We have long carried Saki Hikari Fancy Goldfish foods. The purple bag aka Color Enhancing has been a part of our store inventory since day 1. Last year, we started carrying the green bag aka Balance. Now we also carry the red bag aka Extreme Color Enhancing. Ill break down a little of what makes the Saki Hikari brand so successful worldwide and what the differences between the food types are.
Saki Hikari is the top end fish food manufactured by the Hikari Fish Food brand. Hikari is widely recognized as the best food in Japan. For koi, Hikari has been synonymous with quality for decades. Most if not all Grand Champion koi have been fed or finished with Hikari brand foods. Hikari brand goldfish foods have been some of the most popular on the west coast. In the USA, Hikari has select products available for consumer purchase. Among those are the Lionhead, Oranda, Goldfish Excel, Goldfish Gold and Goldfish Wheat Germ.
Saki Hikari Fancy Goldfish line of goldfish have really taken off in the USA with the purple bag (Color Enhancing) being the only commercially available variety. Through a few of our own back channels, we have been able to carry the Balance brand (Green bag) for some time. Recently, we have been able to also start carrying the red bag (Extreme Color Enhancing).
What separates Saki Hikari from the other Hikari products is the "Hikari Germ." From Hikari;
""The scientifically developed Saki-Hikari diets utilize the finest quality ingredients we can find, including a patented, living probiotic. A merging of world-class technology, nutritional balance and patented ingredients allow us to bring you this revolutionary diet."Hikari Germ" is a strain of Bacillus bacteria which, when fed, proliferates itself inside the intestine of the koi offering many incredible benefits."
What this means is that there is a living strain of probiotic in the food that activates inside the gut of the goldfish after digestion that creates a digestive enzyme to improve the amount of food digested by the goldfish. In the next stage, the Hikari Germ prevents the spread of bad bacteria in the waste of the fish. In the final stage, the Hikari Germ continues to decompose and break down fish waste to improve water quality and minimizing the load on the filter. All of this means, your fish gets more nutrition from the food, wastes less food through waste and the excrement is broken down by the good bacteria in Hikari Germ to lessen the bio load of feedings.
Whats the difference between the foods?
Purple - Color Enhancing
The most popular Saki Hikari food in the USA. This food has high levels of carotenoids such as purified Astaxanthin and Spirulina to deepen and improve the red color in the fish without negatively impacting the white portions. This food also has high levels of Vitamin E to improve skin luster. This is especially important to create contrast in the skin of the fish. With high protein and fat levels, this food can also serve as a daily feeder and improve the overall size and girth of the goldfish as well. Click Here to Buy
Green - Balance
An excellent choice as a daily feeder. This food has high fat and protein levels to produce good body conformation and growth. The overall balance of vitamins and quality ingredients make this food a great choice for growth and boosting immune system. Click Here to Buy
Red - Extreme Color Enhancing
The most extreme color enhancing food on the market. Carotenoids include Spirulina, Marigold, Astaxanthin and Phaffia Dried Yeast. The extreme levels of Spirulina in this food guarantee an extreme and quick deepening of the reds and superior color development. This is a great finishing food for your fish. Mixing Extreme Color Enhancing with another Saki Hikari food at a ratio of 1:3 has been shown to dramatically enhance color development. Click Here to Buy
Just a few notes
Saki Hikari foods are meant to be fed on a continuous basis. The Hikari Germ can only be most effective if used without interruption as the primary source of food. You need to keep up the concentration of the probiotic in the fishs system to yield optimum results. Having a variety of foods to mix, such as Green, Red and Purple can improve palatability for the goldfish and keep feeding time interesting (as if they needed it)
