Fish Feed is on the rise in Nigeria today. Infact most farmers have resorted in using maggots as fish feed supplement due to high cost of fish feed. We have different sizes of fish feed, copens, 0.5mm, 1mm, 1.5mm, 2mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm and 6mm. Are you looking for where you can find answers to your questions on catfish feed business?, questions on catfish feeds extensively ? Then you are in the right place, as you’ll find answers to everything you need here.
What Are Catfish Feeds?
Although feeds for fry and tiny fingerlings do contain some fish meal and other animal proteins, catfish meals are primarily composed of plants. Soybean meal, cottonseed meal, corn and byproducts, and wheat byproducts are often the main ingredients found in catfish meals.
Catfish feeds come in a variety of forms. The type utilized at any given time depends on the size and life stage of the fish being fed, whether they are fed in the growing season or the winter, and whether an antibiotic is included.
- Finely ground meal- or flour-type feeds with 45–50% protein are fed to catfish fry in hatcheries. The fry are normally fed a meal-type diet with about 40% protein after being put in nursery ponds. Until they reach a length of 1-2 inches, some producers feed fry with “fines” from 28 to 32 percent protein diets. If the ponds are appropriately fertilized, catfish fry can get the majority of their nutrients during this stage from naturally occurring meals such as big zooplankton, tiny insects, and insect larvae.
- Little floating pellets with a diameter of 1/8 inch and a protein content of 35% are fed to larger fingerlings. Advanced fingerlings (5-6 inches) and meal fish are typically fed a floating feed with a diameter of between 5/32 and 3/16 inches and a protein content of between 28 and 32 percent. Throughout the winter, some farmers convert to a slow-sinking feed.
Catfish are given antibiotics by having them in their meal. The FDA has approved the use of three antibiotics (Terramycin®, Romet®, and Aquaflor®) to treat bacterial infections in catfish.
Cost of Feeding Catfish
The cost of feeding fish directly impacts the profitability of catfish farming because feed represents the largest variable cost in catfish production, accounting for more than 50% of all costs. Catfish feeding is not an exact science, despite extensive research. Each catfish farmer has a different method for doing it, and it is very subjective. The variety in feeding methods is a result of a number of variables, including the cropping system, fish size, controllability of water quality, experience of feeding staff, and difficulty in estimating fish inventory.
Also Read: Price of Live and Smoked Catfish Per Kg in Nigeria
Generally speaking, fish should be fed once daily with as much food as they can consume without degrading the quality of the water
Nonetheless, it could be wise to limit the daily feed quota or to feed less frequently depending on the water quality and the fishes’ state of health. For typical ponds, the long-term feed allotment shouldn’t be more than 100–120 pounds, and for split ponds and intensively-aerated ponds, it should be around 300 pounds per acre per day.
During the warmer months, the majority of catfish farmers feed their fish once a day, seven days a week. According to research, fingerlings grow faster when fed twice a day, however adult food fish do not profit from this practice.
Mechanical feeders are often used to blow feed over the water’s surface. To give as many fish as feasible equal feeding opportunities, feeds should be dispersed across a wide region.
Feeding with the prevailing winds reduces the amount of feed washing ashore and permits the grain to float across the pond. It is best to prevent overfeeding because discarded feed degrades water quality and raises production expenses.
An Outline Of Catfish Feed Nutrition
Although most catfish feeds contain both plant and animal proteins, a mixture of plant proteins can satisfy the fish’s need for amino acids. Soybean meal, cottonseed meal, meat, bone, and blood meal, as well as fish meal, are the major protein sources used in catfish feeds.
How profitable The Catfish Feed Business Is
One of the most lucrative agricultural enterprises one may start up is the trading of fish feed. The danger and high costs associated with growing fish, which are of course often very expensive to operate such a business, are unmatched.
Price Of Catfish Feeds In Nigeria
| Catfish Feeds | Price In Naira |
| Ricycle High Feed 100g | 5,500 |
| Topka fish feed 100g | 4,000 |
| Aquarium fish food/feed | 1,500 |
| Locally made fish feed 6mm | 6,500 |
| Koudijs catfish feed starter 20kg | 25,000 |
| Coppens fish feed 0.2mm | 15,400 |
| Coppens fish feed 0.3mm | 15,400 |
| Coppens fish feed 0.5 mm | 15,400 |
| Coppens fish feed 0.8mm | 15,400 |
| Coppens fish feed 1.2 mm | 15,400 |
| Coppens fish feed 2mm 45% | 23,500 |
| Imported Skretting 1.8mm to 2mm catfish feeds | 15,500 |
| Local sinking fish feed | 8,000 |
| Micromix fish feed action premix 5kg | 8,000 |
| Blue crown fish feed 6mm | 10,150 |
| Skretting cat fish food 5kg | 12,500 |
| Aquails extruded cat fish feed 15g | 13,000 |
| Ecofloat catfish feed 15kg | 10,000 |
| Vital fish feed 6mm 15kg | 8,000 |
| Blue crown extruded cat fish feed 3mm 15kg | 13,000 |
| Blue crown fish feed 2mm | 12,000 |
| Ecofloat fish feed 6mm | 8,000 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why is it essential to feed catfishes with feeds? Catfish farmers are able to feed their fish a diet that is nutritionally complete and offers the necessary amounts of energy and nutrients in an easily digestible form. Because natural food sources, with the exception of during the early life stages, only meet a small portion of the nutritional requirements of catfish in heavily stocked ponds, it is imperative to provide a complete diet. For channel catfish to grow and function normally metabolically, forty nutrients have been identified as essential.
- How many times should catfish be fed in a day? Fish should typically be fed once a day with as much food as they can consume without compromising the quality of the water. Nonetheless, it could be wise to limit the daily feed quota or to feed less frequently depending on the water quality and the fishes’ state of health. For conventional ponds, the long-term feed allowance shouldn’t be more than 100–120 pounds, and for split ponds and intensively aerated ponds, it should be around 300 pounds per acre per day.
- Which one need feeds most? Bigger or smaller catfish? It is standard practice in the manufacturing of catfish feed—especially floating feed—to make smaller feed more nutrient-dense than larger feed sizes. This is due to the fact that smaller fish, who eat smaller-sized feed, require better nutrition in the form of crude protein to develop properly.
Conclusion
We have discussed the Benefits of catfish feeds,price of different catfish feeds in their different sizes and also the relevance of catfish feeds on catfish. I hope this article has satisfied your curiosity and answered your questions on catfish feeds.
References
