Zoo Med Spirulina 20 Flake Fish Food, 4-Ounce

My saltwater fish love these flakes

I underestimated the size of this canister so I have enough fish for for my lifetime. But my fish love it!

I;'ve been using this for years. Great for herbivores and shrimp.

I'm not going to say it's a bad product, but most of the ingredients are pointless and - much more importantly - there are quite a few erroneous statements on the package.Let's start with the obvious: Spirulina. That ingredient is the main reason I purchased it, and as a biology major who directly studied Spirulina, I know quite a few things about it.The package claims: "Spirulina is a blue-green plant plankton" False. Spirulina is a cyanobacteria. People in marketing like to call it a blue green algae, but it is neither an algae nor a plankton. It's not even remotely related to plants. (the only similarity being that both are photosynthetic) That makes it better though. All plants have cellulose based cell walls that are indigestible, but Spirulina contains mucopolysaccharide cell walls which was fully digestible."... rich in raw protein" True! Actually, Spirulina is 65% complete protein. More protein than is in meat, and at a much higher quality. There is no reason to include Salmon at all, except that Salmon is CHEAPER. So they used meat as the main ingredient, added Spirulina, then claimed it was Spirulina based to use the buzz word. A pure Spirulina flake product would be far superior to this in every way, but it would also be more expensive."and seven major vitamins: A1, B1, B2, B6, B12, C, and E" True! Although it should be pointed out that the B-Vitamins are actually analogs in the form of Cyanocobalamin, but all animals - including humans - can safely convert this to those Vitamins so it's close enough."...contains beta carotene, color enhancing pigments, and a whole range of minerals." - true, but not well written. Spirulina has a unique pigment that no other organism - not even other cyanobacteria - has which has DNA repair properties which in humans is related to it's benefit in treating radiation sickness, but in fish probably helps enhance their color when combined with all the nutrients. The minerals though really depends on the growing medium. If using evaporated sea water, probably. Even if it isn't grown in the best water it will still be rich in macro minerals like iron and copper."... contains all essential fatty acids" True!"... and all the eight amino acids required for complex nutrition." Not true! Spirulina is a complete food, don't get me wrong. Even humans can live on it and nothing else. It is missing the D-Vitamins though, and although humans can produce Vitamin-D through light exposure, the consensus is that fish do not synthesize vitamin D. Thus MUST obtain it from their food so the Spirulina does not have every amino acid essential to them. Of course, since it contains so many additives that is moot in this case. The Salmon contains plenty enough for use."Spirulina 20 flakes contain a full 20% Soirulina" and since this is listed second on the ingredient list, it's probably in the range of 60% Salmon, 20% Spirulina, followed by all the other junk like Wheat, and Yeast, and Corn Starch, and Dried Krill, and Shrimp, and... well... it says Plankton, but since they don't seem to know what Spirulina is I can't really trust anything else on the ingredient list. The ingredients specifically say "Spirulina Algae Meal" which is either a complete lie or is ambiguously doing so to include algae contaminants without having legal trouble.Honestly, I would have given this 5 stars if only they weren't trying to lie to the general public. It otherwise seems like a good product. Better than most other fish food products.

I wish there were half stars because I would give this 4 and a half.I bought this because the ingredients seemed simple, transparent and fit my goldfish's needs without including a lot of stuff that I did not think was good for him/her. This is the first time I have tried the food and I have been using it for roughly 4 months or so. I am comparing it to brands that you can usually find in pet stores in the United States.Pros:The product is pretty much as advertised: large, very fine flakes that smell like a combination of salmon and spirulina, the two main ingredients. Salmon is actually the main ingredient with spirulina right behind.There is less filler (soy, supposedly better for fish tummies than wheat), no artificial colors, no nasty preservatives (ethoxyquin) like you find in other fish food.The nutrient statistics on the bottle seem to fit what a goldfish should be eating: not really high in either protein or fat, a little lowish on fiber though, so this has to be supplemented somehow with other food.My fancy goldfish loves them: he "vacuums" them up as soon as they hit the water.Cons:The flakes do seem to attract algae into the tank. I find myself having to scrub the walls of the tank twice a week whereas before I started feeding this food, I did not have this issue.It does not seem to contain whole salmon meal, which includes the flesh and innards. Salmon meal to me means the skin and bones basically, but perhaps I am wrong about that. If I am right, whole salmon meal would be far more nutritious.Knowing how to feed a fancy goldfish these flakes without giving it swim bladder problems.Neutral:I did not seen any changes in color in my fish as advertised. He is not brighter, duller, nor has he changed colors like some do while eating food that contains molecules like beta-carotene.With respect to the last point in the "cons" section, fancy goldfish are prone to swim bladder issues. Some reviewers have complained that the flakes get smashed up but this is actually a good thing in the case of these kinds of goldfish. I break these flakes up into a small cup of tank water first, making sure that the flakes sink before feeding them to the "little nipper". This keeps the fish from coming up to the surface of the water and gulping in air while eating the flakes. Would granules be better? Hard to say actually, because they have to be soaked until they expand fully before feeding them, otherwise they do their bloating inside the fish.I usually give these once a day to fishy. As part of a varied diet including home-made veggie gel food, freeze-dried foods like bloodworms, and seaweed, I think this flake food is great for fancy goldfish!I recommend and will be buying again.