Guys,
You might want to hydrate your floating pellets to get them to sink. Just before you drop them in the tank you pinch the air out and they flutter down and don't make it to the bottom.
Be aware there is more to it then just wetting the pellets.
Here is Bill Cody's recipe I used for an article I did for our Indiana Aquaculture Newsletter.
Bill feeds only sinking hydrated pellets to his fish. He also says he gets a better response when they are softened from the hydration.
Making Moist Pellets out of Floating Feed
As many of us know, it’s easier to feed train fish on a soft moist sinking diet. It’s also easier to get fish like feed trained bass to feed in cold water in early spring using the moist pellets vs. the floaters. Bass just seem
too lethargic to actively go after the floating pellets if we have spring that just doesn’t want to warm up. But it’s important to get them feeding to ward off fungus from seining and handling.
A friend, Billy Cody of Malinta, Ohio, feed trains wild bluegills and perch in floating
cages as a hobby. He has come up with a way to createa moist sinking feed out of Purina Mills’ Floating Aquamax, Silver Cup, and Zeigler’s fish feed I thoughtmay be of interest. And it’s not just a matter of adding water. There is a technique involved. The trick is tocome up with pellets of a dough like pliable consistency that are not mushy, stick to your fingers, or are
crumbly. However too make them sink you do need to pinch the air out of them.
1 quart of pellets 1/4 “ 5DO6 Aquamax) to 7 ounces of water. Small batches: 1/2 cup of pellets to 1 Tablespoon of water. Shake pellets and water for one full minute until water is absorbed and no “gravy” remains.
Pellets should be shaken once or three times
within the next 10 to 30 minutes to keep individual pellets from sticking together.
Bill uses a container with a lid to retain moisture during
the soaking process. He allows them to soak 2 to 6 hours. You can add a mist of water later if so desiredwith a spray bottle.
Refrigerate up to 24 hours for
Aquamax, but you can get away with more time with
Silver Cup and Zeiglers. This may not work with 28 to 32 % protein levels or feed high in fat. Experimentationmay be in order.
