The Puffer Forum

Okay, I found some Kent Freshwater vitamins with spirulina on eBay for a VERY good price, and I ordered a bottle. It came and seemed very good. The seller had one more bottle and since the price was so low, I thought I should go for the other bottle just to have it on hand. So I ordered it. Thing is, it came today and instead of it being the Kent Freshwater, it's Kent Marine!

So my question is this -- Because we're talking about vitamins here, can I use the Kent Marine vitamins on a freshwater tank? I mean, it's just vitamins right, so will it matter that much? If I can't use it on my freshwater tanks, can I use it on my brackish tanks? It's not as if I'm really dosing the tank, more the food. So I'm just wondering what the real difference in the two is. I sent the seller a message saying that he's sent the wrong one, but other than me sending the bottle back (to Scotland) and paying for posting it back .... I guess I will have to keep it. I was hoping to be able to make use of it.

Maybe you could trade it into your LFS for a FW version? Thing is, there are different vitamin requirements for FW, than SW creatures. It's ok to mix the 2 (I soak my blackworms in both, since they are fed to both) but you might be lacking in FW vits, if you only use the SW ones.

But could I use the saltwater one with my brackish tank only, or is it still not quite right?

But you're also saying if I mix the two I should be okay? I have plenty of other freshwater vitamin by another manufacturer.

I'd still try to trade it for FW vits if you can. With as many fish as you have, you must have an "in" with the LFS, no? I know mine would.

I wish they'd put some sort of nutritional analysis on the bottle. I'd like to know how much of what my fish actually need - I don't want to overdose them.

I'd use them for the biocellatus, nigroviridis, fluviatilis

Actually PP, I don't have any "one" LFS that I use regularly .... I wish I did have. I tend to get most of what I need from eBay, and only because the prices are so darn cheap compared to what they are at any of the LFS's near me.

Thank you Corvus, I will use those vits for my brackish puffers. I can't return them because I bought them off eBay and the shop is in Scotland, and none of the shops around here sell Kent Marine anyway. So I was hoping I could make use of them somehow since I have them.

LilGreenPuffer wrote:I wish they'd put some sort of nutritional analysis on the bottle. I'd like to know how much of what my fish actually need - I don't want to overdose them.

The Vita (or something like that) stuff I use has the analysis on it. The Kent stuff doesn't? I don't buy a lot of things unless they have a (hopefully guaranteed) analysis on them.

I prefer Vita-Chem.

Flutter wrote:

LilGreenPuffer wrote:I wish they'd put some sort of nutritional analysis on the bottle. I'd like to know how much of what my fish actually need - I don't want to overdose them.

The Vita (or something like that) stuff I use has the analysis on it. The Kent stuff doesn't? I don't buy a lot of things unless they have a (hopefully guaranteed) analysis on them.

I have FW Vita-Chem, and I didn't see it? But then again, I don't know exactly what a DP needs.

Nutritional requirements of a fish? Coming right up It's not puffer specific but a good place to start.

http://www.alr-journal.org/index.php?op ... lr3006.pdf

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/reprint/124 ... /2633S.pdf

I use VITA-CHEM

I dont know if I'm doing it right, but I would put 5 drops of Vita-chem on 1 cube of bloodworms.

Is that to much?

I sort of just pour some vitamin liquid over my bloodworms, don't bother measuring it.

That stuff is very concentrated. 1 drop while defrosting a single cube & then drain after an hour should be enough. I only add about 10 drops to a lb of them.

Can I hurt my fish if I'm giving them too much vitamin? I tend to put all my bloodworm in a plastic container and then pour the vitamins over it, and then I dish out a little with a spoon to each tank that takes bloodworm. I've been doing it that way all along.