Foods that KILL babies?

RyJ

RyJ

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Feb 2, 2003
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Moncton, NB, Canada
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My neighbour enjoys to make his own fish food. He mixes liver with human baby food to create this really high protien paste. He uses it on his adult Convicts...and BOY do they EVER get big and colourful on that food!! However, he tried using that paste on a batch of Convict fry and none of them survived. It was weird simply because every batch his Convicts have spawned have been successful.

My question is....the baby formula has salt in it. Could that salt possibilty have iodine in it (since it is, afterall, made for humans)?
 
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Well, yes it could. But iodine is as important a trace element for fish as it is for humans, so it wouldn't kill them. Of the food, a tiny proportion would be salt. Of that, an even tinier proportion would be iodine.

It's more likely that the fat content was too high, or possibly the particle size too high.

You are aware, I trust, that the whole "iodised salt will kill your fish" thing is a myth?
 
Originally posted by Faramir
You are aware, I trust, that the whole "iodised salt will kill your fish" thing is a myth?
Click to expand...

:rolleyes: Gee...based on my question...what do you think?


Seriously though, :) that 'myth' is widely used as fact. That's why a lot of pet stores say it's important to not use table salt for aquariums.

Thx for your relpy though.

Would the 'amount' of iodine in table salt be dangerous?
 
No, the iodine in table salt would not be dangerous. The fish would be pickled before they'd be poisoned.

I have a sneaking suspicion that the aquarium shops peddle the myth because they can sell expensive "aquarium salt". ;)

Actually, thinking about it, baby foods are probably quite low in salt because human babies don't do well on a high salt diet - a baby died here in the UK a few years ago because its parents fed it overly salty "adult" food - safe levels for adults, but not for infants.

I'm quite heavy on the iodine myth because I hate to think of some poor fish suffering nitrite poisoning or the death of a thousand itches from ick whilst its owner is running around looking for "non-iodised salt", whilst a perfectly good box of bog-standard salt is sitting in the cupboard. ;)
 
'Myth' is widely used as fact. If myth is not used as fact, then by definition, it's not Myth, it's Fable. When Myth is deflated, its believers have a sense of loss, that doesn't happen when new facts supplant old ones. That sense that some old loyalty is being betrayed is a sure signal that Myth is in the air.

Have you-all seen the packaging for "Freshwater Salt" ? That oughta say something.
 
Just a thought on what actually would cause the death of the babies...Human baby foods are highly digestable. My guess is the fry can't consume the food quickly enough, and it's breaking down in the water, resulting in a ammonia spike the fry can't tolerate.

Just a guess...

As to myth vrs fable...There isn't actually that big a difference in the definitions of either word. Iodine levels in table salt being deadly can be either a myth or a fable, as either indicates a false statement given as fact.
 
Originally posted by OrionGirl
Just a thought on what actually would cause the death of the babies...Human baby foods are highly digestable. My guess is the fry can't consume the food quickly enough, and it's breaking down in the water, resulting in a ammonia spike the fry can't tolerate.
Click to expand...

That's actually a really good way of looking at it. I'll get him to do a water test the next time he tries it.

It's just so sad to see a few hundred dead babies :(
 
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