Many
species of fish will eat commercial feeds.
The sportfish that profit most directly are catfish, bluegill,
hybrid bream, and hybrid striped bass. Predators
like largemouth bass and crappie will not eat these feeds, but profit
indirectly. Feed consumed
by bluegills and minnows is turned into young fish that are food for
predators. Thus, a feeding program increases the production of many
kinds of fish allowing for higher stocking densities and faster growth.
Feed is particularly beneficial in lakes and ponds where the production
of natural food is limited by low nutrients or other water quality
problems.
The
choice of feeds is an important one. Foremost, selecting quality feed
that is formulated specifically for fish is important. The least
expensive and most appropriate feeds for most ponds are those labeled
for catfish and contain at least 28 percent protein.
Higher protein levels are more expensive and unlikely to produce
more fish. Do not use feeds designed for other animals. The nutrient
requirements of dogs are different from those of fish, and improper
feeds may make the fish sick.
The
other important consideration is the feed form. Catfish feeds are
available in both floating and sinking forms. Sinking feeds are less
expensive and provide suitable nutrition, but with them there is no way
to tell if the fish are really eating or if the feed is just sinking to
the bottom wasting your money and polluting the water. The only way to
know how much feed to use is to use floating feeds and watch the fish
eat. Also, sinking feed pellets fall apart quickly once they are added
to the water, while floating pellets remain intact for a much longer
time.
During
the summer when it is warm, most fish will eat 2 to 3 percent of their
weight in feed every day; however, most pond owners do not have any
accurate estimate of the pounds of fish in their ponds, and mathematical
approaches to feeding are not feasible. With floating feeds, it is a
simple matter of throwing feed into the pond, watching the fish eat,
then stopping when the fish get full and feeding slows. Your goal is to
feed them all that they want to consume in 5 or 10 minutes.
Throw
the feed well out into the water, and try to feed in the same part of
the pond at the same time of day. If possible, feed during the morning
in the summer when temperatures are high and during the late afternoon
during cooler periods in the spring and fall.
As the water temperature drops in the fall, the fish will
gradually go off feed and remain off feed until temperatures warm in the
spring. In the spring and fall, feed only on warm days. During the
winter, the fish may be fed during unusually warm periods. When in
doubt, throw out a couple of handfuls of feed and see what happens.
If they eat it, give them some more.
One
problem with floating feeds is that on windy days with slow feeding, the
feed may blow up against the bank before the fish have a chance to eat
it. If this is a problem, move to the upwind side or make a floating
feeding ring (a 3 foot or 4 foot square or ring of PVC pipe). Pick a
feeding location with deep enough water that the fish are comfortable
and that is free of large aquatic plants.
There
are some important things to consider when embarking on a feeding
program. If the pond has large populations of fish species that eat feed
but do not contribute to sportfish production (for example bullhead
catfish or carp), then much of your expensive feed will go toward
feeding fish that you don’t want. In this case, it may be better not
to feed. The best plan might be to clean out the pond and start over
(see the pond reclamation). With feeding, it is possible to grow far
more fish in your pond, and fish should be harvested regularly.
Otherwise, as the fish population grows and gets denser and
feeding gets heavier, you will start to run into new problems like low
oxygen or poor water quality. If your fish are eating more that 20
pounds of feed per acre daily, you are headed for problems.
For
more information on fish feeding, see Understanding
Fish Nutrition, Feeds, and Feeding.
