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I bought some food:

HBH Betta bites

After opening it mind you, I noticed numbers just above the Feeding instructions.

I'm not sure if this is the product number or a exp. date

It doesn't say...

The numbers are: 112706

Which could work out to be 27/11/06 - the store I bought this from wasn't even open then mind you. But if this is just the product number then perhaps I've just over thought on the issue.

I don't want to feed them to my fish in case I do make it ill from old food.

I apologise deeply if I've posted this within the wrong forum, just wasn't sure where it fit best.

ok not an expert or anything,but i don't think the numbers are an expiration date.it might have been a packing date.if it was sealed that food should last a pretty good while.was it flakes?or live food?that would help too.if it was flakes it should be fine.

Est solarus uth mithas,My honor is my life

Frankly, if you have any doubt at all, pitch it and get some new. It's just not worth the risk.

Joe Potato

ok i just went to the manufactureers website.and i think that if it came sealed you'll be fine.


Est solarus uth mithas,My honor is my life

they both came sealed. ones the Betta bites, pellets

and the other is shrimp pellets for bottom feeders.

If you are not sure take it back even if you have just opened it. At a super market Chain LFS I recently saw several meds well passed the used by date I told them but they did not semed worried I called back a week later and they were still on the shelf. I have dried food go completly off it smelt like ammonia. I tossed it out very fast.

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Keith

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If you are worried, you can take it back and ask for a replacement, or contact the company directly to check if that is the packing date or the expiry.

Most times with dry fish food, the expiry date is just the same as human food. It is a "best before". After that date the food can become stale and unpalatable or start to decrease in nutrients.

I buy a fair bit of fish food, and I'd take a guess that about 1/2 of what I have is past its expiry date. Mostly I use that stuff as gut filler or pension it off to the creatures that do better on lower levels of goodies in their food, and just make sure the fish get their nutrients elsewhere.

I've never had a fish become ill from food that is past its expiry. My main concern would be that the nutrient levels decrease and you could inadvertently be starving the fish of what it requires but still giving it a full belly. Those levels do drop steadily over time, the nutrients don't all just go *poof* overnight.

I've just gone and checked my two remaining HBH jars... neither have these numbers One is an old krill bottle (the cardboard ones) and one is the shrimp pellets. The krill is certainly past it's prime (cardboard and fish! duh!) but the shrimp pellets are still as strong-smelling and crunchy (for lack of a better word) as when I got them.
If it helps, most of the other jars out there have a use by that is approx 3 years from the date of manufacture.


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