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Roger L.
07-31-2013, 07:06 PM
When I was small, many many many years ago, my grandfather would take me fishing. The first thing he would do upon reaching a sight was to throw out a handful of stale bread to get the fish going. Is stale bread a viable supplement to fish food?

keith_r
08-01-2013, 05:17 AM
not really..
it doesn't contain much nutrition, and most fish have pretty short digestive tracts.. bread will constipate them

Roger L.
08-01-2013, 07:11 AM
Ok. Was just wondering because they would always attack that bread in the water. It was just different to them I guess.

eddiemigue
08-01-2013, 07:24 AM
I guess it's similar to as it is for chickens, they love it, but not necesarily good for them.

Nikenik
08-01-2013, 08:00 AM
What if you feed them "healthy" bread? Whole wheat/brown bread/rye etc.?

keith_r
08-01-2013, 10:03 AM
fish don't (usually) have the stomachs to process complex carbohydrates..
if you're looking for supplemental feeds, for omnivores duckweed is a good supplement, crayfish, minnows, guppies and scuds are all "natural" things that fish eat and can be used as supplemental feeds..

Aloha Don
08-01-2013, 02:14 PM
I am not disputing anything but I have known some older ladies who only feed old bread to their tilapia that they have in a small pond...
Have been doing it for years and the fish are growing and multiplying....

bsfman
08-01-2013, 03:03 PM
fish don't (usually) have the stomachs to process complex carbohydrates..


Not arguing the point, but I am curious though about why such a large percentage of commercial fish feed is comprised of processed grains? Is it simply because it's an inexpensive filler/binder?

keith_r
08-02-2013, 05:26 AM
from what i've found, the grains are processed differently for the fish feed, as opposed to how it's processed for human consumption.. i'm sure that the "cooking" process is different as well....
growing up, we used to vacation near pymatuning lake, near the spillway was a stand that sold day old bread, and people fed it to the carp, many easily 3-4' long, and so thick you could almost walk on them.... and we used to use doughballs to catch catfish..
while they can and will eat it, it's not really good for them..but maybe in small doses it is might be.. nothing i've found suggests that it is..
but it's your system, if you start a bread feeding regimen, and things work out, you can show everyone a new way of doing things

JCO
08-02-2013, 05:51 AM
Most of the grain used in fish food is there for two reasons. One is as a filler because it is less expensive than fish meal and the other in the case of corn is so the pellets will float as in Catfish and Koi floating pellets. :mrgreen:

bsfman
08-02-2013, 12:17 PM
but it's your system, if you start a bread feeding regimen, and things work out, you can show everyone a new way of doing things

No, no desire to do that. I was merely inquiring why the grains are in commercial food. Feeding bread would be needlessly expensive and I agree - probably unhealthy.

keith_r
08-02-2013, 12:30 PM
sorry bsfman, i was addressing the op about giving it a try..