How to bring out the best color ?

[tomahawk]

What natural feed (which would be easily available) will bring out the best and vibrant colors in my Discus, irrespective of whether the fishes are blue, white or red. I would not like to pump them with anything artificial. Currently feeding with beefheart and freeze dry bloodworm.

[DIY]

If you are making your own beefheart mix, you can add some prawns and spirulina to the mix. My understanding is both of those enhance colours. You can also add astaxanthin as a colour enhancer, several sponsors of this site stock "naturose" brand natural astaxanthin.

I can't remember which colours are enhanced for each of those, at a quick guess probably Red using the prawns and astaxanthin and Blue for the spirulana.

[DIY]

Forgot to mention, Spirulana is easily found in health food stores and is rich in vitamins etc, it's actully good for cats, dogs people etc. Both Spirulana and Astaxanthin are forms of algae harvested for use a food addatives.

[cityguy]

Certain additives like paprika, beet juice, shrimp or lobster roe, ground marigolds, astanxanthin and other high-carotene foods are commonly mixed with prepared foods to induce coloration, and all of these are natural feed.

[cityguy]

PS: Forgot to mention, you can also try Hikari Spirulina and Brine Shrimp for natural coloration. DIY did mention about spirulina..

[tomahawk]

Brine shrimp is easily available in my neighbourhood fancy fish stores, in the food section. Will it bring out color in my fishes ?

[ILLUSN]

it will to a degree, its rich in caratinoids, you'll have much better results with astanxanthin and spirulina as they not only contain pigments but also vitamins to help the fish synthesise colour.

[cityguy]

Illusn, whats astanxanthin ?

[Hollowman]

Hi City,

take a look at this link:

http://www.healthanswersboard.com/astaxanthin.htm

[ILLUSN]

sorry city guy excuse my spelling i coppied it from you post LOL.

Astaxanthin is an energy storage compound used by algae. MAC is the guru on the stuff. its fantastic for fish.