Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Optimal Bluegill Food opinions

The formulation hasn't changed since it's inception last year, the pellet size has changed a couple of times, but the last pellet size change was in late September of last year.

While the date on the bag is set at 6 months after production, I was told that is a "sell by" date and the "use by" date is really 6 months after the "sell by" date.

I've never seen my RES eating the aquamax food and are certainly not feed trained. Have any of you folks that use Optimal noticed the your RES eat it that wouldn't eat the aquamax?

Thanks,
dan

I'm raising my hand.

Have seen RES eat many types of pellets.

That was certainly the case for me. My RES appeared to not want anything to do with AquaMax, but when I began feeding Optimal they trained within a few days. But it is possible they were eating AquaMax in small amounts and I just started paying better attention once I started feeding Optimal.

I feed my CNBG, Redear, F1 and Blue Tilpia fingerling size catfish food that I pick up from local Co-op. I have 4 feeders that go off simultaneously and most feed times it is like the water is boiling with the feeding activity.

The posts above did get me thinking. Is there a correlation to quality of food and life span for my fish?

I am catching quality fish in each species with good relativity numbers.

A 50# bag costs me $22.00 plus tax.

But should I be feeding a higher quality food?

This is the information from the label.

FAITHWAY 36% FINGERLING CATFISH FOOD

GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
CRUDE PROTEIN - 36%
CRUDE FAT - MIN 2.5%
CRUDE FIBER - MAX 6.0%

INGREDIENTS

GRAIN PRODUCTS, PROTEIN PRODUCTS, PROCESSED GRAIN BY PRODUCTS, FISH MEAL, PORCINE MOAT AND ELONE MEAL, HYDROLYZED POULTRY FEATHERS, ANIMAL FAT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, RIBOFLAVIN, NIACIN, CALCIUM PHENOMENAL, FOLIC ACID, MEXADLONE, SODIUM HYDROCHLORIDE, ASCORBIC ACID, MANGA NOUS OXIDE, FERROUS SULFATE , COPPER CHLORIDE, ZINC OXIDE, SODIUM SOLONILE

How do the fish look?

"GRAIN PRODUCTS, PROTEIN PRODUCTS, PROCESSED GRAIN BY PRODUCTS, FISH MEAL, PORCINE MOAT AND ELONE MEAL, HYDROLYZED POULTRY FEATHERS, ANIMAL FAT, VITAMIN A SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN D3 SUPPLEMENT, VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENT, RIBOFLAVIN, NIACIN, CALCIUM PHENOMENAL, FOLIC ACID, MEXADLONE, SODIUM HYDROCHLORIDE, ASCORBIC ACID, MANGA NOUS OXIDE, FERROUS SULFATE , COPPER CHLORIDE, ZINC OXIDE, SODIUM SOLONILE "

Fish meal is very good. This is a high proteine % for catfish food - most is 32% or even less. Catfish can use the grain products but the BG , LMB etc. can't use it as well.

Poultry feathers?

I fed that Faithway feed before and wasn't impressed. My fish turned there nose up at it.

Couple of 12" CNBG I caught this morning. Caught 21 total and probably 18 of them looked just like these.

I have no catfish in my pond but the fish I have seem to be doing great and they love the food i am feeding. Any reason to change to a higher priced meal??

What % of the fishes food is from pellets ?

That is not uncommon. Not saying it is good or ok just no big shock. Sometimes it is labeled poultry by-products.

Ewest I noticed it was called "fingerling" catfish food. Must be for commercial fish farms raising catfish for the fingerling stage. All I have ever seen up here is 32%.

It's getting harder to find feed with fish meal(ground up menhaden).

+1 or the % is reduced.

Ewest, I don't know exactly how to answer that question. I don't think I feed enough "pellets" to be there only food source. I harvest some of the bream occasionally some are jammed full of "pellets" some have had small fish and other items in there stomachs.

The CNBG look great. How do the LMB look? Do they eat pellets?

Ewest, F1 look great! Last 20 I have caught were all in the 95 - 120% of Relativity chart so felt good about that.

I guess im a fish nerd because I weigh and measure almost every bass over 12" and I keep a record in a spreadsheet...

If the BG look like yours and the LMB are doing well then I would not change anything. Just keep watching for changes that indicate a problem.

Keeping good data is great way to pen point when a change started or is starting to happen. IMO would also do data on BG keeping notes. Then compare current with past.

The pictures look awesome. Theres nothing wrong with being a Fish Nerd.

Joshua. I need to do that on the BG but wow... we catch so many. This weekend we caught over 125... Maybe take measurements on every 10 or something like that.

Hey, how are your Tiger Bass doing? Are they catchable on artificials? I'm considering getting some myself -- right now I have no bass stocked at all -- and would like to get the benefit of your experience.

Pinetar,

Doing a 10% sample of 125 or measuring every 10th one or a combination will work. Sometimes the first 10-15 is great and sometimes its not. I have a inclination that the first ones will be good representation, since you are feeding optimal.

Joshua

The TB are doing really good. I stocked them in 2010. Excellent growth rates. Had several over 10 pounds "caught" in last electro survey this past spring. Really only have tried to catch them on artificial bait. Plastics, crankbaits, top water, you name it.

I did let my forage base build for 2 years before I stocked my F1 TB. I think that is a big reason for my success.