How to Raise Giant Freshwater Prawns? A Detailed Guide to Farming Techniques

The giant freshwater prawn, also known as the Malaysian prawn or freshwater long-arm prawn, is a large freshwater shrimp native to Southeast Asia. It has the advantages of fast growth, a wide feeding range, good nutritional content in its flesh, and a short farming cycle.

1. Build the shrimp pond well

The shrimp pond should be built in a place with an adequate water source, with a water depth of 1-1.5 m. The bottom of the pond should be flat, with good seepage prevention, rectangular, running east to west, and preferably 1-3 mu.

2. Do the preparatory work well

1. Thoroughly clear the pond

Before stocking the shrimp fry, thoroughly clear the pond and disinfect it with quicklime or bleaching powder to kill loaches, wild miscellaneous fish, frogs, and so on.

2. Set up attachment and shelter materials

Tree branches, netting, tiles, and so on should be placed in the pond, and aquatic plants should be planted for the shrimp fry to attach to. Attachment and shelter materials should account for less than 20% of the pond area.

3. Fertilize the water quality

3-5 days before stocking the shrimp fry, fill with water to 30-50 cm, and apply 700-1000 kg/mu of cow, sheep, or horse manure to cultivate feed organisms.

3. Stocking the shrimp fry

Stock the shrimp fry at the end of April or in May, when the water temperature is stable above 20°C. The stocked shrimp fry should be robust, free of disease and injury, and uniform in size. For monoculture of giant freshwater prawns, 10000-15000 fry of 2-3 cm can be stocked per mu; for mixed fish-shrimp culture, with shrimp as the main species, 8000-10000 giant freshwater prawn fry of 2-3 cm can be stocked per mu, along with 50-120 silver carp and bighead carp that do not compete with the prawns for food.

4. Scientific feeding

The giant freshwater prawn is omnivorous and can feed on zooplankton, aquatic insects, aquatic plants, algae; cakes, rice bran, wheat bran, and so on. Generally, within 20 days after stocking the fry, feed egg yolk, soybean residue, soybean milk, and so on. From June to September, feed artificial compound pellet feed. The protein content of the feed should be above 30%, and the particle size and length of the feed should be 0.3 cm and 1-2 cm respectively. Generally, powdered feed should not be fed, so as to facilitate the prawn's feeding. It can be fed 2-3 times a day, once in the morning and once in the evening (or adding midnight as well), and the amount fed at night can account for 2/3 of the total daily feeding amount. During the main growing season, the daily feeding amount can account for 5%-7% of the total weight of the pond prawns. Persist in feeding at fixed times, in fixed amounts, and with fixed quality, sprinkling evenly around the pond, and flexibly increase or decrease according to the weather and the prawn's feeding and activity conditions.

5. Manage the water quality well

The giant freshwater prawn has relatively high requirements for water quality, so the regulation and control of water quality should be strengthened. Keep the water level at 40-60 cm for 1 month after the shrimp fry enter the pond, then gradually deepen the water level, and add to the deepest level in August-September. When filling with water, strictly filter it with a nylon sieve silk net bag to strictly prevent harmful organisms from entering the pond. In summer, change the water 2 times a week, each time changing 15-20 cm, and install an aerator to regulate water quality. Generally, pond water that is light green or oily green is best. If the water quality is found to be unsuitable, change a large amount of water in time. During the growing season, a water transparency of 25-35 cm is sufficient. Also pay attention to timely removing dirt, and strictly prevent sewage and pesticide water from entering the pond.

6. Strengthen disease prevention

Sprinkle quicklime once every half month at 20 ppm, or sprinkle bleaching powder at 1 ppm, which can serve the purpose of disease prevention.