Most of what people think they know about aquatic nutrition is based on marketing myths. Despite clear advancements in nutrition science, these old myths don’t seem to be going away. Here are 5 mainstream nutrition myths that have been debunked by scientific research.
Myth 1: Crude analysis is the best indicator of the nutritional quality of fish food.
Truth: A lot of ingredients like gluten and animal byproducts will increase the crude analysis values of a fish food. However those values don’t paint an accurate picture of the derived nutrition of a formulation. For example, a food could have a 40% protein analysis, but half of that protein could be made of chicken feathers and corn gluten. Since these proteins do not contain amino acids that a fish can convert to bio-mass the derived nutrition or, "Net Protein Value" (NPV) only yields a value of 20%.
Myth 2: Carnivores need animal proteins and herbivores need plant based proteins to grow.
Truth: For the most part, the source of protein will have more to do with palatability than digestibility. For bio-mass conversion it still comes down to the usability of the supplied amino acids from protein sources. One thing to consider is that most herbivores have evolved to eat continuously in order to get a high enough NPV from sources like algae. Increasing the quality and quantity of protein in herbivores diets will allow for reduced feeding, reduced bio waste, and denser population capacity.
Myth 3: Fishmeal is the best source of quality proteins.
Truth: There are many grades of fishmeal available ranging from 60-80% protein. Most fish food grade fishmeal sources contain scale, bone, and ash, much of which add to the protein analysis but are still undigestible. Land based animal byproducts can also be good source of protein, but lack palatability for most aquatic species. In addition, byproduct land and marine proteins usually contain residual hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics that can harm the longterm health and reproduction of your fish. Altho it is significantly more expensive, human food grade “prime fishmeal” offers the cleanest and highest quality NPV available. In addition, proteins from plants, brine shrimp and worms are also great sources to balance amino acids, calcium and vitamins while improving digestibility and palatability.
Myth 4: Too much protein is bad for your fish.
Truth: The right proteins are the most important part of any formulation along with fats, calcium, minerals and vitamins. What is not beneficial to your fish is undigestible proteins and fillers along with ash and other inert ingredients. While these ingredients may not harm your fish they do fowl water and place additional burden on your filtration system.
Myth 5: Probiotics allow your fish to eat more and grow faster.
Truth: While these live cultures improve the intestinal flora the real benefit is that fish waste is excreted with nitrifying bacteria present. When we pioneered probiotic use in aquatic feed we set out to create pellets that float and don’t foul water. To do this we needed to add a binder that had buoyancy. Instead of the gluten used by most feed producers we use yeast with live cultures. This means the fish waste breaks down 50% faster and actual feeds the bio process in your filtration system.
Myth 1: Crude analysis is the best indicator of the nutritional quality of fish food.
Truth: A lot of ingredients like gluten and animal byproducts will increase the crude analysis values of a fish food. However those values don’t paint an accurate picture of the derived nutrition of a formulation. For example, a food could have a 40% protein analysis, but half of that protein could be made of chicken feathers and corn gluten. Since these proteins do not contain amino acids that a fish can convert to bio-mass the derived nutrition or, "Net Protein Value" (NPV) only yields a value of 20%.
Myth 2: Carnivores need animal proteins and herbivores need plant based proteins to grow.
Truth: For the most part, the source of protein will have more to do with palatability than digestibility. For bio-mass conversion it still comes down to the usability of the supplied amino acids from protein sources. One thing to consider is that most herbivores have evolved to eat continuously in order to get a high enough NPV from sources like algae. Increasing the quality and quantity of protein in herbivores diets will allow for reduced feeding, reduced bio waste, and denser population capacity.
Myth 3: Fishmeal is the best source of quality proteins.
Truth: There are many grades of fishmeal available ranging from 60-80% protein. Most fish food grade fishmeal sources contain scale, bone, and ash, much of which add to the protein analysis but are still undigestible. Land based animal byproducts can also be good source of protein, but lack palatability for most aquatic species. In addition, byproduct land and marine proteins usually contain residual hormones, pesticides, and antibiotics that can harm the longterm health and reproduction of your fish. Altho it is significantly more expensive, human food grade “prime fishmeal” offers the cleanest and highest quality NPV available. In addition, proteins from plants, brine shrimp and worms are also great sources to balance amino acids, calcium and vitamins while improving digestibility and palatability.
Myth 4: Too much protein is bad for your fish.
Truth: The right proteins are the most important part of any formulation along with fats, calcium, minerals and vitamins. What is not beneficial to your fish is undigestible proteins and fillers along with ash and other inert ingredients. While these ingredients may not harm your fish they do fowl water and place additional burden on your filtration system.
Myth 5: Probiotics allow your fish to eat more and grow faster.
Truth: While these live cultures improve the intestinal flora the real benefit is that fish waste is excreted with nitrifying bacteria present. When we pioneered probiotic use in aquatic feed we set out to create pellets that float and don’t foul water. To do this we needed to add a binder that had buoyancy. Instead of the gluten used by most feed producers we use yeast with live cultures. This means the fish waste breaks down 50% faster and actual feeds the bio process in your filtration system.
