Feeding Methods for Yellow Catfish in Cage Culture

(1) Feed types

(1) Basic arrangement for full-cycle feeding. In practice, the feed for cultured yellow catfish is exactly the same as that for yellow catfish mainly raised in ponds. In addition to compound feed, first-level fingerling cages can use bloodworms and aquatic earthworms as feed, and can also be fed fish paste made mainly from small trash fish. In second-level fingerling cages, fish paste and compound feed, etc. can be fed. Third- and fourth-level cages can mainly use compound feed.

(2) Compound feed should be formulated according to the nutritional needs of yellow catfish at different growth stages. Cai Yanzhi and others at the Hubei Provincial Fisheries Research Institute conducted preliminary research on feed formulas for four different stages. As raw materials for yellow catfish compound feed, there are fishmeal, silkworm pupa meal, blood meal, meat and bone meal, yeast, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, wheat bran, wheat middlings (also called tail flour), corn flour, wheat, as well as fresh fish paste, snail and mussel meat paste, and poultry and livestock offal, etc. Formulation can be carried out according to local conditions in each area.

If fish paste and plant-based powder are stirred into a dough-like feed, it can be fed directly. However, in this case, it must be considered that the protein content in the feed should be no less than 38% during the fingerling stage and no less than 35% during the adult fish stage.

(2) Feeding techniques

1. Setting up a feeding tray Generally, a feeding tray is set up at the bottom of the inner cage in the cage, and the bait is fed directly onto the feeding tray. When starting diet conversion, the feed is first fed onto the tray, in small amounts and multiple times, to induce feeding. Any unfinished feed must be removed completely before feeding fresh feed. The feeding tray can be made of iron sheet or wood.

2. Determination of feeding amount The daily feeding amount is mainly determined according to the body weight of the yellow catfish and the water temperature. Compared with artificial feed feeding for yellow catfish in pond culture, feed feeding for cage-cultured yellow catfish involves a small amount of waste. Therefore, the daily feeding amount of feed should be about 10% higher than that for pond culture. When the water temperature is 18-23 degrees C, the feeding amount is 5%-7%; when the water temperature is 24-30 degrees C, the feeding amount is 7%-10%; when the water temperature exceeds 33 degrees C, the feeding amount should be reduced, and when it exceeds 36 degrees C, feeding should be stopped. The daily feeding amount should also be increased or decreased according to the climate, water quality, appetite, floating head, and fish disease conditions of the day. Under normal circumstances, the standard is that the yellow catfish can finish eating within 1 hour. If they can finish eating within 1 hour, then the amount can be appropriately increased the next day. If they cannot finish eating within 1 hour, then the cause should be analyzed, and according to the situation, the amount should be reduced as appropriate, or feeding should even be stopped.

3. Feeding method Juvenile yellow catfish like to feed in the middle layer of the cage and prefer live, fishy, and soft feed. As individuals grow larger, they gradually prefer low light and bottom feeding. Usually, they are fed once in the morning and once in the afternoon each day, and afternoon feeding is better carried out in the evening. The feeding amount should be flexibly controlled according to water temperature and weather conditions. When feeding dough-like feed, the hand-scattering method is used, and each feeding should be controlled to about 10 minutes. It can also be done in small amounts and multiple times according to the taming and feeding situation. The food intake of yellow catfish in the cage is controlled based on whether food remains on the feeding tray, and secondly by carefully observing changes in the “shadow” of the fish school in the water below the feeding point during feeding. Usually, when feeding begins, the fish school density is relatively large, and after the peak of feeding, the “shadow” of the group gradually becomes smaller in range, and then feeding should end.