Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Floating fish food doesn't

With all the fingerlings and minnows hanging around the cedar trees along the banks I started offering them some floating fish food pellets. All would nibble at them but until the water softened them up a bit there wasn't any real eating going on. So I, in my infinite ignorance took a double handfull, placed them in an old towel and beat them into submission (and little pieces). Then I walked down to the pond and offered my fishes a meal. The good news is that more feeding went on more quickly. The bad news is, most of my offering promptly sank to the bottom. Lesson learned. Floating fish food doesn't, after it has been pulverized with a Ball Peen Hammer!

Randy -- You are encountering a common problem when trying to feed the smaller fishes in the pond. Your method works but as the fish get accustomed to eating the finer feed sizes more and more will be eating it and less waste then occurs. If yo are feeding minnows (fatheads and such) some of the feed that lands on the bottom is consumed if it is located.

Another bit of advice is don't feed so much with each distribution. Cut back on the amount thrown out each time until more small fish are actively feeding.

PS: Clever post script signature.

LOL, I learned the same lesson. I have 3 bluegill and blue catfish in my aquarium. Few pieces of the busted up pellets still float, lot of them settle on a flat rock on the bottom and are still quickly eaten. It is all the "powder" that messes up the aquarium bottom.

I use Purina Gamefish Chow that has several sizes of pellets, so I sift out the smaller ones for the bigger fish (3" bluegill, 6" cat). I got the aquarium specifically to learn these lessons. Larger one with a bass is hopefully coming in the future.

I also tried pre-soaking the pellets before throwing them out. I use a 32oz plastic cup to carry the fish food to the pond, so I just fill it up with water and wait a little before throwing it out. I did not try this in my aquarium. Wet fishfood is better for your fish. Friend of mine is into fish farm equipment in Norway. They found dry parts of pellets in the fish excrement, so he invented pellet soaking machine

randy, you can expect after feeding around cedar trees, the pellets that aren't consumed will contribute to algae growth around the cedar trees. i keep cutrine plus granules on hand, and occasionally throw a few hand fulls around the trees to stop any algae growth before it gets out of hand. mark

Thanks Mark,

BTW,, I found a new use for my coffee grinder. Yep, you guessed it. I use it to grind up the floating fish pellets! The minnows and fingerlings go CRAZY when I come to feed now. AND I only feed about a cupfull and they are full. Much less wasted this way.

Randy,
If you can find it, cottonseed cake is suppose to be good feed for the minnows. Just place it in the water where there's cover from predators.
You could still do the coffee grinder thing.

Ric,
Thanks for the tip. Never heard of cottonseed cake. Will have to look around and see if there are any cottonseed trees in my neighborhood!

BTW,, Nice Post Script!! I didn't catch the difference the first time I read your last post!

Randy

I am now on my second coffee grinder, having burned out the motor while trying to grind up twice the normal amount of pellets that I normally grind in morning coffee! Live and Learn.
So, do I continue grinding and hope this motor holds up better or go back to the ball-peen hammer? If there is a right way and a wrong way to do something and you are not sure which to choose, ask me what I would do and do the opposite!!