www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 37 Small Animal Food Focus Zolux Hobby Nutri'Meal Nutri'Meal is a range of complete, balanced diet feeds for small animals and birds. Their specifi c compositions have been developed to meet the appropriate needs of each animal: Dwarf Rabbits (" Junior", " Adult" and " Light"), Guinea Pig, Hamster, Mouse, Rat, Chinchilla, Gerbil and Degu. The complete diets are rich in fl avours, shapes, colours and texture. Each Nutri'Meal product is composed of a special mixture of pellets, grains, fruits and fl akes and with the right balance of protein, fats, vitamins and minerals, provides all the essential nutrients needed for a balanced diet. Bowls & Feeders Authentic Farmer Range An adorable line in galvanized iron inspired by the farm world for our small animals. The range includes: Food Troughs, Corner Feeders, Drinking Troughs, Cereal Bar Holders, Hay Rack, and Fruit/ Vegetable Skewer & Carrot/ Cereal Holder. " Forest" Ceramic Line The surprising and original " Forest" ceramic range includes 3 feeding dishes - Nut, Trunk and Pumpkin. Inspired by the forest atmosphere, the products in the range will bring authenticity to any cage! These products are easy to wash and they are dishwasher safe. With attractive and original packaging decorated with sketches, which protects the product in store against breakage. Rosewood New Small Animal Feeding Bowls There are three stoneware bowls in Rosewood Pet Products' small animal feeding range: all great quality, great value and in great designs! The fi rst introduction is a traditional beige embossed paw print 5" bowl. Also new is a shallower design in a two- tone green, which is ideal for smaller rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets. The star of the show is a unique ' Naturals' branded beige twin bowl decorated with this popular range's two animal characters. It's perfect for offering pets Naturals or any other dried or fresh treats. All bowls retail at a recommended selling price of £ 3.99. Contacts Burgess Pet Care - Tel: + 44 ( 0) 1751 474123 website: www. burgesspetcare. co. uk Burns Pet Nutrition - Tel: 0800 018 1890 email: info@ burns- pet- nutrition. co. uk Cranswick Pet Products - Tel: 01377 200800 website: www. cranswickpetproducts. co. uk Mr Johnsons - Tel: + 44 ( 0) 1227 723816 email: info@ mypetfoods. co. uk Rosewood Pet Products - Tel: 01952 883408 website: www. rosewoodpet. com. Supreme Pet Foods - Tel: + 44 ( 0) 1473 823296 email: info@ supremepetfoods. com Wagg - Tel: + 44 ( 0) 1845 578111 email: info@ waggfoods. co. uk

3 8 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Aquatic Food Focus Fish food JBL NovoPleco The consistency and the ingredients of JBL NovoPlecoChips are specially balanced to meet the nutritional needs of plant- nibbling suckermouth catfi sh ( plecostomus, ancistrus etc.) and other plant-eating, ground- feeding fi sh. Wheatgerm, spirulina algae, a high proportion of green nutrients as well as 10 % of vital wood fi bre are combined in a special production process to produce a food specifi cally designed for this species. The chips sink rapidly to the fl oor of the aquarium, the level at which these fi sh feed. The stability of JBL NovoPlecoChips in water ensures that the slow- feeding fi sh have suffi cient time to feed without unnecessary pollution of the water. Stabilised vitamin C and other vital vitamins strengthen resistance to disease. There are over 25,000 different species of fi sh in the world - each with their own special food preferences and requirements. The advent of dried fl ake, granular, and pelleted foods have made the feeding of aquarium fi sh a whole lot easier. But people must fi rst understand something about the nutritional needs of their different species of fi sh before they know which food is best for them. Most aquariums contain a variety of fi sh including fi sh that feed on the surface, others that feed in the middle layer and others that only feed on the bottom. It is essential that the food supplied is adequate for each of these feeding levels. It is important to establish the species of fi sh your customer keeps in order to give the correct advice on the appropriate types of fl oating or sinking foods. Nutrition problems usually result from people feeding the wrong types of food and, every year, thousands of fi sh become sick or die because of this. Some fi sh only eat plants ( herbivores) and others only eat animals ( carnivores), but the majority of aquarium fi sh will eat both plants and animals ( omnivores). Plant eating fi sh that are fed animal-based foods will not be able to digest the food and will starve to death. The same is true of strictly carnivorous fi sh that are fed only plant- based materials. Here is an overview of the most common types of prepared foods available in the market - Flakes - Probably the most common type of food sold for fi sh and is a blend of food ingredients that have been dried into fl ake form. Flakes make a great staple diet of balanced nutrition for most fi sh. Pellets - The same principle as fl akes, but formed into pellets and sometimes more suitable for larger fi sh. Frozen foods - Natural ingredients, such as brine shrimp or mysid shrimp, packed together in little cubes and frozen. Freeze- dried foods - These are live ingredients freeze- dried and packaged. They have even less nutrition loss than frozen foods, keep longer and don't have the risks of disease or parasites that live foods can have. Sinking wafers - The most common type of food offered for bottom feeders and is usually algae or other ingredients packed into a thin disk that sinks to the bottom. Includes algae wafers for plecos or algae eating catfi sh and also meatier wafers for cories and loaches. Pond fi sh such as koi, gold fi sh and shubunkins are all related to the carp which is naturally a grazing fi sh, constantly feeding as it picks its way through the silt and debris in a pond. They do not have a stomach, and do not digest single large meals effectively, but rather digest many small mouthfuls throughout the day. Pond fi sh should therefore be fed on a basis of little and often, offering what they will consume in 5 minutes. When the pond temperature falls to the low sixties it is advisable to use a wheatgerm based food as it more easily digested by the fi sh at low temperatures. Pond food, like aquatic food, comes in different formats. There are fl ake foods available as well as pellets in varying sizes for the different fi sh. Pond food also comes in stick format - these are produced in a similar way to pellets but are longer and generally less dense. They will usually soften up quite quickly in the water, enabling even the smaller fi sh to nibble. Here we look at some of the food available for aquarium and pond dwelling fi sh. ¦