Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Aquamax local pricing, just curious.

So what does that tell us ? I would like some real info on the products.

I went to TS over the weekend and they had GFC and a Cargill Brand (something like Sportsman's Choice Trophy Feeds) - both all purpose feeds. I read the labels of both. GFC listed both fish meal and fish oil as ingredients. No fish meal in SC mostly grains.

Can't find on Cargill web site but did find this on TS site

Sportsman's Choice® Trophy Fish™ Feed is a 36% protein multi-species fish formula designed to be fed to bluegill, catfish, bass, brim, tilapia, and other farm pond species in a recreational feeding program.

Features:

•36% protein to support multiple farm pond species of fish.
•Pond Balancing Technology that uses smaller morsels that sink to feed smaller fish and larger morsels that float to feed bigger fish. This Pond Balancing Technology helps promote proper food chain facilitation.
•Highly palatable to maximize intake.
•Stabilized and high levels of vitamins to ensure correct nutrient balance to support rapid growth.
Ingredients:

Grain products, Plant Protein Products, Processed Grain By-Products, Animal Protein Products, Vitamin A Supplement, Vitamin D Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Riboflavin Supplement, Niacin Supplement, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Folic Acid, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex (source of Vitamin Kactivity), Biotin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, L-Lysine, Ascorbic Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Salt, Zinc Sulfate, Ferrous Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, copper Sulfate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Cobalt Sulfate, Fish Oil.

Here is GFC from an online source

Game Fish Chow®

Complete and balanced nutrition for full range of pond fish. Excellent for catfish, bluegill, minnows and carp Koi,Goldfish Tropical.

•Multiple Size Particle - feeds all sizes of fish

•Floating ration - great for viewing

•Higher digestibility of nutrients

•32% high protein with attractant

•Added Vitamin C to reduce deficiency-related problems

•Enhances production of forage fish to enhance size and number of bass
Types Of Fish: Tropical ,FreshWater GoldFish, Koi,Shubunkins and Pond FishFeeding Instructions: Feed as the sole diet 2 times daily. Feed as much as the fish will consume in ten (10) minutes of feeding.
Storage Instructions: Store in cool, dry place away from sunlight. Maintains nutritive value and shelf life up to one (1) year if properly stored and handled. Frozen storage extends shelf life beyond one (1) year.



G u a r a n t e e d A n a l y s i s
Crude protein (min.) 32.00%
Crude fat (min.) 3.00%
Crude fiber (max.) 6.00%

Phosphorus (P) (min) 0.80%
Ash (max) 8.50%
I n g r e d i e n t s
Dehulled Soybean Meal, Wheat Middlings, Ground Corn, Fish Meal, Corn Gluten Meal, Salt, Porcine Meat Meal, Ground Oats, Dehydrated Alfalfa Meal, Ground Wheat, Calcium Carbonate, Ground Soybean, Hulls, Betaine, Cane Molasses, Dried Beef Pulp, Wheat Germ, Dicalcium Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Soybean Oil, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate, Vitamin A Supplement, Porcine Animal Fat Preserved With BHA, Folic Acid, Choline Chloride, Vitamin D Supplement, Vitamin E Supplement, Niacin Supplement, Riboflavin, Calcium Pantothenate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, DL-Methionine, Menadione Sodium Bisulfite Complex, Vitamin B-12 Supplement, Manganous Oxide, Zinc Oxide, Ferrous Carbonate, Copper Sulfate, Zinc Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite.

Looks like a good project for someone to try both of these out in two different ponds to see which performs better.

Then again the odds of having exactly 2 ponds that are identical would be near impossible.

But would make a nice project all the same.

Sounds like I need to add my mom and pop feed store to my Christmas card list this year. I feel sorry for the folks on here who are having issues with price or availability with the AQ, I hope an acceptable substitute can be located.

As for me: I can't argue with the results I'm seeing. Couple that with easy availability, and I'm staying put with my AQ500.

ok, this is weird. I was quoted $40.50 for a 40lbs AM Largemouth but when I went to pick it up today it was $32.

AM 500 Grower was 38.50 for 50lbs bag.

So price dropped..not sure..but I will take it.

$32 sounds about right

Ok way behind on work but popped in to PB today. Quickly, Cargill is big so they have many labels. I will not address the sportsman, nutrena, etc. We are carrying their aquafeed. They also have an aquaxcel product. This is for fingerlings in smaller extruded pellet sizes. 0.3 to 3.2 mm. I agree love to test to see what works but man they have a bunch of formulations. They do this because they mainly sell to aquaculture and design feeds for specific sizes and species. Since not having test for prove next best thing is ask. Several very reputable hatcheries have been using this feed. That means a lot to me they have to use what is most cost effective to make it in business.
After meeting with David Hines I have decided to go with 42-12 as the one I want to stock in house. It has to be simple here. The 45-12 is preferred for max bluegill growth and also choice for feed trained bass. However for cost reasons I’m going with the 42-12. This is far superior to 32% catfish food or the 36% protein stuff we carried last year. I had started using a 40-10 but my price is slight better for this 42-12 from Cargill. Eric the label is poor marketing David told me the 42-12 had higher fish meal than aquamax but they simply label it all under animal protein. Again their market has always been for aquaculture not for recreational.
We will be able to ship as few as 20 bags to clients and even with freight come in close to aquamax pricing. There are several pellet sizes to choose from as well. Sometimes it might take a couple of weeks to make they have to run several tons at a time. If you can take 40-60 bags then you really start to see some much better fish food prices due to less fright per bag and it appears to be a better product. We can get the 45-12 as well if wanting some monster size bluegill. For trout 48-18 available as well. Anyway I hope this is helpful.

Greg if they don't put it on the label then it means nothing. It is the only proof you have of what is in the bag.

Yes agree they are changing the label. Not monkeying with formulation just changing. Legally they can say animal protein products and dumb move to say that and not fish meal. No one post percentage of fish meal but told it is higher. I trust the results coming from hatchery.

I have been feeding game fish chow for several years. I recently bought a couple of bags AQ-MX LMB. All the fish love the AQ-MX. Now they won't touch the GFC.

Jack.....

Just be lucky you guys don't have to buy the 5D00 Aquamax. It's $46.00 per bag! Part of the expense may be I've been told they farm it out to another manufacturer to produce.

I got a killer deal last week.. Buy 2 get one free.. I bought 4 got 2 free.. Got 3 500 and 3 600..

BGK -- What was your total for six bags? I bought two of each 500 and 600 last week and my bill was right at $95.00 with tax.

That is nice, that makes it cheaper than what I pay for GFC.

Bing, that's a heck of a deal! Cheaper than any that I can find.

OOPS, senior moment. i just got part of my memory back. It turns out that there were only three bags. I bought and paid for the fourth the day before. Makes quite a difference.

2-600 were $54 and change 2-500 were $64 and change about $120 tax included in that.. $120 for six bags ain't bad.. Greenville FS had a grand opening ceremony for that little store they added on "Country Depot" it was buy 2 get one on all purina specialty foods and buy one get one on purina dog food..

I just threw out the labels and invoices from feed I've recently gotten from Zigler, Purina, Cargill, and a couple of others. I was saving them for this thread. Good or bad, I threw them out a few days ago.

I'm frustrated, and I've gone back to an old standby which is not bad food, but not great food. Yet, over the last six or so years, it seems to have stayed consistent in make-up. The price hasn't change much more than the national inflation average.

I'm now feeding five ponds on my property, and a number of ponds/raceways/pools at neighboring properties. Every time I change feed, the fish take a week or two to adapt to a new food -- if they adopt at all.

I know Purina is a major sponsor for Pond Boss, but for some reason, no local supplier seems to keep Purina's fish feed line for very long. As most of you know, I'm a pretty strong Pond Boss supporter.
Yet, Purina will not answer my e-mails, and their phone system is useless. Their fish feed prices range well over a 400% high/low range from various local suppliers -- if they will supply it at all. These same suppliers are major Purina dealers for other feeds.

Small special orders are exorbitant -- like $52 a bag for Aquamax 200, 300, or 400. I can't afford it, and my friends generally don't want to.

Like other major PB hobbyists, I'm now using quite a few tons of feed per year. I'd actually like to be a supplier, but since I can't contact them ...

If Bruce Condello can't get their attention at a request for 10 tons per year, and I can't get their attention... I just don't understand.

Time to go dig another pond!

From my perspective, get the best and most consistent local feed you can.

Regards,
Ken

Yeah I have gotten lucky in this I have a guy where my pond is that can get my AM500 and 600 for 30 bucks a bag! I am pretty happy with that price.

Ken we priced the fish meal based 42-12 4.8 mm (same as 500) 50 lb bag feed fpr PBosser at $25/bag and freight was $125 for 20 bags. No tax and right to your door.

If you got a couple of feeders good option. For 40 bags dropped price to $24/bag and freight per bag even less should be well under $30 shipped. I feel this is a good product the 45-12 is $3 more and excellent food. So there are options still out there. Pricey for those just wanting a bag or two but those going through several bags of food can save money for a great product.

We got in touch with them (Purina) to be a dealer, and they said no go unless we had a retail store, forklift, and sold their complete line - couldn't just carry the fish food.

Ken,

I'm seeing the same response in my state when it come to fish farms that would be willing to buy large quantities. The largest fish farm in the world now in Indiana (now a 60 million investment) last I heard gave up trying to deal with Purina Mills. Apparently PM wants to be a small niche supplier? And that's with one of their feeds mill right here in Indiana just a few miles down the road!

I contacted them once and told them I had the following dandy picture of a fish there 5D19 produced remarkable colors for -- that they could use for a promotion -- and got a ho hum response from the person I talked to. (She seemed bored with my call) I'm puzzled as I've never seen a supplier so unenthusiastic about potential business. I was always taught once as a business major that if you don't grow as a business you die.





That said i can get the few bags I need every month from my local dealer by ordering ahead and will still with Aquamax until something better comes along.

Cecil -- Like you, I am a long time AA (that's Aquaculture Association) member/officer/whatever in my state. I volunteer a lot of hours to our state's aquaculture extension service -- helping industry, hobbyists, and many in between. I work with the state government's efforts to promote aquaculture.

Greg -- I appreciate the offer. My main concern is that I would like to support those who support Pond Boss, and Purina is certainly a major contributor to the success of Pond Boss. In a secondary role, as an elected West Virginia Aquaculture Association officer, I would like promote a good variety of known high quality fish feed, that is regularly available to our commercial producers and serious hobbyists. We have several great suppliers who ask for little in return, except for our business.

I feel the Purina fish feeds meet all of our commercial and hobby requirements -- except that their availability is extremely unreliable, and their pricing ranges from reasonable to exorbitant. It is real difficult to use or promote their products based on these issues.

Ken

I think there our discussions about cargill aquafeed being a PB advertiser. I keep trying anyways. I dont really care to get in the fish food game not a profitable business just trying to help customers get a good quality feed when not available otherwise.

For those looking for a little more info on the Cargill TrophyFish Feed, here is the manufacturers' link:

http://www.sportsmanschoicefeeds.com/scf/en/products/fish/trophy-fish-feed/index.jsp

I've been using this for about a week or so now (all I could find close to me) and the CC have really taken a liking to it. They'll stay on the top and eat it for as long as you throw it. I haven't seen much else hit, few splashes here and there from smaller fish but nothing like the CC interest.

Price was $12.99 for a 25lb bag.

FYI that is on the low side of good food for bluegill. Excellent food for catfish.