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    New Polychaete Derived AquaThrive Food is Fish Approved

    AquaThrive is a new dry aquarium feed unlike any other. Using a patented process, the pellets are made from fresh cultured (Terebellid) Polychaete worms. This is a sustainable alternative to fish meal which dominates the fish food industry. It also may prove more valuable to specialized Polychaete feeders such as some Butterflyfish species… hence I [...]

    Aquathrive Food

    AquaThrive is a new dry aquarium feed unlike any other. Using a patented process, the pellets are made from fresh cultured (Terebellid) Polychaete worms. This is a sustainable alternative to fish meal which dominates the fish food industry. It also may prove more valuable to specialized Polychaete feeders such as some Butterflyfish species… hence I had to try them out.

    Ingredients:

    • Fishmeal
    • Polychaetes
    • Cereal
    • Squid
    • Seaweed
    • Brewers Yeast
    • Mussel
    • Fish Oil
    • Lecithin
    • Spirulina

    Besides the inclusion of farmed Polychaetes, what really separates this pellet food is the fat content. It is a staggering 11%! This is more then double the amount found in Hikari Marine-A (5%). This can be a good thing, particularly for juvenile marine fish with fast metabolisms, but must be used wisely.  AquaThrive’s protein numbers hit 45% which put them in range with the leaders, while its listed ash and phosphorus properities are a percentage point or two lower than other popular brands.

    AquaThrive Fish Food

    The overall scent is not as strong as its competitors such as Hikari and Spectrum. However, it is interesting that the AquaThrive food illicits a much stronger coral response than other dry pellets. Even Azooxanthellate corals quickly open when this hits the water.

    To test this new food I used it to condition this juvenile Prognathodes marcellae. (Reason being, my other acclimated fish will eat anything and everything!) Three weeks on a diet of Aquathrive and mysis and this fish gained significant bodymass–enough that this 2″ specimen could easily hold its own with larger 5″ Chaetodonts. While not a controlled application, I do believe the fish gained this mass quicker. I currently use Aquathrive weekly to vary the diet of the fishes, but feed it heavier when receiving fish to increase energy stores quickly. In my experience thus far, all fish have readilly accepted AquaThrive, but the 1mm oblong size can be difficult for larger fish. AquaThrive does offer a 1.5mm pellet, but I would not mind seeing larger 2mm and 3mm sizes come to fruition.

    Prognathodes marcellae

    For our beloved finned friends, variety is indeed the spice of life. Overall, AquaThrive appears to be a clean, palatable food for ornamental marine fish that adds another food option for aquarists.

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    • Hubert the CLOWNFISHMAN

      Looks like they changed the ingredients a little bit since they first release it two years ago (in UK), look forward to hear the review out in the field.

    • David

      looks good, but where do you buy this? i'd love a dry food that my marcellae would like!

    • Mark Poletti

      Eric, I picked some up at my clubs raffle in December. I use it a few times a week. I actually had a copperband that I recently picked up, eat the aquathrive sooner than meaty foods; go figure.

    • Mike

      very interesting concept (food made of polychaete worms) and good idea for “special needs” fish but I worry about that high fat content.

    • spsholic

      very nice..
      I have plan to get copperband and want to know it loves this food or not.
      Can I get this in US?

    • jmaneyapanda

      That is a HUGE fat content! I would just be precautious about overfeeding to some types of fish that may not typically ingest such fat, as it can easily lead to liver issues.

    • http://twitter.com/clownfishman Hubert C

      for anybody wondering, any retailers that are carrying Reef Nutrition / Reed Mariculture products can provide you with these. These are expected to be shipping out starting this week.

    • http://twitter.com/clownfishman Hubert C

      for anybody wondering, any retailers that are carrying Reef Nutrition / Reed Mariculture products can provide you with these. These are expected to be shipping out starting this week.

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