What’s the difference between Hikari Cichlid Floating Bio-Gold+, Excel, Gold and Staple?

When it comes to Cichlid food, Hikari offers four main floating pellets. So, what’s the difference between the Bio-Gold+, Excel, Gold and Staple?

You can find out in this comparison guide between these fish food products.

Quick Summary

When compared to the Hikari Cichlid floating food pellets, the Bio-Gold+ stands above the rest as it offers probiotics to keep the gut of your pet fish healthy. Both the Bio-Gold+ and Excel will provide aggressive growth and coloration.

If you are looking for pellets designed for Cichlid fry, then we recommend getting the Cichlid Gold over the Cichlid Staple as the Gold version should do a better job at enhancing the colors of your baby fish as they grow up.

Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold+ vs. Cichlid Excel vs. Cichlid Gold vs. Cichlid Staple Comparison Chart

You can take a look at Aquarium Blueprints’ comparison table for the Hikari Cichlid Bio-Gold+, Excel, Gold and Staple below.

Pellet and Packaging Sizes

You can find the pellet sizes and packaging options for these Hikari Cichlid products below:

Cichlid Bio-Gold+:

• 2 oz. (57g) Mini Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Mini Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Medium Pellet
• 2.2 lb. (1kg) Medium Pellet

Cichlid Excel:

• 2 oz. (57g) Mini Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Mini Pellet
• 2 oz. (57g) Medium Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Medium Pellet

Cichlid Gold:

• 2 oz. (57g) Baby Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Baby Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Baby Pellet
• 2 oz. (57g) Mini Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Mini Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Mini Pellet
• 2 oz. (57g) Medium Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Medium Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Medium Pellet
• 2 oz. (57g) Large Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Large Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Large Pellet

Cichlid Staple:

• 2 oz. (57g) Baby Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Baby Pellet
• 2 oz. (57g) Mini Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Mini Pellet
• 2.2 lb. (1kg) Mini Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Mini Pellet
• 2 oz. (57g) Medium Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Medium Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Medium Pellet
• 8.8 oz. (250g) Large Pellet
• 22 lb. (10kg) Large Pellet

Main Benefits

When it comes to benefits, the Cichlid Bio-Gold+ and Cichlid Excel both promote aggressive color enhancing and growth. The Bio-Gold+ includes the added benefit of probiotics.

While the Cichlid Gold can also be color enhancing, it won’t be as aggressive as the Bio-Gold+ and Excel.

Lastly, the Cichlid Staple does not offer any special benefits when compared to its three competitors.

You can find a breakdown of the main benefits for all four products below:

Cichlid Bio-Gold+:

• Floating Food
• Aggressive Color Enhancing
• Aggressive Growth
• Probiotics

Cichlid Excel:

• Floating Food
• Aggressive Color Enhancing
• Aggressive Growth
• Easy Digestion

Cichlid Gold:

• Floating Food
• Color Enhancing
• Growth

Cichlid Staple:

• Floating Food
• Daily Food
• Growth

Feeding Directions

The feed instructions for all four Cichlid pellets are the same as you can feed your fish two to three times a day. In terms of how much you should feed, you can drop as much as your Cichlids are willing to consume in a few minutes.

After the feeding period ends, you might want to remove any uneaten pellets so that they don’t decompose and foul your tank water.

Ingredients

You can find the ingredients for the Hikari Cichlid food products listed below:

Cichlid Bio-Gold+ Mini and Pellets:

• Fish meal
• Wheat flour
• Brewers dried yeast
• Corn gluten meal
• Soybean meal
• Fish oil
• Spirulina
• DL-methionine
• Garlic
• Dried seaweed meal
• Dried Bacillus subtilis fermentation product
• Astaxanthin
• Choline chloride
• Vitamin E supplement
• L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C)
• Inositol
• D-calcium pantothenate
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin A supplement
• Thiamine mononitrate
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride
• Niacin
• Folic acid
• Vitamin D3 supplement
• Biotin
• Disodium phosphate
• Salt
• Ferrous sulfate
• Magnesium sulfate
• Zinc sulfate
• Manganese sulfate
• Copper sulfate
• Calcium iodate

Cichlid Excel Mini and Pellets:

• Fish meal
• Wheat flour
• Flaked corn
• Wheat germ meal
• Spirulina
• Krill meal
• Dehydrated alfalfa meal
• Brewers dried yeast
• DL-methionine
• Garlic
• Astaxanthin
• Choline chloride
• Vitamin E supplement
• L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C)
• Inositol
• D-calcium pantothenate
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin A supplement
• Thiamine mononitrate
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride
• Niacin
• Folic acid
• Vitamin D3 supplement
• Biotin
• Vitamin B12 supplement
• P-aminobenzoic acid
• Salt
• Ferrous sulfate
• Magnesium sulfate
• Zinc sulfate
• Manganese sulfate
• Copper sulfate
• Calcium iodate
• Blue 2 (artificial color)

Cichlid Gold Baby Pellets:

• Fish meal
• Flaked corn
• Wheat flour
• Rice bran
• Soybean meal
• Corn gluten meal
• Shrimp meal
• Brewers dried yeast
• DL-methionine
• Garlic
• Phaffia dried yeast
• Astaxanthin
• Grape seed extract
• Choline chloride
• Vitamin E supplement
• L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C)
• Inositol
• D-calcium pantothenate
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin A supplement
• Thiamine mononitrate
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride
• Niacin
• Folic acid
• Vitamin D3 supplement
• Biotin
• Vitamin B12 supplement
• Disodium phosphate
• Salt
• Ferrous sulfate
• Magnesium sulfate
• Zinc sulfate
• Manganese sulfate
• Copper sulfate
• Calcium iodate

Cichlid Gold Mini, Medium and Large Pellets:

• Fish meal
• Wheat flour
• Flaked corn
• Brewers dried yeast
• Corn gluten meal
• Wheat starch
• Rice bran
• Spirulina
• Garlic
• DL-methionine
• Astaxanthin
• Choline chloride
• Vitamin E supplement
• L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C)
• Inositol
• D-calcium pantothenate
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin A supplement
• Thiamine mononitrate
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride
• Niacin
• Folic acid
• Vitamin D3 supplement
• Biotin
• Disodium phosphate
• Ferrous sulfate
• Magnesium sulfate
• Zinc sulfate
• Manganese sulfate
• Copper sulfate
• Calcium iodate
• Red 3 (artificial color)
• Yellow 5 (artificial color)

Cichlid Staple Baby Pellets:

• Wheat flour
• Flaked corn
• Fish meal
• Soybean meal
• Krill meal
• Corn gluten meal
• Alfalfa nutrient concentrate dehydrated
• Brewers dried yeast
• Kale meal
• Garlic
• Dried seaweed meal
• Mulukhiya meal
• Choline chloride
• Vitamin E supplement
• L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C)
• Inositol
• D-calcium pantothenate
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin A supplement
• Thiamine mononitrate
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride
• Niacin
• Folic acid
• Vitamin D3 supplement
• Biotin
• Disodium phosphate
• Salt
• Ferrous sulfate
• Magnesium sulfate
• Zinc sulfate
• Manganese sulfate
• Copper sulfate
• Calcium iodate

Cichlid Staple Mini, Medium and Large Pellets:

• Wheat flour
• Fish meal
• Soybean meal
• Rice bran
• Corn gluten meal
• Brewers dried yeast
• Alfalfa nutrient concentrate dehydrated
• Dried seaweed meal
• Garlic
• Choline chloride
• Vitamin E supplement
• L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (stabilized vitamin C)
• D-calcium pantothenate
• Riboflavin
• Vitamin A supplement
• Thiamine mononitrate
• Pyridoxine hydrochloride
• Niacin
• Folic acid
• Vitamin D3 supplement
• Biotin
• Salt
• Disodium phosphate
• Ferrous sulfate
• Magnesium sulfate
• Zinc sulfate
• Manganese sulfate
• Copper sulfate
• Calcium iodate

Nutritional Values

You can also find the nutritional values for these Hikari pellets below:

Cichlid Bio-Gold+ Mini and Pellets:

• Crude Protein: min. 45.0%
• Crude Fat: min. 5.0%
• Crude Fiber: max. 2.0%
• Moisture: max. 10.0%
• Ash: max. 15.0%
• Phosphorus: min. 1.0%
• B.Subtilis: min. 1.0×109 CFU/g
• Vitamin A: min. 18,000 IU/kg
• Vitamin D3: min. 2,800 IU/kg
• Vitamin E: min. 1,500 IU/kg
• Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): min. 330 mg/kg

Cichlid Excel Mini and Pellets:

• Crude Protein: min. 35.0%
• Crude Fat: min. 4.0%
• Crude Fiber: max. 3.0%
• Moisture: max. 10.0%
• Ash: max. 13.0%
• Phosphorus: min. 0.8%
• Vitamin A: min. 19,000 IU/kg
• Vitamin D3: min. 2,800 IU/kg
• Vitamin E: min. 590 IU/kg
• Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): min. 420 mg/kg

Cichlid Gold Baby Pellets:

• Crude Protein: min. 32.0%
• Crude Fat: min. 4.0%
• Crude Fiber: max. 3.0%
• Moisture: max. 10.0%
• Ash: max. 12.0%
• Phosphorus: min. 0.7%
• Vitamin A: min. 20,000 IU/kg
• Vitamin D3: min. 3,000 IU/kg
• Vitamin E: min. 620 IU/kg
• Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): min. 440 mg/kg

Cichlid Gold Mini, Medium and Large Pellets:

• Crude Protein: min. 40.0%
• Crude Fat: min. 4.0%
• Crude Fiber: max. 4.0%
• Moisture: max. 10.0%
• Ash: max. 15.0%
• Phosphorus: min. 1.0%
• Vitamin A: min. 14,000 IU/kg
• Vitamin D3: min. 2,200 IU/kg
• Vitamin E: min. 470 IU/kg
• Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): min. 320 mg/kg

Cichlid Staple Baby Pellets:

• Crude Protein: min. 32.0%
• Crude Fat: min. 4.0%
• Crude Fiber: max. 3.0%
• Moisture: max. 10.0%
• Ash: max. 12.0%
• Phosphorus: min. 0.7%
• Vitamin A: min. 6,000 IU/kg
• Vitamin D3: min. 910 IU/kg
• Vitamin E: min. 770 IU/kg
• Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): min. 100 mg/kg

Cichlid Staple Mini, Medium and Large Pellets:

• Crude Protein: min. 35.0%
• Crude Fat: min. 3.0%
• Crude Fiber: max. 5.0%
• Moisture: max. 10.0%
• Ash: max. 13.0%
• Phosphorus: min. 1.0%
• Vitamin A: min. 8,300 IU/kg
• Vitamin D3: min. 1,200 IU/kg
• Vitamin E: min. 1,200 IU/kg
• Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C): min. 180 mg/kg

Resources:

• https://www.hikariusa.com/cichlid_folder/cichlid_bio_gold.html
• https://www.hikariusa.com/cichlid_folder/cichlid_excel.html
• https://www.hikariusa.com/cichlid_folder/cichlid_gold.html
• https://www.hikariusa.com/cichlid_folder/cichlid_staple.html