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Food Comparison

8.8K views 57 replies 23 participants last post by  AyalaCookiejar  
#1 ·
First let me start this thread by putting in a disclaimer:
I am in no way recommending or suggesting one brand of food over the other or saying one brand is better than another.
Now that I have that out of the way for all those who will want to climb all over me because they think I am not recommending what they use. :twisted:
What you want to look for is what is IN the food. Ingredients are listed in the order of quantity contained in the food. The first ingredient listed is what there is the most of, second is second greatest quantity, so on and so fourth.
IMO it is generally considered by most that you want the most plentiful ingredients to be natural, as opposed to 'fillers.' All foods will have some fillers, you just have to consider how much.

You read and compare! Then make your own decision!

Ocean Nutrition
Ingredients
Pure brine shrimp embryos | wheat flour | vitamins (stabilized ascorbic acid, vitamin E supplement, niacin | thiamine mononitrate | folic acid | calcium pantothenate | riboflavin | menadione sodium bisulfate complex | Vitamin A acetate | pyridoxine HCL | Vitamin B12 supplement | Vitamin D3 supplement, biotin) and preservatives (calcium propionate, ethoxyquin).

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New Life Spectrum
Ingredients:
Whole Antarctic krill meal, whole herring meal, whole wheat flour, algae meal, garlic, soybean isolate, beta carotene, spirulina, vegetable and fruit extract (spinach, red and green cabbage, pea, broccoli, zucchini, tomato, red bell pepper, kiwi, apricot, pear, mango, apple, papaya, peach), vitamin a acetate, DL alphatocophero (E), d-activated animal sterol (D3), vitamin B12 supplement, thiamine, riboflavin supplement, pyridoxine hydro-chloride, calcium pantothenate, L-ascorby-2-polyphosphate (stable C), choline chloride, copper proteinate, ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, cobalt sulfate, ferrous sulfate, manganese sulfate.

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Omega One
Ingredients:
Whole Salmon, Halibut, Shrimp, Wheat Flour, Wheat Gluten, Fresh Kelp, Astaxanthin, Lecithin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Phosphate (Source of Vitamin C), Natural and Artificial Colors, Vitamin A Acetate, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Folic Acid, Biotin, Inositol, Tocopherol (Preservative), Ethoxyquin (Preservative).

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NutraFin Max
Ingredients:
Krill, fish meal, fish protein concentrate, wheat flour, corn meal, squid meal, oatmeal, wheat gluten meal, dried seaweed meal, soybean flour, oatmeal, wheat gluten meal, dried seaweed meal, soybean flour, soy protein concentrate, fish liver meal, dried yeast, salmon oil (ethoxyquin used as preservative), cochineal extract, squid liver meal, shrimp meal, vitamins (cholecalciferol, biotin, d-calcium pantothenate, folic acid, inositol, niacin supplement, riboflavin-5-phosphate, calcium inositol, L-ascorbyl-2-monophosphate, vitamin A acetate, thiamine hydrochloride, vitamin B12 supplement, pyridoxine hydrochloride, vitamin E supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite complex (source of vitamin K activity), yeast extract, fructooligosaccharide, lecithin.

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Top Fin
Ingredients:
Fish meal, shrimp meal, soybean meal, wheat flour, corn gluten meal, fish oil, squid meal, yeast, calcium propionate, rice bran, proteinase enzyme, garlic, brine shrimp, astaxanthin, spirulina, red algae, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, vitamin a acetate, choline chloride, a -tocopheryl acetate, niacin, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, thimain mononitrate, biotin, pyridoxine HCl, folic acid, d-activated animal sterol, vitamin B12 supplement, vitamin K3 supplement, inositol, calcium iodate, dicalcium phsophate, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, cobalt chloride, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, magnesium sulfate, manganese sulfate.

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HBH
Ingredients:
Fish meal, wheat flour, soy flour, fish oil, brewers dried yeast, squid meal, soy lecithin, krill meal, l-ascorbic acid phosphate (source of vitamin C), choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, niacin supplement, astaxanthin, d-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin supplement, thiamine mononitrate, biotin, pyridoxine hydrochloride, folic acid, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin B12 supplement, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate, sodium selenite, potassium iodate, ethoxyquin (preservative), propionic acid (preservative), red 40.

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Aquarian
Ingredients:
Wheat, soybean meal, fish meal, ground corn, soy protein isolate, shrimp meal, canola oil, dehydrated alfalfa meal, rice bran, dicalcium phosphate, spirulina algae meal, brewers dried yeast, l-ascrobyl-2-polyphosphate, chitosan, vitamin A acetate, d-activated animal sterol, dl-alpha tocopheryl acetate, vitamin B12, riboflavin, d-calcium pantothenate, niacin, choline chloride, menadione dimethylprimidinol bisulfite, pyridoxine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, folic acid, iron sulfate, zinc sulfate, manganous oxide, copper sulfate, cobalt carbonate, ethylenediamine dihydriodide, calcium carbonate, rice hulls, mineral oil, Red 40, ethoxyquin.

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Aqueon
Ingredients:
Whole Fish Meal (Whole salmon, herring & other mixed fishes), Whole Wheat Flour, Soybean Meal, Shrimp Meal, Whole Dried Krill, Wheat Germ, Corn Gluten Meal, Fish Oil, Squid Meal, Garlic, Natural Astaxanthin, Dicalcium Phosphate, Dried Yeast, Choline Chloride, Calcium, Propionate (a preservative), L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Vitamin A, Acetate, Cholecalciferol (source of vitamin D3), Riboflavin Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Niacin, Menadione Sodium Bisulphite Complex (source of vitamin K activity), Folic acid, Thiamine, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (B6), Calcium Pantothenate, Biotin, DL-Alphatocopherol (E), Manganese Sulfate, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Copper Sulfate

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Hikari
Ingredients:
Fish meal, wheat flour, milt meal, Antarctic krill meal, gluten meal, clam meal, cuttlefish oil, soybean meal, enzyme, garlic, monosodium glutamate, dl-methionine, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, menadione sodium bisulfite (source of vitamin K), thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, calcium pantothenate, biotin, inositol, niacin, choline chloride, folic acid, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C), manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, magnesium sulfate, cobalt sulfate, calcium iodate, aluminum hydroxide.

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Tetra
Ingredients:
Fish meal, ground brown rice, torula dried yeast, shrimp meal, wheat gluten, dried potato products, dehulled soybean meal, fish oil, soybean oil, algae meal, sorbitol, lecithin, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (vitamin C). Artificial colors including red 3. Ethoxyquin as a preservative.

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TetraBetta
Ingredients:
Wheat flour, fish meal, wheat gluten, potato protein, corn starch, soybean oil, corn gluten, shrimp meal, dried yeast, monobasic calcium phosphate, lecithin, algae meal, yeast extract, ascorbic acid (source of vitamin C), inositol, niacin, a-tocopherol-acetate (source of vitamin E), riboflavin-5-phosphate, l-ascorbyl-2-phosphate (stabilized vitamin C), choline chloride, d-calcium pantothenate, thiamine mononitrate, pyrodoxine hydrochloride, vitamin A palmitate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, biotin, cyanocobalamin (source of vitamin B12), cholocalciferol (source of vitamin D3), manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, cobalt nitrate. Color Includes: Bixin, beta-carotene, canthaxanthin. Ethoxyquin as a preservative.
Easy to use and store, slide feeder makes dispensing food a breeze

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Wardley
Ingredients:
Fish meal, whole grain wheat, shrimp meal, soybean flour, brewers dried yeast, wheat germ meal, wheat gluten, fish protein concentrate, fish oil, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, crayfish extract in soybean oil, iron oxide, vitamin premix containing (wheat middlings, vitamin A supplement, vitamin D3 supplement, vitamin E supplement, B12 supplement, riboflavin supplement, niacin supplement, calcium pantothenate, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, folic acid, pyridoxine HCI, thiamine mononitrate, d-biotin), choline chloride, marigold petal extract, canthaxanthin, ethoxyquin (as a preservative).

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#9 ·
My beef with NLS is the veggies. We naturally say "good" but for a betta this is "bad" very bad for a fish who would naturally eat bugs and other fish. Not veggies and NOT fruits.

I would personally get a different food within the week. It would take quite a while to run out of food when they eat about 6 pellets a day max.
 
#13 ·
The veggies and fruits are just extracts, so the vitamins are in there, but not the fiber, which a betta wouldn't be able to handle.
 
#14 ·
I see my post didn't go through, or got cut off. That's what I get for being lazy and using my iPhone. Sorry about that. Anyway my question was essentially what Artemis said, which has now been answered. Thanks.
 
#15 ·
Yes but are the vitamins needed at this point? You can domesticate an animal as much as you want, their stomachs aren't going to change and neither are the dietary needs. They are made to eat bugs and meat, carnivores. They get all of their vitamins, minerals, and nutrition from meat. They do not need added extras. They could eat mosquito larvae, bloodworms, and the like for their whole life and it would be very natural and fulfilling.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Artemis, I hope someone answers this because I had much the same question. On a side note, my dogs and cats are fed a prey model raw diet because I am convinced that its the best thing for them based i what they are genetically engineered to consume. As I learn more about Bettas and their natural diet, it does seem that many of the commercial diets are flawed, which concerns me. I noticed also that many of them contain menadione bisulfate complex which is a synthetic vitamin K derivative that has known carcinogenic properties.
 
#17 ·
The fruits and veggies are actually very good for the betta. You would be surprised by the amount of vegetable matter a betta actually eats. The veggies in NLS are in low quantities and are mainly extracts included for the vitamins. Nls also contains a little bit of harlic which acts as a natural parasite preventer. And I know you feed omega one, and I don't know why you are so set on bashing NLS when the food you use contains kelp (a marine PLANT), wheat gluten (a unhealthy binder. NLS uses whole wheat flour as their binder.) and ethoxyquin. It is known that ethoxyquin is a carcinogen, but we don't yet know if it is dangerous for bettas. I care about my fish, and I prefer not to feed something that could make them sick. All preservatives are not good for any animal, fish and humans included.
 
#18 ·
I'm not trying to bash. I'm sorry if it seems that way. Thank you for the new information. I just went on a research spree and I believe you are right, sorry if I offended you, thanks.

What is the difference between wheat gluten and whole wheat flour as a binder? I really don't want to bash and I did not notice the kelp. Are the results good? Are they small pellets? Where can I buy this? Would a picky fish maybe like it more?

If anyone can give me light and maybe explain the ingredients over PMs, it would be greatly appreciated. It seems like I was going about this all wrong!
 
#19 ·
MattsBettas wasn't being mean or anything, he likes to have his points across straightly and firmly. :) I'm sorry if I was bashing you, too. Or at least I sounded like it.

Wheat gluten is an optional filler most brands have. The wheat flour seems to be in every brand I know. It's basically the most common binder and filler of all. NLS' pellets are really small and you can feed up to 8 pellets a day. You can find it at Petco. There's garlic in this so there should be a likely chance of a picky one eating it.
 
#22 ·
You know that isn't true finnfinn ;-)

I have been staying out of this cause I knew the debate would start and I wanted to watch it happen. :shock:

There are obviously a LOT of NLS fans here and they are VERY ardent in their love of the brand, which there is not a thing wrong with that.
I do, IMO, think that they can be a little ...... er...... 'over zealous' in their backing of their fav. I don't think anyone posting here meant to hurt anyone else, they are just REAL passionate in their beliefs.

Personally (and I feel I can cause every one else has had their say) I like Omega One. I have used it for years with everything from goldfish to angelfish to tetras to bettas and it has worked for all my fish.

Here's an idea. (OMG) Can we all just agree that if EITHER Omega or NLS are used the fish is getting good food?
 
#24 ·
The veggie/fruit thing is interesting. I used to hang out on another betta forum, and they would recommend feeding bettas a frozen pea (cut up) or broccoli once a week (or as needed as a remedy for constipation).

I've been feeding my betta Hikari, but it looks like it doesn't stack up as well against some of these other foods.
 
#25 ·
I've been feeding my betta Hikari, but it looks like it doesn't stack up as well against some of these other foods.
And that is why I did this article. I think we can get so caught up in other things, reading labels on food containers kinda slips by. I wanted everyone to have one place to sit and read what all the different brands had to offer then make their own more informed choice as opposed to just taking someones word for it! :)
 
#26 ·
For the record, I feed both NLS and Omega One :p although I do use NLS more, the containers a lot bigger!

And I can't complain about extra vitamins because I add VitaChem to their water (I don't want sick fishies) and come to think of it, I should probably look at that ingredients list, too :p
 
#28 ·
I feed more frozen bloodworms, live white and grindal worms, flightless fruit flies, a little froze BS and only about once every other week do I feed pellet food. Mostly just to make sure they will still eat it. If I was to rehome a Betta I want to make sure they will eat pellets since that is what most people that dont breed feed.

I will be changing the pellet food today. Thanks to this post! I have to go get more water conditioner any way. I never even looked at the pellet food ingredients =(

Does that make me a bad Mom?
 
#29 ·
I don't think in anyones imagination could you be considered a bad betta mom. You do more food wise than 90% of us will ever do.
It is gratifying to know my little article helped even a seasoned breeder take a second look at something they overlooked.
Thanks for making me feel I did some good!!!!!
 
#31 ·
Thanks for that link on ethoxyquin, colorxmexravyne! Very informative. I guess we can count on all pet food having ethoxyquin.

When I went betta food shopping, I chose Omega over NLS because Omega has whole fish as opposed to whole fish meal. I figured the less processed the meat, the better. I have since found out, however, that the listing order of ingredients is based on pre-cooked weight. Since whole fish has a much higher water content than whole fish meal, there is actually much less fish and a higher ratio of wheat products in Omega than in NLS. Grrr... I hate that it's so difficult to find quality pet food- I go through the same with my cats.

Honestly, though, when it's time to get more betta food, I'm going to get Repashy. Harder to feed, but I love that it has no wheat products at all. I really don't think wheat (or corn) has any place in carnivore diets. Fruit and veggies, IMO, is fine because they can be found in the intestines of bugs that bettas eat in the wild. But grains are just not natural for them.