Hikari Betta Bio-Gold Review
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Introduction
This review of Hikari Bio-Gold is from my personal use of the product and is written from a hobbyist perspective.
Hikari Bio-Gold is often seen as the “gold standard” (pun intended) of betta fish foods. While I have used the food a lot over the years, and I understand some of the reasons, I don’t believe I would go as far as to say that. In my review below I will share some of the things I found to be positive and negative for the food.
Do Fish Like the Food?
Easy yes for this category. I don’t think I have ever fed this food and not had my betta take it down. The pellet size may get in the way of smaller bettas, but otherwise, it’s a popular food amongst bettas.
Package Sizing and Pricing
Hikari Bio-Gold comes in two sizes, the .088oz container and the .7oz bag. You can find the .088 package for about $3 and the .7oz bag for about $7. Both will last you a decent amount of time for one betta. However, I would recommend the .7oz bag for sealing purposes as you will see later.
Pellet Overview
I have found the pellets used in Hikari Bio-Gold are very uniform and float very well. They also are not too large for most betta fish like Aqueon’s or ZooMed’s betta pellets. The only time you may need to go smaller is if you have a baby betta.
Ingredient Quality
Hikari is well known for quality fish foods and this one has some pretty good ingredients. The ones used are fairly standard. Its main protein source is fish meal followed by a few plant-based ingredients and krill. While I am not a big fan of the plants and binders, most fish foods will have some and will be just fine for your fish. I also believe a quality fish meal to be one of the best protein sources along with krill. I should say, as long as they are from a quality source.
Packaging
My biggest complaint about Hikari Bio-Gold is the packaging. As stated earlier, there are two types of packages. One is the foldable box as seen in the pictures below, and the other is the “bag”. With the smaller one, I appreciate that Hikari tried to do something different with their packaging, but I don’t like it for two big reasons. The main reason I don’t like it is that there is no way to seal the food. This means it can go bad quickly if you don’t use it in a short amount of time. You could use some tape to seal it I suppose, but make sure it doesn’t leave residue.
The second reason I don’t like the small package is because it can be quite difficult to measure the number of pellets that slide down to the dispenser. Zoo Med came out with a cool spoon for this that I really like. However, I am not a fan of the actual Zoo Med Betta Pellets.
One bonus reason I don’t like either of the packages is the instructions for feeding. I was surprised that a company that has been around for so long had directions that seemed so far off of the way I believe it should be. According to the directions you should feed 5-10 pellets up to 3 times per day! To put this in perspective, I am currently feeding 1-2 per day. I believe that overfeeding is one of the biggest problems that most betta keepers have in the hobby today. If I fed according to the recommendation, I am sure my betta Balky would be incredibly fat and probably dead.
How to Fold the Hikari Bio-Gold Box
Market Availability
Hikari is one of the most well-known and widely available companies in the fish-keeping world today. On top of that, Hikari Bio-Gold is one of the most popular foods in the hobby for betta fish. Because of this, you can find the food in just about any pet shop or online retailer.
My Final Thoughts
I believe Hikari knows what they are doing with fish foods. The Bio-Gold could be a great option for your betta if you get the larger packaging or use the small packaging quickly. It can be a great staple food that should probably be mixed with others to help balance the diet.
Where to Purchase Hikari Bio-Gold
If you believe this food is something you would like to try, then feel free to use the link below to purchase some for yourself.
If you have a smaller betta, I would recommend checking out New Life Spectrums Betta Small Pellets. They are one of my current favorite foods.
Thanks for reading!
I am currently on a mission to build a definitive list of fish food reviews that I have personally tried. Be sure to check out my other reviews here!