I posted this up a while back in another category, but after having had a look around, I realised that arowana keepers seem to feed the most 'market shrimp' to their pets. That, and the fact that arowana are extremely expensive and much loved has led me to post this up.
Just thought I'd send out a warning to all those fish keepers who source their foods from seafood markets.
It's often tempting to buy a large, fresh shrimp/prawn to treat our monsters back at home, or the various inverterbrates that many keep in their marine tanks, however, this is much more often than not, a very bad idea.
Shrimp and prawns used for human consumption are almost always treated with a water soluble preservative (the exact name of which escapes me at this point in time). This preservative allows the prawns to be kept for longer in the fridge, and on display without discolouration to the shell and the head itself, meaning that they're appealling for longer. Other chemical additions can also 'improve' the texture of the prawn etc.
All of these are considered toxic unless dissolved in water and 'cooked out'.
Therefore, all of these are TOXIC TO YOUR FISH.
If you want to feed your pets some fresh seafood, you're better off catching it yourself, or buying something other than prawns/shrimp. Either that, or get some fresh squid, or fish flesh (but be careful which types you choose...stay away from deepwater species as they can often have high levels of waxy ester, which isn't immediately poisonous, but might cause digestive upsets; Also, try not to buy something that may have high levels of heavy metals e.g. swordfish, marlin, tuna etc. you won't die, but your fish are much smaller than you are.)
Bait is actually quite a good alternative. Buy a packet of frozen prawns, or squid, or whatever, as these are all snap-frozen. It is actually illegal for those baits to be treated with preservatives (at least in Australia). The snap freezing process should also have eliminated most potentially harmful pathogens for you, though not all.
Anyway, this is just information that I garnered from working in fish markets for many years, and while none of these things will result in immediate fatalities, they can potentially harm your pets, and will almost certainly shorten their lifespans.
So, take care when you buy your pets treats, and may they live long, stay strong and shine bright!
Cheers,
Piscineidiot
Just thought I'd send out a warning to all those fish keepers who source their foods from seafood markets.
It's often tempting to buy a large, fresh shrimp/prawn to treat our monsters back at home, or the various inverterbrates that many keep in their marine tanks, however, this is much more often than not, a very bad idea.
Shrimp and prawns used for human consumption are almost always treated with a water soluble preservative (the exact name of which escapes me at this point in time). This preservative allows the prawns to be kept for longer in the fridge, and on display without discolouration to the shell and the head itself, meaning that they're appealling for longer. Other chemical additions can also 'improve' the texture of the prawn etc.
All of these are considered toxic unless dissolved in water and 'cooked out'.
Therefore, all of these are TOXIC TO YOUR FISH.
If you want to feed your pets some fresh seafood, you're better off catching it yourself, or buying something other than prawns/shrimp. Either that, or get some fresh squid, or fish flesh (but be careful which types you choose...stay away from deepwater species as they can often have high levels of waxy ester, which isn't immediately poisonous, but might cause digestive upsets; Also, try not to buy something that may have high levels of heavy metals e.g. swordfish, marlin, tuna etc. you won't die, but your fish are much smaller than you are.)
Bait is actually quite a good alternative. Buy a packet of frozen prawns, or squid, or whatever, as these are all snap-frozen. It is actually illegal for those baits to be treated with preservatives (at least in Australia). The snap freezing process should also have eliminated most potentially harmful pathogens for you, though not all.
Anyway, this is just information that I garnered from working in fish markets for many years, and while none of these things will result in immediate fatalities, they can potentially harm your pets, and will almost certainly shorten their lifespans.
So, take care when you buy your pets treats, and may they live long, stay strong and shine bright!
Cheers,
Piscineidiot
