German Fish Foods
Posted: 20 Nov 2021, 19:39
First of all I'm not trying to attack anyone, I just need some clarification
There is no doubt that the Germans know their stuff when it comes to fish, and plecos especially. But there are somethings that confuse me when it comes to their prepared fish foods. Mainly there are two concerns to me
Firstly: Vague ingredient lists. In many foods the actual ingredients aren't listed and you just see generic terms like "derivatives of vegetable origin", "cereals". It doesn't tell you exactly what's in there, it seems pointless. Why can't they just list what's in there so I could make a better decision on what to buy? And in the case of JBL novo pleco food I wasn't even able to find an actual ingredient list, they just have the percentages listed of the ingredient "groups". Why would they do that? I'm genuinly confused.
Secondly: The overuse of starches and carbs. Many foods have the first few ingredients as starches and grains, stuff like wheat flour, wheat germ, corn flour, etc. Shouldn't we be going away from grains in fish foods? To my point of view grains are a "necessary evil" and to be used as a binder in minimal amounts, with the rest of the ingredients being high quality. Take Sera's catfish chips for an example; the first ingredient is fish meal which is passable, but the 3 next ingredients are fillers. Is that even good for the fish in the long term and can the fish even digest this?
In contrast, foods like new life spectrum and northfin have starches way below other inredients. So is there a benefit to the added grains or are they a way to reduce the cost.
Again I'm not bashing on any manufacturer here I'm just concerned for the health of my fish. Also please excuse my English.
Thanks
There is no doubt that the Germans know their stuff when it comes to fish, and plecos especially. But there are somethings that confuse me when it comes to their prepared fish foods. Mainly there are two concerns to me
Firstly: Vague ingredient lists. In many foods the actual ingredients aren't listed and you just see generic terms like "derivatives of vegetable origin", "cereals". It doesn't tell you exactly what's in there, it seems pointless. Why can't they just list what's in there so I could make a better decision on what to buy? And in the case of JBL novo pleco food I wasn't even able to find an actual ingredient list, they just have the percentages listed of the ingredient "groups". Why would they do that? I'm genuinly confused.
Secondly: The overuse of starches and carbs. Many foods have the first few ingredients as starches and grains, stuff like wheat flour, wheat germ, corn flour, etc. Shouldn't we be going away from grains in fish foods? To my point of view grains are a "necessary evil" and to be used as a binder in minimal amounts, with the rest of the ingredients being high quality. Take Sera's catfish chips for an example; the first ingredient is fish meal which is passable, but the 3 next ingredients are fillers. Is that even good for the fish in the long term and can the fish even digest this?
In contrast, foods like new life spectrum and northfin have starches way below other inredients. So is there a benefit to the added grains or are they a way to reduce the cost.
Again I'm not bashing on any manufacturer here I'm just concerned for the health of my fish. Also please excuse my English.
Thanks