Several key techniques to note in stone frog farming

StonefrogThe scientific name of the stone frog is Quasipaa spinosa, also known as the stone frog or stone chicken. It belongs to the amphibian family Ranidae and is distributed in Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Fujian and other provinces in China. It is the largest edible frog in China, with plump, strong legs, delicious meat, and cooling, nourishing properties. It is rich in high-quality protein and a variety of vitamins, and its overall nutritional value is comparable to that of soft-shelled turtle. According to the Compendium of Materia Medica, the stone frog has effects such as nourishing and strengthening the body, clearing the heart and moistening the lungs, nourishing yin and reducing internal heat, strengthening the liver and stomach, tonifying deficiency, relieving heat toxin, and resolving toxic sores. It is especially suitable for people who are weak after illness and troubled by restlessness and dry mouth, and it is mainly used to treat consumptive emaciation and malnutrition in children.

Due to overcapture and continuous deterioration of the ecological environment, wild stone frogs have gradually decreased. In order to protect wild stone frog resources while also developing this traditional famous and precious specialty to meet market demand, farming and breeding research has been carried out in various places, and certain results have been achieved. The several key techniques in stone frog farming are introduced below:

1 Suitable farming environment

Choose a mountainous area with sufficient, pollution-free water and a quiet environment to build the farm, constructing it to simulate the wild ecological environment of stone frogs so as to be suitable for their growth. It is required to have a series of external environmental conditions suitable for stone frogs to inhabit, feed, and reproduce.

2. Cultivate sufficient bait

The food of stone frogs includes both animal-based and plant-based bait resources, mainly animal-based bait, including aquatic insects, shrimp, crabs, cladocerans, copepods, etc., while the plant composition includes algae, mosses, ferns, and leaves of higher plants. Under artificial farming conditions, animal-based feeds such as maggots, yellow mealworms, and earthworms are the main bait. These are obtained through artificial cultivation, so sufficient bait must be cultivated to meet the growth needs of stone frogs.

3 Control reasonable farming temperature

According to reports, water temperature has a great influence on the hatching rate of stone frog eggs. 21-23°C is the most suitable hatching water temperature. When the water temperature is higher than 25°C, deformed tadpoles begin to appear during stone frog hatching, and 32°C is the lethal water temperature for hatching. Therefore, when eggs hatch in summer, the water flow should be increased, which also increases dissolved oxygen.

The growth water temperature for stone frogs is 12-29°C, with the most suitable temperature being 18-22°C. When the air temperature exceeds 37°C, the water level should be deepened, keeping the water depth at 10—20cm, using flowing water for rearing, and strengthening heat protection and cooling. Ponds and feed platforms should be disinfected regularly. Especially in the hot summer season, when stone frogs are active and feeding vigorously, heat protection and disinfection prevention work should be done well to reduce the occurrence of diseases.

4. Pay attention to disease prevention and control in stone frogs

Disease prevention and control should focus on prevention, and diseased frogs should be isolated and treated promptly when found. The main diseases include bacterial septicemia (red leg disease), rotten skin disease (vitamin deficiency syndrome), gastrointestinal disease, and parasitic diseases, etc. They can be prevented and controlled by soaking with 10PPM potassium permanganate, or by oral administration of norfloxacin, sulfonamides, and other anti-inflammatory and antibacterial drugs mixed into bait.