Hole in the head

[naesco]

Yes because it it much better than products that advertise as spirulina, or herbivore food and list spirulina down the list of ingredients after land based veggies.

Nori is 100 percent marine algae and when purchased at an asian store is cheap like borscht.

[RD]

Yes because it it much better than products that advertise as spirulina, or herbivore food and list spirulina down the list of ingredients after land based veggies.

It all boils down to the inclusion rate of each raw ingredient.

As an example, a manufacturer making a 1 ton batch of food could have 100 pounds of spirulina in that 2,000 lb batch of food, with the next 19 ingredients each weighing in at 98 pounds. That still leaves some room for additional oil, and the vitamin premix.

That formula could have "spirulina" listed as the main ingredient by dry weight, yet overall it would contain FAR more low cost terrestrial based fillers, fillers with overall poor digestibility, fillers that are known to contain anti-nutritional matter such as saponins, tannins, protease inhibitors, phytic acid, etc, and fillers that contain lipids that are known to cause long term liver damage when fed in excess to marine fish.

IMHO not only would that food be a poor choice for algae supplementation, but due to the fact that it would also be missing key amino acids, and long chain fatty acids, elements that are known to be essential to the growth and overall health of a marine fish, it most certainly would fail as any type of stand alone food for a herbivore, or otherwise.



Another manufacturer could make a 2,000 lb batch of food, and use just as much spirulina as the example above (perhaps even of far higher grade), as well as a substantial inclusion rate of algae meal, which is comprised of several sources of marine algae and micro-algae, and those ingredients could show up further down on the ingredient list simply because of the varying amounts of the other ingredients (that contain the correct balance of essential amino acids & fatty acids) in that formula. That, and have only 1 terrestrial based starch used as a binding agent, that does not contain known anti-nutritional matter such as saponins.

It is virtually impossible to compare ingredient percentages by simply reading a label, unless you are privy to the exact amounts used in each & every formula made by each & every manufacturer.

In some cases the listings on labels are nothing more than a numbers game, and some companies know how to play the game very well. And while I agree that there are foods marketed as "spirulina" or "algae" foods, that overall contain very little marine algae, by the same token one cannot conclude that a food is of high quality by simply looking at the main ingredient. It's always a good idea to look at the little picture (main ingredients) but if the BIG picture doesn't add up, then you most certainly need to consider that as well.


If it is your opinion that certain tangs require some form of algae supplementation beyond what one can find in some of the various pellet foods currently on the market, I have no problem with that, your fish, your call, but as previously stated nutrient wise the discs that you recommended are about the furthest thing away from what a fish in the wild would find when feeding on any type of marine algae, or the micro-organisms found within that algae.

HTH

[naesco]

I agree with most that you posted but unfortuneately we have to rely on the label.
That is why I choose the Wardley spirulina over say OSI which does not list spirulina as the first ingredient.
I use nori as the primarly food but like the Wardley discs as they sink to the sand and give the tangs something to do which they do naturally for a while, while I am at work.

The bottom line is all reefers should read the label. Make sure that the food is not made in China where there are no controls of what is actually in the package and where it comes from. In that regard US and Canadian product is best. Even Hikari, a Japanese fish food producer now has products which are labeled Made in China so you cannot rely on the brand anymore.
We get the choose the food we eat. Our fish and coral can only rely on the choice that we make for them. Choose wisely!

[fishytime]

Hey Wayne.....New Era has a sinking marine algae/ spirilunia log .....I would tell ya the first three ingredients on the label but the sample we were give at the shop doesnt have a label.....anyway.....my tangs love the stuff and all you do is break a chunk off the "log" and drop it in...

[fishytime]

Oops..... Double post

[RD]

According to the nutritional data supplied to me by the US distributor of New Era (Living Color) (via the manufacturer) the New Era grazing log contains Ascophylum, Ulva and Dulce algae, but here's how things play out on the actual ingredient list.

Grazing Log Diet

Composition
Low temp fish meal
Shrimp
Squid
Fibre
Starch
Vitamin pre mix
Mussel
Mineral pre mix
Blended fish oil
Blended algae


Which appears to be almost identical to the composition of their algae pellets.

Algae Pellets

Composition
Low temp fish meal
Shrimp
Squid
Fibre
Starch
Mussel
Vitamin pre mix
Mineral pre mix
Blended fish oil
Blended Algae



I don't think that I need to point out the obvious .......





naesco ........ if sinking discs with a high inclusion rate of aquatic plant matter is what you are after, have you considered these?
http://www.omegasea.net/veggie_rounds.html

Having never used them I can't vouch for anything beyond what you see on the label, but nutrient wise they certainly appear to be far better suited to tangs, than the Wardley discs. Main ingredients are Kelp & Spirulina, and they are not loaded with cheap terrestrial based plant matter. (no corn, no canola, no rice, no soy, no linseed, no barley, etc)


HTH