In ornamental fish farms such as Sunny Aquarium, where the focus lies on the imports, exports and transhipments of ornamental fish. Furthermore, profits are largely dependent on the exports of ornamental fish. For the company to continue in the industry, the fish they export must be of good quality especially in terms of colouration, health, and long lifespans and most importantly size. This would create a higher demand of good quality fish, allowing the industry to thrive well. Hence, the food consumed is of utmost importance, so the fish can attain all these good characteristics as they grow, thus allowing the company to maximise its profits.
In Sunny Aquarium, the ornamental fish are mainly obtained by import into the farm rather than in house breeding. The fish are categorized by sizes labelled as S, SM, M, ML, L, XL in ascending order of size. XL sized fish have the highest economic value which is why a feed which promotes the fastest growth is necessary to bring in the highest amount of profit possible.
The study focused on the efficacy of different types of feeds on the growth rate of six species of ornamental fish. The growth rate was determined by measuring and recording the gain in length and weight the fishes. The fish were then categorized by size and the economic value was determined. Three pelleted feeds were used: one made up of shrimp meal, one made up of fish meal, and the third a frozen bloodworm.