Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations what fish food

Can anyone recommend a fish food for bream. The pellet size seems to be just fine for the catfish, but the bream look like they are having trouble. I have checked with the local feed stores and none of them carry anything smaller than Aquamax.

I have had good luck with Purina Game fish Chow.
It is a floating fish food and the pellets are different sizes (good for the smaller fish as well as the larger ones). It comes in 50 pound bags and most any larger feed store that sells purena products cary it.

Don Stuart

newbee,

I also like Purina Game fish Chow. The bluegill in my pond that were hatched last fall are about 3" long now and are already starting to eat the smaller pellets in the Purina Game fish Chow.
My catfish like it, too and it doesn't seem to cause as many problems with algae as the cheaper brands.

Larry

newbee - Aquamax Fish food comes in seven sizes: 00 powder, 100 fry starter 0.8mm, 200 fry starter 1.2 mm, 300 fingerling starter 1/16", Aquamax grower 400 3/32" fish 3-5", AMax Grower 500 3/16" fish 5-8" , and largerst size Grower 600 1/4" fish >8". This info is listed on the back of the bag. If you buy two bags of different sizes you can blend pellet size ratios to your needs. Where ever you buy Aquamax they can special order whatever size you want. Ask them. Aquamax is specially designed for trout, Hyb. striped bass, y. perch and Bass LMB, SMB & all predator fish which need a higher protein food. It costs a little more but your fish will grow faster on it than on the Pond Fish chow which has less protein; 36% versus 41%-55%. Fish meal in the higher protein Aquamax. PS Dogs also love Aquamax!

I use to buy floating fish food from two of our local store but they weren't reliable. So I started buying a small pellet floating dog food from WalMart $ 5.95-40lbs. Now I buy 15 lbs of Field & Trial floating dog pellets 21 percent protein for $3 at Aldi's. It's about the same price as WalMarts and easier for me to handle. My small bluegill eat it as well as my 10 lb'ers.

John

Thanks for the information about the different types of feed. I didn't know that Purina made such a wide assortment of pellet sizes. Will the higher protein be ok for bream and the catfish or will I need to feed two different types of feed

By the way I have a friend that feeds dog food from Walmart (OL'ROY) to his catfish. The fish seem to be in good condition, now as to the taste of these fish I can not attest to.

I'm not sure pellet size matters that much. I see fatheads and 1 inch bluegills attacking with gusto and gnawing the sides of the Aquamax Omnivore 32% pellets. Before long, they get them eaten.

As for dogfood, I doubt that it has the protien that young fish need. Sure, they will eat it, although might wind up with full bellies but malnourished. There must be a reason that all fish food that I have seen is 32% protien.

I use the Purina Fish Chow 32% protein mix. I like it predominantly because I think the variety of pellet sizes allow the bait to drop to different levels. I like it because it floats and I get to see the fish strike on top of the water. Dog food has alot of corn products in it that are not easily absorbed by fish and the protein is substantially low to really bulk the fish up. If you want to grow big fish quickly I would spend a little extra on the purina fish chow
50# cost $15.25 at a local feed mill.

Purina Game Fish Chow covers everything from bream to catfish. It's great if you want to feed a lot of different-sized fish.

If you just want to target bream, buying Aquamax in a smaller pellet size would probably be better.

Hey fishman, what size pellet would you sugguest for the bream. I have read and seen pictures of these huge or giant bream and want to have similar results. I know I am dreaming, but let a man have his fantasy. I have stocked hybirds, along with regular coppernose bream and channel cats in my 1/2 acre pond and I guess, like all pond owners, I have visions of grandeur.

Also what relationship is there between protein percentage and fish growth (Do I need more or less)? Thanks for the tips on feeds everyone. I really appreciate all the advise.

newbee: if you're primarily interested in feeding the bream and catfish use the Purina Fish Chow. As others have testified, it has two pellet sizes and is formulated to produce good growth and healthy fish, plus it is economical. Fish will eat dog food but it is formulated for warm blooded animals esp. dogs not fish. Growth will not be as good as with a fish food ration. If if was for fish the bag would say so.

A 1/8" or 3/16" pellet would be fine for any sunfish species.

Supposedly, 28% protein is sufficient. I tend to err on the more conservative side and feed the 32% stuff. I don't know if it really makes any difference, as I haven't tested it myself, or seen it tested.

Hey Bill, thanks for the advise on the purina game fish chow, but I do want you to understand, "I do not feed dog food to my fish!" I was just commenting on anothers post. :p

Thanks fishman, I will take your advise!

Newbee, my fish consulsant told me about Aquamax which I believe is a Purina Product. True to all above about different sizes. I buy Aquamax 5D09, it is small enough for my Coppernose bluegill. Its a floating pellet that is small enough for the small fish to mouth untill soft and bigger ones just take it under. It is 36%. My cost here in central Texas is around $15.20 fpr 50 lb. bag Hope this helped.

Tractor Supply sells fish food. They have 2 kinds-farm pond and catfish. I don't have channel cats in my pond yet, but I have bream 4-5 inches long that love these pellets. These pellets are small which helps these little bream out.

The good thing about TRC's catfish food is
the price. It's about $5.00 cheaper per 50 lb
bag versus the Purina equivalent, and the bluegill really are not brand conscious.
One brand that TRC sells has a small pellet
size and is 32% protein. However,I do feed Purina's 41% Grower 600 to bass which is around $22.50/50lbs.

We use Arkat - available in 1/8" pellet and resonable on the price. They have a web site and shows where their dealers are.

Gary,

5D09 must be the omnivore feed (Tialpia & Cafish). Protein sounds a little low for the trout, perch, hybrid striped bass feed. No 5DO9 in carnivore feed.

Guys, you can feed what you want but higher protein is better for your bluegills, bass, etc vs. catfish and talipia. I can show you studies that show better growth and health for bluegills on higher protein feed. If carnivore fish get too much carbohydrates in their diet they develop fatty livers and become functional diabetics. It may not be obvious but you could end up with more winter mortality and slow growth. Why cut corners and cheat yourself?

About feeding dogfeed to fish; Would you feed dogfood to a cat? Did you know if you did your cat would have health problems due to not getting what it needs in it's diet? Isn't a fish a lot different then a dog and a cat?

Gamefish need protein, vitamins, ammino acids etc. etc. If you feed them dogfood they won't be getting it. Are some of you spending thousands of dollars on a pond, fish etc. only to go cheap on the feed? That just makes no sense.

Cecil, what %protein do you feed your bluegill? I thought I read a post from Bruce saying that very high protein diet can give bluegill liver problems. I was just curious as to which is the best.

In my pond I have HSB and BG. The HSB need high protein so that is what I feed, but I was thinking about building some BG 'feeding stations' where I could hand feed a lower protein food to the BG.

Certainly higher protein foods should produce
better growth rates, but were talking about
bluegill here. I've seen ponds where the bluegill did just fine without being fed. The highest protein pellet food that I know of is
only about 9% higher in protein than that the generic brands of commercial catfish food, but
over 50% higher in price. A point of diminishing
returns is quickly reached. Bluegill are generally considered as forage anyway, so I
say consider the 32% food as being only
supplemental and hope that nature provides the other 9%.

I haven't seen any scientific studies of fish food for BG, but intuitively believe the higher the protein the better. This season I switched over to Rangen fish foods for several reasons. 1) I can get higher protein than in any other brand and 2) it is made close by so that it is very fresh and 3) it comes in almost any size you could ask for.

When I went to the plant to pick up two months supply I saw several bags of "Purina Game Fish Chow" which Rangen makes and sells under the Purina brand.

Results so far are terrific. I get 42% protein primarily for the HSB, but the BG thrive on it.

p.s. Cecil makes a terrific point...spend thousands of $ on the pond, hundreds, maybe thousands to stock, and then save a few dollars on a bag on cheap feed?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by NEDOC:
[QB]Cecil, what %protein do you feed your bluegill? I thought I read a post from Bruce saying that very high protein diet can give bluegill liver problems. I was just curious as to which is the best."

I'd have to look at the bag but I believe it is at least in the low 40's. Are you sure Bruce was not referring to too high of carbohydrates causing liver problems. I've never heard of too much protein causing liver problems. Just like us excess protein is simply excreted.