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  1. #1
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    Hi Ernie, I don't know if you researched Purina yet (?) They do make food for tilapia.
    http://www.fishchow.com/aquamaxfishdiets.htm

    I don't know if it's the best or cheapest, but my dealer is an 1/8 th of a mile away.
    My purina dealer will special order a bag of exactlly what I want. I order ahead of time, they just add it to their regular order.
    I was told Tractor Supply is a dealer, but they won't special order.

    I think the last bag I ordered was the 500, just over $30 with tax.

    You should have a dealer near you. Here is a link where you can find one...
    http://www.mazuri.com/usamap.htm
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  2. #2
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    me too i'm looking for a good online source. Obviously I only need small quantities for my 25 fingerlings.
    looks like there is a purina dealer close to me, i might give it a try.

  3. #3
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    I use Zeigler's. It is very good and less expensive than what is quoted above. I use Finfish Silver 3mm floating pellets and it does not cause cloudy water like Purina does. You have to watch the ingredients closely. Beleive it or not, they are allowed to use chicken feathers and count it as protein, even though it is not digestible. Got to watch those fillers.

    Anyway, if you have a local feed store, ask them if they are a member of the Cooperative Feed Dealers (USA) - 800-333-0895 ext. 314. They don't stock it, but they order it and there is no charge for shipping. I just pick it up when they call me. Last order was $40 for a 44# bag. You can crush it for fry.

    http://www.co-opfeed.com/pdf/FishPondSupplies.pdf
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  4. #4
    Members mpugh5@aol.com's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    Badflash that is good news Ziegler's is here in Pa. there has to be somewhere around here that i can cut out the shipping and middle people when the time comes.
    one life one love.

  5. #5
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    They sell right at their facility.
    Their website is http://www.zeiglerfeed.com/html/
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  6. #6
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    thanks,
    i will try and find a local store that can order zeigler.

    there is a lot of movement in the "organic" fish farming industry. And i read that they are about to set standards for usda organic farmed fish. I would be curious to know what feed suppliers will be certified and if their product is going to be available to someone like me.

  7. #7
    Moderator davidstcldfl's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    Quote Originally Posted by badflash
    You have to watch the ingredients closely. Beleive it or not, they are allowed to use chicken feathers and count it as protein, even though it is not digestible. Got to watch those fillers
    ...Wow , thanks for pointing that out badflash !

    Quote Originally Posted by urbanrunoff
    there is a lot of movement in the "organic" fish farming industry. And i read that they are about to set standards for usda organic farmed fish. I would be curious to know what feed suppliers will be certified and if their product is going to be available to someone like me.
    urbanrunoff , If you hear anymore on this, could you please let us know ? Thanks.
    "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same." - President Ronald Reagan

  8. #8
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    I would avoid commercially produced organic feeds. They are going to cost more than the fish are worth, and they won't be any healthier. If you get serious, you can produce your own feed and certify how you make it. Organic certification doesn't mean what you'd think it means.

    Here is an example,
    Raise pigs loaded with hormones and foraging on plants loaded with pesticides. Take their manure to fertilize a pond that you are growing tilapia in. You can certify the fish as organically grown.

    Take spent grain from a micro-brewery operation that uses food grade barley. Feed them to your tilapia. NOT organically certifiable.

    Which fish would you rather eat?

    I say document how you take care of your fish and what you feed them. People who really care about what they eat can understand that and make up their own mind.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

  9. #9
    Moderator stucco's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    We have been using Dick Van Patten's Limited ingredient Dry Catfood as our feed, along with scraps from the garden, SFL, duckweed, etc. I realize that it is a little more expensive- and yes even has a higher ratio of fat (the wrong kind I might add), but it is limited to two ingredients in various forms- Peas, Salmon Meal, Pea Protein, Salmon. There are NO grain prodcuts or byprodcuts in this food- so you get what you get (plus my family is all allergic to wheat- there fore I don't feed it to my fish). There is a great deal of products out there using crazy animal protiens - digestible or not- in their feed- I realize that salmon may not be an ecofriendly source of food for my fish, but it is natural- and I offset it with various veggies here. Until I find a better source of simple food, this seems to me to be the best choice. I don't eat feathers (but that Zeigler's finfishsilver includes it according to their site), and there are those who do not eat pork- which is, I believe, what is in the Purina feed along with feathers, - they would certainly be unhappy to find that there fish were eating it.
    Our local waterways have tilapia and they feast on hornwort, hydrilla, and to some extent water hyacinth- I have yet to collect some since everywhere I go it seems the water has an oilslick, which I do not want to bring home. Duckweed on the other hand is an excellent grower and a healthy natural treat- if you can keep up with the fish you stock. I personally hope to be dehydrating my sfl, duckweed, veggies, flax, and chia seed etc soon for my own meal- I believe it will be closer to their natural raw food source- Untill then I am on the lookout in the ditches for a healthy stock of hornwort- but I keep my Dick Van Patten's close by.
    Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.-- Dr. Seuss, The Lorax
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  10. #10
    Moderator badflash's Avatar
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    Re: tilapia feed suppliers

    An informed consumer is the best customer. Keep following the money trail. You are on the right track. The cool thing about small suppliers is we can influence them. No chance for giant agribuisness. Tell 'em what you want and see what happens. We are sort of a aquaponics union. Once we get big enough, amazing things will happen.
    The best fertilizer is the farmer's shadow

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