Ethoxyquin and MSG

Calypso mermaid · Post by **Calypso mermaid** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:07 pm

Hi, if anyone here has other pets, they might be familiar with ethoxyquin, a wood resin used as a preservative in pet foods. Due to pet owner outrage they've taken it out of a lot of products including dog/cat and bird food due to all the health problems that seemed to be caused by it. The safety level in humans ( I guess it's sometimes in Paprika?) is like 1,000 less than what they use in pet food.
So imagine my surprise when i noticed it in every fish food I picked up. I give my guys a lot of fresh food, but I'm not chopping shrimp up every day so I'm really pissed they've managed to still slip it into fish food. Now I'm sure it doesn't matter so much with a fish that might not have a very long lifespan, but with loaches and my pleco, I think it's fair to be concerned.
Also, reading the ingredients on my Hikari algea wafers, what do I find? MSG!!!??? What gives? Does my Pleco get a little fishy headache after he eats too?
I figured I'd bring this up here because there seem to be people here who love their fish and have them for long periods of time, so surely you can see why this might be a problem. People who've had their fishes a long time should keep in mind too, when did they start adding these chemicals to the food? Maybe it's a recent development so you've really haven't seen the negative effects on a fish you might really love yet.

chefkeith · Post by **chefkeith** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:59 pm

I've had no problems with those preservatives in fish food. I've been feeding Tetramin Tropical Crips to my fish, which uses Ethoxyquin, for a few years.

There is alot of MSG in my diet. I like that it opens up my taste buds and makes food more flavorful. MSG is the secret ingredient for many chefs and it's in the Doritos that I'm eating right now.

tglassburner · Post by **tglassburner** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:47 pm

MMMMMM Doritos

Calypso mermaid · Post by **Calypso mermaid** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:20 pm

Well, thanks for the totally goofy answer.

A few years isn't a very long time for an animal that can live 20.......I had an animal that didn't show symptoms until she was 9 1/2, by then it was too late.
I'm not going to say what image you sitting there with a bag a Doritos brings to mind, but MSG is craptacular.
Hey, I don't hold it against you if you want to be a sucker and a garbage disposal for corporations, I understand, we all have our weaknesses and it's a free country, but the point is, there should be choices so if I don't want to feed my pets crap, I shouldn't have to. There should be food available without it and I suspect they are only using ethoxyquin in fish food because this industry hasn't caught on yet, where in other areas it's been exposed for the poison it is and as a result taken out.

mistergreen · Post by **mistergreen** » Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:39 pm

Only 10% of the population is affected by MSG.. SO, why would the people who love it give it up?

it's yummy.

but seriously,
Calypso, you're assuming fish's digestive systems are the same as people. The fish are happy and live much longer in captivity than in the wild if the conditions are right.

loachmom · Post by **loachmom** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 4:26 am

hehe....fish food and Doritos in the same thread....Only on the Loach forum!

I'm always looking for alternatives to preservative packed foods. I especially try to avoid artificial food colorings. Red40 makes my kids into hyper little monsters. And MSG is known to cause migraines in some individuals. So...what do I do? I cook from scratch.

Here is a link to some recipes for you, Mermaid.

http://forums.loaches.com/viewtopic.php ... ght=recipe

But I must confess that in moments of extreme weakness, I especially love the Fiery Habanero Doritos!!

mistergreen · Post by **mistergreen** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:08 am

have you guys tried the new taco doritos? it quite darn good.

joitoy · Post by **joitoy** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 10:33 am

I don't think its the corporation.

Pay more money for more expensive fish foods that are natural and lack the whole chemical preservative thing.

Chop it up yourself.

Or suck it up and feed them the stuff with MSG. Everyone has a choice >_>

chefkeith · Post by **chefkeith** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 12:28 pm

I'll have to try the Taco. I've been working on a bag of the Fiery Habanero Doritos.

joitoy · Post by **joitoy** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 1:16 pm

Ugh.. the fiery habanero are too hot for me

mistergreen · Post by **mistergreen** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 3:53 pm

You can grow your own live foods if you don't like preservative... Grow stuff like white worms, daphnia, etc....

Yeah, I highly recommend the Taco flavor... It has a nice hint of cummin.

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Ethoxyquin and MSG

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