peas can cause digestive system damage

[ErinBBC]

When I first came here I got a lot of suggestions to feed a pea in case Marley got constipated, but recently I read a post by BettaBaby who is a betta fish expert. She said that in her necropsies (fish autopsies) she discovered that betta fish who are fed peas tend to have digestive system damage because the peas are too rough on their systems.

She suggests feeding Daphnia instead, you can buy it frozen and I think freeze dried at most big pet stores. According to her it's healthier and easier on the betta and does the same thing as a pea.

Anyway I just figured I'd post this to let you know what she said and you can decide for yourself.

[Meatpuppet]

ok thanks erinbbc. ill try to rembemer that for next time. but arnt those plankton like water fleas?

[ErinBBC]

I have no idea what they are, I haven't had to use them yet I just know that they come frozen from Petsmart.

[JMeenen]

That is exactly what it is..a water flea

[tmz]

ooo...they're at petsmart. that's good to know.
if all else fails, i'm paying one of my friends to drive me there XD

[herefishy]

Originally Posted by ErinBBC

When I first came here I got a lot of suggestions to feed a pea in case Marley got constipated, but recently I read a post by BettaBaby who is a betta fish expert. She said that in her necropsies (fish autopsies) she discovered that betta fish who are fed peas tend to have digestive system damage because the peas are too rough on their systems.

She suggests feeding Daphnia instead, you can buy it frozen and I think freeze dried at most big pet stores. According to her it's healthier and easier on the betta and does the same thing as a pea.

Anyway I just figured I'd post this to let you know what she said and you can decide for yourself.

That would be tough to prove. Any hypothesis derived from anyone untrained in the world of piscivoric anantomy and the study of marine physiology would be a guess at best.

The damage could be caused by a myriad of things. Bloodworms or any other food could have caused the damage. To say that the damage was caused by peas is hedging on being blatantly inconsistent with all previous knowledge and practice. I would hesitate to accept it as fact until a thoroughly trained person could verify the claim.

[ErinBBC]

I will pm her and see what her credentials are, I am not sure of where her expertise comes from - like if she's a marine biologist or whatever.

EDIT - I went and looked at her signature on the bottom of an email she sent and it says she works as an Aquatic Nutritionist for a company in WI (I think that's the state, it's just slipped my mind)

[bettababy]

I am only here tonight for a short bit, at Lupin's request. I will answer this post, but not tonight. I am dealing with the death of my grandmother among other things right now and I just don't have the time or the energy.
I will be back soon, and I will post my qualifications.

[herefishy]

Please do. I am interested in knowing the schools you studied and the classes you took. Biology(especially marine biology and the study of piscivores), physiology, piscivoric anatomy and necroscopies are demanding areas of study. To become an expert in such areas would take a great deal of discipline, dedication, time and money to attend schools that offer such advanced areas of study. They are not something that any lfs employee can pick up on the sly or from just reading a book on the subject(s). A great deal of teaching from highly qualified professors and listening to lectures given by such minds, and lab time would be required. Having a microscope in the fishroom, a reference book at hand would not make one an expert in the field.

Hundreds, if not thousands, of post mortem autopsies would have to be taken and a controlled experiment and environment would be needed. Biopsies taken and examined, data gathered, archived and processed, it would take years and years of experimenting, collecting the data and processing the information to make such a claim. Literally feeding fish highly regimented diets, all monitored and varied, in order to kill them to collect the data. I don't believe that happened here. I will stand corrected if wrong and admit being so, but I would have to see it to believe it.

[ErinBBC]

BettaBaby - I'm sure everyone else here is as sorry as I am to hear of your loss. We can certainly wait to hear from you about your areas of study.

Herefishy - It seems that you have a ton of first hand knowledge on what it takes to become an expert and how such experiments are conducted. I was curious to know where you went to school? How long did it take you to accomplish your degree(s) and do you feel it was rewarding in the end? I'm NOT trying to get you to 'prove yourself' I'm simply curious being that I'm in grad school myself and feel that it will never ever end!!

As far as the peas vs. daphnia, personally I am going to feed daphnia anyway, as water fleas would seem to be a more 'natural' addition to a betta's diet than peas since betta's eat water dwelling critters in their wild habitats.