Effect of composition variations on floating ability and physical quality of fish feed pellet

Abstract

Fish food production is an important factor to be considered in both subsistence and commercial fish farming as it has an impact on both growth and efficiency of food waste. The new formulation of fish feed should have a floating potential. Most of the fish food pellets on the market are of low stability in water and swell easily when it is immersed in water. Therefore, vitamins and minerals will dissolve easily leached out of the pellet. This will lead to environmental problems and lack of nutrients in the tank or fish pond. Fish food pellets need to continue to arise for not contributing to the wastage of raw materials and water pollution. Floating pellet allows one to observe the feeding activity and thus avoid giving excessive. Floating food is a management tool that farmers can see how many and how active the fish eat. Observing fish behaviour looks almost a necessity when the pond is harvested and monitored from time to time without draining and so that farmers can do a more accurate estimate of the mass of fish in the pond. Floating ability of feed pellets need to come along with good physical quality. Pellet durability index is a measurement scale to classified pellet quality. In this study, the physical quality of feeds with different formulation was determined using a method similar to Holmen Pellet Tester and the results show that binder concentration affects pellet quality. Floating ability may be influenced by different morphology of pellets; Scanning Electron Microscope was used to observe the morphology of pellets of different floating ability. Results show that the good range of percentage of tapioca flour in feed pellets was determined, but their optimum level still needs to be identified. The optimum level of tapioca flour for floating pellets may lie between 25% and 33% tapioca flour.