Detailed Explanation of Freshwater Shrimp Farming Techniques and Management Methods

SummaryPond selection: The pond bottom should be flat, the water quality fresh, drainage and irrigation convenient, and water retention good, etc. Pond clearing: 20-30 days before stocking shrimp fry, drain the pond water and promptly remove excess silt, then disinfect with quicklime or bleaching powder. Aquatic plants: Plant alligator weed, tape grass and other plants on the pond slopes around the pond. Stocking: Release shrimp fry when the water temperature is stable above 20°C. Feed: Artificial feed combined with small trash fish and other fresh live feed. Water quality: Ensure sufficient dissolved oxygen. Management: Patrol the pond morning and evening, and actively prevent and control diseases.

1. Choosing a Pond

A suitable pond for freshwater shrimp farming has an area of 1000-5000 sq m and a suitable depth of 1.5-2.0 m. The pond bottom should be flat, the water quality fresh, drainage and irrigation convenient, and water retention good, with relatively steep surrounding slopes; anti-escape facilities also need to be installed.

2. Pond Clearing and Disinfection

20-30 days before stocking freshwater shrimp fry, drain the pond water and promptly remove excess silt. After repairing the pond embankments, spread 75kg of quicklime per mu, or use bleaching powder, bleaching concentrate and similar agents to disinfect the pond.

3. Cultivating Aquatic Plants

After the pond is disinfected, plant alligator weed, water spinach, tape grass and other plants along the 70cm water-level line on the pond slopes around the pond to form grass belts. The grass belts should be about 1 m wide with a plant spacing of 0.2 m, accounting for about 15-20% of the pond's total area.

4. Stocking Fry

When the pond water temperature is stable above 20°C, freshwater shrimp fry can be released. During this period, they may be cultivated in a greenhouse or warm shed first, then juvenile freshwater shrimp with a size of over 1.5cm and a survival rate of over 75% are selected for stocking, at a stocking rate of 20,000-25,000 fry per mu.

5. Feeding

The feeding habits of freshwater shrimp are omnivorous with a preference for animal matter, so the feed used is suitably an artificial compound pellet feed with a crude protein content of 35-40%, and during this period it can also be combined with a small amount of chopped small trash fish, snail meat, clam meat and other fresh live feed.

6. Water Quality Management

During freshwater shrimp farming, water quality management should be carried out promptly so that the pond water remains “lively, tender, refreshing and fertile,” with a transparency of 30-40cm, a pH of 7-8, and dissolved oxygen per liter not lower than 1 mg. If the water is acidic, quicklime can be splashed periodically to adjust it.

7. Daily Management

In daily management, patrol the pond morning and evening, carefully observe the freshwater shrimp's feeding, molting, growth and other conditions, pay timely attention to changes in water quality and water temperature, remove leftover feed and debris from the water, keep relevant patrol records, and promptly prevent and control any diseases found.

8. Timely Harvesting

When freshwater shrimp have been reared until September, most freshwater shrimp can reach as many as 60 per kilogram, at which point they can be harvested in batches for market. During this period, avoid injuring small freshwater shrimp; generally a seine with a mesh of 30-32cm can be used to catch the large and leave the small, yielding an average of over 200kg of large freshwater shrimp per mu.