I have a bunch of fish food that I still have around from when I first got these fish 4 years ago. I had these packed away in boxes when I moved from San Jose to Santa Cruz 3 1/2 years ago and have just discovered them.
There is quite a bit of food in all 3 containers, yet from checking the labels, I don’t see an expiration date (like you would on milk or bread).
I’m not some cheap ass trying to save a buck by feeding my fish old food, but then again, if it’s still good, I don’t want to toss it out needlessly either.
Check the lables for organic ingredients. They could posssibly decay into bad stuff for the fish. Otherwise, somebody will come along with some real information. BTW, experimentation is not an option, as you well know.
Keep it Fresh - Fish foods often don’t carry an expiration date, but they have a relatively short shelf life. Flake foods lose much of their nutritional value in as little as a month, so purchase only what you can use in a few weeks. Vitamin and nutritional deficiency is a big contributor in making fish susceptible to disease…Plus the cost is next to nothing for fishfood, so I’d simply go buy more…
This from online article on fish food expiration dates. bold is mine
I was just wondering this myself, and I hope you don’t mind if I ask a related question. Flake foods were mentioned as losing their nutritional value quickly, but what about very small pellet type food such as is fed to Bettas? I don’t want to let my guy get, I dunno, fishy rickets or something.
If I remember correctly, I used to feed my goldfish food that had been sitting there for many years (he didn’t eat a lot) and he lived for 17 years! So, if that’s any help, I don’t know…
I’ve been feeding goldfish and koi from a can of Wardley pond food flakes (enriched with small, whole shrimp) for over a year now. This can is 6oz. and is stamped on the bottom with an 04 00. I assumed it expired in 2000. These fish are doing great.
