Fish: Re: [tropical fish club] Fw: [Betta Splendens] Astaxanthin, Carotenoids in fry food

Thanks so much Dawn, I'll pass this on to the brtta group ;-)

Donna

________________________________
From: Dawn Moneyhan <dawnshungryeyes4u2c@yahoo.com>
To: tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, November 24, 2010 2:13:50 PM
Subject: Re: [tropical fish club] Fw: [Betta Splendens] Astaxanthin, Carotenoids
in fry food

Donna,
I come across questions about betta nutrition all the time, so its a good thing
I spent so many yrs studying it! The most important thing to know is that betta
splendens is an insectivore. There is a lot of talk online in some of the
forums about feeding them peas for constipation and various other vegetable
matter to regulate their digestive system, and I spend a lot of time trying to
educate people, letting them know that the digestive system of a betta cannot
handle vegetable matter, nor is that a part of their natural diet. Feeding
bettas, either adult or fry, veggie matter, can (and in many cases does) cause
damage to the digestive tract, which can inhibit growth, cause other
developmental and organ damage, and lead to an early death.

For all the years I bred/raised bettas, the best food I was able to find to
offer was newly hatched brine shrimp. If there is a question about nutrients it
can be soaked in a vitamin supplement such as Zoe (made by Kent Marine), but I
have never used this for my fry, never needed it.

Infusoria is another great first food for betta fry, but its also a great
solution to true cases of constipation because it acts as a natural laxative
without adding harmful veggie matter to their diet.

Microworms are also popular with some betta breeders, as it still provides the
high protein diet they require. Please let this person know that high protein
is the key to good betta health. Avoiding fruit & vegetable matter will help to
avoid the harmful astaxanthin this person is worried about. It is true that
some fish can handle this, and its also true that some fish require it in their
diets... but betta splendens is not one of those species.

As for the Omega and New Life Spectrum pellets... I also have always avoided
these because of the contents. These pellets are not specifically designed for
insectivore fish species, even though they are somewhat high in protein. If
seeking a pellet food for the bettas, sticking to something specifically marked
"betta pellets" is best. When manufacturers make fish foods they do extensive
research as to diet requirements for specific species of fish so they are
providing proper nutrition. The New Life Spectrum pellets contain a good deal
of fruit & vegetable based matter as well as the protein, so you can see where
the problem again begins. (Algae meal, Soybean Isolate, Garlic, Spinach, Red &
Green Cabbage, Pea, Broccoli, Red Pepper, Zucchini, Tomato, Kiwi, Apricot, Pear,
Mango, Apple, Papaya, Peach) These pellets are high in fiber, which is not a
healthy choice for bettas.

I hope this helps to answer the questions that have been asked. I don't have a
jar of the Omega pellets on hand to run off a list of ingredients, but if anyone
does have them, if they look, the contents also contain high fiber/fruit/veggie
content.

Other healthy food options for bettas would be mosquito larva, fruit fly larva,
and other small insects and insect larva. If willing to search for it, there
are also wingless fruit flies available that are easy to culture/raise, and my
bettas always loved those too.

Dawn

Dawn Moneyhan
Aquatics Specialist/Nutritionist
To learn more about me go to
http://www.helium.com/users/449334

--- On Wed, 11/24/10, Donna King <donnalynneking@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Donna King <donnalynneking@yahoo.com>
Subject: [tropical fish club] Fw: [Betta Splendens] Astaxanthin, Carotenoids in
fry food
To: tropicalaquariumsandfish@yahoogroups.com, "club"
<tropicalfishclub@yahoogroups.com>
Date: Wednesday, November 24, 2010, 10:28 AM

Hey this came up on my betta group, do any of you know the answer to this. I've

thought of using this food myself if I ever raise any angel fry now I'm thinking

its not a good idea.

I left my post so you can see what my response to her question was.

Thanks!

Donna

----- Forwarded Message ----

From: Donna King <donnalynneking@yahoo.com>

Astaxanthin, Carotenoids in fry food

Wow scary stuff! Good job doing your research. I don't know your answer but I

would not feed them till I knew more. Have you called the company? I'll cc this

to Gerald, maybe he'll be around and be able to help. I'll ask on my frog group

too.

Donna

________________________________

From: haecklers <haecklers@gmail.com>

Subject: [Betta Splendens] Astaxanthin, Carotenoids in fry food

Is this an important element in raising betta fry? I started feeding my fry

vinegar eels and infusoria, then switched to microworms, and Walter worms were

next on the list but I feel odd feeding them only one thing at a time when all

the rest of my fish get a varied diet.

I've been looking at Golden Pearls, and they went to some trouble to tell folks

they contain astaxanthin, which I'd never heard of before. Researching it I

found a paper that said some fish can't synthesize it on their own and it can be

a growth limiting factor, even lead to high mortality. It is a specific

carotenoid. On low amounts the fish don't grow as well and aren't as healthy.

I'm more worried about raising fry with a nutritional deficiency that would

affect their future health.

I'm thinking of trying a worm culture with some of my high quality fish food

added, like the Omega or New Life Spectrum. Has anyone done that? Does it rot

and stink or is it ok to add? What about carrot peels - would the worms be able

to eat them? It looks like astaxanthin is only made by aquatic algae, tho.

Anyone here raise fry using Golden Pearls or NatuRose powder?

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