Aquaculture Feed Manufacture Machinery and Equipment

Ecotao Enterprises has formulated and produced small scale commercial fish feeds (flakes and pellets) and shrimp feeds (pellets) and can supply a complete floating fish feed production line.

Raw material mixer

Screw conveyor to move mixed raw materials

Twin-screw extruder for pellet production

Air conveyors to move pellet

Oven for drying and additional gelatinization of starches

Roller for oil application

Fish oil or other oil  sprayer

Sifter to remove fines from pellet

Grinder to process raw materials before mixing

80 mesh = 177 micron; 100 mesh = 150 micron

Feeds sifted through a 177-micron opening (a U.S. No. 100 sieve) have  been successfully used for increasing survival and growth of minnows and catfish fry (https://www.fao.org/3/x5738e/x5738e0j.htm#2.%20grinding).

In contrast to the intensive poultry and livestock feed manufacturing industry, where incoming ingredient sources are seldom ground to a particle size below 1mm, the manufacture of good quality pelleted aquaculture feed necessitate that all feed ingredients be first ground so as to pass through a 0.25mm sieve (for premixes and starter crumbles) and a 0.35mm sieve (for grower and broodstock pellets) so as to meet the physical size requirement of the animal farmed and for maximum nutritional benefit to be gained from the nutrients present. (https://www.fao.org/3/ab467e/ab467e03.htm)

Shrimp feed raw material particle sizes are generally finer (smaller) than those required for fish due to the small size of shrimp.