Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Will the real MVP please stand up?

Been trying the Purina Aquamax MVP lately, and the fish seem to enjoy it. However, I noticed that the feed seems to contain only two kinds of pellet, a large and a small one. Both are cubes.

I thought there were nine different types of pellets in MVP, but maybe I'm mistaken. The bags have MVP marked in rather small letters on the bottom. So what's the deal? Anybody else using MVP?

I'm using it and I did a little hand feeding with some of the feed I got out of my TX hunter feeder. Bags purchased in the feeder were around two months old. It had all types of sizes. I just purchased five sks last week out of a purina dealer out of Marshall. I'll look in these new sks for any changes.

I bought 2 bags last year and noted both labels had different % of certain contents. They are not nearly as consistent in materials used as Optimal is. Everywhere I was able to look at tags on Purina last summer I took pictures of the tags on same product bags and compared throughout the summer. Fillers are differing amounts, types of grains used vary a lot. Maybe (maybe) that's overthinking it, but I'm not interested in cutting corners on feed.

Someone ask Bob what is going on at Purina? Do they have a 'flexible formula?' or is the grain portion or filler not part of the fish's nutrition? Why put it in then? Is this like motor oil where several companies are all making 'generic' product but then it is sold under a big company's logo?

Really surprised me, this MVP wasn't at all what I'd been told. Bob's picture is on the sack, so he might want to check what's going on.

I quit using Purina products 3 years ago due to consistency issues. Never looked back.

Purina is more convenient and cheaper to buy for me. Fish like it, too. But I gotta say the MVP has disappointed me, maybe I'll go back to Optimal.

I added five sks of the MVP to my feeders this week and check for pellet sizes. I can not say there was 9 different sizes but I can say it looked to me to be the 9 different sizes they say is there. Looked like it was what I have been seeing in the sk from the time I started using it.

Wasn't that about when the Purina plant in Nebraska flooded, screwing up Aquamax production for several months??

First I've heard of this, guys.
Will do some homework.

I emailed key Purina personnel this afternoon and received quick responses from all of them.

The formula is fixed and has not been modified or changed. They use a die in their extruders that produces 9 different pellet sizes. Sizes may appear subtly the same, but when you measure them, they are different.

There are two plants that manufacture MVP.


From one of the Purina guys, "The lot number would be a blue sticker on the bag. The die we use make all 9 sizes at the same time. It would be great to have a picture."

"The lot number (manufacture date) will be on the bottom of the bag along the strip where the tag is and sewn shut."

Snipe, they'd like to see the photos of the tags you have, if you can forward to me, please. Email to [email protected].

I'll send to them. They take quality control seriously, especially since what happened to fish food a few years ago.

Thanks, guys.

Absolutely, Bob. I'll get'em rounded up.

I have pix of the faulty MVP. Can send to someone's phone.

At first I thought the store was selling me the wrong feed, because all the pellets were the same. Then the last time I got MVP it had two different pellet sizes. Still far short of nine, including the worm shaped ones, that were supposed to be there.

Someone fill me in on MVP please. Is some of it smaller sinking pellets and some floating pellets?

I started using MVP about a year or so back. What I see is some of it will sink and some of it will float. I'm not sure the size of the pellet determines if it sinks or not. I see some 1/4" sized sink and some of it floats. Not sure if the smaller sized sink because it's pretty hard to see when it's thrown into the ponds water because of it's size. It's pretty small, smaller than a BB, maybe half that size. If I was really wanting to know then maybe adding it to a gallon glass jar and watching what happens. I will say I see bg feeding a foot or two below the surface when it's thrown out by my TH feeder. So some of it must drop pretty quick. I am happy with the feed and confident it is a good feed for bg and other predator's. The other thing I like is I don't have to keep it in stock at the farm like I did with the other feeds I used.

I have also been using MVP for more than a year. Because of the variety of fish I am trying to feed it has made feeding a lot easier since now I don't have to mix different sizes by hand. I have noticed that when it is thrown some of the smaller pellets will not throw as far and lands closer to shore where many of the smaller fish live. I see many smaller fish lower in the water column feeding on smaller sinking pellets. I am lucky to have a very good Purina dealer 20 min. from me and he keeps a large inventory so I don't have to store so much. Since the MVP has been developed the last two winters the fish have been the healthiest I have had at this time of year. We still have 10 in. of ice and yesterday caught several very healthy fish through the ice. I know there are other high quality feeds out there but with convenience and quality I am pretty pleased.

Frank,
Send pics and I'll forward. Also, I'd like a photo of the tag.
Also, there are no pellets supposed to be shaped like a worm. Purina has a die they use in their extruder. All pellets are similar shape, just 9 different sizes.

Thanks, Bob. I distinctly remember seeing vermiform shapes in MVP advertising, but maybe my memory is at fault. Wouldn't be the first time!

And a special thank you for the explanation about how rainbow trout start focusing on egg production when they reach a certain size. They seem to have hit a ceiling 16 - 17 inches and 2 1/2 pounds. Great eating size & good fighters! I was hoping for maybe up to 3 - 4 pound range by May but this may not be realistic.

Heres a couple pictures from Anthropic.