Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Blue Seal Fish Food

Would anyone have any experience or information on the "Blue Seal" brand of fish food?

Here's a link to the information sheet on it.

http://blueseal.com/files/feeding-and-mgmt/misc-animals/7414-fish-food.pdf

Blue Seal GUARANTEED ANALYSIS
Crude Protein, min 32.0% (AQUAMAX 41%)
Crude Fat, min 4.0% (AQUAMAX 12%)
Crude Fiber, max 7.5% (AQUAMAX 4%)
Phosphorus (P), min 1.0%

I see the protein is 32% opposed to 41% for AM 600 but being a fish nutrition dummy, I don't know how much difference that makes, nor the difference in the fat and fiber details.

I prefer AM600 but I'm starting to go through 2 bags a month ( for LMB,HSB & BG) and a buddy of mine found it at a COOP about 50 miles outside of Lincoln for half the price of AM. Yet if I have to feed twice as much to get the same results, it becomes a moot point.

Thanks in advance!

Can't tell a lot from the info. However I do note that the protein source appears to be mostly from grains and not animal (blood meal , fish meal/oil , bone meal etc.). IMO animal protein and especially fish meal are better sources for the fish you mention. The % of protein , fats/lipids and carbs are close to GFC which appears to have more animal based protein and costs less than AM.

IMO that would be a better feed for catfish , ok for BG (but not as good as GFC) and not so much for HSB and LMB.

See this from the archives on Fish Food Links

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=92623#Post92623

And see this thread for comparisons on feeds

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=290470&page=13

Thanks Eric, good info!

The AM600 is working but the price keeps climbing. $48 a bag from my local COOP 1 mile away. Or drive 50 miles and get it for $38 a bag from a different COOP.

I'm almost thinking of cutting back on feeding the BG (because they're eating the majority) now that the stockers have grown beyond predation, but that's a whole nother issue..... Things to ponder

Thanks again for the reply!

Our fish hatchery is located about 30 minutes from one of the mills where Blue Seal makes their fish feed or at least used to make their feed. The label seems to say it is now made by another company (Kent Nutrition). When we fed BS it was a 1/4" 40/10 pellet. When pond feeding, it was fine, but in the hatchery it seemed less digestible than the feed we currently use (Melick). If customers cannot get their feed from us I recommend they find a 40/10 for BG and LMB. We feed Channel cats and our Koi a 32/3. We use a 7.5 mm 40/10 for our large bass. Carnivorous species tend feed much more aggressively on a meatier higher protein peller. Less feed needed for the same amount of growth

I once found feed at about 1/3 the price of Amax. I called a contact at Purina to discuss. He told me that he couldn't get the ingredients for what they were selling the feed for. I decided to pass.

Excellent point DD1.

One of the very key things we can't judge or check except through longer term use is content quality. I have had long discussions with PhD animal nutritionists (fish specialists)and they stress the importance of quality control. Especially with protein sources and production methods. Not just the type (fish meal from oily fish like menhaden is best) but also how they are processed. There are huge differences in the value of the same % protein based not only on source but also on how it is processed. It does not matter if you use 50% protein and 20% lipids if the fish can't digest it and absorb it into their system it goes for naught. The best approach is to match the food content amino acid complex to that of the species being fed.

For those who want to grow trophy Bluegill I would use a 40/10 or 45/12 fish meal based protein. I have a friend conducting his own study to see if there is a discernable (worth the increased cost) difference between a 40% protein and a 45% protein. I'm not sure there is and I'm not sure there isn't.

If your goal is a very good overall fish food for an entire pond I think a 36% fish meal based food is a good balance (bang for your buck). Finding 36% can be difficult as many of the commonly sold fish food is often 32%.

I sell 45% and 36% protein based food. The 45% is about about 40% to 50% more expensive. I have asked (multiple times) Cargill and Purina to answer the question rather grow rates are 40% more or not. As you might expect the answers is more complicated and the answers not clear. Consequently, I'm not real sure if it is worth the money. The 45% will grow bluegill quicker, but is it worth 40% to 50% more money?

Thanks everyone for your input and info!

As Eric pointed out, the protein source on Blue Seal appears to be grain based opposed to animal based. The ingredients on both are somewhat similar but when the first ingredient on BS is grain with fish-meal much further down the list, opposed to fish-meal listed first on AM, I will assume it's primarily a grain based feed. I look for the same when choosing a good dog food.

My buddy bought two bags of it for me without knowing, and I have no catfish, so maybe I'll toss some out on the opposite end of the pond (I feed on just one end) to see if I have any takers as I really don't want to feed the regular eater's something new. Otherwise I don't know what to do with 2-20lb bags, and he bought them from a Co-Op when he was on the road.

I'm guessing it's not going to hurt the fish any

Thanks again for all your replies!

My two cents is this.IMHO, After much reading and questions and answers posted on PB,I have come to this conclusion,AS A UNEDUCATED NOVICE,fish feed composition is important.

The main reason Fish meal(mostly menhaden) based feed is much higher priced, is the fish meal business world wide and fish meal supply's and prices fluctuate a lot for different reasons. Grain and vegetable based feed base stocks do not flux as much and are overall cheaper.

The amino acids,fats,and lipids along with other additives that make a feed more palatable as well as digestible is important even more so in grain based feeds. As best I can understand.

One other thing that I have read and been told is the conversion rate is higher with fish meal based products. Less poop in the pond is a good thing if that if a fact. I cannot prove it is true but it just makes since, fish that eat fish, metabolizes fish meal better than grain based feed.

I agree with and you can believe that ewest is providing the best info he can find and content and quality is important.

I would say for sure almost any feed you put out will be consumed to some degree or very well for that matter,but due to digestibility,quality, and palateability, the quality of your fish may be different compared to the pond next door in good part due to feed differences.

One other thing that kinda stuck out to me when doing the research on feed, and many here have said, the life cycle of a fish is limited and in short an older fish smaller size will not grow as fast or as much as a younger fish of the same size (some call stunting)so inferior feed just contributes to smaller fish in general. IMHO

Now all that said, if an average number of fish, # of lbs average and size are not a goal then any fish-feed would be OK if it will fit in the fish mouth and they will eat it.

But some here want a bigger,heavier,higher quantity and such kind of pond. I am in that camp and I also want less waste for several different reasons. So I just seem to have come to a conclusion that higher quality feed(fish meal) (maybe even if it is fed a a lower rate) is better than a lower quality(grain based). That is my opinion on the CNBG for sure. CC I have read are a bit more tolerant of grain based product,but I wonder if CC metabolize the grain based feed as well as fish meal based feed. I think not from what I have read and tried to decipher through my pea brain.

I am guessing, like you, that the Blue Seal will not hurt anything in the big scheme of things.

P.S. I think I have read that the fatty liver issue(if it is) in fish fed high protein high fat feed are still being studied. It has been noted in some of the reading I have done that at least CNBG may not eat as much and grow slower when their liver fattens up,but I do not think the official word is in on that issue.