Fluval Bug Bites Pleco/algae: A fish biologists reviews aquarium fish food.

[@indikasilva7177]

Love to see this kind of Pleco food reviewing series. Please keep it up.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Thank you!

[@jeffkane4391]

Appreciate the video Rebecca thank you 😊

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Thank you for watching :)

[@TheGreatOceanDisasterAquariums]

I am enjoying this series and learning a lot. Seems there is more marketing than substance in many foods.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Thank you :)

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

As far as I can tell, the Bug Bites bottom feeder formula and Bug Bites pleco stick formula are the exact same thing just in different granule sizes.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Slight differences but not too different at all. There are probably reasons why not to make them too different even if they are buying massive quantity of ingredients given how much sells.

Hey, good comparison between ingredients vs diet in wild especially concerning how many of the species don't feed on insects or crustaceans. Cory at aquarium Co op has talked some about experiments in making their own fish food. Some ingredients aren't primarily for nutrition but helps in manufacturing the food. I remember him saying that wheat/wheat germ are mostly for binders in the food. It helps the other ingredients stick together to make it through manufacturing and feeding in the tanks. I'd expect that the bigger crisps/tablets would need it more than flakes/micro pellets.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Thank you :) Feeding trials are tricky as I think unless you have the ability to do a proper experiment it's more about whether they eat things. Particularly any internal health effects but reliable decisions on growth rate, colouration and such. I only did trials on whether fishes ate what I made but plenty of papers on the more in depth ingredients for health. The amount of wheat and such is beyond binding particularly when other ingredients offer as a binding agent.

[@StephenP2003]

Good overview. I had the same experience with the plecos ignoring this food years ago, when I bred common ancistrus and was even more ignorant to fish diets (and I still know so very little today). Loving these thorough, actual reviews of fish foods.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Thank you :) Going through all the foods I have currently. I did find it strange it was missed as other fishes seem to eat their more general diets. I hope with views brands might try and improve rather then claiming science on diets that they haven't researched on.

[@mangala666]

Yep. I was given a bag of these pleco pellets. My L201s, L333s and Zebras will eat it with hesitation, and my whiptails, but otherwise it ends up just feeding the snails.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Snails seem to eat everything, it's a shame as they could do another insect based diet that'd be interesting. It's not the only diet when I watch certain ones they break down in the water quite quickly and little gets eaten, I guess with sand many will take that as eaten.

[@MandyJane123700]

I have been buying this brand for my pleco for years, and never even realized there isn't any algae in the pleco sticks. I don't think she eats it, but I thought I was doing the right thing by offering it. At least she is in an 300 gallon pond, and gets plenty of natural algae and detritus. I am kind of sad that I have wasted so much money on this product, but it is good to know the truth. I should have read the label, but I trusted the brand name.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

There are many pleco diets like this and if you have a carnivorous species it wont be an issue or even one who eats less algae. But there are also a lot who have no vegetables even. It's a real shame, there are expensive brands which are similar.

[@kadekelly4478]

I was literally looking at these on amazon yesterday aha, so many bad pleco formulas I'm sketchy on what I buy so thank you for making this

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

There are a lot, particularly not containing algaes or very minimal. For non-algivores or similar then there is another story but plenty of more carnivorous diets around.

[@robertsteiger2952]

My Cory catfish and Molly fish will eat it. My plecos don't touch it.

[@gk9417]

Great video Yes who looks at the ingredients 🤷 we take it for granted that the product is great for our fish 👍✌️🇨🇦

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Thank you!

[@gardian1701]

My tetras and barbs absolutely love bug bites! I also feed powdered bug bites to my celestial pearl danios which breed readily! Aren't bugs the main food of most normal fishes? You're right ofcourse about pleco though. Great video. 👌

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Bugs are only the food source of some, there are so many different fish diets but for your danio or similar fishes to them no doubt they do mostly feed on invertebrates. Probably not bugs but more insect larvae, daphina and similar organisms. The issue is though that while it has the insects, for carnivores it's that bug bites has a lot of cereals in it, shame they couldn't replace that and include other invertebrates.

[@Tight--LiNeZ]

Mine love the bottom feeder bug bites (the crumb ones you said you're not going into). All 23 species I have. The main premade tabs I feed are various JBL Novo Tabs, but depending on the species, I feed with a diet of courgette, Spirulina, Deshelled pea, Portobello mushrooms and of course Repashy gel mixes (mixing Bottom Scratcher, Soilent Green, Grub Pie and Morning Wood together). Also the more carnivorous species love cocktail shrimps and prawn meat and sometimes earthworms (but I don't really like killing them). I think many pleco discs are just junk. JBL Novo just seem to put a fair bit of effort into the ingredients, but you're the expert.

[@jonstfrancis]

I feed my minnows bugbites and they love it. I feed the colour enhancing flake for the red colour and the spirulina flake. I also feed toasted and crushed mealworms (for birds) and some other foods I buy or make. I assume minnows love insect food and it is good for them. For plecos I have little knowledge though but what you say makes sense.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Their normal granules seem to get eaten by other fishes, I trialed them when they came out for my Pangio loaches, I think they are entirely different discussion maybe. The pleco aimed diets completely different. It is great to get that real diversity of invertebrates for your minnows :)

[@jonstfrancis]

@@FreshwaterIchthyology If I keep loaches again I may well buy some of those granules.

[@beastfr0meast93]

I always use different kinds of food when i have to try otherwise I feel fish tend to be hard to feed with other food in general.

[@gk9417]

What should we buy 🤷🏼‍♂️✌️🇨🇦

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Depends what exact species you have?

[@gk9417]

@@FreshwaterIchthyology hi Plecos and algae eaters and shrimps 🤷✌️🇨🇦

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Which species of pleco's though? And algae eaters? As there might be some other things to feed them that would be more ideal.

[@aaron12693]

What makes protein from one source more or less nutritious or digestible than protein from another source? Are there any protein sources which, while not what the fish eat in the wild, are similar in nutrition or digestibility to their natural diet and so would be a good stand in?

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Different proteins or more sources will have different amino acids contributing to them particularly if we think about algae as opposed to animal based. But what's more important is accessibility, if they have not evolved over thousands of years for that source of nutrition then they are less likely to be able to extract the same amount of nutrition to it. No doubt there are sources of nutrition they don't eat in the wild but overlap more, sadly there doesn't seem to be any studies entirely on the topic. So, it's kind of easier to think from a taxonomic viewpoint. It does seem brands have used the common misconception that algae's and plants are basically the same thing to use certain ingredients as well. In the focus of protein we forget other important compounds, vitamins and minerals that a diet closer to their natural one would be more ideal e.g. phosphorus, calcium etc. And just adding in the pure source might not be ideal.

[@HUKIT.]

I don’t know of you’ve ever discussed this but with so many species of fish how did you settle on Loricariidae? I keep Central American cichlids and among other Northfin brands I include Bug Pro.

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

I find Loricariidae fascinating morphologically and evolutionary. They are just so diverse and unique. Cichlids are interesting but I find their body shapes to me are broadly similar. Discus are an exception for me but I have a soft spot for other cichlids like Satanoperca though.

[@majorbruster5916]

​@@FreshwaterIchthyologywhat about those cute apistos? And you have got to love rams 🙂.

[@jprp999]

Only a few mins in but i have to challenge on fish meal being destructive, meal is from ground up waste (bones, skin, fins and the bits of flesh attached to them) rather than whole fish, when fishing boats catch a load they throw back the low value fish and those of no saleability for human consumption a huge portion of which are dead or will soon die and that IS destructive, otherwise the low value stuff gets counted as part of their fishing quota.

[@jprp999]

Damn it she said it about 30 seconds after i had paused to type that :(.

[@beastfr0meast93]

What kind of fish do you have with a long tail in your aquarium? :)

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

That would be the Platystacus cotylephorus, also known as the eel tailed banjo catfish.

[@beastfr0meast93]

@@FreshwaterIchthyology i was guessing banjo catfish. I need one, i think 😅 I need an oddball more. Thanks :)

[@cookingspicy6443]

Wait, did I just watch a FishTube video where the person wasn't trying to sell me a bunch of stuff? Something must be wrong

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

I'd feel guilty if I promoted something to sell, I use and promote brands I use and most I use don't sponsor people e.g. Eheim or Repashy. Inkbird is probably the one that sponsors people and I think is good.

[@dn7096_]

Do you think they'd eat it if they didn't have other options ?

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Possibly, I've never done it. Certainly though if a fish doesn't want to eat something they can fast themselves, particularly I find pleco's Loricariids. It might be not registering these foods as actually food.

[@breebisshop7325]

I find plecos don't really go for it much, but everything else does

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

I agree on the other diets but never had other fishes go for the pleco diets.

[@MrG.Ivan76]

These are in my basket for pay day

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

Personally for a dry diet it's tricky to find algae based foods. I just would say adding more algaes to your foods and/or mixing with Repashy will save money for you :)

[@MrG.Ivan76]

@@FreshwaterIchthyology thinking for Mr shrimp , L471 tank . . .

[@MrG.Ivan76]

@@FreshwaterIchthyology I'm a expert at wasting money 🤣

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

For the L471 maybe adding in another algae ingredient to your home made foods? Similar cost but will last longer :)

[@MrG.Ivan76]

@@FreshwaterIchthyology oh I stopped making my own , I had soo much and I got rid of my dog food freezer so not much space now

[@ianh720]

You would think they as a big company would know better?

[@FreshwaterIchthyology]

I'd hope so but it sells I guess and there is little pressure to go against it. Like cellulose is added into many foods even if there is scientific evidence that there is no benefit or even a negative effect for fishes, yet customers are more likely to buy a pleco diet that contains 'wood'.

[@kalitaylor2598]

Lass knows her bristles from barbules ,pick a plec out from da L (ist &) sub4 what u didn't know.but will do.