How to Raise Tropical Fish Fry: How to Raise Fry So They Grow Faster
Fish keeping is a fairly common activity nowadays. Whether the fish are kept as ornamentals or for food, there are many techniques involved in raising them. If the methods are not used properly, many problems can arise, and in serious cases they can even lead to the death of the fry. Below, let us learn together about the techniques for raising fish fry.
How to Raise Tropical Fish Fry
1. The water temperature for tropical fish is generally best at 20-30°C. The lighting equipment for tropical fish is mainly fluorescent lamps, in addition to halogen lamps, mercury lamps, etc. For lighting a single aquarium, an underwater colored lamp can sometimes also be used; it is a small glass fully sealed lamp tube that can be placed directly underwater and attached to the glass tank wall. Its tube can emit different colors, such as red, blue, green, and white light, giving a good aquascaping effect.
2. The bait for tropical fish includes fish worms, tubifex worms, infusoria, yellow mealworms, small live fish, pelleted feed, etc. There are many varieties of tropical fish and their sizes vary greatly, so the choice of bait differs for different varieties of tropical fish. Most tropical fish mainly take animal-based bait, small varieties can also be trained to mainly take pelleted feed, while fish that mainly take plant-based bait are few.
How to Raise Fry So They Grow Faster
1. Add water in stages. Adding water in stages to meet the requirements of fry at different stages for activity space, water quality, nutrition and other conditions is an effective measure to increase the survival rate and growth rate during fry rearing. The specific method is: stock shallow water, that is, when the fry are stocked the water depth is about 0.6 m; afterward, according to the water color and the growth of the fry, add water once every 4-5 days, 10-20 cm each time, and finally stabilize the water depth at 1.2-1.5 m.
2. Daily management. Patrol the pond once each morning and evening, carefully observe the water quality, the activity of the fry and their feeding situation, promptly remove sick fish and dead fish, and check immediately. If the fry are confirmed to be sick, necessary prevention and control measures should be taken. In addition, check whether the embankment has any leaks and whether the drainage outlet is intact, and pay attention to preventing escape.
3. Separate ponds in time. After about 25 days of rearing, when the total length of the fry reaches 2.5-3.0 cm, seine netting should be carried out in a planned way to sort and separate them into ponds for sparse rearing; otherwise the survival rate of fry rearing will be low.
How to Feed Fry at Different Stages
1. First stage: from the 1st to the 7th day after the fry are stocked, with a total length of 0.7-1.2 cm, feed fresh pig blood, using 500 g of pig blood per 10,000 fry per day, add water and splash it along the pond edge, feeding in 3 portions (once each at 9:00, 14:00 and 18:00).
2. Second stage: from the 8th to the 14th day after the fry are stocked, with a total length of 1.2-2.0 cm. Feed crushed peanut bran (40-60 mesh granules). Peanut bran has a fragrant smell that attracts fish, has high nutritional value, and can also fertilize the water. Use 500 g per 10,000 fry per day, broadcast dry over the whole pond, feeding in 2 portions (once each at 10:00 and 17:00).
3. Third stage: from the 15th to the 50th day after the fry are stocked, with a total length of 2.0-5.0 cm. Crush compound feed with a protein content of more than 32% into 10-20 mesh granules; the daily feeding amount is about 8% of the total weight of the fry, fed in 2 portions (once each at 10:00 and 17:00). Feeding should adhere to the "four fixeds", and the feeding amount should be adjusted according to actual conditions.
Several Reasons That Cause Tropical Fish to Become Sick and Die
1. Drastic changes in water temperature. The optimal temperature for the survival of tropical fish is 25°C, but different species have different temperature requirements; some need as high as about 30°C, and some prefer 20°C. Therefore, on average, 25°C is a generally acceptable temperature. In addition, drastic changes in water temperature should be avoided; generally the allowable temperature variation range is 2 degrees.
2. Stocking density too high. Many people see that aquariums can keep many lovely fish in one fish tank, so they also keep many fish in a fish tank at home. With this raising method, no matter which kind of fish it is, they will all die. If keeping several different kinds of fish, the suitable living space of each kind must be considered and the number of fish reduced. No matter what kind, a small tank with many fish is never a good thing. The principle of keeping tropical fish is very similar to keeping goldfish; it requires a relatively broad water surface and a normal ratio to the number kept, so as to ensure that the tropical fish have a sufficient oxygen supply.
3. Disease. There are many reasons tropical fish become sick, including infection from sick fish that were bought, white spot disease caused by too low a temperature, and water quality deteriorating due to decomposition of leftover food or fish feces and filth, etc.
When raising tropical fish fry, be sure to pay attention to temperature regulation, and also provide light at the appropriate times; as for feeding, small fish and tubifex worms are both fine. When raising fry, you also need to constantly observe their health problems and carry out timely prevention and control when disease is found.