Long-term feed for aquatic animals

Abstract

The present invention provides a long-term feed for aquatic animals, especially for fish, shrimp and invertebrates, which feed is stable for a long time, is insoluble and does not load the water chemistry in fresh and sea water and can also be used as a weekend or holiday feed for warm and cold water ornamental fish, wherein it contains 1 to 50% by weight of agar-agar.

I claim:  
     
         1 . A feed for aquatic animals, especially for fish, shrimp and invertebrates, which feed is stable for a long time, is insoluble, and can also be used as a weekend or holiday feed for warm and cold water fish, wherein the feed contains in the range of about 1-50% by weight of plant gum and has a moisture content of in the range of about 1-20% by weight.  
     
     
         2 . A feed according to  claim 1 , wherein the plant gum is selected from the group consisting of carrageenan, agar-agar, gum arabic, tragacanth, karaya gum, ghatti gum, carob bean meal, tara gum, xanthans and mixtures thereof.  
     
     
         3 . A feed according to  claim 2 , wherein the plant gum is agar-agar.  
     
     
         4 . A feed according to  claim 3 , wherein the feed contains in the range of 1-10% by weight of agar-agar.  
     
     
         5 . A feed according to  claim 4 , wherein the feed contains about 2.9% by weight of agar-agar and has a moisture content of about 3% by weight.  
     
     
         6 . A process for the production of a fish feed according to claims  1 , wherein a mixture of about 15 to 35% by weight of bolus alba, about 15 to 35% by weight wheat gum, about 5 to 25% by weight lucerne green meal, about 5 to 20% by weight casein, about 5 to 20% by weight krill, about 1 to 10% by weight soya oil, about 1 to 10% by weight milk protein, aabout 1 to 10% by weight agar-agar and vitamin and mineral material pre-mixtures, conventional colouring materials and/or aroma and luring materials and preserving agents is extruded with the use of a twin-screw boiling extruder at an extruder screw speed of rotation of about 50 to 300 r.p.m. and at a temperature in the meal introduction region of about 40 to 160° C. and in the nozzle head of about 40 to 180° C. with the addition of about 10 to 50 liters of water and/or of about 1 to 30 kg of steam per hour at a throughput capacity of about 80 to 1500 kg/hour to give extrudates of about 5 to 50 mm length, with a stick diameter of about 2 to 20 mm and a moisture content of about 1-20% by weight.  
     
     
         7 . A process for the production of fish feed according to  claim 6 , wherein a mixture of about 22.2% by weight bolus alba, about 22.0% by weight wheat gum, about 14.5% by weight lucerne green meal, about 12.1% by weight casein, about 9.7% by weight kril, about 4.8% by weight soya oil, about 4.0% by weight milk protein, about 2.9% by weight agar-agar and vitamin and mineral material premixtures, conventional colouring materials and/or aroma or luring materials and/or preserving agents is extruded with the help of a twin-screw boiling extruder at an extruder screw speed of rotation of about 100 r.p.m. and at a temperature in the meal introduction region of about 80° C. and in the nozzle head of about 85° C. with the addition of about 31 liters of water per hour to give extrudates in the range of from 20 to 24 mm length, with a stick diameter in th range of from 6 to 8 mm and a moisture content of about 3% by weight.  
     
     
         8 . The method of use of a feed according to  claim 1  as weekend and holiday feed for cold and warm water fish in fresh and sea water which feed is stable for a long period of tine.