# Why get supplements every six months? Here's why...



## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Wonder why you should discard your supplements (supps) after 6 months when the jar has an expiration date printed on it?
That printed date means the vitamins are good until that date provided they *have not been opened*. 
Vitamins are like food----they too, go bad with time. They are not just inert dusts, either---they react to things in the surrounding environment. This is how they are able to work within a frog's body and accomplish the general purpose of sustaining bodily functions. 
Vitamins oxidize, or react with oxygen in the air, which causes them to lose their effectiveness just a bit more with each time you open the jar/pouch to feed your frogs. 
If the frogs don't get consistent nutrients on a regular basis, you can be sure to experience more disease and death in your tank than if you had taken proper precautions and purchased new supps every six months. Additionally, closing the lid/seal completely after each feeding and storing them in a cool, *dry* place is *vital* to their long-term effectiveness. Humid frog rooms might greatly decrease their effectiveness in this regard.
To quote Zach Brinks on a thread about beginner mistakes:
"I will get new supplements every six months. I will get new supplements every six months. 
*I will get new supplements every six months."*
That advice from a now-experienced frogger will save you a lot of heartbreak over an animal who could have lived a healthy, long life as a well-nourished dart frog.


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## smilexelectric (Mar 14, 2009)

This is so true.


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## Enlightened Rogue (Mar 21, 2006)

Awesome Susan! (again)

Also very helpful to write the date on the container when you open it.
If you`ve killed as many brain cells as I have anyway.

John


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## yumpster (May 22, 2009)

Instead of writing the date I opened them on the lids, I wrote the date six months later so I would know to pitch them by then.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

earthfrog said:


> That printed date means the vitamins are good until that date provided they *have not been opened*.
> .


This depends on how the vitamins are manufactured and stored. Most of the supplements on the market are not sealed in a manner that excludes oxygen from the container. As a result if the containers are stored improperly at high temperatures you can get increased oxidation of the fat soluble vitamins. 

A comment

Ed


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## earthfrog (May 18, 2008)

Ed said:


> This depends on how the vitamins are manufactured and stored. Most of the supplements on the market are not sealed in a manner that excludes oxygen from the container. As a result if the containers are stored improperly at high temperatures you can get increased oxidation of the fat soluble vitamins.
> 
> A comment
> 
> Ed


Very true, esp. with the jar-type vitamins. It takes a bit of extra hand-torque to close the little white jars correctly, too...


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## ChrisK (Oct 28, 2008)

Yeah I put the powders into small ziplock bags and then put those back into the plastic jars


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## Dragas (Sep 4, 2008)

I wish they would come in smaller (cheaper) packaging. I only have a few frogs and will never use a whole container before the expiration.


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## Boondoggle (Dec 9, 2007)

Dragas said:


> I wish they would come in smaller (cheaper) packaging. I only have a few frogs and will never use a whole container before the expiration.


Yep...that would be nice.

Recently, out of the blue, some of my tads starting morphing with SLS...hadn't happened in years now. I couldn't wrap my head around it until I looked at the expiration date on my vitamins. They were over 6 months out of date (not sure how that happened). I have been feeding aging vitamins for 6 months! I have probably another 40 tads at different stages of development that will be affected by that blunder. 

More SLS in my near future no doubt. ugh.

I will get new supplements every six months. I will get new supplements every six months. I will get new supplements every six months.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

Dragas said:


> I wish they would come in smaller (cheaper) packaging. I only have a few frogs and will never use a whole container before the expiration.


Pour some into a sealed vacum bag, pull the excess air out and freeze it. With the reduced air exposure (frost free freezers still cause problems with thier thaw/freeze cycle) you can get a few more months (theoretical, I haven't seen any stability studies yet). 

Ed


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