Different fish species have different nutritional needs, and I'm not talking about protein/fat content. With that, it changes on the age of the fish. For instance, in an aquaculture setting, the food can be tailored even tighter to individual species of fish, and the age of the fish. In a pond setting, where there are multiple species and multiple age classes, not so much. Mostly because you cannot tell a fish what food to eat or not to eat.
What sets Optimal apart is the testing they do, and the amino acid/micro nutrients that they put in the food - and that's not on the label because it's proprietary information.
I have HSB specific food from Optimal that they made for a customer and an extra bag showed up on my doorstep. It floats for about 10-20 seconds, then slowly sinks. The HSB hammer it. I am feeding it to the HSB in the cage. I am (in my pond) mixing Optimal BG food with Optimal LMB food, about 50/50 and throwing it thru my Texas Hunter feeder.
The Optimal guys will be swinging by here later on this month and will be taking fish back with them for testing. Since I have not been feeding YP and HSB specific food to those species in my pond, the test results may be interesting.
I have been feeding Optimal BG food for over a year in my pond, and the LMB food for about 6-8 weeks.
The Optimal Jr. food is tailored for smaller fish to get them the jump start they need to become great fish.
Optimal is a bit different than the other fish food companies. If you want a specific food for your fish, you CAN buy it. They will make individual production runs to cater to your individual needs. TJ, you want a larger feed, you can get it. If you can't purchase 20,000 pounds, you can purchase a smaller amount, but it will have to be priced accordingly. I was told that they can make a special run as small as 50 pounds from the small mill, but I was afraid to ask what that would cost.
I talked to Cray last month about LMB food, and I think he ordered from them. I was on the road and thought that instead of being the go-between, I would have him just call Optimal and he could ask and get answers asap. I hope he chimes in here with his observations.
