Preparing Your Own Fish Feeds

Introduction

Most fish farmers and ornamental fish hobbyists buy the bulk of their feed from commercial manufacturers. However, small quantities of specialized feeds are often needed for experimental purposes, feeding difficult-to-maintain aquarium fishes, larval or small juvenile fishes, brood fish conditioning, or administering medication to sick fish. In particular, small ornamental fish farms with an assortment of fish require small amounts of various diets with particular ingredients. It is not cost effective for commercial manufacturers to produce very small quantities of specialized feeds. Most feed mills will only produce custom formulations in quantities of more than one ton and medicated feeds are usually sold in 50-pound bags. Small fish farmers, hobbyists, and laboratory technicians are, therefore, left with the option of buying large quantities of expensive feed, which often goes to waste. Small quantities of fish feed can be made quite easily in the laboratory, classroom or at home, with common ingredients and simple kitchen or laboratory equipment. This paper presents examples of:

1) Experimental and practical fish feed blends or formulas which are nutrient balanced and adaptable to particular conditions;

2) The formulation and preparation of a semi-purified ornamental African cichlid fish diet that can be used in the laboratory or when small quantities of feed are needed;

3) The preparation of a gelatin-based diet that is often used to administer medicines or other chemicals. Background information on nutrition, feedstuffs and feed formulations are presented with emphasis primarily on the feeding of ornamental “aquarium” fishes.
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