What are the four key points to get right in intensive snakehead culture? Detailed techniques
To achieve high yield and good returns in intensive snakehead culture, four key points must be got right.
1. Seed stock: Snakehead is hardy and highly resistant to disease, but during the fry stage the incidence of disease and mortality rate are relatively high. For pond intensive culture, the stocking size of seed stock should be within 100 fish per kg. Such seed stock is close to adult fish in all respects, has a high survival rate after stocking, and is easy to raise. At the same time, note that the seed stock should be uniform in size, free of disease and injury. Deformed fry with a big head and small tail, improper proportions, or protruding eyeballs must not be introduced for stocking.
2. Feed: For pond intensive culture of snakehead, fresh feed should be used. Fresh feed is readily eaten by the fish and saves feed; stale feed not only requires a larger amount but also easily causes deterioration of water quality and induces intestinal diseases. Feeding must not be erratic, with bouts of starvation and overfeeding; it should be adequate and frequent, without waste.
3. Water quality: Water quality in intensive culture ponds easily deteriorates. Persist in patrolling the pond multiple times a day and remove leftover feed. Rinse the feed clean with fresh water before feeding. When changing water, do not let water rush directly into the pond, so as to avoid startling the fish school and causing them to burrow into the mud bottom. The correct method is to use ditches to release water into the pond, or to slip a woven bag over the pump outlet to buffer the water flow.
4. Disease prevention: Fish disease prevention is paramount. First, the ecological conditions must be good, and the pond must be thoroughly cleared and disinfected before stocking the fish. The water quality should be clear and free of pollution. The pond depth should be 1.2-1.8 m, and the number of fingerlings stocked per mu should be controlled at 4000-5000 fish. Grow water hyacinth on the pond surface, covering one third of the total pond area, to provide shade and cooling on the one hand and purify the water quality on the other. Mix 1 kg of table salt into every 50 kg of feed to prevent intestinal diseases.