Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Mellick feed, YP, size and composition questions

ewest's protein requirement from aquanic web site is for 3 to 5 fish per pound. These fish are significantly larger than 2"-3" perch. For 3" perch there would be somewhere between 100-125 per pound and 2.5" likely close to 200/pound. For smaller perch of 2"-6", I have the best luck with fast growth if I use 50% or 45% protein food. As fish get larger they can often get by with less protein as adults. However this often depends on the species and their specific dietary requirements. Aquamax 5D03 is a 50% protein and 5D04 is 45% protein. The small perch will handle the high fat content okay. It is when they are adults that too much fat could be a problem. If you use either of those 03 or 04 or something similar the perch will do well providing they are trained to eat pelleted food. 5D04 is a little large for the 2"-3" perch although they could eat it well if it was softened as per Cody's article in May-June 2008 Pond Boss Mag.