Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding Food to make trout flesh pink?

FCT, when I was going to the Mammoth area for the trout opener, the DNR was stocking the smaller trout in the streams around there. Do they still do that, or are the trout in the streams all wild now?

Once I saw a movie about salmon farms in Norway. Since then I seriously think before buying one
Actually they are given some stuff to get carrot color. Sometimes they take anti-parasite baths - salmons swim in some kind of chemical to get clean. And we eat all that and maybe something more...

Anyway the conclusion is - normally fish probably can't get as bright color as they have in shops. Has somebody caught wild fish with very bright color (I'm not talking about farmed fish that have been released into the wild waters shortly before getting caught).

Farm raised fish are generally far healthier than wild fish...fewere pollutants and diseases...most shows condemning farming are not letting viewers know facts, but rather pushing their own agenda....the "coloring" is most often carotene...from carrots....If humans ate enough carrot, we would turn orange also.

If we relied on wild caught fish, current demand would wipe out most species. If it were not for fish farming, you wouldn't have many fish to eat anywhere in the world now due to demand.

Esshup -I don’t know if they are still stocking the lower streams – I haven’t been up there for the past few years. Did you do any fishing in the upper lakes region (Heart Lake, Emerald, Skeleton, etc.)?

No, we stayed mainly to the streams. I did walk almost to one of the lakes following a stream, and that particular lake had RBT swimming up the stream to spawn. The trout from that lake had reddish flesh, while the stockers didn't. I believe it's one of the lakes that has Sacremento Perch in it. It was back in the mid '90's.

A good friend had a time share up there and he'd always put in for the first week of trout season.

Up here in Ontario our local fish food manufacture has the dye'd food and only costs a buck or two more than the non dyed feed. I have used it and it really only changes the colour drastically on the females. I have been told by 3 large suppliers of Rainbows for fish farms here in Ontario (there are alot of HUGE operations up in Georgian bay doing cage farming) and they are wanting nothing but females because they are better controlled in the cages and they can get the pink flesh that customers (stores and restaurants) want. This past spring I tried the food on my brookies and it made no difference that I could tell, but there flesh is already that vibrant orange color anyway!

Here is a link though to the manufacture of our food up here, I have yet to be able to find anything else here in Ontario.
http://www.martinmills.com/profishentIndex.asp
They are local for me and I can save $5-10 per bag going right to thier ware house instead of buying it from there middle man.

My Co-op wasn't able to get the 5D19 from their regular distributor, but he is trying to source it elsewhere....so still waiting to see.

Last week I was fishing brown trouts. Sad but I forgot to take pictures... natural wild brown trouts weren't pink at all. Actually they were like some herrings or something similar - hard to describe, something like brown mixed with grey.
Probably many people would avoid such fish But they were very tasty with only salt and pepper.

Oh well, my Purina dealer tried several avenues but could not get any 5D19. I'm bummed. I had him order some regular Aquamax 600 - so I'll just have happy, fat cream-fleshed trout. I'm not sure if I should bother Catmandoo to try and get the Ziegler feed or not.

Amazing when capitalism fails. I guess we are spoiled by how easy it is usually to get anything we want.

Anyway - my trout come in 2 days on Friday. Can't wait - lots of 12-14" rainbows and 20lb of golden trout. I also got some 4-5" rainbows and some 5-6" browns to (hopefully) feed my bass.

I would try to get the Ziegler feed. Nothing to lose, correct?

True. I'm one of those guys that HATES to ask anyone for a favor.....

I was able to get just a bag at a time but it's seasonal as in when they are making their batches (as Esshup eluded to). Perhaps that is why you couldn't get it? I would try again in the spring as that is when I was able to get it and I believe about this time of year it was not available (I'm not growing out trout at this time.)

Astaxanthin is not only a color enhancer but is claimed to have health benefits for both fish and humans, so it's not considered a bad thing.

That's some interesting information, but does this new guy Cecil really know what he's talking about?

Welcome Back.

Here are some of CB1’s prior posts on the topic. Good stuff!

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=193700&page=3

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=188478&page=1

http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=197589&page=2

I'll give a call to a friend this evening to see if he can give me a point of contact at Zieglar. I know he just got 1500 lbs., of feed, so he probably won't be ordering any for a couple of months.

Regards,
Ken

Good information Cecil, I didn't know that. I hope all went well in picking up the trailer.

Thanks Ken.

Nice to see Cecil back, even for one post.

But, you know what they say...

No but I did stay at Holiday Inn Express last night just like CJBS2003.

Thanks for the kind words.

Yep all went well. So far it's in one piece. LOL I'll be done with it tomorrow. Will get it back to you as soon as you want it back.

It's a little different dragging that thing around, isn't it? A wee bit wider than yours!

I'll send a PM with contact info. The food is actually from Pennsylvania, not from Zieglar's.

Yeah but it's a really nice trailer. Not the cheap stuff they sell at Lowe's or TSC etc.

Well, it didn't cost what those trailers cost either.

Yeah you get what you pay for, or perhaps you got a good deal by buying it used or something?