I used to get a wonderful spirulina flake from Jehmco. It has not been available for a long time, and I am now out of my previous stockpile.

Anyone have a good spirulina product they like to use for algae-eating fish?

None of the commercial spirulina foods I see on the shelves of my local fish shops are anything close to seriously vegetarian--most look (and smell) just like green-colored generic flake.

Hungry livebearers and killies hope you have some good sources.

Hi Diane

Try www.kensfish.com he has a large variety of foods availible. I have always found them to be of very high quality.

Regards
Eric Beyer

The last and best I have found was from BrineShrimpDirect.com
I wouldn't want to overlook Mike Hellweg's line of foods but what I received from BSD was more completely cleaned up by the fish.

Charles H

I checked out Kensfish and his highest spirulina flake has 33% spirulina and the #1 ingredient is still fish meal. I'm looking for something where the first ingreident is spirulina, or at least another vegetable food.

Off to check Mike's and BrineShrimpDIrect. Ordering from Mike, of course, would have the advantage of being an excellent excuse to get more wonderful plants, of course.....

BrineShrimpDirect also starts with fishmeal. A reply from Jehmco recommends their HBH veggie flake, which does not list fish meal until the 9th ingredient, and starts with spirulina as the #1 ingredient. I missed that first time around on their site.

Diane,

What about Tetra's conditioning food? I believe that has 48%-49% Spirulina and my fish always liked it. It's also pretty widely available. That's the one flake food used to condition Barbs for spawning..

Scott

I am having trouble finding a list of ingredients for Tetra's foods on their web site, and googling leads me to Drs. Foster and Smith web site, that gives a list for their veggie flakes, which the label says are 'spirulina-enriched' and does not include spirulina at all--see the list here, on the Drs F&S web site--so I think that cannot be correct, as I doubt Tetra would call it 'spirulina enhanced' without putting in at least a smidgen of actual spirulina.

Anyone know where to look for Tetra ingredient lists besides the back of the bottles?

Should also note that Mike's main spirulina flake also has fish meal as the #1 ingredient, although he also carries a truly vegetable-only flake as well.

I guess the majority of spirulina enhanced toods are made to give extra greens to omnivores and not as primary food for true herbivores.

Right now I think I will start with an order of the HBH veggie food from Jehmco and Mike Hellweg's veggie flake, to give the fish at least a little variety!

The few pupfish here seem to relish the HBH veggie food. The female takes a lot of feeding but lookes ready to breed. That is almost all they get, except for a rare feeding of mixed flakes, defrosted & rinsed bloodworms or the summer Daphnia/mosquitoes. Fundulus, rainbowfish and live bearers that are said to need at least part of their diet as vegetable material, take them too, usually with gusto. The Fundulopanchax and Rivulus also welcome them, but sometimes there is no accounting for taste.

I use Nutrafin Max on occassion in my fishroom. I use this to ensure my fish receive a little spirulina. If I am not mistaken Wardley used to sell a spirulina flake I fed to my African Cichlids several years ago. I can no longer find this on the market. I currently mix in a little Nutrifin Max but feed Wardley Advanced mainly when I am not feeding my breeders California Blackworms for conditioning. Hope this may help.
Brian

Diane,

Check out Tim Addis' site with Dainichi spirulina. Very detailed, here is the content breakdown:

Analysis (Approx): Protein 53%, Fat 8%, Fibre 3%, Moisture 8%, vitamins A, D3, E, B12, K3.
Contains Dunialella, a red microalgae with a high content of beta carotene & Chlorella, a green algae with a high protein & fat level which growing fish need.

Maybe that helps??

Scott