Hikari Crab Cuisine Review
Quick Overview
Price
Fair
Pellet Size
Small/Medium
Pellet Type
Sinking Stick
Ingredients
Good
Availability
Good
In Depth Review
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Introduction
This review of Hikari Crab Cuisine is from my personal use of the product and is written from a hobbyist perspective.
Is Hikari Crab Cuisine a good food? What is the difference between Hikari Crab Cuisine and Hikari’s Shrimp Cuisine? Are the ingredients different? What is the difference between the pellets of the two? Can I feed Hikari Crab Cuisine to my shrimp? I hope these and your other possible questions about this food can be answered in my review below.
Can I Feed My Shrimp Eat Hikari Crab Cuisine?
Yes, Hikari Crab Cuisine is a wonderful food for pet crabs and shrimp. In fact, some people prefer Crab Cuisine to Hikari’s Shrimp Cuisine for a few different reasons, some of which can be seen below.
Do Shrimp Like the Food?
Yes and no for me. I found that the first time I fed this food in my shrimp tank, my shrimp showed very little interest in the food. However, since then I have fed it a few times and the shrimp now seem to enjoy it. In my opinion, they enjoy the Shrimp Cuisine better though.
Package Sizing and Pricing
Hikari Crab Cuisine only comes in one size bag weighing 1.76 oz or 50 grams. The weight of the food is higher than Shrimp Cuisine’s bag, which means you are getting a better deal for your money comparatively. While this is smaller than most sizes we would think of for fish foods, it should last you a decent amount of time for those who are casually keeping shrimp. I look at shrimp food pack sizes similar to betta food pack sizes. A small pack will last most hobbyists a long time.
Pellet Overview
This food comes in a unique miniature stick form that are larger than the Shrimp Cuise pellets but are smaller than most shrimp food pads or wafers. In my opinion, this is not my preference for sizing. The reason I don’t like the size is because it is somewhat large enough for multiple shrimp to get enough food, but small enough for shrimp to carry it off for themselves.
It does however seem to break down well in the water for the shrimp to eat, and the size is probably large enough to keep it from sinking into your substrate, depending on what you have.
Ingredient Quality
The main ingredients used in Crab Cuisine are fish meal and flaked corn, which makes me think of a bowl of cereal. Looking over both the Crab Cuisine ingredients and the Shrimp Cuisine ingredients, it appears there are few differences between the foods. However, there is a notable difference in protein levels between the two, with the shrimp cuisine also containing a decent amount of krill. Shrimp Cuisine comes in at 40% crude protein and Crab Cuisine is at 31%. In my opinion, this makes Shrimp Cuisine better for those looking to breed their shrimp.
Also of note is the copper. Yes, Crab Cuisine also contains copper just like Shrimp Cuisine. While some hobbyists worry about copper with shrimp, and rightfully so. Copper is necessary in very small amounts for shrimp health. Here is a link to someone who dives a little deeper into the topic if you would like to learn more. Aquarium Breeder: Copper Article
Packaging
Hikari loves their bags for food, and I like them well enough. Except for the box they use for Hikari Bio-Gold, I appreciate most of Hikari’s packaging. The bag works just fine for Crab Cuisine. Nothing special to note here.
Market Availability
I find that Hikari Crab Cuisine is about as widely available as Hikari’s Shrimp Cuisine. With shrimp becoming so popular in the hobby, it should be easy to find in most pet shops. The food is also widely available online.
My Final Thoughts
I like Hikari Crab Cuisine, but I don’t love it. I think the food is a good option for those with only a few shrimp to feed and is a good food to mix in to vary the diet. If you have a tank with a lot of shrimp, this could be a tough food to feed due to its small size. You will probably be better off with some larger pads or powdered food in this case.
If you have a small shrimp tank and are trying to choose between the Crab and Shrimp Cuisine. I recommend going with Shrimp Cuisine due to the ingredients, but either can work.
Where to Purchase Hikari Shrimp Cuisine
If you believe this food is something you would like to try, then I will provide a link below to purchase some for yourself.
Thanks for reading!
I am currently on a mission to build a definitive list of fish and shrimp food reviews that I have personally tried. Be sure to check out my other reviews here!