The scientifically controlled trial was to test the foods for use in aquariums so it was important to choose a species that would be representative of tropical egg-laying fish. After due consideration Rosy barbs (Barbus conchonius) were chosen as being the most suitable species.
How the trial was carried out
Each of the three foods was allocated three tanks to triplicate the trial with each tank containing 10 mixed-sex Rosy barbs with an average weight of 14g per tank.
The trial was run for nine weeks to allow the average weight of at least one tank to double, to give a valid performance estimate of the foods compared to the best performing one. The fish were fed 3% of their body weight over two feeds, approximately half in the morning and the remaining half in the afternoon. At the end of the trial, a cumulative average from each of the foods’ three tanks was determined, to give the overall performance across the trial period. The test established that fish fed on Nutrafin Max had a significantly higher Specific Growth Rate (SGR) than the other feeds tested.
A test was then undertaken to determine the vibrancy of the colours of the fish. First lighting was turned on above the tanks to allow equal viewing conditions in each of the tanks. Thirty people were asked which of the fish in each of the tanks showed a difference in colouration and if the colours were more or less vibrant. Twenty-three people out of the thirty noticed a difference in colouration in the Nutrafin Max tanks all saying that the colours were significantly more vibrant than the fish fed on the other two leading brands.
