Key Technical Points for Pond-Based Main Culture of Black Carp
The black carp, also known as qinghuan, wuqing, or luosiqing, has a relatively large body size and delicate, tender flesh, ranking first among the “four major Chinese carps”; it is highly favored by consumers, with a market price as high as over 14 yuan per kilogram, and demand exceeds supply, so pond-based main culture of black carp is highly profitable.
The culture techniques are described below:
I. Pond Preparation
The pond requires an adequate water source and non-polluting water quality, with water depth maintained between 1.5 m and 2.5 m, an area of 5 mu to 10 mu, solid embankments that do not leak or seep water, ample sunlight, a flat pond bottom, and relatively little silt. Before stocking fry, remove excess silt from the pond, subject it to freezing and sun-drying for several days, add water to 30 cm, then dissolve 150 kg of quicklime per mu and splash it over the entire pond; after 2 to 3 days, inject filtered water, then soak 50 kg of camellia seed cake per mu for a full day and night and splash it over the pond. At the same time, a power supply is required, with 1 three-kilowatt paddle-wheel aerator and 1 feeding machine provided for every 3 mu to 5 mu of water surface.
II. Fry Stocking
After the toxicity of the disinfectant has dissipated, inject filtered water to prevent wild and miscellaneous fish from entering the pond. Fry should be stocked by around the end of February, because at this time the water temperature is relatively low and the fish scales are tighter, so the fry are less likely to be injured during operations such as netting and handling. Stock 200 to 250 two-year-old black carp fry weighing 1 kg each per mu, together with 100 silver carp fry weighing 0.3 kg each, 50 bighead carp fry, and 20 snakehead fry weighing 0.05 kg each. Before the fry enter the pond, bathe them for 20 to 30 minutes in a mixture of copper sulfate (8 g per sq m) and bleaching powder (1 g per sq m), or disinfect them with 3% to 5% salt water for 15 minutes.
III. Feed Feeding
Select artificial compound feed with a crude protein content of more than 30%, with a pellet diameter of 4 mm and a length 1.5 to 2 times the diameter. A feeding platform extending 3 m to 4 m toward the center of the pond can be built from wood or bamboo boards, and through conditioning, the black carp are trained to gather and rise to the surface to compete for food, gradually becoming accustomed to being fed at fixed points on the feeding platform by a feeding machine. The daily feeding rate can be implemented as 1.5% in March, 2.0% in April, 3.0% in May, 4.5% in June, 5.5% in July, 6.5% in August, 5.0% in September, 3.0% in October, and 2.0% in November, and should be flexibly adjusted according to water temperature, water quality, fish disease, and the feeding activity of the fish. Feed 3 to 4 times per day.
IV. Daily Management
1. Pond inspection: Inspect the pond every morning and evening, check water quality, and observe the condition of the fish. From June to September, run the aerator for 1 to 2 hours at noon on sunny days; on cloudy and rainy days, turn it on at midnight; when floating head is severe, it must be kept running until dawn. 2. Water quality management: Regularly add fresh water so that the water quality meets the requirements of “fertile, lively, tender, and refreshing”; in June, splash quicklime over the entire pond once every 15 to 20 days (15 to 20 kg per mu). 3. Fish disease prevention and control: Splash chlorine-containing preparations over the entire pond for disinfection, and add drugs to the bait to make medicated feed for feeding.