Hello Viktor, I understand better than most. The food manufacturer that I dealt with in the past, could not afford to feed his own food, to his own fish, until they began making the food on site, with their own equipment. Only then did it become financially feasible to feed all of his 120 ponds (approximately 30,000 gal. each), 1500 concrete vats (250gal.-500gal. each) and 1,000 40 gal. fry tanks.
Several yrs ago a member here, someone that lives in my part of the world, was asking about cost effective feed alternatives that would help them build their business. Below was my response.
Several yrs ago a member here, someone that lives in my part of the world, was asking about cost effective feed alternatives that would help them build their business. Below was my response.
Bill, this is what you have to deal with when living in the sticks.
Your "problem" if you want to call it that is that you have now reached a point where buying off the shelf tropical fish food is no longer a viable solution, and trout/salmon chow as linked to by a previous poster is simply too calorie rich for the fish that you are feeding, and will result in health issues in your fish. Feeding 50% protein and 20%+ crude fat to cichlids is NOT a good idea, even for short durations. Unfortunately finding a decent quality food geared towards warm water species, such as cichlids, isn't nearly as easy in Canada, as it is in the USA.
Check out Martin Mills.
http://www.martinmills.com/pond_tropical_fish.php
I have no idea as to the pricing on their tropical fish formulas, so don't hold your breath.
The key is buying in bulk, for less $$$$. Think commercial farm feed sold in 25-50lb bags, NOT food geared for pet stores.
If you decide to get an import license, the cost is $175.00 per year (at least it was in previous years) and be prepared to jump through a wad of Canadian red tape. That info can be found at the CFIA website. I have direct links to what is required by law in the following past discussion.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?306445-Canadian-Food-Inspection-Regs
If you decide to go that route, Randy Reed appears to have a decent looking product that on the surface certainly appears to be reasonably priced.
Granule size, up to 10mm. 20 kg (44 lb's) for $135.00 plus shipping.
http://www.reedmariculture.com/product_otohime_marine_diets.php
http://www.reedmariculture.com/pdf/product_otohime.pdf
Krill Meal, Fish Meal, Squid Meal, Wheat Flour, Potato Starch, Corn Starch, Fish Oil, Calcium Phosphate, Betaine, Soy Lecithin, Licorice Plant, Wheat Germ.
Made in Japan by Marubeni Nisshin Feed Co., Ltd.
They have another formula, but it doesn't appear to come in larger pellet sizes.
"top dressed" with Haematococcus (astaxanthin source), natural feed stimulants, a natural immune-stimulant, and more!
http://www.reedmariculture.com/product_tdo_chroma_boost.php
Krill Meal, Fish Meal, Squid Meal, Fish Oil, Haematococcus, Wheat Flour, Potato Starch, Corn Starch, Calcium Phosphate, Betaine, Soy Lecithin, Licorice Plant, Wheat Germ.
While the first formula is missing out on aquatic plant matter (algae meal/spirulina), both foods appear to have decent quality sources of protein (krill/fish/squid), and both formulas are relatively high in both protein & crude fat, so one could most certainly feed fairly sparingly. I would reckon that their vitamin/mineral levels are at industry minimums, so while not at the level of a food such as NLS, probably not way off the mark either. Most likely very similar to other bulk commercial foods.
The key is finding a food that is relatively inexpensive when purchased in bulk (25-50lb bags), the quality is decent (not just filled with corn/wheat/soybean) and ensuring that it is geared towards tropical warm water species, not cold water species such as trout/salmon that can typically handle much larger amounts of crude fat in their diet.
You know where to find me if you require more help.
