Expired Fish Food; Still Good?

[Antwan]

I bought a small bag of mini Hikari Cichlid Gold pellets for my fish but there expired. I wanted to know if the food still has its original nutrional values as well as its color enhancing properties? The price sticker says it expired 03/03.

 

[depthC]

Well not all exp. dates mean it. If its a few months over the date it has probably oxidized and has little nutrition in the food itself. So I would recomend just buying some more, its not expensive and it keeps your fish healthy.

- depthC

 

[fishaddict]

Yeah im with depth c on this one although ive been feeding the same flake food for awhile. Maybe ill get a new one soon.

 

[Antwan]

just hope that they have the exact same food without it being expired....

 

[Somonas]

If you don't want it, send it up here.. I'll use it for something
03-03 isn't that long ago
I eat food that had expired in 03-03

 

[colesea]

I agree with Somonas. Even on human foods, the expiration date on the box is usually just considered more a sell-by date. The food may still be good several days later. If it is in a sealed container, it is probably still good for several months. But to save on liability lawsuits and people sueing food and supermarket companies for making them sick because of "one day over the expiration date milk" they make the sell-by dates way in advance of the food actually going rotten.

But then again, this is from the girl who eats, well, just about anything.

If in doubt, throw it out, buy fresh. No harm in it.
~~Colesea

 

[Antwan]

I'd also like to know which is better, Hikari Bio-Gold or Hikari Gold for my little oscars. I'm very picky about my fish food. I only want the best.

 

[Somonas]

Compare the ingredients.
I think bio gold has extra stuff and is more expensive.

personally I feed my guys the cichlid staple and the bio gold. (the red bag with a pic of an oscar on it). Baby pellets of course.

 

[Antwan]

I read that Gold is for fish with a higher need of protein, but Bio-Gold has more stuff. What do you suggest?

 

[Doomhed]

Oscars as Aggressive predatory fish. all they eat is protien in what they catch. the more protient the better. Get some feeder guppies, as they are much better for yor oscars than your standard flake and do not give them hole in the head like goldfish do

 

[wayne at home]

Give your oscars a variety of stuff, don't just stick to one thing. Tried earthworms?

 

[colesea]

If you are going to give your oscar feeder fish, please, quarintine the feeder fish so that you don't pass on any of the feeder fish diseases to your oscars. Quarintining the feeder fish will also give you the opportunity to gut-load them. It is not the flesh of the feeder that gives your oscar its nutrition, but the stomach contents. The feeder fish must also be healthy and well-fed in order to provide nutrition to you oscar. Your fish is what it eats, so feeding your oscar starved, half-dead, sickly feeders will give you a starving, half-dead, sickly oscar.

Also, a diet of strictly feeder fish has been known to give oscars what is called hole-in-the-head disease. This disease is believed to come from a nutrional deficeny in the oscar's diet. So it is always in your best interest to feed your oscars a wide variety of foods so that they have a well-rounded nutritious diet. Feeders are usually only recommended as a once every other week or so treat, not as a staple diet. Feeding your fish a too high in protien diet can also lead to liver and kidney diseases, as well as an obeast fish.

I'd go with a cichlid staple pellet diet, and throw in feeder guppies, beefheart, worms, and other stuff as an occasional treat.
~~Colesea

 

[Antwan]

Their just 3 and 4 in. now, and I give them a variety. TetraMin sinking wafers for herbs and carns. TetraSelect Premium flakes. Wardley tubifex, I stopped though. And then the outdated Hikari Gold pellets. I'll start feeding rosy reds or little golds when they get bigger. I'm wanna find some food that oscars are suckers for. I'm looking for something......maybe I should raise a crap load of cyclops? That sounds like fun...