What conditions are needed to successfully farm shrimp

With the continuous development and growth of our country's aquaculture industry, more and more people are starting to develop in the aquaculture industry. Farming crayfish is currently developing well, and it is also an aquaculture industry with relatively large market demand, so many people have set their sights on the crayfish industry.

What conditions are needed for shrimp farming

If you are farming freshwater shrimp, site selection is very important first. Shrimp farming requires good surrounding water sources. It is best if there are not many other shrimp farms near your shrimp pond, so that during the peak growth period you can be assured of a relatively good water source for changing water.

Benefits of farming crayfish in rice fields  

1. Increased yield and income. Generally, rice fields used for farming crayfish can increase yield by 10-30% per 667 sq m, and crayfish output per 667 sq m can reach 250 kg-500 kg.  

2. Weed control and time saving. Crayfish in rice fields can eat the wild weeds and aquatic organisms in the field that consume fertilizer, but they absolutely do not eat rice seedlings. This not only saves labor for weeding, but can also eliminate mosquitoes and other larvae that harm people and livestock.  

3. Preserving and increasing fertility. Crayfish constantly moving and foraging back and forth in the rice field not only helps loosen the soil, enliven the water, and aerate the rice field, but can also increase the dissolved oxygen content of the field water. At the same time, through metabolism they excrete large amounts of feces, which has the effect of increasing fertility.

Feeding management for farming crayfish in rice fields  

1. Feed feeding. Crayfish have omnivorous feeding habits and eat meat, concentrate, and green feed. Commonly used meat feeds include snails, clams, wild trash fish and shrimp, animal blood, and livestock and poultry scraps. Green feed includes aquatic and terrestrial grasses, melon peels, and vegetable scraps. Concentrate feed includes barley, wheat, corn, and grains. When feeding for intensive culture, the feed must be reasonably matched. Generally, feed 2 times per day, mainly in the afternoon and evening. The feeding amount is 3-5% of the shrimp body weight. Rice field shrimp farming also requires feeding at fixed times, fixed locations, fixed quality, and fixed quantities. Usually, you must persist in checking the crayfish feeding situation. If the feed put in that day is finished within 2-3 hours, it indicates that the feeding is insufficient and the feeding amount should be appropriately increased. If there is still leftover feed the next day, the feeding amount should be appropriately reduced.  

2. Removing enemies. Rice field crayfish farming has many enemies, such as water scorpions, water centipedes, snakes, frogs, water rats, and eels. Because the water is shallow, and crayfish are easiest to become suitable bait for enemies when molting, domestic ducks should also be prohibited from entering the field to avoid crayfish losses.  

3. Harvesting. Crayfish are harvested by repeated harvesting with ground cages. The crayfish harvest season generally has relatively high temperatures, so early morning and evening can be used to avoid damaging the crayfish.

Precautions for crayfish farming

1. Strict pond clearing and disinfection. The shrimp pond should be exposed to the sun for 15-20d, until the pond bottom surface is dry, hard, and cracked. Two weeks before stocking, first add a small amount of water, use 100 kg of quicklime per mu, dissolve it, and evenly spread it over the pond bottom, and use manual methods to rake the pond bottom mud once. After several days, add water to cover the entire pond bottom. Use 2 kg of chlorine dioxide and 50 kg of soaked rapeseed cake per mu to splash the whole pond. After 2-3d, drain the disinfection water, dry the pond for 3-5d, and then inject new water after filtration.  

2. Improve the pond conditions for crayfish farming. Basic conditions such as the environment, area, water depth, and water quality indicators of the farming pond must comply with the GB/T18407.4 standard. The water source must have no pollution, sufficient water volume, water quality complying with the NY5051 standard, and convenient water intake and drainage. The shrimp pond should be rectangular, wide and sunny, with a flat bottom, and sandy soil or loam. During shrimp growth, the PH value, ammonia nitrogen content, nitrite content, and dissolved oxygen of the shrimp pond water quality must not exceed standards.  

3. Purchase high-quality shrimp fry. Before purchasing shrimp fry, investigate the fry farm's production license, reputation, parent shrimp source, the farming situation of shrimp fry sold over the years, and the disease and medication situation during seedling cultivation. Before shrimp fry leave the farm, they must pass inspection and quarantine by the inspection and quarantine department. Do not bring in fry from epidemic areas to prevent the introduction of pathogens.  

4. Strengthen water quality management. During crayfish farming, appropriately supplement water and fertilize to maintain a certain fertility of the water quality, regulate the composition of algae in the water, make green algae or diatoms become the dominant population, and form a certain quantity. Measure dissolved oxygen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite, PH value and other indicators once every 7-10d. If any indicator is unsuitable, relevant measures must be taken promptly. One month after shrimp fry are stocked, use good microbial preparations once every 10-15d to remove harmful substances in the pond. After two months of farming, attention must be paid to improving the bottom quality, such as using bottom quality improvers and turning on aerators to increase oxygen.  

5. Choose and feed good feed well. Choose palatable nutritional feed varieties from manufacturers with large scale and stable quality to meet the nutritional needs of each growth stage. Enhance the shrimp's immune function and resist pathogen invasion and sudden environmental changes. Feeding should adhere to many meals and small amounts, and supplement feeding of fresh live bait 1-2 times per week (small trash fish, snails, mussels, clam meat, etc.). Also regularly add immune polysaccharides, shrimp multivitamins, etc. to the feed to enhance disease resistance and anti-allergy ability.  

6. Scientifically prevent and treat diseases. Disease prevention and control in crayfish farming must be transformed into prevention in many aspects, in management and health care. During farming, persist in morning and evening pond inspection checks to observe whether shrimp diseases occur. Also understand the occurrence of shrimp diseases in and around the farming area, and take relevant measures promptly when problems are found. During the growth period, every 15-20d, use bromochlorohydantoin once to splash and disinfect the whole pond. Quicklime can also be used for disinfection, but the amount and frequency should not be too much. Pond medication must strictly implement the NY5001 and NY5007 standards.

It can be seen that crayfish farming is an investment project with a low threshold, short cycle, and high return profit. However, although the threshold for crayfish farming is low, it does not mean that its farming is very simple. It also requires the careful dedication and effort of the farmer.