Feeding Methods and Technical Key Points for Rice Field Eel (Monopterus albus) Aquaculture
l Feeding types
The rice field eel is a carnivorous fish, and its main baits include earthworms, tadpoles, fly maggots, small fish and shrimp, silkworm pupae, river snails, freshwater mussel meat, etc. Under artificial rearing conditions, when animal-based bait is insufficient, some plant-based bait can also be given, such as wheat bran, cooked rice, soybean cake, melon and fruit peels, etc. The rice field eel does not eat putrid or foul-smelling food.
2 Feeding methods
Feeding of the rice field eel should consistently follow the “four fixeds”. First, fixed quality: do not feed putrid or foul-smelling food, and feed fresh, live bait; second, fixed quantity: the daily feeding amount should be adjusted according to how much was eaten the previous day, with a slight surplus as the limit, and generally about 5% of the total rice field eels in the pond can basically meet the need. Feeding must never be sometimes more and sometimes less, sometimes stopped and sometimes resumed. If too much is fed, the rice field eel overeats and is prone to bloat disease; if too little is fed, the rice field eel grows slowly, and it may even cause large eels to eat small eels. Third, fixed time: according to the living habits of the rice field eel, feeding is generally carried out in the evening. Fourth, fixed location: to help the rice field eel develop the habit of eating at a fixed point, and to make it easier to observe feeding conditions and clean up leftover bait, feeding stations should be set up and feeding should be done at fixed locations. The feeding platform can be made from a wooden frame and ethylene mesh cloth. To avoid rice field eels leaving their burrows and gathering to compete for food, the feeding platforms should be properly dispersed, and several more should be set up.
3 Precautions
At present, the seedlings and fingerlings for rice field eel aquaculture mainly come from wild collection. When initially stocked, they are very unaccustomed to the environment and generally eat little artificially fed bait, so feeding training is needed; otherwise it can easily lead to poor appetite and cause aquaculture failure. The specific method of feeding training is: within 3-4 d after the eel fingerlings are stocked, do not feed, so that the food in their stomachs is completely digested and they become empty-stomached; then drain the pond water, add new water, and carry out feeding training in the evening. During feeding training, cut up earthworms, freshwater mussel meat, and other foods most preferred by the rice field eel, divide them into several small piles and place them on one side of the water inlet, and appropriately add water to create a slight flow. The first feeding amount can be 1%-2% of the rice field eel's weight. If all of it is eaten on the first morning, increase the feeding amount to 2%-3%; if the day's bait is not finished, remove the leftover bait, and on the second day still feed according to the previous day's feeding amount. After feeding becomes normal, wheat bran, melon and fruit peels, soybean cake, and other relatively abundant materials can be mixed into the bait. The first time, 1/5 can be added, while reducing 1/5 of the attractant bait; if feeding is normal, then increase the ordinary bait by 1/5 each day, and after 5 days normal feeding can be carried out.