Technical considerations in the preparation and formulation of farm-made fish foods.

1. FEED FORMULATION
Lito A. Apelo
Fishermen’s Training Institute
Khabura, Sultanate of Oman

2. Factors to Consider in Farming
Fish Species
 Healthy fry/fish seeds
 Optimum stocking density
 Proper pond preparation
 Correct water management
 Feeds and feeding system
 Pest/predator control and proper
fertilization
 Proper stocking procedure

3. Food and Feeding Habits of
Fish
 Feeding habits of fishes differ from species to
species
 Fishes can be classified according to what
they often eat
 They are herbivores when they eat mostly
plant sources nutrients
 They are carnivores if they eat more animal
than plant sources
 They are omnivores if they eat both plant and
animal sources
 Those that eat detritus are called detritivores

4.  Most fishes are carnivores
 Sea bass, shrimps and groupers are carnivores
 Siganids(rabbitfish) are herbivores
 Tilapia and milkfish are omnivores
 Milkfish eat more during the day
 Shrimps eat more during the night(Nocturnal)
 Sea bass & milkfish gulp their food
 Shrimps are nibblers
 Thus the type of food, amount of food, frequency of
feeding and time of feeding will depend on the specie
being fed

5.  Shrimps generally eat more at night-more food
should be offered in the late afternoon or evening
than during the morning feeding
 Finfishes eat more during the day as the sun
rises-more food should be given early in the
morning
 Shrimps nibble their food slowly, therefore pellets
have to be more water stable
 Feeds should be water stable such that they do
not disintegrate readily and pollute the water
environment
 Leaching of nutrients is minimized by having a
water-stable pellet
 Fishes not only use their eyes to find food, but
have chemoreceptors to locate them. Therefore,
feeds should also be attractive if they are to be
consumed in the right time

6. NUTRIENT REQUIREMENTS
OF FISHES
 Protein and amino acids
 Lipids and fatty acids
 Carbohydrates
 Vitamins
 Minerals

7. Proteins and amino acids
 Most important for growth
 Helps maintain life
 Gives heat and energy
 Estimated protein requirement for finfishes
range between 30% to 55%
 Amino acids are known as the building blocks
for protein
 There are 18 amino acids that form protein,
of which, 10 are considered indispensable or
essential for fish growth(if 1 is not present,
the formation of protein can be delayed or
reduced resulting in a poor or less effective
diet)

8. SOURCES OF PROTEIN
 Can be found in animals and plants
 Animal protein sources include fish
meal, fish heads, shrimp head, squid
meal, squid liver, meat & bone meal,
mussel meat, chicken entrails, snails
and earthworm meals.
 Plan protein sources include yeast,
defatted soybean meal, cottonseed
meal, sunflower seed meal, peanut
meal and cowpea meal

9. Lipids and fatty acids
 Gives energy and essential fat acids
needed for growth
 Carriers of fat soluble vitamins A, D, E
and K
 Finfishes need between 5-10% lipids
 Shrimps need around 0.5-1%
cholesterol and 2-4% lecithin in their
diets

10. SOURCES OF FATS
 Cod liver oil and other fish liver oils
 Pollack residue oil
 Squid oil
 Soybean oil
 Corn oil
 Sunflower seed oil
 Palm oil

11. Carbohydrates
 Like fats, carbohydrates are “sparer's
of protein”-when there is a lack of
these 2 nutrients, protein is used for
energy instead of carbohydrates, for
growth
 Also acts as binders in the diet

12. SOURCES OF
CARBOHYDRATES
 Corn flour
 Potato flour
 Sago palm starch
 Wheat flour
 Rice flour
 Copra(coconut) meal
 Rice bran
 Corn meal
 Bread flour
 Algae and carrageenan are better used as
binding agents rather than as primary source of
energy

13. Vitamins
 Required in small amounts
 Are regulators of body processes
 Needed for proper utilization of
protein, carbohydrates and fats
 Helps build resistance to infection

14. Types of Vitamins
Water soluble vitamins
 Ascorbic acid(Vitamin C)
 Thiamin
 Riboflavin
 Pyridoxine
 Pantothenic acid
 Niacin
 Biotin
 Folic acid
 Cyanocobalamin
 Myo-inositol
 Choline
 Lipoic acid

15. Fat Soluble
 Vitamins A, D, E and K
 Generally, lack of these vitamins in a
diet can cause poor appetite, slow
growth and low survival

16.  Vitamin levels added to fish diets are
higher than required because
allowance should be made for
leaching out in water, destruction
during preparation and storage,
possible presence of anti-nutritional
factors in some feed ingredients and
the fact that vitamin contents of feed
stuffs are quite variable

17. Minerals
 Needed for bone development, teeth,
scales and exoskeleton
 Necessary for proper acid-base
balance in body fluids
 In shrimps, a 1:1 ratio of calcium to
phosphorous is needed to prevent
“soft-shell” syndrome

18. Macronutrient minerals include:
 Calcium
 Phosphorous
 Magnesium
 Sodium
 Potassium
 Chloride

19. Trace minerals elements:
 Iron
 Copper
 Manganese
 Zinc
 Iodine
 Selenium
 Cobalt
 Chromium
 Fish meal, whole grain cereals and meat meals are
good sources of minerals. Iodine is obtained from
seaweeds.

20. Complete Diet usually
contains:
 Protein source
 Lipid source
 Carbohydrates source
 Vitamins
 Minerals
 Binder
 Additives such as attractants,
antioxidants, enzymes, hormones,
fungicides, etc.

21. Most feed ingredients for fish are also
used in poultry and livestock. Although
there are many formulations available,
there is no “Best” diet. The farmer can try
as many formulations and compare their
effectiveness under his own pond
conditions.
Feeding depends on the number of fish
stocked. In the extensive culture method,
fertilization for luxuriant growth of natural
food may be sufficient, but as the stocking
density increases, supplemental feeding
might be needed.

22. It is wise to choose locally available
feed ingredients, as long as they are
available at all times and are cheaper to
use than commercial feeds. Ideally,
these feed ingredients should be
analyzed for their chemical composition
before they are to be included in the
diet.

23. END OF PRESENTATION….
THANK YOU…………………