Interesting ingredients...!

[lyh]

This afternoon i went down to C328 and got myself a packet of hikari algae wafer. When i got home, upon closer inspection i found MSG as one of the ingredients used in making the food!!! Yes this is the MSG that the health promotion board has encouraged us to take less.

1) Anyone knows what this particular substance can do to our fishes as i know many hobbists are feeding this algae wafer either to their shrimps or plecos.

2) Can someone recommend another brand to substitute this?

[stormhawk]

Hi Lyh,

I don't quite know what MSG does to the fishes but I doubt its not too good.

I have not used the algae wafers for several years now. You're better off with freshly-cut veggies like peas and the sort.

[Justikanz]

Haha... Really?? Never checked before... No wonder my shrimps and hermits dun like the wafers! Haha... Now we know...

[aquarius]

Hi lyh.... You're right!! Usually i'll read through the ingredients to have an idea of what's in the fish food b4 buying but somehow didn't notice the MSG as one of the ingredients. I'll definately change back to sera after i've finished the hikari.
I used to feed my plecos with sera but switched to hikari recently cos alot of people use it to feed their plecos or shrimps and also because it's not messy. The problem with sera algae wafers is it gives out ALOT of fine particles when the plecos are feeding and the water will be filled with this particles floating all over tank! Very unsightly but ingredients wise it is definately far more superior than hikari.

[loupgarou]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

I'd think the perception of harm is overated.

"Bound and unbound glutamate are found naturally in nearly every protein-rich food product, including seaweed, tomatoes, mushrooms, fermented soy products, yeast extracts, nuts, legumes, and most meat and dairy products. Yet, despite its ubiquity in common food products, the flavor contributions made by glutamate and other amino acids were only scientifically identified early in the twentieth century."

[lyh]

Haha... Really?? Never checked before... No wonder my shrimps and hermits dun like the wafers! Haha... Now we know...

Hi Justikanz thought MSG is suppose to enhance the flavour as stated in the article? Maybe your critters prefer organic food haha...

loupgarou thanks for your article it has cleared some of my doubts about this whole MSG thing now i feel more safe to feed my fish this wafer and also myself consuming food containing MSG .

[Justikanz]

Maybe they are allegic to MSG like me... haha...

Ya, I read that the flavour from MSG is now officially stated as the next flavour other than the other 4: sour; sweet; bitter; saltish. And seaweed is a source of this MSG flavour...

[valice]

my platys and cherries go crazy over the wafers whenever i throw them into the water... maybe ur fish really dun like MSG... hahah...

[stormhawk]

Chris, the thing is, consumption of MSG in excessive amounts through foods has been found to be very detrimental to humans. I don't see how small amounts would be harmful to the fishes but then again, it pays to be cautious.

Quoted from the Wikipedia article:

Although glutamate is an excitotoxin if certain neurons are exposed to very high doses,

And again in the start of the article, there's a warning sign that states that "The factual accuracy of part of this article is disputed." and further on, "The dispute is about the "Health concerns" section."

Perhaps one of the best sites explaining the problems with MSG is here:

http://www.truthinlabeling.org/

How much of the info there is hogwash, I don't know but it serves as a notice that if there are lots of folks out there who do not trust MSG in their food, then probably there is a cause for concern if it appears on a bottle or packet of fish food.

Besides, my fishes pretty much do not eat any of the wafers so its a waste for me anyway.

[aquarius]

All of us have eaten hawker centre food b4 and you'll know that there are times when you finished a very tasty bowl of noodles, you feel very thirsty. Even after drinking one and a half glass of water, it still doesn't help. Yep that's the MSG doing it's thing on your body.

I remember a very long time ago can't remember whether it's in the Straits Times newspaper or on TV, during an interview with then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, he said he told the chefs never to put MSG in his food or the food of the President's cos he believes strongly that it's bad for the health and that was when he was then the Prime Minister.

[lyh]

As this msg is derived naturally i believe it is alright to feed our fishes moderate amounts of it for proper growth just like us humans, whatever we eat we eat in moderate amounts.
The hikari package did not show what percentage of the food contains msg so i guess it is so low that it is almost negligible but this still calls for concern when it is taken in daily as it would eventually amount to a huge quantity stored in the body if it is not being processed fast enough. Since most hobbyists feed a wide variety of food to their fishes i guess the feeding of this wafer is alright for their fishes.

All of us have eaten hawker centre food b4 and you'll know that there are times when you finished a very tasty bowl of noodles, you feel very thirsty. Even after drinking one and a half glass of water, it still doesn't help. Yep that's the MSG doing it's thing on your body.

I remember a very long time ago can't remember whether it's in the Straits Times newspaper or on TV, during an interview with then Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, he said he told the chefs never to put MSG in his food or the food of the President's cos he believes strongly that it's bad for the health and that was when he was then the Prime Minister.

Hi aquarius i guess what SM Lee meant when he says about msg is the whole package of thing which includes salt and other ingredients like the one in instant noodles which we commonly refer to.

[Justikanz]

The thing I am interested to know is... Do fish get allergic reactions with MSG? Realised that nowadays I have cardinals spinning and then die and I think it never happened before adding the Hikari algae wafers as part of the diet... (I break it into small parts and mix with the other food)... Could there be any sort of wierd connection??

[celticfish]

fish have very good taste capacity/sense.
which is why they are choosy about some foods.
the MSG is to enhance the taste for the fishes.
thus making the keeper re-buy as he observes that his/her fishes love it!