What to Do If Sea Bass Won't Eat Feed? Causes and Solutions

In Chinese, there are four kinds of fish that can all be called sea bass (luyu), namely: the sea bass, scientific name Japanese sea bass (Lateolabrax japonicus), distributed in coastal waters and where rivers meet the sea in brackish water. The Songjiang bass, also called the four-gill bass, is a catadromous migratory fish and the most famous of them. The largemouth bass, also called the California bass, is a new variety introduced from the United States. The river perch, also called redfin perch or five-barred perch, is native to the northern part of Xinjiang.

Phenomena That Appear in Ponds After the Weather Turns Cool

After entering October, as the weather gradually turns cool, the air temperature keeps dropping, and the following phenomena appear in ponds:

1. Feeding slows down and gradually decreases;

2. Some pond water becomes thicker and some becomes clearer;

3. Some ponds have already stopped feeding for a long time.

Reasons Why Sea Bass Won't Eat Feed

1. As the air temperature drops, the fish's activity decreases, and at the same time changes in water temperature (poor water flow between the upper and lower layers easily causes problems such as bottom sediment turning over), leading to reduced feed intake;

2. Due to the low-temperature environment, sunlight is not very sufficient, the photosynthetic capacity of algae and bacteria weakens, oxygen production decreases, and the dissolved oxygen in the water drops. Large amounts of organic matter cannot be decomposed, and sometimes algae die-off occurs;

3. The pond's own decomposition capacity declines. Because from August to October large amounts of frozen fish bait were fed in the earlier period (especially in the later period, when the quality of the frozen fish clearly declined), large amounts of leftover bait and feces accumulated at the bottom of the pond. Because the bottom was not improved in time, the organic matter rotted and deteriorated at the pond bottom, producing large amounts of toxic and harmful substances (ammonia nitrogen and nitrite on the high side), which affected the normal physiological functions of the fish;

4. Improper human management has left the pond in a sub-healthy ecological environment for a long time (water is changed no more than 3 to 4 times a year). At the same time, in order to increase the feeding amount, irritating drugs are used every day at any cost, causing the fish to become dependent: on any day without the irritating drugs, that day's feed intake clearly decreases, or the fish even stop eating. It also leads to the situation where, once the fish become ill, ordinary conventional drugs have weakened effects, and antibacterial and disinfecting preparations must be used in large doses, causing great damage to the normal physiological functions of the fish.

Suggested Solutions for the Phenomenon of Sea Bass Not Eating Feed

1. Recently, ponds should pay more attention to cleaning the pond bottom, and promptly use "Chaonengli" to improve the pond bottom and degrade toxic and harmful substances.

2. Change the water frequently (15 to 500px each time) to keep the pond water fresh and lively. At the same time, under low-temperature conditions, a large amount of nutritional fertilizer "Zaodeli" should be added, along with a low-temperature dominant algae species, "Gui Zaoyuan" (diatom source). Balance the algae and bacteria in the water and increase the dissolved oxygen in the water.

3. Feed bait according to the actual conditions of the pond, and at the same time it is recommended to use a small amount of "Jiedubao" plus "Hao C-100" to decompose organic matter in the water and enhance the water body's anti-stress capacity. Enhance the fish's anti-stress capacity.

4. Reasonable feeding and healthy farming: oral nutrition can be used instead of irritating drugs, avoiding the stress response in fish caused by heavy use of irritating drugs, and reasonably avoiding risks.

Pond Farming of Sea Bass  

1. Pond conditions and preparation work: The pond area should preferably be 3300 sq m to 6600 sq m, with a water depth of more than 2 m, abundant water sources, unpolluted water quality, good water inlet and drainage facilities, and convenient transportation. Before stocking, the pond needs to be dried and desilted, and the slopes leveled and protected. Use 750 kg to 1050 kg of quicklime per hectare, keep the pond water at 10-20 cm, and splash it on as a slurry. After 7 days, add water to a depth of 1 m. To keep the water quality in good condition, apply 75 kg/hm2 of diammonium once, and after two days, when the pond water turns oily green, stocking can begin.  

2. Temporary holding and stocking of fingerlings: Sea bass fry are currently mostly caught at sea. In spring, sea-caught fry are about 2.5 cm to 4 cm, and the fish bodies will be injured to varying degrees by fishing and transport. To increase the survival rate of farming, intermediate temporary holding can be carried out first. The most convenient temporary holding method is to set up 40-mesh cages in the farming pond. Hold 2000-3000 fry per cubic meter of water, splash and disinfect with 1×10-6-2×10-6 chloramphenicol, and after they begin feeding on fish paste, use furazolidone. For the first 10 days, feed brine shrimp larvae or marine and freshwater branchiopods and copepods, and then feed fresh fish paste. When the fingerlings have been raised to about 10 cm, stock them into the grow-out pond at 1.5 fish/m2.  

3. Grow-out management  

① Feeding: The bait is mainly low-value trash fish, supplemented with artificial compound feed. Sea bass grab food quickly and eat a large amount, so feeding at fixed times and in fixed amounts is very important. When feeding, make sure the fish eat their fill without wasting bait. Each feeding should start with a small amount to attract the fish to float up and compete for food, then increase the feeding amount, and stop feeding when the fish sink and no longer compete for food. The number of feedings per day and the feeding amount vary with the season. In the suitable-temperature season for rapid growth of sea bass, feed 4-5 times a day, with the feeding amount at 10-30% of fish body weight; in the low-temperature early spring and late autumn, feed 2-3 times a day, at 1-10% of fish body weight.  

② Pond inspection: Inspect the pond morning and evening, and deal with any abnormalities promptly. Pond inspection includes the fish's activity, changes in pond water color, smell and transparency, and the pond's anti-escape facilities and predators, etc. 

Sea bass is very common in our country. Unlike other crucian carp, sea bass has relatively few bones and fairly tender flesh; many people like to eat it, and its nutritional value is extremely high, containing rich protein, making it especially suitable for children and the elderly.