Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Fish food thats affordable

I'm wanting to start feeding my fish using three feeders with each one putting out fifty pounds of feed. Right now I'm using only one feeder and it's costing me about eighteen dollars a week in aquamax feed. If I start up the other two I'm looking at about fifty four dollars a week. Does anyone in the DFW area have a cheaper source for fish food?

Some feed mills make their own 32% catfish feed and sell it for about $10/50lbs. Bulk sells could probably be arranged for less. However, higher protein feeds usually are not available at the mill level. TSC carries a couple of 32% brands at around $12/50lbs and a 36% is a special order at a somewhat higher price. If you are looking for 41% pellets for bass, you will probably have to deal with a feed store and pay well over $20 per 50 lbs.

James, I feed Silver Cup has apprx. 40% protein,cost $17/50pds. Bass love it.

csmith, can you elaborate on where Silver Cup might be purchased in the DFW area ? I have heard about Silver Cup feed and know that some hatcheries buy it in volume, but didn't realize that it was available at consumer outlets.

Squeeky- I went to their website yesterday:

http://www.silvercup.com/

They are very vague on weather they sell to wholesale only. In fact all they say is we ship to anywhere in the US and that they don't mix your food until you order, so it will be fresh. I like the charts that say how many calories the food contains. This should eliminate the guesswork that comes from useless protein input such as feathers. I did see one discrepancy in their charts that made me wonder. The 32% and the 37% catfish food had the same amount of calories?

If you order Silver Cup by mail delivery will cost about as much as the food. So affordable no longer applies. Silver Cup is really good quality food but not that much better than other good locally obtained brands. Been there done that.

I've been looking for feed also.All I can find locally is what they call catfish feed,32% and about the size of a dime they tell me.I quizzed the fish supplier about if this would be too big to feed 2-4"bg and she said it was too big and advised me to put it in a gunny sack and run over with my truck.I quess that would work.Any thoughts?
None of the local feed stores seem interested in ordering anything else in for me.
Thanks Mike

Any Purina dealer should be able to get you gamefish chow which comes in different size pellets for all size fish. It is a good all around floating fish food.

You can buy silvercup direct from the Mnftg. although their minimum is apprx 4 pallets. I get mine in Southern Oklahoma from a fish grower who buys it by the tractor trailer load. I don't know if he's making much off of me but saves me from buying in huge quantities, plus he's 25 minutes from my farm.

Martindale feed mill in Valley View Texas has their own brand of fish food that is 32% protein. It is only 11 dollars for a fifty pound bag. I haven't seen it yet but I'm going to buy some tomorrow and check it out. Has anyone heard of Martindale feeds or know anything about it?

I have bought dairy feed from Martindale and they used to have biologists with knowledge of trace minerals, etc. on staff so I bet their fish food is high quality.

I you are feeding general pond fish (panfish & catfish) and not interested in feeding on a production basis then most of the 32%-38% protein fish foods will be fine. Sometimes your fish will prefer one brand over another in that they will eat one more aggressively.