Aqua Munch fish food

[couchy]

Just found this food on EBAY out of QLD. Just wondering if anyone has used it and if it's any good.???

Cheers for any responses.

Couchy

[LithoMan]

Aqua Munch i tried looking for it no joy

[Smokey]

Aqumunch

Im intrested in this too. Anyone used it or know anything about it?

[CThompson]

Read what is says are in the ingredients and make a choice from that. Read NLS as well to see how they compare.

[Gav]

it seems very cheap but my experience is that the cost of making virutally any fish food is effectively next to nothing and the price point is based on a brand position rather than quality. so the only real way to test a food is to try it on your fish and see how they go. given the prices listed on ebay are so inexpensive its difficult to go wrong.

[Mitch23]

i want to give it a try aswell but i dont think that its any better than hikari. so i will probably stick with hikari pellets.

if anyone tries it, let me know if its anygood.

cheers

[couchy]

Well I've been using this for 2 months for my frontosas and the fish look well. They aren't breeding but they weren't before using this food. They stopped breeding a while ago when i relocated them to a smaller tank and water quality hasn't been as good as it should be. I've just done a large water change and clean out of their tank. So i'll see how they go.

To compare;

Aqua munch,

Ingredients: Fishmeal (min70%), wheatflour, soya bean meal, squid, aquamix, vitamins. Contains biomax. Added spirulina.

CRUDE ANALYSIS: Protein 45%, Fat 10%, Moisture 10%, ash max 11%

NLS,

MAIN INGREDIENTS: Krill Meal, Fish Meal, Wheat Flour, Amino Acids, Algae Meal, Soybean Meal, Fish Oil, Beta Carotene, Spirulina, Vitamin A Acetate, D-Activated Animal- Sterol (D3), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin, Folic Acid, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine, Biotin.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS: Protein 34% Min., Fat 5% Min., Fiber 5% Max., Ash 9% Max., Moisture 10% Max.

You be the judge?

The aquamunch ingredients are not as detailed as the NLS but stand up IMO.

Cheers Couchy

[Frenzy]

Aquamix is an interesting ingredient. Wonder what that is

[Timmygt33]

I just ordered 2 kg of the african cichlid mix. Ill trial it in my mbuna tank and see how it goes!

Ill come back here after a few weeks and give my opinion on it.

[RD.]

FYI - the ingredients shown above for NLS are from a rather old label.

Here's a more current list, and even this label is being upgraded which will reflect a few recent changes, one being NLS now contains zero soy.

Ingredients: Whole Antarctic Krill Meal, Whole Herring Meal, Whole Wheat Flour, Whole Squid Meal, Algae Meal, Soybean Isolate, Beta Carotene, Spirulina, Garlic, Vegetable and Fruit Extract (Spinach, Red & Green Cabbage, Peas, Broccoli, Red Pepper, Zucchini, Tomato, Kiwi, Apricot, Pear, Mango, Apple, Papaya, and Peach), Vitamin A Acetate, D-Activated Animal-Sterol (D3), Vitamin B12 Supplement, Thiamine, DL Alphatocophero ( E ), Riboflavin Supplement, Folic Acid, Niacin, Biotin, Calcium Pantothenate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, L-Ascorby-2-Polyphosphate (Stable C), Choline Chloride, Copper Proteinate, Ethylenediamine dihydroiodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate.

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS: Protein 34% Min., Fat 5% Min., Fiber 5% Max., Ash 8% Max., Moisture 10% Max.

it seems very cheap but my experience is that the cost of making virutally any fish food is effectively next to nothing and the price point is based on a brand position rather than quality.

Cheap foods are typically cheap due to the cost of the raw ingredients. Compare the cost per ton for a low cost generic fish meal, to that of a premium grade of Herring meal, and you'll soon find out why some foods cost more than others. Antarctic krill costs twice as much as Pacific krill, and 3-4 times as much as shrimp meal. Protein derived from terrestrial plant matter (such as soybean meal) costs a fraction of the $$ compared to protein derived from marine animals, such as fish, krill, etc. That doesn't even begin to touch upon the micro & macro nutrients added to a premium food.

Is there a difference in the nutritional quality & health benefits to a fish? Absolutely.

[Josh]

I agree there is a massive difference between the quality of premium foods to budget foods, but are the cheaper foods good enough? I know the cheapest foods will keep fish alive and the mid range stuff has served the hobby well for many years.

I dont believe that you need the top range foods for increased breeding, better fish colors etc etc. This can be achieved with the mid range stuff aswell.

Also what are the benefits in using Antartic krill as apposed to Pacific krill? Is the Antartic krill a superiour product?

[fisshy]

my fish love it .... i only have 1-2mm an i feed it to all my fish ..black calvas .... tropheus ikola ...black widow tetra an my 16-22cm frontosa love it they prefere it to the larger pellets ....i am not sure about colour enhancing the fish though my water does not cloud from this and theres nothin left on the bottom cause they love it its frantic when i feed them...worth a try why not go halves with a friend on the bulk lot to make it cheeper an if you feed your fish 2 or 3 times a day supplement this for one of there feeds ....my fish are healthy .... its what i feed them mainly ... i hope this helps cheers fisshy

[mattrox]

I think, but don't hold me to it.... That Arctic and Antarctic krill have higher Omega 3 oil levels due to the water temperature. Higher oil content makes it a more energy dense food.

[RD.]

So that means that the fish harvest in the pacific is also no good for our fish, but we as humans, eat it every day. Seems a bit overboard to me

I didn't say that Euphausia pacifica isn't any good, you asked a question & I answered it.

Mercury and other pollutants can build up in fish living in waters contaminated with these substances due to industrial pollution. Mercury can be particularly bad for fetuses and small children because it can cause neurological and developmental problems. In 2004 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Food and Drug Administration advised pregnant women and young children to eat no more than 12 ounces per week of light tuna and other seafood that is lower in mercury. The agencies recommended they eat none of some fish with high mercury levels — shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish — and no more than 6 ounces (170 grams) a week of albacore tuna because of mercury.

It's not at all like the bottled water argument.

If you look at the ingredients theres not a huge difference...many of the macronutirents will be in most of the ingredients anyway...some companies choose to test for it and so can add it to their list, others dont.

It's not quite that simple, unless you are privy to the inclusion rate of each raw ingredient in each formula.

Comparing these two brands by simply reading each label, how would one know exactly what the inclusion rate of wheat is? One brand could be 10%, the other could be 40%.

Ditto to vitamin & trace minerals, the levels could be miles apart unless each lists the exact content in their formulas.

As far as growth, if that was the only criteria used for quality control then I would be feeding a low cost high protien, high fat trout chow. Feeding such a high energy high protein diet will ensure massive growth in a young fish, but the long term result will also typically be massive lipid deposition in the liver. (eventually resulting in premature death)

This is why one needs to look at the entire package, and not just what's on a label, and not just what one sees in growth.

Bioactive compounds that have been shown to have biological effects in fish such as growth promotion, immunostimulation, anti-stress, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-virals, are also very important to me.

I have no problem with anyone who wants to seek out lower cost alternatives, but using some of the logic posted here we should also all be feeding low cost supermarket brands to our dogs & cats, as all pet food is somehow created equally. Really?

[malrift]

Just to inform you guys krill is also sourced from the southern pacific as well which is almost identical to that of the arctic. This area is known as the antarctic and has the same amount of nutrients as its northern cousin.

This is the source of krill found in foods made in our great land. Also the fish meal is made up of many species found on our docks. The pacific ocean off of Australia is known as one of the safest in the western world due to our lack of industry on our shores and that of our neighbours in New Zealand compared to other parts of the world. Amazing hey.

ANd before anyone sparks I have absolutely no ties with aquamunch at all. I also dont recieve my foods from them at distributors price unlike someone else. In fact I havent even tried this food yet.

Like I said before place a micron filter or similar onto the tank that collects waste try different foods to see how much wate is left this will give you an indication how many of the ingredients are not being used by the fish when digested. It then will show you what ingredients you are paying for that isnt necessary for the fish.

[Mattzilla]

Interesting thread

I'm going to try it and give some feedback

[malrift]

in fact the pacific ocean is very large running from the arctic in the north to the antarctic in the south. With a lot of countires and specific areas along the way.

Epa has been trying to stop professional fishing for a food source for many years. And independent testing by the professional fishing association has shown very different results to those of the epa and fds for species caught off our coastline.

Funny thing is i have no commercial interest in fish food anymore and am not aligned with any company. Though i did spend some time late last year working with a group that was the biggest african cichlid hatchery in australia. They tested every brand on the market using micron filters to help test waste out put on their fish to provide the best quality for their fish. Whcih opened my eyes even more on this debate.

[johns]

Have bought some to try today and will advise shortly

[efc01]

alot of good food brands out on the market place. A healthy balance of live, frozen and man made food will see your fish thrive.

I personally use about 5 different forms of sera flake and pellet food and it seems to be working well.

[cobaltcraig]

Yep Efc01 I couldnt agree more a good balance mix of foods is the key

At the last New South Wales Cichlid society meeting it was a topic with Most of the clubs long term members talking about foods there routines and the same theme was given a good variety of foods live, fresh, and supplemented with pellet foods

Regards

Craig

[Ged]

Try and keep this topic on Aqua Munch. If you have had experience with the brand you are more than welcome to post.

[MM401]

Guy,

i have been using this for a while now, from about the first time it was sold on ebay,over 6 months to a year now.Well i decided to try it out and purchased 3kg.Packaging looks and is fantastic, fish seem to love it and thought i was on a winner.In the end all my fish went from bright colours that i had using NLS for years and years to pale unattractive fish. Also noticed the amount of muke on the bottom of my tanks had increased and even my bristlenose catfish couldnt keepup.I have no gravel on the bottom of my tanks and it was obvious there was a lot of waste coming out of it.Now went back to NSL and the bright colours have returned and the waste is limited.Goes to prove you only get what you pay for and if you can afford it NSL is and always the BEST.

I dont post on the Forum much but i always on there looking and is my favourite site. Mick

[fisshy]

ive been using it for about 6 months ...... for the guys like me that cant realy afford the top brands its a good substitute ....my Tropheus Ikola look good ....an my 20cm trio of frontosa look good aswell ... i have noticed a little extra waste but mine due to over feedin as i have gravel in tank .... it may not be the best food but certenly not the worst.... if you had a top ten out of say fifty other types of food ...it would be about the top ten mark...

[johns]

Got my Aquamunch food on saturday from post office must say great service from time i bought online was kept up to date with delivery all way to arriving at post office

Packaging looks good and 90% fish took to it on 1st feed also doesn't taste too bad is mainly fish meal 70%

Will keep you up to date on fish colors as am trying some on this and others on another brand

Cheers John

[GRK-351]

I received 3kg last week also and agree with John, the service and packaging is top notch. All my fish are absolutely smashing it as soon as it hits the water.

I have never tried NLS so cant really compare but I will keep you guys updated on fish colours, growth, breeding etc