4 0 PET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009www. pettradeworld. com Aquatic Food Focus Hikari Marine ' A' Marine ' A' - A daily colour-enhancing diet for Larger Marine Fish . Excellent for fi sh larger than 10 cm ( 4 inches) in length. . Becomes sponge- like in water thereby improving the acceptance by most marine fi shes. Easily digested by all marine animals, reduces excessive fi sh waste and the associated water quality problems. . Rich in stabilized vitamin C, promotes resistance to stress and immunity to infectious disease. Tropical Micro Wafers The smallest wafers suitable for all types of small and medium sized tropical fi sh to make a superior colour . A complete and balanced combination of premium proteins. . Contains high grade marine and vegetable proteins to promote ready acceptance, effi cient digestion and superior nutrient utilization. . Rich in Spirulina and Astaxanthin to promote vivid coloration. . A miniature( micro) wafer developed specifi cally for most tropical fi sh to easily devour. . Improved water quality over fl ake foods because it's easier to avoid overfeeding and will not dissolve in water. Saki- Hikari Fancy Goldfi sh An extreme colour enhancing, Premium Diet for Goldfi sh . The inclusion of benefi cial living microorganisms offers more complete assimilation, reduced waste, improved resistance to disease, and increased growth rates. . A unique combination of carefully selected colour enhancing ingredients including Spirulina, Marigold, Astaxanthin and Phaffi a Dried Yeast. . The Hikari- Germ promotes more rapid digestion, quickly decomposes waste and improves overall water quality and fi lter effectiveness . Higher levels of vitamin E and C offer active stress reduction and thereby improved immunity to stress induced disease. Contacts JBL - Telephone: + 49 6236- 4180- 200 Email: Website: www. jbl. de Nishikoi - Telephone: 01371 851424 Website: www. nishikoi. com Tetra ( UK) Ltd- Telephone: 02380 60 60 70 Website: www. tetra. de Tropical Marine Centre - Telephone: 01923 284151 Email: tmc@ tmc- ltd. co. uk Website: www. tmc- ltd. co. uk Zolux Hobby UK Ltd - Telephone: 01908 487633 Email: contact@ zolux- hobby. co. uk Website: www. zolux- hobby. co. uk Hikari - Website: www. hikari. uk. com Hobby Toppy Automatic Fish Feeder Battery powered automatic feeder with precise quartz clock, for feeding twice a day. Food quantity is individually adjustable. Connection to air pump ensures feed no longer gets clumped together. Batteries not included. Steward Rondo Automatic Fish Feeder Microchip- controlled automatic feeder. Heated feeding drum prevents the food from sticking together. 7 digitally programmable feeding intervals between 3 and 48 hours. Light sensor stops feeding when dark. Electricity driven. Includes transformer. Duplex Combination of feeding ring for aquaria which prevents the fi sh feed from being sucked away by the fi lter and sieve for live feed which adjusts itself to the water surface over an adjustment range of 3cm.

www. pettradeworld. comPET TRADE WORLD DECEMBER 2009 41 Rupert Bridges, Product Manager at Tetra ( UK) Ltd Nutrition and Feeding Advice General advice . Recommend feeding little and often, as prepared foods are rich in nutrients and energy. It's normally suffi cient to feed 2 - 3 times per day, feeding only as much as the fi sh can eat in a few minutes. . Different brands of food will vary in price and quality. Know the benefi ts of each, to ensure you can confi dently recommend premium lines. Generally, better quality foods will: . Provide a better balance of nutrients, leading to better health, growth and colour . Be digested & utilised more effi ciently, reducing waste production & helping to keep the aquarium or pond cleaner . Be more readily consumed by the fi sh . Remember that food quality directly affects water quality, and therefore how easy it is for your customers to look after their aquarium or pond. Problems with water clarity and quality can be reduced by ensuring a good quality food is used. . Link food sales to the types of fi sh your customers are buying. Many brands have a wide range of products, carefully formulated for different types of fi sh. Recommending the right diet for a particular species can allow you to sell an additional product, benefi ting both your customer's fi sh and your sales. . Poor feeding practices, or the use of a poor quality diet, can lead to fi sh health problems. Remember this when advising your customers. If they have a problem and you have checked out water quality and more obvious causes, fi nd out what they are feeding and how often. . Recommend holiday foods at relevant times of the year, as fi sh benefi t from a regular supply of food. Good holiday foods will be formulated to remain stable for a lengthy period of time, and to minimise any potential waste production. Pond foods . During the autumn and winter you should recommend the use of a low- temperature food ( usually wheatgerm-based). These are formulated to be well digested at low temperatures, and should be recommended once the summer starts to draw to a close. Although it can vary from product to product, they are typically recommended for feeding at 10- 12° C or lower. Fish will feed sporadically at this time of year, depending on the temperature. However, customers should be encouraged to observe their fi sh, and continue feeding them small amounts if they are active. . In the summer, warm water makes rapid growth possible. To capitalise on this, recommend specially formulated growth foods. This is especially relevant for larger fi sh such as Koi and Orfe, if the customer wants them to reach their true potential. Growth foods should be rich in both protein and energy, to ensure balanced weight gain. . The growing popularity of Sterlets in garden ponds means that specifi c diets are now available for them. It is important to recommend a good quality one, as they cannot tolerate the high carbohydrate found in normal pond foods. Goldfi sh foods . More ornate varieties of fancy goldfi sh will benefi t from a specifi cally formulated diet. This will usually be easier for them to digest, and be rich in pigments that promote their vibrant natural colours. . Goldfi sh enjoy, and may benefi t from, being fed a treat food several times a week. A popular treat for Goldfi sh is Daphnia, which is available in various different formats ( frozen, gel- based etc) . Some fancy goldfi sh are prone to swimbladder disorders, causing them to fl oat or sink following a heavy meal. This can be alleviated to some extent by feeding little and often, trying sinking foods, and including fresh ' treat' foods in the diet. Other non- dietary causes should be considered though. Tropical fi sh foods . Tropical aquariums contain a mixture of species. A good quality fl ake or equivalent should normally form the basis of the diet, with other foods recommended according to which fi sh are kept. . Diets can be recommended on the basis of the fi shes' physical feeding requirements, e. g.: . Floating foods for surface feeders such as guppies, Platies, Danios etc. . Slow- sinking foods for mid- water feeders such as Angelfi sh, Discus, barbs etc . Sinking foods ( tablets / wafers) for substrate-feeders such as catfi sh and loach. . Special benefi t foods can also be recommended, such as colour- enhancing diets, growth foods, and herbivore diets. . " Grazers", such as " sucker- mouth" catfi sh ( e. g. Bristelnose plecostomus), will benefi t from a wafer food. These are more stable than granules or tablets, and will allow them to feed in their own time. . Treat foods can be fed several times a week to add variety to the diet. These are well accepted by most fi sh, and are available in various formats. However, they should not normally be fed more than this, as they are not nutritionally complete. ¦