Best and Worst ingredient lists?

[joe jaskot]

Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Reduced Iron, "B" Vitamins (Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Folic Acid)], Water, Sugar, Corn Syrup, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable And/Or Animal Shortening (Soybean, Cottonseed And/Or Canola Oil, Beef Fat), Whole Eggs, Dextrose, Contains 2% Or Less of: Soy Lecithin, Leavenings (Sodium Acid Pyrophosphate, Baking Soda, Cornstarch, And Monocalcium Phosphate), Modified Corn Starch, Glucose, Whey, Glycerin, Soybean Oil, Salt, Mono And Diglycerides, Polysorbate 60, Corn Starch, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Natural And Artificial Flavor, Sorbic Acid (to Retain Freshness), Xanthan Gum, Cellulose Gum, Enzyme, Wheat Flour, Yellow 5, Red 40. Contains: Wheat, Egg, Milk, And Soy.

OOPS! These are the ingredients in Twinkies. LOL!

 

[petspoiler]

We all know that there is a big discussion between what foods have the best ingredient lists to feed our fish. From NLS to Northfin, and now Southern Delight as a competitor, they all have a great list of premium ingredients.

But what about the worst? Especially from some well known brands? ..............................................................................................................................

all the worst ingredients can be found, and that subject thoroughly covered, in the food discussion threads where RD has participated. search those threads & you'll find the info.

 

[RD.]

I just ran across this site today.

http://www.oscarfish.com/fish-food-analysis.html

No offense to kmuda, but much of his data in that link is very outdated, and some of it is just plain false. As an example, I stopped looking after the first two NLS formulas, but both of those formulas have an ingredient list posted that is over 10 years old, and some of those ingredients are no longer used in any NLS formulas. Next he states with regards to NLS:

Algae Meal is a dried product manufactured from blue-green algae.

Which can be true, but isn't at all accurate in the case of the algae meal used in NLS. In fact, most of what I have read on that site (not just in regards to NLS) is based on false data, and someones a vivid imagination as though he has some kind of first hand information from those working in the various manufacturing facilities.

I have discussed some of this with kmuda in the past, and while I believe that his intentions were good, he missed the mark on much of his analysis.

I'm afraid this is one of the problems of the www, the information that one finds is only as accurate as the source that is delivering that information.



LOL @ Joe ........ good one!


pingopongo - Off the top of my head, Tetra Colorbits. Just goes to show how resilient fish truly are, but a food that I personally wouldn't feed my fish if I won a lifetime supply for free. Yet many hobbyists swear by it, go figure.

 

[pingopongo]

colorbits is my pet peeve. That's the ingredient list I posted. Still a lot of guys that think they are treating their fish when they spend the money (not cheap) and buy it. Some people also use it to bring out the colour before they sell their fish. Threw an almost full can out 2 weeks ago that came with some tanks I picked up. I like the container though.

 

[Dan F]

I picked up some Marineland algae wafers a couple weeks ago. My pleco had been out for a little while and I didn't want to wait for mail-order, so I bought the only algae discs they had. After I got home I checked the ingredients:

Wheat Germ Meal, Feeding Oat Meal, Corn Starch, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Cellulose, Potato Protein, Dried Yeast, Wheat Gluten, Algae Meal, Soybean Oil, Zucchini, Monobasic Calcium Phosphate, Guar Gum, Yeast Extract, Ascorbic Acid (source of Vitamin C), Inositol, Niacin, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (Stabilized Vitamin C), A-Tocopherol Acetate (source of Vitamin E), D-Calcium Pantothenate, Riboflavin-5-Phosphate (source of Vitamin B2), Thiamine Mononitrate (source of Vitamin B1), Pyridoxine Hydrochloride (source of Vitamin B6), Vitamin A Palmitate (source of Vitamin A), Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Cholecalciferol (source of Vitamin D3), Manganese Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Cobalt Acetate. Added Color: Blue 2 Lake, Yellow 5 Lake. Ethoxyquin (as a preservative).

Basically all filler/binder/starch with a wee bit of algae thrown in. Luckily it was a fairly small bag....

 

[pingopongo]

Nasty stuff in there too. Your plecos penis might shrink eating that. If he is by himself maybe nobody will notice.

 

[RD.]

Marketed and sold as "premium" algae discs, and probably in overall sales one of the top 3 algae discs sold in North America.

Spirulina Algae Meal, Corn Gluten Feed, Corn Meal, Corn Distilled Dried Grains, Wheat Flour, Wheat Germ, Wheat Gluten, Wheat Middlings, Linseed Meal, Canola Meal, Dehulled Soybean Meal, Soy Protein Concentrate, Pea Protein, Brewer's Dried Yeast, Corn Flour, Rice Flour, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Soy Protein Isolate, Ground Barley, Calcium Carbonate, Soybean Oil, Spinach Powder, etc


A classic case of ingredient splitting, where the total amount of corn in that formula would probably far outweigh the algae meal (Corn Gluten Feed, Corn Meal, Corn Distilled Dried Grains, Corn Flour), not to mention the rest of the terrestrial based plant matter found in that formula.


Starting to give me flashbacks from the 60's ......

 

[uncle mike]

One of the WORST foods currently being sold is Wardley Shrimp Pellets Formula. The number 1 ingredient is "wheat middlings". This product used to have "fish meal" as the number 1 ingredient but Hartz Mountain (the owner of Wardley's) changed the formula. After my clown loaches would not even look at these pellets, I read the label and saw the change. I used to give my clown loaches these pellets as a supplement from time to time but never again. It was returned to the store right away. Do your fish a favor and read the label.

 

[F1 VET]

Good info that's why I NEVER turn my back on NLS. Results speak for themselves and im not one for change. Variety is great but that's what fish fillet, shrimp, fruits, veggies etc supplementation is for! One type of pellet/flake/stick/wafer is fine for ornamental fish imo combined with fresh raw foods/veggies/fruits (given the species of course) prepared right is a great natural option that you control and your fish will love!




×Go S Vettel #1 Infiniti Redbull! 3x WDC!!!×
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Cheap way to decrease nitrates and keep your fish healthy: http://monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=504763

 

[RD.]

Wardley isn't the only company that has been switching marine proteins, for lower cost grain based alternatives. The reason behind this is pretty basic - cost. Over the past decade the cost of fish meal has risen almost 300%, with this year looking at another forecasted increase of 18%. And that's just one raw ingredient. Eventually something has to give, and either a manufacturer increases their wholesale prices to reflect their increased costs, or they look at ways to lower their cost, such as decreasing the inclusion rate of higher cost raw ingredients (such as fish meal, krill meal, squid meal, etc) and increasing lower cost raw ingredients such as corn, rice, wheat, oats, potatoes, soybeans, etc.

The problem with increasing costs in todays economy is that many consumers will simply seek out lower cost alternatives (many already are) as everyone has a personal breaking point on how much they are going to spend on their pet fish - so often it becomes the lesser of two evils, and the manufacturer opts for lower cost alternative ingredients, such as wheat middlings. Keep in mind that very few manufacturers actually make their own food, so most are at the mercy of what the feed mills charge for their ingredients. Even for those that do actually handle their food from start to finish, they too are at the mercy of the bulk suppliers, those manufacturers simply have better buying power.

http://www.undercurrentnews.com/2013/01/30/fishmeal-prices-up-285-since-2001/

http://www.seafoodsource.com/en/global-aquaculture-issues/23960-


Some manufacturers that are thinking ahead of the curve are already looking at alternatives, or supplements to marine proteins and marine fatty acids by including more natural aquatic plant matter (as compared to terrestrial based grains) such as various forms of algae with protein levels in the 50-60% range, and lipid content in the 15-20% range. (on a dry matter basis) These types of aquatic plant matter offer a better omega 3 to omega 6 ratio than corn, soybean, etc, and are more natural to the digestion system of a fish. IMO this is the way of the future, not boosting cereal levels in a food designed for aquatic organisms. Plenty of research in this area has already been taking place over the years.

http://www.biodieselmagazine.com/ar...cientist-explains-aquacultures-need-for-algae

http://www.algae4feed.org/brief/microalgae-in-feeds/57

http://www.originoil.com/pdf/OriginOil-White-Paper-Algae-As-Aquafeed.pdf

http://en.engormix.com/MA-aquaculture/articles/the-use-algae-fish-t2768/p0.htm



From algae ingredients one can also benefit by also utilizing some of these raw ingredients as binding agents, thereby decreasing more traditional binding agents such as wheat flour. It's a win-win for everyone involved, the manufacturer, the consumer, and most importantly the fish.