Frank, Pat's correct about BG going after Triton, and my feed trained LMB are doing the same. It leaves a fish oil circle on top of the water and draws fish to it. If Cargill had distribution like Purina, Triton would jump right up there with Optimal and Purina. We're lucky to have it available down here.
Al I recall you mentioned the price you were obtaining Cargill feed delivered. At the time, I thought "That there is the best value in feed". Your cost per pound of protein was only marginally more expensive on that basis than vegetable based protein feeds intended for TP and CC. Well worth the difference and a very good value IMHO.
The protein profile of meat based feed is important to conversion in predator fishes. Feeding BG directly, I would prefer a feed like this.
I did learn something new yesterday.
Sportsman's Choice CC feed is manufactured by Cargill. While its not going to directly convert nearly as well for BG, in a pond where the pond boss is growing CC large enough to dominate the feeding, this seems to be an acceptable choice where the feed being consumed is targeted for the species consuming it. The manuring effect should also make contributions to the forage BG need as well. Now if the BG are consuming it instead beating the CC to it? Probably not so. But something tells me that CC feed is more attractive to CC than it is to BG. It could I suppose be the same vice-versa where Triton is more attractive to BG than CC. But I would bet that CC that are reluctant to go to the surface may still stalk below the frenzy picking up the sinkers.
I have very few CC. I have a few carp that show up to the feeder now and again. And slider turtles, with the sinking feed the BG seem to get 99% of it. When it floats they get …I don’t know maybe 85%. Since the bg are my targeted feeding species, I’m really liking the sinking feed more and more. Since I have sampled the sinking feed in many areas I’m not worried it’s not getting consumed in the areas I toss it. I find it pretty interesting that I can count on the same bg to feed in like a 15 ft radius every evening. Then in another area the same bg feed over and over, night after night in their own area. Based on these observations, at least if the bg are well fed, they don’t move very far to eat, at least in my pond.
I do worry about over feeding, but I am watching good aggressive consumption. When it seems to slow a bit, I stop feeding. I still am trying to hone in on the amounts to feed. I obviously don’t want to under feed, but maybe more importantly, I don’t want to over feed, since I know that can have catastrophic consequences. As always, trying to find the right balance when it comes to pond management seems to be the biggest challenge.
Also, at least with the optimal and it’s tubular shape, I have noticed breaking them in half can help them sink at a higher rate.
