Aquaculture Feed Conversion Calculator

Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) is a standard aquaculture production metric — total feed consumed divided by total fish biomass gained — and it is the calculator's central output because it directly measures feeding efficiency independent of price: a lower FCR means less feed is required per kilogram of fish produced, regardless of what that feed or that fish happens to sell for. Well-run finfish and shrimp operations typically target an FCR in the 1.0-2.0 range depending on species and system, so this figure is the number aquaculture producers watch most closely to judge feeding program performance. From that base ratio, the calculator layers on two economic views: feed cost per kilogram of fish produced (FCR times feed price) and that cost expressed as a percentage of fish revenue, which together show whether feed spending is proportionate to what the fish will actually sell for — feed typically represents the single largest variable cost in aquaculture production, so this percentage is a key profitability signal.

The protein efficiency ratio (weight gain divided by protein fed) uses a fixed assumption of 30% crude protein in the feed, a reasonable mid-range figure for many commercial aquafeeds but not a substitute for your actual feed's protein content label — real aquafeeds range roughly from 25% protein for some omnivorous species up to 45%+ for high-protein carnivorous species diets, so treat this output as illustrative unless your feed happens to match that assumption. Economic FCR (total feed cost divided by total fish value) is a single combined profitability check: a value under 1.0 means feed cost is less than the value of fish it produced, a rough profitability signal before accounting for labor, energy, and other production costs.