Spirulina

[MikeM]

In the November 1997 issue of Koi Times (BKKS' mag at the time) is an article on spirulina by Alan Rogers. We often read hype about spirulina and it has its detractors. Rogers' article included reference to experimental use of spirulina in Niigata that I thought worth sharing. He wrote:

"The Japanese Institute of Fisheries and Science have after exhaustive tests with spirulina made a number of valid discoveries. These reports reflecting over a two year period were based on fish fed with spirulina ranging from 2% t0 5% content as a supplement to their standard diet. ... There was a noticeable improvement in reds, oranges and yellows. The texture and vitality of the skin was enhanced remarkably and displayed a shininess even on non metallic varieties. Growth rates were greatly improved over a six month period, and a greater reduction of mortality was found in younger fish. These experiments also found that diseases particularly related to skin disorders were also greatly reduced, and there was less obesity found in larger koi. ... It has been said by some hobbyists that feeding excessive spirulina creates a red or pink colour saturation to white skin. Wishing to establish if there was any element of truth in such a statement, I raised this question with a famous Japanese fish food manufacturer and was informed that this is unlikely to happen unless 'pure spirulina' is being solely administered in excessive amounts, without a supporting balanced daily diet."

Rogers proceeded to say how he had used spirulina for 10 years and was very pleased with the results.

I think it important to note that the experimental results involved feeding less than 5% spirulina.

[johnsmith]

Aaaah Mike? Did you want to say something about spirulina and make a strong statement ?

Alan is out of koi for a few years now, by the way. A great loose to the hobby. JR

[HenryC]

Very interesting Mike. I had tended to stay away from feed with high spirulina as I considered it just a color enhancer and I did not want my whites to yellow. From this article, it sounds like it has several positive aspects and may be worth a try. The question is, how does one know the percentage of spirulina in a pellet feed since they usually do not indicate it? Maybe the only way is to mix your own.

Henry

[koiczar]

HenryC

I know this response is not a scientific proven fact, however, I have been told by a couple of food manufacturing reps that the ingredients listed are in order of percentages mixed. If the spirulina or other product is listed like fourth or fifth within the list, the amounts are a small percentage of the total ingredients. As I said, I know this still doesn't answer the question pointedly but I believe it helps. I too was always under the assumption that spirulina was basically a color enhancer and have stayed away from it.

A couple of months ago, I saw a bag of food that was new to the market. I read the ingredients list and was quite impressed. The product is from Imperial Garden Products and is called OSI 168. It is an "all-season" food that it claims can be fed down to 50F, twice daily and down to 45F once/day. I DON'T THINK SO!!! But I would/do feed down to 50 all year long with a fasting in late Dec. to mid January.

The ingredients are listed in the following order: Whitefish Meal, Wheatgerm Meal, Wheat Flour, Brewer's Yeast, Soy Protein Concentrate, Spirulina, Shrimp Meal, Dried Silkworm Pupae Meal, Ground Brown Rice, Garlic, Fish Oil, Lecithin, Vitamin A Palmitate and about ten other ingredients too numerous to list.

Now, I have been feeding this food mixed equally with Saki Hikari Multi Season and Ogata Wheat Germ. The fish love the mix and I love the results. I have noticed a new level of sheen on my fish, including the hikari on the yamabuki and Gin Matsuba. The white ground has cleaned up very nicely and the colors on the fish have brightened up noticeably. My fish range in size from 13" to 28", total of 36 fish in 10,000 gals. I know I'm overstocked at this point, so filter cleaning has taken on a very new meaning this season until I lower the load (every other day)!! So, maybe there is some truth to what has been posted above concerning the spirulina in small amounts having a profound affect other than just pigment enhancement!? Just my observations of my own stock

Mike

[aquitori]

I was reading an article in Nichirin a couple of weeks ago in which Maruyama fed their tosai 50% color in the green house...Kind of amazed in which it kind of clarified a few questions I had.

Kagura beni is hard to maintain in tosai during the growing season I find this year.

[Steve Nguyen]

I was thinking of feeding my fish with Aqua Master growth food which has spirulina listed 6th in the ingredients list. there is no percentage break down of spirulina content. should I start to use Aqua Master or not? anyone has any comments?

Steve

[koiczar]

Steve

Tried their Wheat Germ last October when I couldn't get Hai Feng. Turned the fishes waste black. Got Hai Feng ASAP and it returned to normal immediately. Wouldn't use AquaMaster again. Still have most of the bag - you want it - it's yours!!

[Sangreaal]

This summer I've been feeding Hikari Staple mixed with krill and dusted with spirulina and bentonite clay. The growth rate of my koi has been impressive as well as the color development. My new kohakus were fed on a similar pellet diet with the krill, 5% spirulina, bentonite clay and alfalfa in the ingredients. I've never seen such white shiro or deeply lacquered persimmon hi. Very nice...

Marie

[Regenmeneer]

Quote: Originally Posted by aquitori I was reading an article in Nichirin a couple of weeks ago in which Maruyama fed their tosai 50% color in the green house...Kind of amazed in which it kind of clarified a few questions I had.

This surprises me somewhat! How about growth that is being limited by feeding spirulina? Or the damage to pigment cells in small koi (tosai) ?

[johnsmith]

High class koi don't need spirulina. Tateshita do need spirulina.
High class koi are highly efficient 'machines' that convert diet to color. But even then, digestibility is dependent on lipid content of the total diet and also the source for carotenoid. Shrimp meal for instance is 80% digestible. Spirulina is 60% digestible. But due to heat treatment may not be very valuable as an end product? ( clarification: heating carbs like algae will make the digestibility greater/better but will reduce the quality of the carotenoids in the process)

In the fish food industry there is a concept called 'Specific Affinity' and that is what Alan Roger's Niigata testing people were talking about.
Each Carotenoid has a specific Affinity or apitude for being deposited in particular tissue. It can be an apitude for muscle ( bad for koi) or for exoskeleton ( bad) or internal organs ( who cares!) or for skin ( bingo!!).

Koi can convert luten or zeaxanthin into astaxanthin. So almost any source that is digestible, absorbable and of the right specific affinity and one that is delivered with a good lipid diet, will result in large healthy color cells I.E.- bright color.
The limitation for sirulina absorption will be the undigestible cellular walls. Heat treatment used to make this carb more digestible will also effect the useablity of the carotenoid. Modern techniques remove the 'color' ingredients from shrimp, crabs,crayfish, marigold, paprika etc and mix them in vegetable or fish oils.

Finally, any one who says spirulina can't stain skin - needs to get out more often!! The entire fish growing industry uses high density color foods TO stain muscle and skin for marketing purposes! It is a known fact that carotenoids are collected at a rate of 10 to 1 in skin verses muscle. But collected in BOTH, they are! You simply need to ask yourself why this is so- one reason is that carotenoids are a natural protection against the harmful effect of light. In koi, the breeder has simply bred for an intensity of this survival trait. So the fish that is efficient at conversion is a fish that needs little help other than basic quality source in an 'available' form.

To summarize- it is the quality, amount and absorbability of the carotenoid as well as- components of the rest of the diet,the duration of feeding and aptitude of the koi ( age/sex and 'seasonal' based consideration) for transporting and depositing the end product that will determine what the outcome will be on skin color tissue.

As for 'other benefits' of spirulina- aside from a balanced diet of protein/lipids and CARBS, the presence of natural carotenoids in the diet benefits the precurser of Vitamin A. And vitamin A is very helpful to the immune system as a protection against free radicals. Additionally, Vitamin A is important in growth.

JR