I've been trapping fathead minnows from my big pond where they number in the thousands and dumping them into my brook trout pond for the winter. What's really cool is to throw one in and watch a male brook trout in full spawning colors come out of nowhere and nail it.

I've been using a special Aquamax feed enhanced with Astaxanthin, and along with it being peak spawning time they are so colored up they look like they are on fire.

I'll try and get pictures but I'm not sure they will show up well with the glare on the water.

Cecil, what is Astaxanthin and what does it do?

Astaxanthin is a carotenoid. Like many carotenoids, it is a colorful, fat/oil-soluble pigment. Astaxanthin can be found in microalgae, yeast, salmon, trout, krill, shrimp, crayfish, crustaceans, and the feathers of some birds.

While astaxanthin is a natural nutritional component, it can be found as a food supplement. The supplement is intended for human, animal, and aquaculture consumption. The commercial production of astaxanthin comes from both natural and synthetic sources.

In aquaculture it is used to assist captive fish population to keep their natural bright colors, particularly reds, oranges and yellows. Cecil is feeding his brook trout the supplement to make sure his brookies stay colorful. You often see it added to tropical fish food so they maintain their colors as well. Krill, shrimp and scuds often have large amounts of natural astaxanthin in them. The BOWs where these species are present in high numbers often have vividly colored trout.

As an interesting side note, astaxanthin is what gives flamingo's their pinkish color. Without a diet of the shrimp the flamingos eat, they'd be just plain old white.

Cecil:

Are you adding it to the AquaMax or is it a special run of the food?

I believe astaxanthin is also important in giving Koi a brighter color.

Yep, you are right heybud... Most goldfish and koi foods have it as an additive.

Here's a little inside information. Several years ago, as we were testing Aquamax Largemouth, I told Mark Griffin that one of the "problems" with feed trained bass is the fact that they are almost an irridescent blue color, even grayish. I asked him if there was anything he could do with the feed to enhance the color. He said, "Yes, that's easy." He added carotenoids and asked me to take photos of the fish every two to three weeks. He figured out the right mix of additives and within six weeks all the fish were their normal green color. It was cool to watch it work.

If I start eating fishfood,do you think...never mind.

I order the feed with it added. It's just a little more expensive but it is seasonal. I won't be able to get anymore until next spring but I don't feed my trout in the winter anyway. I'm thinking the fatheads will keep them happy.

Your doctor will think you have juandice.

...or he might suggest cutting back on the fake bake (spray/lotion tan product).

When did orange become an attractive skin color?

So let me get this straight, you guys are telling me that I could have bought some of this Astaxanthin, sprinkled it on Tom's food and/or poured some in his beer and it would have turned him orange?

And you're telling me this NOW, after the conference is over???