Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello all,
was just wondering what size fish pellets to feed to what size fish?
I've noticed that there are several sizes of pellets available and not sure which would be the right size?
So I was wondering if people would like to advise what sizes they use for what type of fish, from the fingerling stage in approx gram size and mm size through to adult size.
Hope this makes sense all new to me

Example 40gram fingerlings approx mm 4mm pellet

Hey Rawprawn,
if you have got or are getting small silver perch you would probably be crushing the pellets any way, so does not matter what size you get. Any large pellets that you throw in go soft and the fish nibble them away. Go for floating pellets.
If you are talking trout, next month the smallest pellet available perhaps 3mm, they grow quick so it would not be long before they take 4mm anyhow.
Trout have small mouth size and barramundi huge mouth size.
First deicde on the fish type.

Hey Rawprawn, I started with 40 SP in November from Golden Ponds. Honestly, they were no bigger than 2cm. I was crushing 4mm BYAP fish food for them to a crumble. I went back to Golden Ponds in January and they had 2mm pellets so my SP which were about 5cm at that point were enjoying them. As the Golden Ponds pellets had no info on the packet I decided to get some 4mm from BYAP(they had no 2mm) and now my SP at about 10cm are enjoying them. The SP have not all grown at same rate so I still break up some 4mm for the smaller ones.
SPs also like a few greens now so i throw in small bits of silverbeet for them.

Thanks for the replies.
I am thinking trout next month.
Just didn't want to end up with to many small pellets left over. So was wondering if therec was some sort of general rule to pellet size verses fish size. Knowing when to move up to larger pellets?

You wouldn't end up with small pellets left over because the fish still eat them.

It's always a good idea to mix the different gradings of pellets together as you increase pellet size...

This uses the older pellets... and makes the smaller ones available for the smaller fish...

The technical answer to your question of "what size pellet to feed the fish"....

Is that you should feed a pellet... that is half the size of the fishes "gape"..... totally open mouth....

Okay thanks for that.
But as I have never ever done this before I don't know how big the fishes mouth is guna be?
I was hoping to buy enough food for the trout to see them through the grow out period.
So was wondering what size pellet to feed 40g fingerlings?
Then at what size do I increase to the next size pellet and what size pellet would that be?
Then what size pellet would you feed to say 200g to 300g size trout?

Hi Rawprawn I have 700 Jades when they were large fingerlings up 45grams 1.8mm starter feed then went to 4mm from 45g now they are 160grams still loving the size... 2 points to remember too small a feed and they burn heaps more energy feeding....and.... if the feed is too big like rup said more than 1/2 mouth width then they will get deformed jaws .... so all in all it is best to keep changing pellet size to suit fish ....anyway hope that helped ....

found this from troutman on another thread

'Here is a rough guide of what size pellet to feed Trout compared to their weight.
These figures come from one of the feed producers.

20 - 85gm 3mm
85 - 200gm 4mm
200 - 300gm 5mm
300 - 750gm 6mm
750 plus 7 or 8mm

I usually skip the 5mm and just continue feeding 4mm before going onto the 6mm. If in doubt you are better off with the smaller sizes as at least you wont lose any fish to them chocking on a pellet thats too large to fit down their throat. In nature often Trouts diets consist of large quantities of very small food items. I have caught many 2kg plus Trout where the largest food item inside them has been no larger than a 3mm pellet."

i have 100 - 160gm trout, feed them on 3% body weight 4mm pellets

Faye - is your BYAP food ok for trout and Barramundi? still not sure what barra pellets are . .
cheers
Ben

The pellt size should be a max of half the mouth width...any larger then you get problems...My jades were 4mths old they just started on 6mm pellets i had some smaller pellets left over 2mm they leave them till all the bigger size are gone then its oh well nothing else we'd better eat them they dont like wasting the energy from the smaller sizes...

This forum is awesome It has all the answers. I am getting my inlaws to pick up some feed this wkend from BYAP and I was wondering what size to get. I've had my trout since May and am only just getting to the end of my 3mm pellets. Think I'll go for 5mm as I estimate they would be somewhere between 200-500g in weight. Don't think they could handle 7mm just yet