[jubjub47]

I picked up the multivitamin and calcium supplement this week. Is anyone using these two exclusively with their darts? I've heard that the multivitamin uses a better source of vitamin a then the repcal brand, but not sure if I should just completely switch over or alternate with them. Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[markbudde]

I got some repashy calcium + ICB and am thinking about using it alone. I let you know in a few months how its working.
-Mark

 

[jubjub47]

Hey Mark, I picked that up along with the multivitamin. I've heard it can be used alone, but that sounds too good to be true.

 

[skylsdale]

I'm using the Calcium Plus ICB and have been using it along. The reason it is okay to use this stuff alone is because, unlike supplements such as Reptivite, etc., it has the proper 1:10 ratio of elements (don't remember of what, exactly...retinol to phosphorus, maybe?) for amphibians to metabolize them properly.

 

[Marinarawr]

I was VERY interested in knowing if this could be used alone long-term and it's sounding pretty positive. I successfully used his line of MRPs for my Rhacs with great results so I think I'll pick some of this up and try it out.... I'm not totally off the fence but Repashy's ICB sounds very promising. Thanks for this thread!

 

[UmbraSprite]

This also contains a bit of the active ingredient from Naturose (Axaxanthin...I am sure I butchered the spelling). Has anyone looked at if it provides the same benefits as the straight naturose?

 

[ggazonas]

So far I've been using it in my rotation for the frogs, but for chams I have gone exculsivily to just the rephasy calsium icb

 

[Marinarawr]

This also contains a bit of the active ingredient from Naturose (Axaxanthin...I am sure I butchered the spelling). Has anyone looked at if it provides the same benefits as the straight naturose?

I haven't heard of any proof one way or the other, but the claim is that this supplement contains natural pigment enhancing supplements for all colors.
Repashy Ventures - Retail Store - Dry Goods :: Supplements :: All in One Supplements :: Calcium Plus ICB

 

[Ed]

That mixture of carotenoids should supply carotenoids that affect reds, oranges, yellows and greens.. There are no dietary supplements for blue as that is based only on iridiopores and not xanthopores.

For what it is worth I'm trying to get then to switch over to it at work.

Ed

 

[Corpus Callosum]

If a supplement says it has a certain ratio of ingredients, it still doesn't guarantee that your animals are getting those contents. Are all the ingredients in the supplement ground up equally to the same particle size? Do some ingredients stick to the flies better than other ingredients which may not stick as well? What is the nutritional/vitamin content of your flies to begin with before you dust them (probably influenced by your media)? Do some vitamins oxidize / degrade faster than others once they are ground up for the supplement mix? Some questions to consider..

 

[gary1218]

For what it is worth I'm trying to get then to switch over to it at work.

Ed

Ed,

Are you looking to switch over to the repashy exclusively? Or in combination with what your using now?

Which repashy are you looking to switch to, the repashy calcium plus icb?

 

[gary1218]

If a supplement says it has a certain ratio of ingredients, it still doesn't guarantee that your animals are getting those contents. Are all the ingredients in the supplement ground up equally to the same particle size? Do some ingredients stick to the flies better than other ingredients which may not stick as well? What is the nutritional/vitamin content of your flies to begin with before you dust them (probably influenced by your media)? Do some vitamins oxidize / degrade faster than others once they are ground up for the supplement mix? Some questions to consider..

So Mike, I'm assuming you're using a combination of dusting powders, correct? What are you using?

 

[Ed]

Ed,

Are you looking to switch over to the repashy exclusively? Or in combination with what your using now?

Which repashy are you looking to switch to, the repashy calcium plus icb?

At work I would like them to switch over exclusively to the repashy calcium plus icb for the frogs. At home I am working it into a rotation with Dendrocare and others and will probably cut out the herptivite and leave it with Dendrocare, Rep-cal, straight calcium and the Repashy ICB.


Ed

 

[Ed]

If a supplement says it has a certain ratio of ingredients, it still doesn't guarantee that your animals are getting those contents. Are all the ingredients in the supplement ground up equally to the same particle size? Do some ingredients stick to the flies better than other ingredients which may not stick as well? What is the nutritional/vitamin content of your flies to begin with before you dust them (probably influenced by your media)? Do some vitamins oxidize / degrade faster than others once they are ground up for the supplement mix? Some questions to consider..

One of the ways to handle this is to regrind the amount of supplement that you are going to use that time right before use as this will even out the adherence of the particles.

Ed

 

[ChrisK]

At work I would like them to switch over exclusively to the repashy calcium plus icb for the frogs. At home I am working it into a rotation with Dendrocare and others and will probably cut out the herptivite and leave it with Dendrocare, Rep-cal, straight calcium and the Repashy ICB.


Ed

Ed I'm starting the Repashy Calcium Plus ICB and will probably replace the Herptivite with it when the 6 month mark on my current supply is up, but howcome you're using straight calcium in your rotation? Are you using UVB?

 

[markbudde]

The website says that ICB was formulated to be used on crickets at every feeding. Is it possible that fruit flies, with their wings for greater surface area, pick up more vitamins per unit mass and thus pose a potential over-supplementation concern?

 

[Philsuma]

I'm picking some of this up at the next Hamburg show, just based on the buzz.

I dust some type of supplement at every single feeding.


I would rather risk "over supplementation" than the reverse....

 

[Corpus Callosum]

So Mike, I'm assuming you're using a combination of dusting powders, correct? What are you using?

If you mean am I mixing different supplements together then no, but if you're asking do I use a variety of supplements in my regimen then yes. I do use some Repashy products (and they're great products) but I'm not fond of the idea that one supplement is so balanced it can be used exclusively. I shoot for a balanced diet rather than a balanced meal, supplying different minerals and/or vitamins on different days. I also use fresh vitamin tablets that I grind up on the spot the day I need them.

 

[Ed]

At work with frogs that are fed three times a week or more we rotate calcium carbonate to reduce the risk of oversupplementation of the fat soluble vitamins This was put into place many years ago when Dr. K. Wright was the curator of the department.
If the frpgs are fed less than three times a week then they get the supplement on every feeding.
I do have UVB producing power compacts on the enclosures at work but given the height of the enclosure, with the exception of the treefrogs, I have some significant doubts as to how well it works.

Ed

 

[Ed]

The website says that ICB was formulated to be used on crickets at every feeding. Is it possible that fruit flies, with their wings for greater surface area, pick up more vitamins per unit mass and thus pose a potential over-supplementation concern?

There was an unpublished study by Dr. S. Donoghue (Nutrition chapter both editions of Mader's books as well as developed (the no longer available due to many factors) Walkabout Farms supplements) that demonstrated that fruit flies retain proportionally more supplement than crickets and that if fed heavily a real risk of oversupplementation.. this was one of the reasons we use calcium carbonate at work.

Ed