Looking for a source of organic peas to feed fish. Notice even the no salt added peas have salt and sugar content. What do you guys & gals use?
Organic peas ??
- Thread starter aussieman57
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I use normal frozen peas from any shop to give my goldfish but put them in a little bit of boiling water first
IMO all peas, organic or not, especially uncooked peas, should not be fed in any type of quantity to any species of fish. An old school easy to source food for plant eating fish, that other than the fiber content typically doesn't mirror anything that a herbivorous species would consume in nature. I understand that for some it is an old habit that's hard to break, but I managed to quite smoking after 40+ years, so it shouldn't be nearly as difficult to stop feeding foods that are ripe with antinutritional matter, such as peas. lol
From a past discussion on terrestrial based plant matter ......
From a past discussion on terrestrial based plant matter ......
No worries. My grandkids enjoy eating cake & candy, but I still lecture my wife as to how my type 2 came about. It started with my folks, and their folks, and no doubt good intentions on everyone's part.
I still think it depends on the fish.
There are fish like Cincelichthys that feed the half of the year on terrestial plants and the other half of the year on detritus consisting mainly of terrestial plant matter.
Pacus eat a lot of nuts and seeds full of phytic acid and still grow like crazy. And so on.
And it also depends on the kind of peas.
Canned peas (field pea) are pre boiled before canning and get heated again during the canning process to 116–130 °C. (I only know the heat requirements here, it might be different in other countires).
That should destroy a big part of 1. trypsin inhibitors/protease inhibitors, 2. Phytohaemagglutinins, 6. Saponins and 12. Anti-Vitamin-E factors (Numbers from the list in the link posted above).
The amount of 4. cyanogens in field peas is not very high when you compare it to wheat which is still a main ingredient for most processed fish foods.
Which leaves us with 5. phytic acid which can be reduced by soaking in water which is what canned peas normaly do. So just rinse them good before feeding.
There are fish like Cincelichthys that feed the half of the year on terrestial plants and the other half of the year on detritus consisting mainly of terrestial plant matter.
Pacus eat a lot of nuts and seeds full of phytic acid and still grow like crazy. And so on.
And it also depends on the kind of peas.
Canned peas (field pea) are pre boiled before canning and get heated again during the canning process to 116–130 °C. (I only know the heat requirements here, it might be different in other countires).
That should destroy a big part of 1. trypsin inhibitors/protease inhibitors, 2. Phytohaemagglutinins, 6. Saponins and 12. Anti-Vitamin-E factors (Numbers from the list in the link posted above).
The amount of 4. cyanogens in field peas is not very high when you compare it to wheat which is still a main ingredient for most processed fish foods.
Which leaves us with 5. phytic acid which can be reduced by soaking in water which is what canned peas normaly do. So just rinse them good before feeding.
"I still think it depends on the fish.
There are fish like Cincelichthys that feed the half of the year on terrestial plants and the other half of the year on detritus consisting mainly of terrestial plant matter.
Pacus eat a lot of nuts and seeds full of phytic acid and still grow like crazy. And so on."
+1 to above for some fish.
Species of silver dollars (pacu-like, to an extent), naturally utilize terrestrial plants, grains, seeds and fruit, at least seasonally. My silver dollars (and most of my fish) love rinsed & mashed canned garbanzos, which I give about once per week, as part of a rotation which includes mixed insects (various kinds), crustaceans, veggies, and algae+ pellets + flakes. All good as part of a varied diet, totally inappropriate as a staple food. In fact, I make a mush of garbanzo with crushed mealworms that my fish cannot resist.
There are fish like Cincelichthys that feed the half of the year on terrestial plants and the other half of the year on detritus consisting mainly of terrestial plant matter.
Pacus eat a lot of nuts and seeds full of phytic acid and still grow like crazy. And so on."
+1 to above for some fish.
Species of silver dollars (pacu-like, to an extent), naturally utilize terrestrial plants, grains, seeds and fruit, at least seasonally. My silver dollars (and most of my fish) love rinsed & mashed canned garbanzos, which I give about once per week, as part of a rotation which includes mixed insects (various kinds), crustaceans, veggies, and algae+ pellets + flakes. All good as part of a varied diet, totally inappropriate as a staple food. In fact, I make a mush of garbanzo with crushed mealworms that my fish cannot resist.
Certainly, to each their own. 
And as previously stated, my initial comment was tailored for those that fed this food stuff in any quantity, especially in an uncooked state. Also, the anti-nutritional factors found in peas can vary greatly from crop to crop & season to season. Something as simple as dry weather, or a cold spell, can push tannin levels up drastically. Even Canadian peas (Pisum sativum) which are white flowered varieties, produce some tannins and other anti-nutritional factors. (although far less than many other varieties of peas)
I prefer to reduce as much anti-nutritional matter as possible from my fishes diet, and as previously mentioned, other than fiber, peas offer very little in the way of overall nutrients. Protein, maybe, again depends on the fish how well that will be assimilated. For most species of fish, including those classified as strict herbivores in nature, IME marine sources serve them very well in captivity, with far less known issues.
While there are various species of fish that eat terrestrial plant matter in nature, they typically do so out of survival, and over many generations of carving out an existence in the wild they have become genetically hard wired to do so. In the wild many fish that instinctively seek out certain plants, seeds, nuts, etc seek out those that are higher in protein, and lower in carbohydrates/starch, and often only consume these raw foodstuffs when higher quality amino acid sources are limited. They are not always choosing these foodstuffs in the wild due to the nutritional value in the food, but more typically due to its seasonal availability, and their instinct to survive & spawn. And in captivity, the microbiota to assimilate and utilize some of these food stuffs that are found in nature, and native species of fish, would change rather quickly I would think. IMHO aquatic based plant matter is probably the more fish friendly way to go. IMHO of course.
And yes, I agree about wheat as well, the less, the better.
I can't even imagine going back 30 or 40 yrs, and feeding any of the commercial foods on the market during that period, and/or prior.
And as previously stated, my initial comment was tailored for those that fed this food stuff in any quantity, especially in an uncooked state. Also, the anti-nutritional factors found in peas can vary greatly from crop to crop & season to season. Something as simple as dry weather, or a cold spell, can push tannin levels up drastically. Even Canadian peas (Pisum sativum) which are white flowered varieties, produce some tannins and other anti-nutritional factors. (although far less than many other varieties of peas) I prefer to reduce as much anti-nutritional matter as possible from my fishes diet, and as previously mentioned, other than fiber, peas offer very little in the way of overall nutrients. Protein, maybe, again depends on the fish how well that will be assimilated. For most species of fish, including those classified as strict herbivores in nature, IME marine sources serve them very well in captivity, with far less known issues.
While there are various species of fish that eat terrestrial plant matter in nature, they typically do so out of survival, and over many generations of carving out an existence in the wild they have become genetically hard wired to do so. In the wild many fish that instinctively seek out certain plants, seeds, nuts, etc seek out those that are higher in protein, and lower in carbohydrates/starch, and often only consume these raw foodstuffs when higher quality amino acid sources are limited. They are not always choosing these foodstuffs in the wild due to the nutritional value in the food, but more typically due to its seasonal availability, and their instinct to survive & spawn. And in captivity, the microbiota to assimilate and utilize some of these food stuffs that are found in nature, and native species of fish, would change rather quickly I would think. IMHO aquatic based plant matter is probably the more fish friendly way to go. IMHO of course.
And yes, I agree about wheat as well, the less, the better.
I can't even imagine going back 30 or 40 yrs, and feeding any of the commercial foods on the market during that period, and/or prior.