount of NLS and the pro-biotic food does seem to help keep the tank cleaner. Every time I gravel vac the proof is in the amount of reduced waste.

 

[lloyd378]

I am not going to say any food is better than another, but i will say that I have heard and experienced with my dogs (there has been tons of research), that the more waste they expel, the more nutrients they are not getting.  If you don't believe me, try feeding your dog kibble and bits for a week or two....sure they will love it, but you will be scooping up poop all of the time. and with my dogs they will be more lethargic and lose some weight.


 With that being said, anything that is being overfed (which does not sound like the case here) will produce more waste.  But I tend to agree that the NLS poop is far more noticeable, probably because of the ingredients to increase the natural color of fish, and not because of a lack of digestibility.  I also like to give my fish a potpourri of food throughout the week, so with all of the variables, I can't pinpoint a food that causes more waste or that gives my fish the most nutrients.  As we all know with science; "You can never prove anything, you can just disprove everything else...."    That quote came from one of my biology professors, but I have heard it numerous times from in psychology classes too and it is fitting for this conversation.

 

[DMD123]

When you take vitamins and your urine is bright colored... you cant help but think how little your body is absorbing. I am not saying NLS is bad by any means but a 100% diet of it left me a messy tank. Mixing with a few other foods helped but still was messy. I am just now mixing NLS with the Bio-Gold+ to see if the whole pro-biotic thing will help. From the experience Ive had so far I dont see any harm putting this in my food mix and the reduced red poo is a huge plus.

 

[Anonymous]

Still an interesting thread...
I don't have any scientific information to add. Your using some of the best foods on the market. I know if my fish developed diarrhea I would be doing what I can to elevate it if its a regular thing. I think I've seen this from time to time when I was raising big fish but never on a regular basis.