Rays on a budget- My (somewhat long) story w/pics

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
Good deal. I'll send you the info real soon. Everyone can know that I'm working on a new food...but the details need to stay private for now.

Mike
 
Egon;4709646; said:
Mike, do you have anything similar to Massivor?

That's what got me started on this. IMO Massivore is way over-priced. the batch I just made is 1 version of my Massivore "replacement". It is specialized for rays by having a little more Calcium and Iodine....Which means it's just fine for other predators as well...

But right now, I am thinking of 3 different versions of this food. 1 for rays, 1 for other predators/carnivores, and also a reduced fat formula for older fish that aren't growing much or aren't as active.

So to answer your question- YES. I have something better!

Also- this isn't just a DIY version. I have assistance from the nutritionalists at Premium Fish food. I'm just making it "in-house" for now until I get it exactly how I want it.

Send me a PM and I can explain more details that I can't reveal here yet.

Mike
 
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Interested...

All of my fish are pellet trained, rays included. I can share some of my experience with pellets...

Massivore - expensive $50/2.2lb bag. Nice consistency, doesn't cause discoloration of water, fish seem to like it, easy for them to chew.

NLS - cheaper $50/5lb tub. Nice consistency, however, harder for fish to chew. All of my fish nail it, but usually spit it out initially due to them not being able to bite it. They usually wait for it to soften up, then gobble it up. Because of this, it discolors the water a bit...I have to change out my filter socks every couple of days as opposed to a week or so with massivore.

Right now, I mix the two up. Usually more massivore than NLS though. Would be very interested in something new...perhaps more the consistency of massivore with the price of NLS. I go through 2.2lbs of massivore in a month or so.
 
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SpeshulEd;4711595; said:
Interested...

All of my fish are pellet trained, rays included. I can share some of my experience with pellets...

Massivore - expensive $50/2.2lb bag. Nice consistency, doesn't cause discoloration of water, fish seem to like it, easy for them to chew.

NLS - cheaper $50/5lb tub. Nice consistency, however, harder for fish to chew. All of my fish nail it, but usually spit it out initially due to them not being able to bite it. They usually wait for it to soften up, then gobble it up. Because of this, it discolors the water a bit...I have to change out my filter socks every couple of days as opposed to a week or so with massivore.

Right now, I mix the two up. Usually more massivore than NLS though. Would be very interested in something new...perhaps more the consistency of massivore with the price of NLS. I go through 2.2lbs of massivore in a month or so.

Awesome info, and you are a perfect candidate to try this out. I'm sending you a PM with some details... But keep in mind that this is evolving quickly...and I am constantly working to improve the quality and reduce the cost at the same time.

I have no way to say what the final cost will be since these initial test batches are made with retail priced ingredients...But I am already below the Massivore price, and not too far off the NLS price.

I have learned a lot about fish nutrition lately... To the point where I think that having a "ray specific" formula is mostly a gimmick...if the Calcium and Iodine are from natural sources, then they will be good for all predators just the same...I'm thinking we get fooled a lot by marketing.

Mike
 
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sponger_2;4712548; said:
if the food isnt a pellet, then why do the rays need to be pellet trained? thanks.

Because it isn't fresh meat either. Very good question...but this feed contains about 35% nutrient-rich ingredients similar to what is in a pellet... So the rays may react to it as if it IS a pellet.

The other reason I am targeting pellet trained rays is because that is the market that I am looking to capture. I am trying to make something better than a pellet and save people money at the same time.

I can say though...this food will not require the type of training that the typical pellet would require. The 2 WC Leos that I got just over 2 weeks ago started eating it right away.

Mike
 
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Hi Clearwater guy!

I a, just on about page 6 of this GREAT Post.. Well of of an adventurer but I just wanted to say now even before catching up to the "present" ( I am like reading April or so now) as a fellow business starter /owner (different field) I truly admire your spirit!

This is inspirational to any one beginning a business. Not even mentioning the Great ideas for MFKers! Truly well done!! I applaud you!!

Going back to the reading.. more comments / questions when I catch up!
 
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