What Is Floating Fish Feed Pellet?
Floating fish feed pellets are loosely pressed when manufactured, so their pellets are filled with many small air pockets. Sometimes, the material from which they are made is whipped into a froth before being extruded into pellets. The pellets are buoyant, and they float.
Floating fish food has a high stability in the water and is not easily dissolved in two hours. The floating time of good quality floating fish food can last as much as 12 hours. This can prevent nutritional ingredients from losing in the water or getting absorbed into the mud and other waste.
The main process of floating fish feed contains: fish feed grinding→feed mixing→feed extrusion→pellet drying→oil spraying process→pellet cooling and packing.
Advantages of floating fish feed
Fish farmers must ensure that their fish receive the best food possible. Feed accounts for nearly 60% of total production costs. Farmers must spend considerable time and effort selecting the right feed. Floating feed offers many benefits, as we have already mentioned.
- Extruded feed can be used to increase feed utilization. This is due to the fact that the chemical and physical changes involved in extruding feed produce powder within 1%. Extruded floating feed can be used to raise fish in normal conditions and save between 5-10% on feed when compared to powdered feed or pellet feed.
- Digestibility and absorption: The feed has been processed at high temperatures and pressures. This makes the starch more digestible and easier to digest.
- Water quality: Extruded floating fish food will not dissolve in water for long periods of time. High-quality floating fish food can last up to 12 hours. It is easy for you to control and monitor the bait and reduce or eliminate the effects of residual bait and powder on the water.
- The observation of fish growth, feed requirements and feed intake habits. Extruded floating fish food can float for long periods of time so it is easy to observe the fish’s feeding behavior and adjust their feeding amounts accordingly. It can also be used to understand the growth and health of fish that are eating on the surface.
- Large range of feed sizes: We can achieve a wide range in feed size due to high pressure, temperature and moisture range. The extruder die ranges from 0.8mm to 5mm, depending on fish growth & species.
Importance of Pelletizing your own Fish Feed
It is not only cost effective to be pelletizing your own fish feed, it is also safer because then you will be sure and ascertain the quality of the raw materials you are using to produce your fish feeds. You will be in control of all that happens to the feed you are serving your fishes.
All you need to do is to purchase a fish feed pellet machine that can be used in making the feed for your fishes and it may not so much expensive as they vary in sizes so all you need to do is purchase the size you can afford and start your feed production.
Which is better, floating or sinking fish feed?
There are two types of commercial fish diets: traditional sinking and floating. Although both floating and sinking feeds can provide satisfactory growth, some species prefer floating over sinking. Which type of fish feed pellets is best? To sink or to flounder? This is a question. Before I begin, let me say that neither one can be considered superior to the other. Your choice about whether to use floating pellets or sinking pellets will largely depend on what type of fish you have.
Floating fish feed
Floating fish feed pellets are usually given to larger groundfish, food fish, or parent fish. Fish must be allowed to surface and eat while floating in the water. This is usually done for several hours. This allows you to monitor your fish’s feeding rate and keep track of their health. Farmers can monitor the health and vitality of their fish by keeping an eye on them daily. To reduce waste and pond pollution, farmers can regulate how much feed is given to their fish each day.
Sinking fish feed
For decorative fish such as goldfish or koi, sinking fish feed pellets are more suitable. Goldfish are fervent pets that race to their food, often grabbing pellets along the way. As they eat their meals, they inhale the air. Goldfish flipping illness is often caused by air bubbles getting stuck in their faeces. You should only feed your goldfish sinking food pellets.
Sinking food pellets are best for goldfish. Bottom-feeding shrimp prefer floating feed to sinking food pellets (density greater that water’s, 1 g/cm3). Farmers can determine the feed rate by calculating the size of the pond. This will allow them to assess whether the rate is too low or high. Floating feeds can still be preferred in certain circumstances, despite ongoing controversy. Even though it’s more expensive, floating feeds are still better. Mix it with 15% floating and 85% sinking feeds to save money.