Nature Zone Bites

[Acro]

I bought some Nature Zone Iguana Bites that I found on clearance. I got them as food for feeder insects. However, after looking at them, they reminded me of gel food. What are the forum's thoughts on feeding Nature Zone Iguana Bites to goldfish?

Product Info:

Specially formulated for iguanas with an irresistible passion fruit flavor and light green color.

Feeding Instructions
Sprinkle a small amount in a shallow dish. Refrigerate after opening.

Ingredients: Water, Soy Protein, Maltodextrin, Whey Protein, Apple Fiber, Dried Egg Product, Sucrose, Fructose, Carrageenan, Locust Bean Gum, Lecithin, Calcium Carbonate, Wheat Germ Oil, Natural & Artificial Flavors, Calcium Lactate, Potassium Sorbate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ascorbic Acid, Citric Acid, Sodium Chloride, Potassium Chloride, Sodium Benzoate, Methylparaben, Beta-carotene, Lycopene, Polylparaben, Ogliofructose, Yucca schidigera Extract, Choline Chloride, Iron Amino Acid Chelate, Zinc Amino Acid Chelate, FD&C Yellow 5, FD&C Blue 1, Sodium Selenite, Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Manganese Amino Acid Chelate, Copper Amino Acid Chelate, Vitamin B12, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Folic Acid, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin D3, Calcium Iodate, and Biotin.

Guaranteed Analysis:

Crude Protein 3.0% (Min)

Crude Fat 1.0% (Min)

Crude Fiber 3.5% (Max)

Moisture 92.5% (Max)

Edited July 13, 2014 by Acro

[Mikey]

I wouldn't. It's for a reptile. Not fish. It's protein is also way too low and that looks like a lot of moisture. I saw no more than 10% on my foods.

[Georgia]

I'm not a big fan, either. Protein content looks way too low at 3.0% while most foods for goldfish should be aimed around 30% sometimes more. Ingredients don't look too appealing. If I was feeding a goldfish I'd want to give something that was at least somewhat close to their natural diet. Seeing that there's quite a bit of fruit in the food, the sugar content may also be a tad too high for goldies.

[GoldenSpoiledRotten]

• Water, Soy Protein, Maltodextrin, Whey Protein, Apple Fiber, Dried Egg Product,

  All of the ingredients above are fillers. Because they are the first ingredients in the food, they are the largest percentage in the food. I would not feed my fish a food made mostly of filler ingredients.

• Sucrose, Fructose

  Goldfish do not need excess sugars found in this food. This is why we don't often feed fruits. The sugars also would pollute the water very quickly.

• This food contains no recognizable products derived from the goldfish's (**carp's) natural environment. This would make it a little harder to digest than something algae based, for example.

I am not too worried about the moisture content or the fact that it is for iguanas. Feeding something low in protein as a treat is also fine. We feed our goldfish a variety of things that aren't specifically for them alone, and older goldfish do fine on a diet low in protein. However, I am not happy at all with the ingredients. I wouldn't even feed this stuff as a treat to my fish, as it wouldn't be of any value to them at all.

[*Amanda*]

I agree - this doesn't even sound appropriate for a reptile! I have a tortoise, and you wouldn't believe some of the garbage that is passed off as "complete" tortoise foods. There does need to be a lot of moisture because a lot of reptiles get nearly all their moisture from their diet, and rarely drink water. This isn't really a concern for fish, but the ingredients are appalling for reptiles and fish alike. [emoji34]