TDO quality with different batches???

Long story short, i have been using TDO as the only feed for my clown growout.
Honestly, in the past it was not working as good as i expected, or as what i have heard.
but i received an order from them 2 weeks ago, this batch is really good, very deep red color. i can easily notice the difference without putting it with old batches to compare. now i have been using this new batch of food for only 2 weeks and its really making a difference on my fish color, compare to old batches i used.
here is a pic of the new batch of food, compare to the same food i bought from them 4 month ago. (in pic thats B2,
C1 is even deeper red color)
According to what the apbreed lady told me through the phone, this batch is supposed to go to a fish hatchery, not me.
has anyone had this issue before? are they selling good stuff to the fish farm (add more astaxanthin）
 and sell lower quality products to private breeder like me? any thoughts? any experience?
thannks!

 
 

The astaxanthin that is used to give the antioxidant and color to the fish (and the product) is not a really stable thing.  Stability depends a lot on how it is handled and stored. If you keep it at room temperature and expose it to the air (unclosed bag) and moisture in the air, it can lose potency. I am not surprised that a fresh batch compares favorably to an older batch. 
You can always add more naturose to an older batch of food, and boost the active astaxanthin levels.

check out Kathy's Clowns, llc website:
http://kathysclowns.com
Captive bred clownfish and more
(Wholesale to the trade.)

I agree with Kathy's point about storage and shelf-life. That being said, Reed did play around with various levels of astaxanthin in the beginning and I much preferred the higher levels. If what you got was meant for a specific destination it may have been a custom formulation.

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

Hey Chris,
 
My name is Chad Clayton; I am a biologist for Reed Mariculture.  Thanks so much for creating a thread on this subject, and you have some interesting concerns and points that I will try to tackle. 
 
First, I would like to address the comment that was made by one of our representatives about you getting TDO that was mean't for a hatchery.  The customer service agent was referring to our recent issues with getting Otohime into the country.  We finally got our first shipment a few weeks ago, after months of waiting.  We had a long list of priority customers that use huge quantities of Otohime and TDO for their saltwater and freshwater fish farms.  These people had been urgently waiting on the product to clear customs and make it into the U.S.  When we got it in, we started sending it to these companies.  You actually were lucky to get some TDO, since it was all mean't for the priority customers. 
 
Now, I will address the quality and formulation concern.  We do not have any special formulas regarding astaxanthin content or anything else relating to TDO.  We do, on the rare occasion, send a special formula to the University of Miami, but that TDO only has an increased content of arachidonic acid, which was requested by the customer.  Thanks for adding the photos of the TDO and we will certainly look into our production protocols to see if our new employee is doing anything different; although, he also made the TDO that you got 4 months ago.  One interesting thing to note, and I agree with Kathy and Tal,  is that what you got two weeks ago is as fresh as it gets, and your older TDO may have gone through some oxidation.  If you don't store the TDO in the fridge continuously and keep the bag 100% sealed, oxygen can invade the pouch and cause problems with the astaxanthin compound.   I'm not saying that your to blame, and this is also something we are going to look into.  
 
I apologize for the confusion regarding the product quality, and I hope that we can track down any solid reasons why the TDO, that was made 4 months ago, looks different to the product made 2 weeks ago. 
 
I hope this information was clear and helpful. 
 
Regard,
Chad M. Clayton

Kathy, i have the same thoughts when i compare two batches together, that the previous batch is probably just too old. but not sure...
 
 

Those are some very beautiful fish!

Those are TDO fish! I can tell.

http://www.fishtalpropagations.com/#!home/mainPage
"Making captive breeding easier."

Thanks Mr Chad Clayton.
Hope you are not mad at me that i post this.
and thanks for your detailed explanation.
Maybe the old bag is just sitting in fridge for too long. Im now, really happy with this new bag of food.
its making a big difference on my fish color!
as i said, TDO is & will be the only feed for my clown grow out.
thanks
 
Chris
 
 

Hi Chris,
 
I am not mad at you at all.  If we don't hear about the things aren't working, we can't fix them.  It is our mission to provide everyone with the highest quality feed, and if we are falling short, we like to do everything in our power to make it right.  Your fish look great and thanks so much for supporting everything we do here.  Like you, I am a hobbyist and professional, so being able to talk about our products in this way is very gratifying and educational.  Will I see you at Aquatic Experience in November? 

thanks!
sorry for the delay, just saw your reply.
yes i will definitely go to the aquatic experience. will you be there? or are you going to have a show table there?
 
 

 
Hi Chris,
 
I will be at the event with my colleague, Nancy Gibson.  We will have a booth with all of our product on display.  I look forward to meeting you in person.  See you then!
 
Chad

great!! i will see you on the event!