Seymo44
Active Member
I’m a third generation seafood processor. My company specializes in processing flounder, however most of our business is through brokering products produced by other companies.
I have a near-unlimited access to free seafood that is sent to me as samples. I’ve often thought of making my own frozen food for my 5 nano/pico tanks, as well as my 65g reef. I have been hesitant because I know what is in seafood for human consumption.
Along with pasteurization and plain ole salt, sodium tripolyphosphate (Na5P3O10) and carbon monoxide are two commonly used preservatives in the seafood industry. We don’t use it in anything we produce, but many of the products that we buy and sell have one or both of these chemicals present.
Pasteurization is just a heating process, and is unlikely to introduce anything harmful to the reef. But the pasteurization process does destroy some of the nutrients in the food.
Shrimp is the number one culprit for sodium tripolyphosphate introduction into your tanks. This is used as a way for shrimp processors to force processed shrimp to take on water and therefore fatten their bottom line. This is not a natural substance and is not just used for food, it is in many household and commercial detergents.
Frozen (and some fresh) fish are often treated with CO as a means to “cold smoke” the product. CO prevents fish filets from losing their color as well as firms the meat up a bit. Grilling and smoking meats/seafood exposes the food to CO and CO2, but that is for humans. My clowns and I like our oysters raw, not smoked.
If you are buying seafood to use in a reef tank, please read the ingredients. Water and salt added is ok, but avoid anything considered cold smoked. Avoid any ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
Lastly, seafood markets commonly buy frozen, imported products and thaw them out and sell them as fresh domestic. Another common practice is to buy one species of fish and sell it as another. There really is no way to be 100% sure if what you are buying.
I do not have evidence of what these chemicals do to our reefs. I simply wanted to bring this to the attention of the community for the safety of our finned friends.
Please don’t make this a thread about preservatives in our food. I care much more about all of your reef tanks, than I care about what humans choose too eat.
Happy reefing!
May your coralline flourish, and your cyano burn in the fires of hell!
I have a near-unlimited access to free seafood that is sent to me as samples. I’ve often thought of making my own frozen food for my 5 nano/pico tanks, as well as my 65g reef. I have been hesitant because I know what is in seafood for human consumption.
Along with pasteurization and plain ole salt, sodium tripolyphosphate (Na5P3O10) and carbon monoxide are two commonly used preservatives in the seafood industry. We don’t use it in anything we produce, but many of the products that we buy and sell have one or both of these chemicals present.
Pasteurization is just a heating process, and is unlikely to introduce anything harmful to the reef. But the pasteurization process does destroy some of the nutrients in the food.
Shrimp is the number one culprit for sodium tripolyphosphate introduction into your tanks. This is used as a way for shrimp processors to force processed shrimp to take on water and therefore fatten their bottom line. This is not a natural substance and is not just used for food, it is in many household and commercial detergents.
Frozen (and some fresh) fish are often treated with CO as a means to “cold smoke” the product. CO prevents fish filets from losing their color as well as firms the meat up a bit. Grilling and smoking meats/seafood exposes the food to CO and CO2, but that is for humans. My clowns and I like our oysters raw, not smoked.
If you are buying seafood to use in a reef tank, please read the ingredients. Water and salt added is ok, but avoid anything considered cold smoked. Avoid any ingredients that you can’t pronounce.
Lastly, seafood markets commonly buy frozen, imported products and thaw them out and sell them as fresh domestic. Another common practice is to buy one species of fish and sell it as another. There really is no way to be 100% sure if what you are buying.
I do not have evidence of what these chemicals do to our reefs. I simply wanted to bring this to the attention of the community for the safety of our finned friends.
Please don’t make this a thread about preservatives in our food. I care much more about all of your reef tanks, than I care about what humans choose too eat.
Happy reefing!
May your coralline flourish, and your cyano burn in the fires of hell!
