# NLS pellets/flakes



## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

I have heard so many nice things about NLS, and I have bought quite a bit of these (color enhancing flakes, pellets, pellets for bottom feeders, discus pellets....etc) but my fish never appear to be interested in these foods at all. I wonder if I am missing something here.
This is what I have observed in my tanks. The only fish that really eat them are my gold fish, which eat anything anyway. The food meant for bottom feeder just sit on the bottom and dissolves and it is rather messy. The color enhacing pellets fall very quickly so my discus never had a chance to eat them until they got to the ground. They would look at them then swim away. The cories would come and eat them sometimes but never appear too interested either. I had the color enhancing flakes and they were not eaten by anyone and just made a mess in the tank.
It is frustrating to buy some food that is supposed to be very good bases on reviews and recommendations in LFS and see them just rot away in my tanks.
I am wondering if I am missing something here. Any suggestion/recommendation will be appreciated.
The instruction also said I should try to feed only this food and nothing else, but obviously I cannot do that since my fish will not even touch them. 
It is almost as if the fish do not find this NLS food delicious for them. But I can feed them other flake foods such as Ocean Nutrition and they would eat them any time without problem so I know they are interested in flake food; and I can feed them tetra color bits so I know they also eat pellets.
If nothing works I will just give them to my gold fish and may be put some in my beefheart mix but I am worried if they really hate the taste of the NLS flakes/pellets they may stop eating my beefheart mix. These discus are picky eaters. 
I originally thought of feeding this to mainly to my torpedo barnbs as they have lost their red banding, and to my discus as a supplement. Unfortunately, none of them would eat it at all. 
Do you need to starve them for a while before they would accept NLS?
What are your experience with NLS?
Thanks.


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## randylahey (Jun 25, 2013)

Its been a couple months since I went all NLS pellet and flake(besides brine shrimp and bloodworms) and its taken that long for everyone to accept it at every feeding. They were on cheapomax flakes before and they ate it all up. So I guess it does take a while. I started feeding once every other day and slowly they all started eating without spitting out. I haven't lost any fish and they all look nourished. " If you're not going to eat the dinner I've made then, you get nothing" has worked.

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## jbyoung00008 (May 16, 2011)

I had to starve fish to make them eat it. When I switched to NLS. The fish I had than didn't seem to want to eat the NLS pellets. I didn't feed them for 3 or 4 days and tried to feed them again. It took a few times of starving them. Eventually they had no choice. Im very happy with NLS. I feed it to all my fish as their main food.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

In response to the discus not eating the nls. Remember that discus like eating softened food. If you let the nls pellet soak and soften, the discus will eventually take to it. Perhaps pre soak in a cup with tank water, if you really like to see them actually eat the nls. Otherwise, the fish will wait until the food softens and peck at it later over time.

Just options towards feeding the nls.

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In addition: Since i was typing the previous message out on the phone. Now that I'm at a PC. corydoras and akin catfish prefer to nibble on softened food than on a newly fed rough and hard piece of wafer/stick. You're probably seeing your discus peck at the food and spit it out - most likely because the food is hard. However, to each fish and hobbyist, have different results where some fish will just consume anything you throw at them.

My suggestion, don't feed too much of the NLS (since it's a quality food). Feed a bit of the NLS pre-soaked and see how your fish taketh it.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

It is good to know that others also need to starve their fish for a bit before they would take to NLS. I was starting to think there was somethign wrong with me. LOL. Thanks a lot. 
I cannot strave my discus now as they are really small and they need to eat. I will try to soak the NLS in some water with the blackworms to see if it will make them more "yummy" for my discus. It seems to be a matter of taste perference. I am sure the food is full of good stuff, but they just do not seem to like the taste. I am glad to hear you guys like the end result. Thanks for sharing.


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## AWW (Apr 22, 2010)

Here is my experience with NLS. 

Fish don't like it, but its loaded with the good stuff. My EBJD love small floating OSI pellets, But I like feeding NLS more. To experiment, I have tried feeding just one food to them for a week, To see the difference it had on them. After a week of feeding OSI, They wouldn't touch the NLS for a few days. Feeding NLS for a straight week, they ate it every day without a problem. My guess is it's a taste thing. I am now feeding NLS 1 - 2 times a day and OSI Once every few days. 

Also, My discus are on micro pellets right now, as well as bloodworm, and soon, blackworm too. They don't eat the NLS aggressively, but they graze on it all day long. I feed my discus several cubes of bloodworms, and on healthy amount of NLS so they can graze for hours while I am at work. 

Over all, I have decided my fish are like children (or adults!) who don't eat there vegetables  They just want their equivalent to McDonalds . If you wean your fish onto healthy food, keep them on it as their main diet! then you shouldn't have a problem.


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## Nicole (Nov 21, 2011)

All my FW and SW fish get NLS. I've never had a case of a fish not wanting to eat it so this is a surprise to me. Good luck with yours. Maybe try adding garlic to it?


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

I'm with Nicole, my malawi cichlids take nls 3 mil like no tomorrow lol but I always fed nls so not really any problems with fish not wanting it as a new food. Maybe it's like getting kids to eat fruits, veggies and drink water after burgers fries and pop. Lol starve for a day or two greens and water would look good. Not suggesting anything just an analogy.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

My plecos go crazy for the NLS. But I mostly use thera-A. My discus rarely touch pellets. They eat mostly Tetra Colorbits as the only pellet type food. The rest is mainly blackworms - live, frozen, freeze dried. I think NLS is a fine food, but in my experience, I've always seen a bit of an oily film on the surface when using NLS lots.


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## Fish rookie (May 21, 2012)

Interesting to hear more feedback, thanks a lot.
Vancitycam, thanks for the feedback. I agree may be if I started this food when I first got them as juvies they will take to it more readily. Now it is a matter of getting them to try something new, which could be challenging.
Nicole, thanks for the feedback. Do you just drop them in their tanks and they go crazy for them, or did you start on this food since they were juvies?
Yes, Gary, I forgot to mention I also notice more oily film and a certain smell (like rotten grass) when I fed the NLS veggie pellet to my goldfish. I added a fluval C4 and put a bag of carbon in the filter and the smell went away. The surface aeration from the C4 helps to break the film up. 
Do you guys notice a big improvement with your fish after feeding NLS? I am just asking this to try figure out if I should go through the trouble of weaning them to eat this pellets. I can get them to eat Omega One flakes, Ocean Nutrition flakes, and colorbits very easily. So, I am not sure if it is really worth it to starve them...
Thanks for the help.


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## Vancitycam (Oct 23, 2012)

It's not really staving its more like being sent to bed without dinner, they will be fine and more than likely eat the next day. On a side note surface agitation removes any film after feeding and I'd give it a shot with pellets they are cleaner than flakes or well less mess IMO but maybe try soaking the pellets first after a day with no food.

Edit- my clown loaches race through the pack of haps and peacocks to eat the pellets and if any fall to the bottom the plecos eat them quickly. Maybe try to feed the pellets more slowly like one at a time


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

Don't spoil your fish. You need to pellet train them. Give them some time and have a lot of patience. It took me a while before i got my discus to peck at different types of pellets. Its like trying to wean a kid off chicken mcnuggets to eat chickem breast.


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## jobber (May 14, 2010)

jobber said:


> Don't spoil your fish. You need to pellet train them. Give them some time and have a lot of patience. It took me a while before i got my discus to peck at different types of pellets. Its like trying to wean a kid off chicken mcnuggets to eat chickem breast.
> 
> Sent from my LT30a using Tapatalk


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## AKAmikeross (Nov 5, 2012)

My africans go crazy for the stuff. Their staple was the NLS cichlid formula, supplemented with some dainachi spirulina and raw veggies. 

About a week ago I stopped both above foods and have been exclusively feeding NLS ultra red. Fish go nuts for it and I can visually see a difference in their coloration. 

I agree with most who recommend to skip a meal or two. Your fish could go days or weeks without food. I would go 2 days, feed and see wha happens. If they dont eat, I would feed them what they like and go 4 days with no food. They will eat, just matters who with break first... you or the fish lol.


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## hp10BII (Apr 23, 2010)

yep...just need a dose of tough love, they'll start eating pellets when they're good and hungry.


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