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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841 |
There's talk of a few guys going together to get 1,000# of the 5.5mm feed. I will talk to them and see what it would cost (IF it was possible) to get 7mm YP pellets.
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Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 939
Hall of Fame Lunker
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Hall of Fame Lunker
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 939 |
JKB - FYI - "The Meat" - Here is the summary of the first 6 weeks of the green sunfish (GSF) feeding trial that was the basis for my endorsement / testimonial on the Optimal Website. esshup has a similar study using bluegill.
Six Weeks Fish Food Feeding Trial for Green Sunfish by Bill Cody These are the results for feeding green sunfish (GSF) Aquamax 600 and Optimal Fish foods for the first six weeks of my feeding trial. Starting sizes for body length of GSF in both groups ranged from 2.625 to 3.25. Twenty five GSF were placed into separate fish cages. Cage 1 fish were fed Aquamax and fish in Cage 2 were fed Optimal Bluegill Food. Both fish foods were hydrated prior to feeding because some of the fish appeared to be too small to eat the food of a dried large size pellet. The hydrated pellets were chopped into smaller pieces prior to feeding. Fish in both cages were fed daily to the point of satiation.
The 23 GSF (2 died) as a group eating Aquamax gained a total of 24.2495 (615.93mm) which converts to an average 0.970 (24.63mm) gain per fish. The 25 GSF as a group eating Optimal gained a total of 32.74 (831.6mm) which converts to an average 1.423 (36.16mm) gain per fish. Not all fish gained equally in length.
After six weeks the GSF body lengths for the Aquamax group ranged from 3.0 to 4.75. Body lengths for Optimal food were 2.75 to 5.06. Pecking order and behavior of fish in a cage where the most dominant fish probably ate most of the food was likely the reason why some fish in each cage displayed little growth. GSF are notorious for having an aggressive dominant type of behavior.
At the end of six weeks half of the GSF from the Aquamax group were placed in a separate cage and fed Optimal. The other half of the GSF eating Aquamax continued to be fed Aquamax. Splitting the Aquamax test fish into two groups was to see if the half now eating Optimum will out perform those still eating Aquamax. The caged GSF eating Optimal continued to be fed Optimal.
My feed trial study will conclude when the water temperature drops to 60F around the first week of October 2015.
Awesome stuff Bill! Will you be posting your results here? I can tell you there is a group of my guys here in MN wanting this data. Some of my guys have switched over feed to Optimal, including myself, for various reasons. It would be great to have blind study results. It's perfect for us too because of the GSF experimenting that we are conducting in shallow water ponds
Last edited by mnfish; 04/13/16 11:18 PM.
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68 |
I'd love 9.5mm floating pellets! How's that for making things complicated? Sorry.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 28,534 Likes: 841 |
Skretting makes them. Talk to Al. He has some.....
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,312 Likes: 300
Moderator
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Moderator
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,312 Likes: 300 |
Scott, TJ and I already had food talk. He had to talk me down off the ledge though, because I won't be happy until I need a potato gun to feed my CNBG.
I can't comment on the merits of size versus volume when relating to fish food and fish digestion, but I do know my CNBG specifically target the bigger pellets when mixed with a more standard 1/4" pellet.
AL
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Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,145 Likes: 488
Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
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Moderator Ambassador Field Correspondent Lunker
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 15,145 Likes: 488 |
Al says "...but I do know my CNBG specifically target the bigger pellets when mixed with a more standard 1/4" pellet." Again the Optimal Foraging principle applies, most food eaten for the least amount of effort. Many fish and people ascribe to this philosophy.
aka Pond Doctor & Dr. Perca Read Pond Boss Magazine - America's Journal of Pond Management
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
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OP
Chairman, Pond Boss Legacy award; Moderator; field correspondent Lunker
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 8,798 Likes: 68 |
Yep, that's why I prefer 9.5mm. It's favored by all my fish significantly.
Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after. ~ Henry David Thoreau
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Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,318 Likes: 6
Ambassador Lunker
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Ambassador Lunker
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,318 Likes: 6 |
So your telling me when you chunk a handful or cupful of fish food into the water and it's of different sizes you can tell which food your bigger fish are going after??? Heck I can't see nothing but a bunch a splashes and waves and flipping going on????
You guys must have reeeeaaaaaallllll good eyes..... lol
RC
The only difference between a rut and a Grave is the depth. So get up get out of that rut and get moving!! Time to work!!
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Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,312 Likes: 300
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Moderator
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,312 Likes: 300 |
RC51, I hand feed the larger pellets at the feeder platform on the dam. The water 10' out gets deep, and smaller CNBG don't venture out there. Or at least they'll only venture out there away from cover once.
The larger Skretting I currently have is also a darker color(think coffee) than the Cargill(think coffee with cream) I feed via the feeder, so it's pretty easy to differentiate.
Last edited by FireIsHot; 04/14/16 03:12 PM.
AL
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