So you’re advocating for cheaper, lower nutritional feed as an overall better option? Am I understanding you correctly ?
No. To be clear.
"I am not
advocating against cheaper, lower protein feed like everyone else."
One of the big questions here is what is the most cost effective? So to answer this question for pond owners we really do need to know the whole picture. For example, direct conversion of the feed and the secondary effects arising from manuring the pond. The secondary effect is not inconsequential and research over the last twenty years are showing us that nutrient recycling is improved by increasing C/N ratios. There is a lot of literature out there on the subject as it pertains to high density aquaculture. We don't yet understand the whole effect of conversion for BG when the manuring effect is accounted for at weight densities normal for recreational ponds. Or how protein percentages play into this picture. It is something worthy of additional study.
Some here claim that the lower protein formulations are bad for fish and ponds. I lean that way with regards to the fish but not so with regards to ponds. If the fish depended entirely on feed it wouldn't be good for long life. Lower protein feeds might be more detrimental to fish health. Almost everything fish eat have protein percentages greater than 60% (dry matter) so feed is a very poor replacement for natural foods. I think this is true of any feed.
I think it stands to reason that direct conversion is improved with a high protein feed, especially when the source of protein comes from aquatic organisms. But in the end, all a feed manufacture must to do is meet minimums and maximums. They merely label crude protein, lipids, and sometimes other parameters like calcium and phosphorus. The formulas can and do change and the product you buy from year to year can and does change in terms of ingredients.
As for Theo's comment. Yes I have fed fish. And yes I don't feed catfish Optimal or Aquamax. Yes, I have a pond now and am planning another for doing some pilots and research. All the same, I am intrigued by how little of feed is metabolized by BG and LMB in particular. They are very poor converters of feed on a dry matter basis even when you are spending $1.50 a pound for the feed. This means the greater opportunity of fish growth lies not in the eating of the feed but rather on what happens next. How do those nutrients stimulate the food chain and how efficiently can they be utilized? So of considerable interest to me is how co-cropping and community structuring can better recycle the waste nutrients and grow fish.
