Feeding costs

[RogerP]

Hi,

A very general question i know and i appreciate the varying factors from week to week. However, could anyone give me a ball park figure of the quantity of feed used (per week or per month?) and/or the resulting cost of keeping TVR. Lets say purely based on a diet of BW and saki hikari.

An idea of the amount of fish your raising and quantities used for each age group would prove very useful. thanks in advance.

Roger

[billys]

Hi Roger,

I feed six times a day, four FBW and two Hikari Lionhead and have 26 fish. This costs on average £10.00 a week.

Best wishes Billy.

[Virginia ranchu]

I buy Hikari frozen bloodworms in the 1lb. flats from Foster and Smith with shipping costs, I probably spend $100 per order/one order per year. I only use these for grooming Tosai, and conditioning breeders. I used to buy the Hikari Saki, and it is good stuff, but until it's available in larger bags at a better price, I can't justify the expense. I am using the Omega one sinking mini pellet that I buy in the 3lb. buckets. I probably buy two buckets a year, and I think it's about $30/order twice a year. I also buy the Blue Ridge Koi and Goldfish growth food. It is a floating mini pellet and it comes in five pound bags. I go through a couple bags a year (about $30). This year, I also bought decapsulated brine shrimp eggs and Attison's Betta pro (for feeding fry...thanks Dan!), and it works great for goldfish. I also make my own gel food which costs about $10/batch three times a year. All in all, I probably spend up to $300/year on food. Other costs include Prime(water treatment), light bulbs, heaters, pumps and filters, filter media, airstones, water and electricity. All in all the expense is well worth it because it keeps me happy and sane. If I weren't doing water changes, I would probably be out spending even more money somewhere else.

I usually raise two spawns per year, and the number of adult fish varies. I have about 15 aquariums with goldfish and three above ground ponds and one large in-ground pond. I used to stress out about finding homes for all the growing fish, but I decided it isn't worth it to try and barter at the local fish store. I do sell a few fish online, but it is too time consuming to ship them on a regular basis. There is a good sized pond near where I live, so my new practice is to retire any older fish that I won't be breeding to that pond. It seems more dignified than selling them at a pet store for five bucks a piece.

[RogerP]

Great stuff, Thanks guys. Just what i was after.

Roger

[Cincy Ranchu]

I use Saki for my Ranchu - one 7oz bag per week, my staple is Omega 1 sinking goldfish pellets (1MM), I buy in 10lb buckets ( 40#/year).100# of frozenblood worms and 100# of brineshrimp. 4-5 cans of BS eggs and two punds of decapsulated BS eggs, 16 pounds of flake and 8 pounds of dried blood worm. Lastly 5# of
low carb micropellets and #1 crumbles from Ken's

$2680 +/- $200

Don't tell Jane

[small_ranchu]

Where do I buy omega 1 in bucket?

[Ranchu Rancher]

Thanks Gary,I feel a little better now. When I saw this post I started adding up what I spend and decided not to post. Since you came clean I guess I will too. My fry get BBS and Otohime food. My Juvenal's get Otohime, blue bag Hakari, and FBW. The adults get Saki-Hakari,FBW,FBS,Freeze dried BW, and homemade food. My best guess is around $ 1000.00 a year or $19.00 a week. At present I have 49 adult fish, that comes out to $21.27 per fish.


Gregg

[suphi]

I'm in the opposite end. I spend more on fish and less on food, but I don't have many fish compared to you guys. 2-3 tanks of fish is just about my limit. I can see how expensive it can get the more fish you have.

[Cincy Ranchu]

Where do I buy omega 1 in bucket?

Call the 800# on the package and ask for Lisa Smith, she will direct mail them to you....They have excellent customer service

[Cincy Ranchu]

All,
We should really evaluate all these different foods for their ability to grow out Ranchu and other fish types. It seems to me that Ranchu Lord ( in the past)and Saki are not quite worth the money. Their nutritional value is ho hum and it seems that the hidden ingredients like the amino acid methionine is the only thing that is different.

It would be cool to have a group of us do a comparison study. $25-$30 / pound for Saki is just not sustainable, the lack of reasonable bag size is rediculous, we should also all email the Hakari sales folks here in North America and raise hell and threaten to switch!:yess::exact:

[bluebelly]

I put the Omega flake food in a coffee bean grinder and then sieve in two strainers for size. I use the fine powder to ween fry from live brine then move to next size. As fry grow I grind in Omega pellet to the mix. I walk around the back yard with what looks like two big salt shakers feeding fry. This helps reduce food cost. I am feeding seven ponds of fry this way.

[bekko]

Their nutritional value is ho hum and it seems that the hidden ingredients like the amino acid methionine is the only thing that is different. Saki is supposed to have probiotics too. Beneficial gut bacteria. It was the probiotics which made it so hard to get clearance for import into the US and is why we were the last people on earth able to buy it. Too pricey for me though.

-steve

[judge]

All,
We should really evaluate all these different foods for their ability to grow out Ranchu and other fish types. It seems to me that Ranchu Lord ( in the past)and Saki are not quite worth the money. Their nutritional value is ho hum and it seems that the hidden ingredients like the amino acid methionine is the only thing that is different.

It would be cool to have a group of us do a comparison study. $25-$30 / pound for Saki is just not sustainable, the lack of reasonable bag size is rediculous, we should also all email the Hakari sales folks here in North America and raise hell and threaten to switch!:yess::exact:


Ha ha ha ... I did make a call to Hikari USA quite some time ago and told them to carry Saki Green Bag.

The customer service guy is like indifferent to what I was saying and sounded like he was just there at his desk to count his hours and leave. :)

It gets really expensive. I ran about 16 bucks per week and its going up. I plan to breed more soon. This hobby became my life and taking away my attention from everything else... Really evil. :D Like a drug addict. Eating my life away... Can't leave the house for long. Can't go long vacations. Can't go out and have fun... Taking up more and more space in the house. Always thinking about what's next...

Now I remembered why I gave up this hobby a long time ago...

[Ranchu Rancher]

Omega only has 35% protien. Have those of you that use it on fish less than a year, see a good growth rate and wen development?


Gregg

[judge]

Omega only has 35% protien. Have those of you that use it on fish less than a year, see a good growth rate and wen development?


Gregg

Omega one is not a good food for goldfish. I have used it over 3 months. The fish colors will become patchy and black moor will become lighter in color and patchy. The gold red will become yellow.

It is not a good food. Had to switch immediately as soon as I noticed the first signs of deterioration.

Nothing beats Hikari in terms of growth rate, color and development on wen.

[William Tricker Inc.]

I am working with a supplier of mine on coming up with a more cost effective alternative to Hikari Saki...It will have very similar formulation and I will hopefully have free samples this fall/winter for anyone who wishes to try it out

[BruceP]

I am working with a supplier of mine on coming up with a more cost effective alternative to Hikari Saki...It will have very similar formulation and I will hopefully have free samples this fall/winter for anyone who wishes to try it out


That's exciting!!!!!! It's absolutely rediculous that they can get away with charging what they do for so called high end food.

[Fishman43]

Has anyone talked with Ken Menard at Ken's Fish? He has offered in the past to try to duplicate foods as best as possible if requests are made. Ken has some friends at one of the big research universities that test the brand foods and help him to get a match with his foods, and his prices are great.

Just a thought... Not trying to step on any toes, and maybe William Tricker Inc. will have it sorted anyway.

[Ranchu Rancher]

Alright Gary, how do you purpose we do this trial. If the parameters used are not the same,the results will be skewed. If we can find a less expensive food I can buy more fish and do more water changes.:yess:


gregg

[George Washington]

What an interesting question ...

12 aquariums
4 ponds.
only feed from March - October
about 300 fish mid-season reduced to 50 stock fish over winter


My annual food bill is

Medicarp Pellets £60
Bloodworm £50
Beef Heart £40
White Fish £5
Brine Shrimp Eggs £30
Worms FREE
Daphnia FREE

TOTAL FOOD COST PER YEAR - £165 ($254)

I keep telling the wife it is cheaper than Golf and just as frustrating!!!

[small_ranchu]

Call the 800# on the package and ask for Lisa Smith, she will direct mail them to you....They have excellent customer service

Gary,
Can you give me the 800# number? I only have the small canister which doesn't contain 800# on it. Thanks.

[kendal]

Brine Shrimp Eggs £30


this is always shocking to me how much BS eggs cost in the UK. i could a lifetime supply of eggs for that price.

[suphi]

That's exciting!!!!!! It's absolutely rediculous that they can get away with charging what they do for so called high end food.

Hikari is actually simply mid-tier and almost generic among ranchu keepers in Asia. There're much more exclusive and expensive foods out there. For some reason Hikari is very pricey in the US.

[kendal]

how serious are you all about running some alternative (to saki hikari) food trials on next season's fish?

see new posting called "food trial's"

[Virginia ranchu]

I was searching for new pellet food options and I found Blackwater Gold, which is 40% protein, has a 2mm pellet, and probiotics, and is sold in 8lb bags. It can be ordered from several suppliers. Has anyone tried this yet?

http://aquaticnutrition.com/

Thanks,

Rob

[RogerP]

What an interesting question ...

12 aquariums
4 ponds.
only feed from March - October
about 300 fish mid-season reduced to 50 stock fish over winter


My annual food bill is

Medicarp Pellets £60
Bloodworm £50
Beef Heart £40
White Fish £5
Brine Shrimp Eggs £30
Worms FREE
Daphnia FREE

TOTAL FOOD COST PER YEAR - £165 ($254)

I keep telling the wife it is cheaper than Golf and just as frustrating!!!

Great info thanks, and in £s too.

[elusiveracer]

I was searching for new pellet food options and I found Blackwater Gold, which is 40% protein, has a 2mm pellet, and probiotics, and is sold in 8lb bags. It can be ordered from several suppliers. Has anyone tried this yet?

http://aquaticnutrition.com/

Thanks,

Rob

I have no experience with this but I was checking it out a while back and didn't try it because of the animal proteins, which may or may not be good. :confuse:

[Virginia ranchu]

I have no experience with this but I was checking it out a while back and didn't try it because of the animal proteins, which may or may not be good. :confuse:

I guess I should take a closer look at the ingredients. I have no problem with animal proteins, but it would be better if they were defined/consistent.

thanks,

Rob

[Cincy Ranchu]

This is a brand from Blackwater Creek, they are a very reputable koi breeder in Florida. My original koi stock came from them. I would guess it is worth a try, I prefer a 1-1.5 mm pellet

[Virginia ranchu]

This is a brand from Blackwater Creek, they are a very reputable koi breeder in Florida. My original koi stock came from them. I would guess it is worth a try, I prefer a 1-1.5 mm pellet

Thanks Gary. The Blackwater site mentions a 2mm pellet (to be discontinued), but the next smallest is a 3mm. We'll have to see what else is out there in a smaller size.

Cheers,

Rob

[Cincy Ranchu]

I am still very happy with Omega 1, Lisa Smth is my contact, 216 663 8424

Sinking 1.5 mm pellets plus they have color enhancing and brins shrimp pellets, one call and they ship. Note they have 10lb pricing:exact:

[BruceP]

Gary...... The Omega One 1.5mm sinking pellet has become our staple as well. I buy a coupla pounds of Super Pellet to add to the 10# tubs. Dont know why but it makes me feel better... LOL We like all the Omega One products and the company service is great, Lisa even calls occasionally to see if we need anything.

[TheTruth]

1lb frozen peas 2eggs 1can of tuna blended hand full of cereal in microwave then frozen. feeds 30 big fancy fish for one week.fish grow to the size of a mans hand not counting the tails.you can add dog vits.wheat germ etc.i also feed spaghetti ,left over fish,peas.i also get free bloodworms from the pet store and omega green sinking mini pellets which i just started getting for fish culls.ive been doing this for 30 yrs.i spend almost nothing

[marlin08]

1lb frozen peas 2eggs 1can of tuna blended hand full of cereal in microwave then frozen. feeds 30 big fancy fish for one week.fish grow to the size of a mans hand not counting the tails.you can add dog vits.wheat germ etc.i also feed spaghetti ,left over fish,peas.i also get free bloodworms from the pet store and omega green sinking mini pellets which i just started getting for fish culls.ive been doing this for 30 yrs.i spend almost nothing
sounds interesting ! what is the "cereal" ?

[TheTruth]

fruit and fiber

[TheTruth]

fruit and fiber

the food i make is put in freezerbags after blending and put in a microwave for 15 min and kept frozen

[Hondataeg6]

Bruce where do you buy this food???

[small_ranchu]

Antonio: please look at post #31 if you cannot find locally.