Tilapia Food For Sale
We sell Purina AquaMax tilapia food
We have the highest quality tilapia food, Purina AquaMax, available in weights that are perfect for home tilapia farmers and aquaponic growers.
As the feeding requirements of your tilapia change, you can easily find yourself with 45 pounds of tilapia food remaining out of a 50 pound bag. If you go ahead and "finish off" the bag by continuing to give it to your tilapia, not only are you providing the wrong nutrition for that stage of growth, you are throwing your money away. The cost of AquaMax goes down significantly as the pellets get larger. So optimally, you want to get away from the smaller, more expensive, fingerling food and on to the larger dense pond food as soon as possible. As a matter of fact, now is a really good time to read our Tilapia Feeding Guide to learn how AquaMax can reduce the cost of your harvest, and increase your tilapia farming profits.
Here's the AquaMax feeding chart for reference.
For home tilapia farming and aquaponic growing, we carry AquaMax tilapia food for the final three stages of growth:
- AquaMax fingerling Starter 300, product code 5D03, for tilapia between two and five inches.
- AquaMax Grower 400, product code 5D04, for tilapia between five and six inches.
- AquaMax Dense 4000, product code 5D09, for tilapia over six inches.
Notes:
1. Purina AquaMax is manufactured to be preservative free and as a result has a limited shelf life. It is best to buy the exact amount that your tilapia can eat, but if you find yourself with extra tilapia food, keep it in an airtight container in the freezer.
2. We do not recommend that Purina AquaMax be the only source of nutrition for tilapia between one and two inches long. Instead we recommend a mixture of AquaMax 300 and Ziegler Algae Discs.
3. We do not recommend feeding Purina AquaMax to tilapia under one inch long.
4. The chart above shows 10 grams as the minimum fish weight for AquaMax 300, however the chart does not consider the grade or the species of the tilapia in question. It also does not consider the pond density or the dissolved oxygen contained in the water and it allows for a wide range of feeding temperatures. All of these affect feeding weights and growth rates. In our own feeding charts and examples, we assume optimal conditions which puts the minimum fish weight to 9.45 grams, or an average length of two inches.
How much tilapia food do I need to buy?
Here's a practical example of how much tilapia food you will need. Let's say that you have 100 of our Food Grade Tilapia™ fingerlings in 374 gallons of fully aerated 88℉ water and the average weight of each fingerling is 9.45 grams. This puts the total weight of all 100 fingerlings at 945 grams or 2.08 pounds.
- You will need 4.375 pounds (4 pounds 6 ounces) of AquaMax Fingerling Starter 300 to get them to the next food size.
After giving your 100 fingerlings 4.375 pounds of AquaMax Fingerling Starter 300 they should weigh 2834 grams or 6.25 pounds and be ready for the next food size.
- You will need 6.25 pounds (6 pounds 4 ounces) of AquaMax Grower 400 to get them to the next food size.
After giving your 100 fingerlings 6.25 pounds of AquaMax Grower 400, they should weigh about 5761 grams or 12.7 pounds, and be ready for the next food size.
- You will then need 87.3 pounds of AquaMax Dense 4000 to get your 100 tilapia to a harvest size of one pound each.
What about tilapia food for smaller fish?
It's safe to say that Purina AquaMax is the most researched and proven tilapia food available. However, when it comes to tilapia under two inches long there's something even better... Ziegler Algae Discs.
The most critical time in the development of a tilapia is arguably the first fifty days. With proper conditions and feeding, the tilapia will be "launched" into the fastest growth rates possible. Improper feeding will result in squandering their accelerated growth period and may even result in stunting them for life, but think about this... According to the chart above, Purina makes three different feeds for the first 50 days of life and you are supposed to feed them constantly! That's fine if you have 100,000 or more tilapia and use an industrial shaker-type feeder. But what if you have less than 1000, or even just ten? The answer is Ziegler Algae Discs.
The process couldn't be more simplified. Just drop in one algae disc per 100 fry and walk away. Come back in 12 hours, if it's gone drop in another. As the fry get larger, drop one in every six hours. When you notice that one disk isn't feeding everyone because the entire surface area is covered in fry and there's no more room at the "buffet" then start dropping in two discs at a time, then three, then four, etc, all the way until they get to an inch long. Then start adding Purina AquaMax 300 to their diet as they continue to grow. When they get to two inches long, stop feeding algae discs and continue with AquaMax 300 according to the charts on our tilapia feeding guide.
Each Ziegler Algae Disc contains the exact nutrition required to promote maximum growth rates with awesome ingredients including fish meal, spirulina algae, dried kelp and shrimp meal. Each sinking disc provides 30% protein and 7.5% fat with only 4% of finely milled crude fiber. This is important because if a young fish ingests something that it can't digest (like a stray soybean hull found in so-called "premium fish foods") it will die within hours. Wheat germ and high levels of Vitamin C, together with brewers yeast help to promote healthy development of gills, fins and other tissues. As an added bonus, the highly digestible finely ground ingredients promote less waste and increased water clarity.
Ziegler has been around since 1935 and been making aquatic diets since 1967, so you can trust their quality as much as we depend on it.
Fresh tilapia food matters
Purina and Ziegler feeds are preservative free and as a result have a limited shelf life. We do not recommend storing tilapia food for longer than six months without freezing in order to retain the full nutritional value. Traditional feed stores don't sell enough to meet the minimum stocking requirement imposed by Purina, and if they do happen to have some laying around, it's probably well-past the expiration date. So unless there's a lot of fish farms within the distributor's range, they usually won't carry it.
Lakeway tilapia is the largest online seller of AquaMax. We buy so much tilapia food that it's practically still warm from the oven when we ship it. This means that none of the valuable shelf life or nutritional value has been lost sitting around our feed packaging area.
About the prices you see below
These days it seems like everyone is playing the same game. They show you one low price up front, then make up for their "loss" with inflated shipping and handling charges. Their hope is that by the time you notice, you'll be too far along in the purchase process to change your mind. We don't like that game so we refuse to play it. The prices that you see on this page include the cost of priority shipping, so when you hit the shopping cart there are no surprises.
Important point: Purina Mills does not manufacture tilapia food into anything other than 50 pound bulk paper bags. Do not be fooled by all the fancy plastic buckets, mylar bags and creatively printed labels found on Amazon and eBay. You are paying extra for this extra packaging nonsense. So get out your calculator and compare their price per ounce and free shipping to ours.
Spoiler alert - we are a lot less!
Same day shipping on tilapia food
We know that you need your food fast and we want to get it to you as quickly as possible. So not only do we offer the lowest prices on the Internet, we ship all tilapia food orders on the same day. Just place your order before 6am eastern time Mon-Fri and it will go out within a few hours, otherwise it will go out the very next business day.
AquaMax Fingerling Starter 300
Purina AquaMax Fingerling Starter 300 is a small sinking pellet, about 1/16th in diameter. It provides the exact nutritional requirements for tilapia between two and five inches long. It can also be eaten by tilapia between one and two inches, however this should only be done to slowly transition tilapia from Ziegler Algae Discs to AquaMax 300. Avoid feeding AquaMax 300 to tilapia under one inch long. Feed from three to five percent of their body weight per day. Split the daily food total between six to ten individual feedings per day if possible, but if not, feeding twice per day will give acceptable results. For breeding colonies, feed 1/4 teaspoon two times per day to the entire colony until they reach five inches.
You will need 4 pounds 6 ounces of AquaMax 300 for every 100 tilapia fingerlings in your system. Use the drop down list below to select the correct amount of food.
The prices below include same or next day priority shipping
AquaMax Grower 400
Purina AquaMax Grower 400 is a small sinking pellet about 3/32nd in diameter. It was developed to provide the exact balance of nutrition that tilapia need when they are between five and six inches long. They only eat this food for a little over three weeks, and you may be tempted to skip it, but don't. This is an important dietary step for their proper development at this stage. Feed from three to four percent of their body weight per day, divided into five to eight feedings if possible.
You will need 6 pounds 4 ounces of AquaMax 400 for every 100 tilapia fingerlings in your system. Use the drop down list below to select the correct amount of food.
The prices below include same or next day priority shipping
AquaMax Dense 4000
Purina AquaMax Dense 4000 is a medium floating pellet about 3/16th in diameter. It should only used to feed tilapia over six inches long This food gives the best ratio of feed to growth possible. It also promotes excellent composition of fish wastes, which leads to excellent secondary products, such as fertilizers and compost teas. The medium pellet size aids in dense aquaculture populations, where food control/domination can cause uneven growth. Competitive manufacturers may attempt to copy the ingredient list, however, Purina AquaMax is milled to a finer degree, extracting more nutrition and making it more digestible. Use Purina AquaMax Dense 4000 all the way to a harvest size.
The prices below include same or next day priority shipping
Ziegler Spirulina Algae Discs
Manufactured by Zeigler Bros.®, a recognized leader in animal nutrition for over 80 years. These spirulina algae discs are an excellent first food for all tilapia. Required for tilapia fry and recommended for all tilapia fingerlings up to two inches. They are a bit pricey, but a pound goes a long way. Drop one disc per 100 fry into your tank twice a day to start. Watch their water quality and adjust the number of discs given as necessary. When the fry get to an inch long, start "weening" them off of the algae discs by slowly introducing AquaMax 300 and reducing the number of discs given as they grow to two inches in length.
Four ounces will feed 100 fry to one inch long, or transition 100 inch long fingerlings to two inches long in combination with AquaMax 300. So, if you are starting with 100 fry, you will need eight ounces. If you are growing 100 tilapia that are between ¾ and one inch long, you will need six ounces. If you are starting with tilapia that are already one inch long, you will need four ounces to supplement them to two inches long.
If you are purchasing tilapia and food at the same time, you will need 8 ounces for 100 un-graded tilapia, six ounces for 100 Aquaponics Grade tilapia, and four ounces for 100 Food Grade tilapia. If you purchased our Pond Grade tilapia or un-graded tilapia for use in open water ponds, use Ziegler Algae Discs as necessary to supplement their diet.
Use the drop down to select the proper amount to feed the number of tilapia in your system.
The prices below include same or next day priority shipping
Lakeway Tilapia Pro Pack tilapia food
Lakeway Tilapia Pro Packs offer the ultimate in tilapia feeding economy. Each Pro Pack contains the exact amount of tilapia food necessary to raise tilapia fingerlings from one inch through six inches long. Start off by feeding the included Ziegler spirulina algae discs as you begin to ween your tilapia onto the Purina Aquamax 300. By the time that you run out of the algae discs, your fish should be two inches long. Continue feeding the Aquamax 300 until your fish reach five inches long, then switch to the Aquamax 400 to get them to six inches long.
Please note that our Pro Packs are intended to be accurate for our Food Grade Tilapia® at a water temperature of 85℉. If you are purchasing a Pro Pack for any other grade, including un-graded or a cooler water temperature, please use the dropdown list that includes extra algae discs.
AquaMax farm variety pack
Includes the Lakeway Tilapia Pro Pack 100 above plus 8 pounds of AquaMax Dense 4000 also sold above. A good way to get 100 tilapia fingerlings past six inches long and into their final grow-out feed.
AquaMax tilapia farm variety pack
Only $78.09 - Includes same or next day priority shipping