henward Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 Ok, today i was thinking. i feed shrimp to my arowana. A kg of tiger peel prawns are 18/kg it is only 16 to 18% protein in total. i saw silk worm FD, and that is 52% protein, Plus i am certain that silk worm will carry more nutrients and trace and minerals than prawn. Now i have been served well by prawn, but this is about science and bang for your buck as well as whats better for your fish. Hence the title:D i figure, i just measured and each prawn is average 11 to 12 grams each. thtas 2.16 grams of protein per shrimp. IF i fed something like silk worm. I would only need 4 to 5 grams of silk worm to get the same nutrients out of a prawn. Most of the shrimp is water. or pellets is the same. Most arowana pellets are 40% protein, you would only need to feed 1/3 the weight of you do prawns to get nutrients plus they get more than protein. In the end, the cost isnt all that much if you work out the cost of feeding so much prawns to equal the nutrient content of the pellets or FD silk worms. thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 Have you tried mussel meat instead of prawns? It is more cost effective than prawn. I am unsure of the protein level but it must be similar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted May 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 yeah, similar, no i havent but breaking it open is annoying isnt it? i guess variety is a good thing, i could do a combo of shrimp AND silk worm FD plus locust that i breed. i am just putting this up also for discussion, i find it interesting. cos first look, the cost of pellets and prepared foods is alot. but really. value for money isnt that bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 a breakdown of some things for feeding zoo animals Insect Protein (g) Fat (g) Carbo Calcium (mg) Iron (mg) Giant Water Beetle 19.8 8.3 2.1 43.5 13.6 Red Ant 13.9 3.5 2.9 47.8 5.7 Silk Worm Pupae 9.6 5.6 2.3 41.7 1.8 Dung Beetle 17.2 4.3 .2 30.9 7.7 Cricket 12.9 5.5 5.1 75.8 9.5 Grasshopper 20.6 6.1 3.9 35.2 5.0 Grasshopper 14.3 3.3 2.2 27.5 3.0 June Beetle 13.4 1.4 2.9 22.6 6.0 Caterpillar 28.2 N/A N/A N/A 35.5 Caterpillar 9.7 N/A N/A N/A 1.9 Beef (Leand) 27.4 N/A N/A N/A 3.5 Fish (Broiled Cod) 28.5 N/A N/A N/A 1.0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 It is an interesting discussion one of which I am yet to decide on... I do know that one of the catch lines of NLS to justify its high cost is they reckon it is so full of goodness and not fillers that it actually goes alot further than other foods. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
livingart Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 A 3 oz (85 g) portion of cooked mussel contains 20g of protein and only 147 calories. It is rich in iron, manganese, phosphorous, selenium, zinc and vitamins C and B12. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwiplymouth Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 I assume that you are feeding raw prawn? I have been feeding cooked mussel meat for quite some time with no negative results. Cooked, shell free mussel meat can be purchased quite easily or steam them open yourself and free flow them in the freezer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henward Posted May 30, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 the silk worm pupa i am refering to is FD. so all water content is gone. so its lighter, hence the high er protein count. this product is available plenty overseas and recently been introduced here in lfs. was thinking variety i guess is better than one single food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 i figure, i just measured and each prawn is average 11 to 12 grams each. thtas 2.16 grams of protein per shrimp. IF i fed something like silk worm. I would only need 4 to 5 grams of silk worm to get the same nutrients out of a prawn 4-5g of silkworm isn't going to fill your aro up, even though its had its daily intake of protein. I think balance and variety is the key, there's a lot more to it than protein levels. I feed my carnivores spirulina and my herbivores carnivore sticks, in moderation of course. A predatory fish in the wild will eat herbivorous fish with a stomach full of plant matter, and fish that graze on algae will eat countless tiny animals that live on the algae. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer Posted May 30, 2010 Report Share Posted May 30, 2010 Remember, you must compare dry weight analysis to get an accurate comparison of protein, otherwise it is apples and oranges. See this topic where we got into all the specifics of dry weight analysis: viewtopic.php?f=28&t=44838&p=487452&hilit=dry+weight#p487452 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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