Informations about colour powder and vitamin powder please!

[jean-pierre]

In his article about T. boscai (in the really great Caudata magazine) Mr Yago Alonso Giménez speaks about colour powder and vitamin powder.
Where can I found these powders and How using them?
Can anybody answer me?

Thanks.

JP.

 

[hayden]

Jean Pierre Collet,
Im not sure about its availability in france but what I use for dusting the crickets I give to my Toads I picked up in the reptile department in petco...The vitamin stuff is called rep-cal or reptical...I havent seen the colour powder and was curious about that myself

 

[edward]

Hi Hayden,
I personally prefer Rep-Cal to reptical as I can combine it with Herptevite to make a balanced supplement. On the couple of occasions that I have reviewed Reptical the vitamin A to D3 ratios were wrong (ideally as close to 10 to 1 as possible).
Many amphibians contain two different types of color pigments those that are stored (caretenoids) and those that they manufacture (pterins). The ones that he is referring to in the article are the caretenoids which caqan still be purchased in Europe I believe canthaxanthin can still be purchased there. However be careful in the amount fed as there has been some anecdotal evidence that excess can cause liver damage. Color can also be intesified by some of the food items such as some types of shrimp and scuds (or gammarus).

 

[hayden]

Ed, Yeah, I personally only use rep-cal....I have seen reptical in stores...

 

[yago]

Hi Jean-Pierre Collet.
I enjoy your pictures. I have seen that you use photoshop or another photo editing program to cut the borders of the animal and then past the animal in a blurred background. It is a nice effect.
On the color powder theme, Canthaxanthin and Apocarotinal (apo-8-carotenoic acid ethyl ester) are carotenoids, an important group of natural reddish/yellow pigments widely distributed in plants such as tomatoes, carrots or oranges. Many carotenoids are precursors of vitamin A. That means they develop certain vitamin A qualities in the body. This means they have a beneficial physiological value as well as enhancing colors or reviving pale and faded colors to their former beauty. And as Edward said it has to be used in the right amount and not for long periods of time. I normally use Necton Rep Color. You could dust it to the food or you could put it stright into the water. Amphibians living in water can absorb the vitamins through their skin or by swallowing the water. As a guide, it is recommended that you use a measuring-spoonful (1 gram) to 30 liters (about 7 gallons) of water. Or much less if you keep juveniles as bosca's newts in small aquarium with 2-7 cm of water. Because of the high concentration of the supplements, however, be careful when adding them to tanks containing plants; the trace elements could stunt plant growth.
I hope this answers your question
Best greetings
Yago

 

[nate]

That's very interesting Yago, I'd never heard of adding the supplements directly to the water. I'll have to try that.

Right now, I've been feeding my Cynops Hikari Red Color Enhancer pellets for discus fish. I give my C. cyanurus the pellets once or twice a week as a supplement (they won't eat it all the time anyway) and it has certainly enhanced a few of them from a pale yellow-peach to a distinct yellow-orange.

 

[jennifer]

Happily, Necton-Rep is a product that is available in many countries.

Nate, did you stop worrying that hormones might be added to that fish food? Some fish are color-enhanced by hormones, in addition to carotenoids.

 

[mark]

I use a product that I believe is called Repti-Life. Does anyone know anything about this?

 

[nate]

Well, I've not seen any references to hormones on the package or in the ingredients. Lots of carotenoids though.

 

[edward]

Hi All,
I am unaware of caudates being able to absorb pigments through the skin or via ingestion of the water. I am aware that a similar process works in some anurans as the tads filter the water as a supplemental food source (bull frogs R. catesbiana for example).

Nate, can you scan and send me a copy of the ingredients label? If it does not contain a testosterone analog or derivitive I will be surprised.

Ed

 

[jesper]

Great Nate, cyanurus on testosteron!

That explains all the breeding going on in that tank!

(Message edited by Jesper on November 12, 2004)

 

[joseph]

Well...nearly all fish foods claim to be hormone free. Wonder how much truth is behind that.

 

[jennifer]

Also, are pet foods actually required to list all ingredients?

 

[edward]

Actually I don't think so. I think the laws covering pet foods are different than those covering people food. Also if the hormone is natural part of an ingredient then there is no need to list the hormone. For example if the food included a gland containing testosterone then testosterone does not need to be listed.....
Ed

 

[joseph]

Well...one person claims that Hikari turtle pellets enhanced the colors of a turtle dramatically. Sounds suspiciously like hormones.

Btw, A website on raising firebellied toads the keeper used Nekton powder on the blackworms he fed the toadlets to help them gain belly coloring. He claims it was originally mean't for canaries.

(Message edited by fishkeeper on November 12, 2004)

 

[edward]

As far as I know coloration in some chelonians is based on caretenoid storage. For example Clemmys guttata lose the vivid orange facial coloration in captivity. I am aware of people injecting worms with sweet potato/yam based baby food to increase the amount of coloration in this species.

Ed