Hikari First Bites 10g

• Ultra-fine sinking granules – powder-fine, sized for mouths too small for a standard flake or pellet.
• High protein – min. 48% crude protein to support rapid early growth.
• Freshwater and saltwater fry – one food covers both livebearer and egglayer fry.
• Colour and immune ingredients named – spirulina, astaxanthin and garlic all appear in the declared ingredients.
• Soaks to sink – pre-soak in tank water to help it reach bottom-feeding fry.

Transcribed exactly from the manufacturer's declared ingredient list, in the order Hikari publishes it:

Fish meal, wheat flour, krill meal, soybean meal, brewers dried yeast, spirulina, dried seaweed meal, rice bran, astaxanthin, garlic, DL-methionine, choline chloride, vitamin E supplement, L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilised vitamin C), inositol, D-calcium pantothenate, riboflavin, vitamin A supplement, thiamine mononitrate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, niacin, folic acid, vitamin D3 supplement, biotin, vitamin B12 supplement, P-aminobenzoic acid, silicon dioxide, monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, salt, ferrous sulphate, magnesium sulphate, zinc sulphate, manganese sulphate, copper sulphate, calcium iodate.

No artificial colours, ethoxyquin or BHA/BHT preservatives appear in Hikari's published ingredient declaration for this product. Note the presence of added salt and copper sulphate – standard trace additions in this formula, but worth knowing if you're dosing fry tanks that also house copper-sensitive invertebrates.

Feed several times a day – Hikari notes up to ten feeds may suit a large or very active batch of fry – offering only what's eaten within about a minute each time. For fry that feed off the bottom, pre-soak a pinch in aquarium water so it sinks rather than sitting on the surface.

Suitable for: newly hatched fry of livebearers and egglayers, in both freshwater and saltwater tanks.

Not suitable for: adult or juvenile fish large enough to take a pellet – move fish onto a standard grow-out food once they've outgrown a fry-sized mouth.

Store sealed in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. Reseal tightly after each use – a fine powder like this loses freshness quickly once air gets in.

• Seachem Prime – fry tanks typically need more frequent water changes, and Prime conditions each one.
• API Freshwater Master Test Kit – worth tracking ammonia closely in a densely stocked fry-rearing tank.
• Marina Floating Glass Thermometer – keeps a fry tank's temperature steady, which matters more for fry than adults.

Covered by the consumer guarantees under Australian Consumer Law in addition to any manufacturer undertakings. Ships as a standard, ambient-stable grocery item.

How many times a day should I feed fry?

Hikari's own guidance is several small feeds a day, up to ten for a large or very active batch, rather than one or two larger ones.

My fry are bottom feeders – will this reach them?

Pre-soak a pinch in tank water first. That helps it sink rather than sitting on the surface, where surface-feeding fry would get to it first.

When do I switch fry onto a normal food?

Once they're large enough to take a small pellet or flake comfortably – First Bites is sized for the earliest days only.

Is it marine or freshwater food?

Both – Hikari formulates it for newly hatched fry in freshwater and saltwater tanks alike.