6 Economical Ways to Make Alternative Feed for Catfish

Feed is the most important component in catfish farming. However, cultivators often complain about the high price of feed. To answer these obstacles, it's a good idea for you to know how to make alternative catfish feeds. 

For those of you who don't know how to make alternative feed, reading this article is the right choice.

Read to the bottom, OK!

Catfish Feed Needs

Before knowing the type of alternative feed, you need to know the feed requirements for catfish. Good catfish feed must meet the ratio of feeding with an increase in body weight of less than one (Feed Conversion Rate/FCR > 1).

That is, every 1 kg of feed will increase body weight by 1 kg. So the smaller the FCR ratio, the better the feed.

Catfish feed must have a complete nutritional content, consisting of protein, fat, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Ideally, the composition of catfish feed is as follows:

• Proteins, catfish require feed with protein levels of 28-32%.

• Fat, the need for fat content in the feed needed by catfish is around 9.5-10%. Fat levels should not be excessive because it can cause accumulation of fat in the intestines and liver of fish, so that fish do not have an appetite.

• Carbohydrate, the need for carbohydrates in catfish is around 10-20%. Carbohydrates serve as a source of energy. In addition, carbohydrates can be used as an adhesive for making catfish feed.

• Vitamin, The need for catfish vitamins is around 0.25-0.40%.

• Mineral, catfish need minerals as much as 1%.

Alternative Feed Types for Catfish

After you know the need for catfish feed, you can find out the type of alternative feed for catfish. In feeding catfish, it is necessary to choose the right type of feed as needed.

Here is the right alternative feed for catfish:

1. Maggots

Maggot or maggots have a high protein content so they are good for consumption by catfish. Maggot protein content reaches 40%. 

2. Fermented Tofu Dregs

Tofu dregs are known as animal feed. However, it turns out that the protein content is high so that catfish are suitable for this feed. Tofu dregs are runny, so they can be given to catfish, they must be fermented with bran.

3. Trash Fish

Trash fish is small fish waste that cannot be consumed by humans. Usually, the price of trash fish is quite cheap. In giving, it is enough to chop it and give it directly to the catfish, as long as there are no thorns.

4. Fish Meal

Fish meal comes from fish spines or heads, you can grind it finely so that it becomes flour. The advantage of using fishmeal as feed is that it is cheap and highly nutritious which is good for catfish metabolism.

5. Snail

Snail contains high enough protein. Before giving the snails as catfish feed, you must separate the meat from the snail shells, then mince the meat. Next, boil the snail meat. 

6. Plankton from Manure

The catfish pond is cloudy. The cloudy color doesn't mean the pool is dirty. At the beginning of the preparation for catfish cultivation, pond water is made green, by adding manure.

Manure will change the clear pool water to green because it is filled with plankton. Plankton are small creatures that are suitable for feeding catfish seeds.

7. Worms

Worms have a crude protein content ranging from 60-72%. Thus, worms can be eaten by catfish. However, giving excessive worms can make pool water dirty quickly, so it is necessary to clean the worms before giving them to the catfish. 

8. Bran

Bran has many important nutrients that can help grow catfish to grow big quickly. In addition, the price of bran is also cheap and easy to find on the market.

9. Water hyacinth

The protein content in water hyacinth is 13%. However, keep in mind that water hyacinth is not the main food for catfish. You can use it only in emergencies.

10. Cassava Leaves

Cassava leaves can be given to catfish directly or through fermentation. This type of feed can be used as alternative feed during an emergency.

How to Make Your Own Catfish Alternative Feed

You can make alternative feed to replace pellets with various ingredients. The type of feed given will have a significant impact on the growth and development of catfish. In choosing feed, you must choose it according to the needs and age of the catfish.

Here's how to make alternative feeds so that catfish grow up fast:

1. Making Alternative Feed in the Form of Pellets

Ingredients:

• Fish flour 30 kgs
• Soybean Flour 30 kgs
• Cornstarch 40 kgs
• Yeast Tempeh
• Fresh Papaya Leaves
• Salted Fish to taste

Ways of making:

• Mix fish meal, soy flour, corn flour, and tempeh yeast together. Then, stir until well blended.
• Add a little water to make the dough smooth.
• Put the dough into a container and close tightly. Leave it for about 12 hours.
• After letting it rest, open the lid of the dough container and mix the ground salted fish with papaya leaves until evenly distributed.
• Print the dough with a pellet machine.
• Dry the printouts to dry.
• Store the pellets in an airtight container so they don't spoil.

2. Making Snail Alternative Feed

Here's how to make fish feed from snails:

• Break the snail shell and separate the meat from the head.
• Wash the snail meat thoroughly, try to get most of the slime off.
• Boil the snail meat, the goal is to remove the mucus that is still attached.
• Grind or finely chop the snail meat.
• The chopped meat can be given to the catfish.

3. Making Feed from Tofu Dregs Fermentation

Here's how to make fermented tofu dregs for catfish feed:

Preparing Tools

• Container (bucket, drum, or plastic bag)
• Air Hose
• Plastic cups

Preparing Raw Materials

• Mix all the ingredients, then put it in a container with air holes in the form of a hose. The end of the hose is covered with a plastic cup. The hole is not closed tightly so that oxygen can get in and out.
• Leave it for 5 days.
• After 5 days, fermented tofu dregs can be given to catfish in the following way:

1. Can be given directly to the catfish by clenching.
2. Not given with pellets.
3. Should be given to catfish that are 1 month old (seeds 5-7 cm or 7-9 cm).

4. Making Alternative Feed from Moggots

Tools and materials:

• Bucket
• Dry Banana Leaves
• Dregs of Tofu
• Salted Fish Remains
• Chicken manure

How to Breed Moggets:

• Put the dregs of tofu into the bucket.
• Add enough water, stir until well blended.
• Add the remaining salted fish and chicken manure.
• Place dry banana leaves on top of these ingredients.
• Place the bucket in a shady place away from rain and direct sunlight for 2-3 weeks.

How to Harvest Moggot:

• After 2-3 weeks, the moggots can be harvested.
• Add water to the culture bucket, then stir for a few minutes.
• Separate the moggot from the culture medium, then filter it.
• Moggot that has been harvested must be given to the catfish immediately.

5. Plankton from Organic Fertilizers

You can create plankton from organic fertilizer. Here's how to make plankton:

• Prepare 1.5-3 kg of manure for 1 ㎡ pond.
• Put the manure in the sack, so that the pond is not full of dirt and too smelly.
• Put the sack on the edge of the pool so it's easy to pick up and clean.
• Leave it for about a week until the pond water turns green and is ready for catfish seeds to live in.

6. Making Feed from Cassava Leaves

Using cassava leaves as an alternative feed for catfish is very easy. How to make catfish feed with cassava leaves:

• Boil cassava leaves in boiling water.
• Dry and soak again with clean water.
• Dry cassava leaves in the sun to dry.
• Cassava leaves are ready to be used as catfish feed.