For
any fisherman who wants to make more profit, making their own fish food should
be an important part of their business. This is due to the high cost of foreign
food used in the country. Even if a farmer decides to mill with locally
produced feed, the miller can trick him/her into reducing the inputs (or using
substandard ingredients).
Creating
a fish meal requires a good understanding of what ingredients are available and
what is needed. Unlike before, the choice of food for fishing will take into
account some economic and biological factors based on environmental facts.
Various
studies have shown that there are different foods that can be classified under
the same food staple. Therefore, the choice of ingredients for your food
preparation should consider these factors, as recommended in these articles.
Fish
feed formulation should be affordable, tasty and nutritious to meet the
nutritional needs of fish. Also, the cost of the food should not be evaluated
only in terms of money, but the environmental and health aspects of this food
should be carefully considered.
Key Factors To Consider Before Choosing A Type of Fish Feed
Key Factors To Consider Before Choosing A Type of Fish Feed
Below are the factors you must consider as you select your catfish feed ingredient
•
Age of your Fish
•
Replacability
•
Suitable Substitute
•
Nutritional requirement of your fishes
•
Availability of choice ingredients
•
Palatability of available ingredients
•
Cost and profit of the available ingredients
•
Processing technology/method
Age
of your Fish
In recent times, it has been found that fish and fish feed can be eliminated, especially for fish that are more than six months old. Chicken meat / chicken wings will be a good substitute in such a situation. The age of your fish should be considered when choosing the ingredients to use in making catfish food.
Occasional observations of the nutrient content of floating diets show that crude protein decreases as fish size increases. It should also show farmers that as their fish age, some imported products can be replaced with local produce.
Also, high energy sources should be chosen for fish as they age.
A farmer should choose corn or flour instead of cassava flour as a source of
energy. However, due to cost, I would recommend dough instead of corn.
•
Replacability
Is
there a good substitute for the same material? Otherwise, such a thing cannot
be avoided in fish food. As mentioned earlier, fish is an important ingredient
in fish nutrition. It cannot be easily replaced if your fish is over 6 months
old. The next time you want to prepare a mixed food for your fish, remember how
important some things can be.
•
Suitable Substitutes
The
use of some food additives is impossible. Some essential amino acids and
vitamins that are not found in sufficient quantities in food must be obtained
in synthetic form. Methionine, lysine, fish premix and other vitamins are
non-negotiable in fish food.
•
Nutritional Requirement of Your Fishes
You
need to know the nutritional value of the different ingredients you want to
use, and the nutritional value of your food at different stages of growth.
These will help you as a farmer to produce healthy food.
•
Availability of Choice Ingredients
Knowing
the nutritional needs of your fish or the type of food you want to prepare will
help you choose certain foods over others. This may be related to the cost and
availability of these materials. When such things are not available, the farmer
is responsible for choosing from many types of similar things. For example,
when flour or flour is not available, the farmer faces the challenge of
choosing between energy grains or processed tubers to meet the energy needs of
fish. For example, due to the high cost of flour in my country, I use roasted
mutton (Garri) to make my own food.
•
Palatability of Available Ingredients
Palatability
in this case refers to the preference of fish over food. Catfish have a sweet
taste. For example, GNC (peanut meal) is sweet and aromatic and catfish prefer
it over Beniseed, and soybean meal also likes cottonseed.
•
Cost and Profit of the Available Ingredients
Price is very important when choosing
ingredients in your diet. Inexpensive materials help reduce production costs
and give you more profit. However, one must also consider the benefits
(benefits) of choosing a tool regardless of cost. You may decide to go with
local seafood instead of 72% more expensive seafood to cut costs. You may
decide to use others.
•
Technology/Organization
Some
ingredients should not be used at all due to crude processing methods that can
result in losing important ingredients. For example, corn should not be used if
the available mills cannot grind it properly into powder. This is because fish
may not be able to digest corn that is not properly harvested.
General Food Requirements for Feeding Catfish
Fish
feed should contain certain essential nutrients (food classes) that are
necessary for their optimal growth. There are 4 main nutrients that must be
present in a catfish diet for optimal performance.
They
are
1.
Protein
This type of diet is important for building
tissue and replacing damaged tissue. It helps in the growth of fish. It can be
obtained from plants and animals. Examples are peanut butter and blood meal
respectively. Methionine is also a protein.
2.
Energy (Carbohydrates)
This
class of food provides energy that catfish need to live. Cereal grains and
tubers such as cassava are the main source of this food.
3.
Vitamins and Minerals
Growth,
health and physical processes are controlled by this food class. Examples of
vitamins are vitamin C, vitamin B complex, minerals including iron, copper,
magnesium, calcium, etc.
4.
Fats and oils
Fats
contain essential fatty acids and also provide energy in food. An example is
the PKC-Palm kernel cake.
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