algae discs....

[patrickstockton]

can anyone comment on the difference between Hikari brand "sinking" and "algae" discs? My LFS was vague at best with their answer, and the ingredients are virtually identical. I've always bought the "sinking" variety as they are easily availible to me in the smaller diameter (1/4"). I feed them as supplements to my royal, clown, L200 green, L239 blue, pitbull, otos etc.... Of course this isn't the only food they receive, but wondering which style of disc would be more recommended of the two.

[Silurus]

There is more vegetable matter (and more nutritional additives like vitamins) in the algae wafers, I think.

Here's what in the algae wafers:

white fish meal, wheat flour, wheat-germ meal, alpha starch, dehydrated alfalfa meal, soybean meal, fish oil, brewer's dried yeast, shrimp meal, spirulina, salt, carotene, monopotassium phosphate, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, Vitamin K3, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, inositol, choline chloride, l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C), magnesium sulfate, manganese sulfate, zinc sulfate, iron sulfate, calcium iodate, cobalt sulfate, aluminum hydroxide

And here's what in the sinking wafers:

white fish meal, shrimp meal, wheat-germ meal, wheat flour, soybean meal, alpha starch, brewer's dried yeast, spirulina, carotene, vitamin A, vitamin D3, vitamin E, Vitamin K3, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, choline chloride, inositol, calcium iodate, manganese sulfate, magnesium carbonate,  l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C)

I think the algae wafers would be better suited for providing a more herbivorous diet.