Fish Food Fiasco

[AJ Grottke]

Well, I am about 2 weeks away from getting the first fish for my first AP system.  I have done some research on fish feed options, and it seems that the consensus is that there is no organic feed in the US (which completely sucks).  If anyone does know of a OG feed plz speak up! Looking at standard feed, they all have alot of corn and soy in them.  Most likely these are GMO (genetically modified organisms).  If there is GMO in the fish feed, then it is entirely possible that all the organisms grown within the AP system are contaminated :(  We do not know for sure how the GMO's assimilate into the surrounding organisms and what their effects are. I feel that this is a hughe bottleneck in the AP community.  How the hell can the AP produce be "organic" if GMO's were put into the system (which they are in the feed)???  The organic label has turned into a sham for big corporations to make money, which destroys the original vision of the small, local, and earth-friendly farmers who originated the idea of OG certification. Most small farmers cant even afford the certification process (like me and my peers lol).  Sorry, enough rambling...  So does anyone know of a non-GMO feed available? It is really important to mine and the worlds health, to avoid GMO's if at all possible.  We need to put pressure on these companies to make non-GMO or even better organic fish feeds. I have already emailed 3 feed companies stating how important this issue is.  This transition to organic fish feed by the feed companies will have to be powered by the will to make the earth a better place, not by money. Commercial aquaculturists are the main group who supports these feed companies, and large aquaculture facilities may not be able to or want to pay a premium for Organic feed.  This would make  producing organic fish feeds for the feed companies non-profitable. AP growers need to send more emails, and make it better know to these companies that Organic Feed is a MUST HAVE!  We must also let them know that while the number of small scale AP growers is low now, that wont last for long.  The demand for the organic feed will grow larger everyday, in my opinion, and any feed company that does end up creating organic fish feed will be pioneers of the health food movement. This is due to AP's feasibility in producing healthy local food with little H20, space, and other inputs.  Let me here what you guys think about this, or even better if some1 has found non-GMO feed share some info on it.

[tilly the tilapia]

Hi Harold
The only diadvantage with growth rate is when in commercial production , daily overhead costs

eating habits are same ,they seem to process food faster

more mass coming out lol

we are envolved in a legal situation at this moment ,hopefully settled in march or may

then we will manufacture or give out my feed chart ,this feed is for herbivores fish but tilapia do just fine
Harold Sukhbir said:

Hi Tilly,

Is there any disadvantage with growth rate, eating habits etc. and would you mind sharing how you make your organic tilapia fish feed?
tilly the tilapia said:

hi

i have been using our organic tilapia food on one section of our tilapia for a while now

this feed has no fish oils ,this is from birth now about 2.5 years

tilapia are one type of fish that do not have to have fish oils

as far as getting feed companys to make a organic feed i think you have a hope in you no where

there is certified organic feed avaiilable if you trust their certification

it is not only monsanto ,it is the salmon industry

[AJ Grottke]

It seems like everyone is beating around the bush. Where can one buy non-gmo or organic fish feed for tilapia? Or, if you make your own organic feed, how do you go about this and what are the ingredients, growth rates, etc?   Non-gmo or organic feed may not be currently available in prepackaged bags but nonetheless im trying hard to find them to increase the earth-friendliness of AP systems.  Prepackaged non-gmo or organic feed is needed for inexperienced fish growers( like myself) who would have alot of trouble designing an organic fish feed at the same time they are trying to learn how to build, design, and implement their first AP system as well.

[TCLynx]

right O

 

Anyone who does know of such a source, please share.  Links or names of places to get such feed.  (truth is there may not be any commercially available yet, at least not nation wide.)

 

Or please post recipes for home made feed.  Or links to places with such recipes already posted.

[Green Acre Aquaponics]

There is only one organic feed that I know of, it is called "Yamakoshi organic koi food ", But it is OUTLANDISHLY EXSPENSIVE! $103.14 for a 20# box. You can feed it to tilapia.

[Michelle Silva]

This has been a sticking point for me too..now that I'm pretty much settled in with the system, I've made it a priority to get off the commercial fish feed ASAP. Duckweed and BSF is what I was thinking. I have a 2'x2' mutli tray vermacomposter built..originally was thinking worms were going to be part of the feed, but now seeing it would be way too much work (and gross to harvest the worms and way too little worms).

According to this article, it states BSF larvae would be enough nutrition, but maybe getting large enough quantities could be an issue. I included the link at the bottom. It's fairly simple to make these BSF composters.

An Analysis of Dried Soldier Fly Prepupae

42.1% crude protein
34.8% ether extract (lipids)
7.0% crude fiber
7.9% moisture
1.4% nitrogen free extract (NFE)
14.6% ash
5.0% calcium
1.5% phosphorus

Competes with the Finest Fish Meal
Studies were conducted at the Coastal Plain Experiment Station in Tifton, Georgia, to examine the suitability of SF prepupae as a feed source for channel catfish and tilapia. The tests concluded that soldier fly larvae should be considered a promising source of animal protein in fish production. Taste tests were also conducted, and the results of these tests indicated that fish fed SF larvae are acceptable to the consumer.

http://www.esrint.com/pages/bioconversion.html

[TCLynx]

I once had a thought that a mix of BSF Larva or Worm meal with duckweed and cow pea meal might make an acceptable combo if a good vitamin admixture were used along with it but I've not attempted any recipes.

 

Lately I'm thinking more along the lines of a separate system to culture algae and feed minnows and other small animals with it to provide a more natural feed for my catfish.

[Jeff G.]

TCLynx, this seems like the best idea I have read yet! If you try this, please share your experiences.

 

In regard to the original thread topic, what about using Organic Koi Food as a supplemental feed?

Here is one supplier:

http://www.lilypons.com/Lilypons-Natural-Organic-Koi-Goldfish-Food/.../

 

Best....Jeff

 

TCLynx said:

 

Lately I'm thinking more along the lines of a separate system to culture algae and feed minnows and other small animals with it to provide a more natural feed for my catfish.

 

 

[AJ Grottke]

Thanks everyone for your input this thread is actually starting to get some where.  The OG koi feed looks interested as well as the homemade feed.  In the long term i would think producing your own feed would be advantageous (BSF larva, duckweed, worms, etc), but for first time fish people like me i think this koi feed could be an interesting alternative. I am going to try and find the ingredients list and the nutrient ratios for the OG koi feed.  THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR IDEAS :)

[Michelle Silva]

I'm culturing algae in small amounts in my fish tanks. I have shade cloth on pvc frames, so some sunlight is entering but not too much where I can still see the fish. THe shade cloth is doubled,not sure of the percentage.

TCLynx said:

I once had a thought that a mix of BSF Larva or Worm meal with duckweed and cow pea meal might make an acceptable combo if a good vitamin admixture were used along with it but I've not attempted any recipes.

 

Lately I'm thinking more along the lines of a separate system to culture algae and feed minnows and other small animals with it to provide a more natural feed for my catfish.

[Michelle Silva]

TC, Have you tried breeding and feeding the minnows to the larger fish? I noticed the larger tilapia ate most of the tiny goldfish a while back. I had been advised previously that they wouldn't eat it by the person I got the tilapia from...poor little guys. The 12 goldfish that survived are getting huge now,eating lots of  blue green algae...so thinking it must be a great feed. I'm not interested in growth rate,as many tilapia are in the 1-2# range and not harvesting them at this time.

Michelle Silva said:

I'm culturing algae in small amounts in my fish tanks. I have shade cloth on pvc frames, so some sunlight is entering but not too much where I can still see the fish. THe shade cloth is doubled,not sure of the percentage.

TCLynx said:

I once had a thought that a mix of BSF Larva or Worm meal with duckweed and cow pea meal might make an acceptable combo if a good vitamin admixture were used along with it but I've not attempted any recipes.

 

Lately I'm thinking more along the lines of a separate system to culture algae and feed minnows and other small animals with it to provide a more natural feed for my catfish.

[Michelle Silva]

oh yeah, and I have the goldfish in their own IBC tote at the end of the other three.

Michelle Silva said:

TC, Have you tried breeding and feeding the minnows to the larger fish? I noticed the larger tilapia ate most of the tiny goldfish a while back. I had been advised previously that they wouldn't eat it by the person I got the tilapia from...poor little guys. The 12 goldfish that survived are getting huge now,eating lots of  blue green algae...so thinking it must be a great feed. I'm not interested in growth rate,as many tilapia are in the 1-2# range and not harvesting them at this time.

Michelle Silva said:

I'm culturing algae in small amounts in my fish tanks. I have shade cloth on pvc frames, so some sunlight is entering but not too much where I can still see the fish. THe shade cloth is doubled,not sure of the percentage.

TCLynx said:

I once had a thought that a mix of BSF Larva or Worm meal with duckweed and cow pea meal might make an acceptable combo if a good vitamin admixture were used along with it but I've not attempted any recipes.

 

Lately I'm thinking more along the lines of a separate system to culture algae and feed minnows and other small animals with it to provide a more natural feed for my catfish.

[Harold Sukhbir]

Hi AJ,

If it's a Koi feed it might be a sinking pellet as they are bottom feeders. I once used a Zigler sinking pellet for my Tilapia and ran up high ammonia levels as some of the feed that was uneaten sank and slowly decomposed. 

AJ Grottke said:

Thanks everyone for your input this thread is actually starting to get some where.  The OG koi feed looks interested as well as the homemade feed.  In the long term i would think producing your own feed would be advantageous (BSF larva, duckweed, worms, etc), but for first time fish people like me i think this koi feed could be an interesting alternative. I am going to try and find the ingredients list and the nutrient ratios for the OG koi feed.  THANK YOU ALL AGAIN FOR YOUR IDEAS