Feeding Methods and Equipments for Fish Culture

Feeding methods/ Equipments	Application/Function	Advantages	Disadvantages
Feed tray	Ration placed on a 1 x 1m or 1 x 2 m fine meshed net situated 15-20 cm below the water surface	Low cost and simple to use	Limited feed distribution; significant nutrient leaching and feed disintegration
Hand feeding	Ration broadcasted by hand for 15-30 minutes	Allows uniform feeding and observation of appetite and feed response	Costly and labour intensive
Demand feeder	Feed release mechanism triggered by fish on demand	Cost and labour  efficient; reflects on appetite and condition of fish	Should be used strictly with a maximum feeder: fish ratio to ensure uniform feeding; cannot be used for smaller than 20 g fish
Automatic feed blower	Feed automatically broadcasted by electrically powered feed blower	Wide area of distribution of at least 1:5,000 feeder: fish ratio	Does not reflect fish appetite; requires electrical power; high cost and high power consumption (1/4-1/2 hp)
Automatic feed spreader	Feed automatically broadcasted by electrically powered feed spreader	Wide area of distribution at 1:10,000-15,000 feeder: fish ratio; lower power consumption; certain models accepts crumbled feeds	Does not reflect fish appetite