Affordable high protien food for catfish

[bradharm18]

you are askign a really fine line qustion here. The reason being, dog food would "technically" work as food and be fairly cheap/inexpensive, but not of the proper quality. Most quality foods will run you a little bit, even a bag of frozen tilapia filet at your local walmart isnt cheap. i find its easier on the wallet, to buy in bulk for several different foods, i use tilapia, massivore, algea wafers, cichlid gold and staple, along with frozen krill, beef heart. this way you vary thier diet regularly, feedign different food eevry day, and dotn use up all of just oen food at a time. IMO this is the best method.

When feeding ask yourself this question. Would you want to eat the same thing every day for every meal?

What about head on prawns I can get them for $2.00 lb and I shell them myself so they don't puncture or hurt the stomach. Tilapia is a good idea also I'll try that usually I like to make what I call a chum bucket of several different varieties to keep it new and fresh everyday. Thanks


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[bradharm18]

My catfish just eat tilapia filets and stuff, with supplemental carnivore or cichlid pellets. If you sport fish, you can cut filets, and freeze them to help kill of parasites/bacteria, then thaw and feed.
A colony of nightcrawlers can also be started with relative ease.

I would most definitely feed sporting filets to my fish but around where I live the water has high mercury levels and other water problems and my rule is if I wouldn't eat it there is no way my fish are eating it. Lol they are like my kids


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[RD.]

Considering your last few comments, I personally don't see a low budget option for you. Good luck with your cats.

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

What about head on prawns I can get them for $2.00 lb and I shell them myself so they don't puncture or hurt the stomach.

Please, check out the link I posted for you - these issues are addressed there too, in particular by Ichthisapian and me too. We think whole prawn/shrimp is the best. By shellind and, even worse, removing vitamin and mineral rich body parts you are depriving your fish and throwing money away. Predatory catfish are made to eat huge meals, including prickly, spiny, and rough fish, crustaceans, etc. in the wild. Also, roughage is essential in their diet, like fiber in yours.

On a different note, I cannot afford Mascivore. Too many fish. For some selected precious or young etc. cats, yes, but for the majority of the big ones that do take pellets, the $15-$50 per 40-50 lbs bag pellets from your standard country/garden/pond stores has been fine for me for many years. But I don't liken them to my kids, so as RD said, perhaps not an option for you.

 

[RD.]

Massivore is a massive rip. You don't need to feed generic farm feed in order to save money on pellets, IMO there are pellets that are just as good, and some far better, than massivore that cost half the price.

As an example ..... 2.2 lbs Massivore = $50.00
5lb's NLS = $50.00

 

[RD.]

BTW - as far as the protein requirements of catfish, including juveniles, you might find this to be an interesting read. http://msucares.com/pubs/bulletins/b1159.pdf

While the info in that paper specifically targets Channel cats (Ictalurus punctatus) I suspect that it wouldn't be overly different for most of the larger species of catfish kept in the hobby.

 

[Icthisapian]

Massivore is a massive rip. You don't need to feed generic farm feed in order to save money on pellets, IMO there are pellets that are just as good, and some far better, than massivore that cost half the price.

As an example ..... 2.2 lbs Massivore = $50.00
5lb's NLS = $50.00

Ive heard, that nls clouds the water a bit? what is your opinion on that?

 

[papawoody]

Ive heard, that nls clouds the water a bit? what is your opinion on that?

my opinion is nah , nls doesn't cloud the water at all . especially if you don't overfeed . even then , not really ....

 

[RD.]

^

what papa said. lol

 

[F1 VET]

Massivore is a massive rip. You don't need to feed generic farm feed in order to save money on pellets, IMO there are pellets that are just as good, and some far better, than massivore that cost half the price.

As an example ..... 2.2 lbs Massivore = $50.00
5lb's NLS = $50.00

+1 good quality pellets go a long way, the fish consume more nutrients so you use less, thus overfeeding isn't necessary, not that it is anyways.

A consistent diet of pellets is very beneficial, but I also feed shrimp, talapia, smelt 1x per week, tho this is not needed I do it any way so my fish have some flesh to rip and use their jaw more.

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