Complete Guide to Artificial Loach Farming, Detailed Explanation of Technical Key Points and Methods
The loach has strong vitality, reproduces quickly, and accepts a wide range of feed, making it one of the easiest fish to raise and one that can achieve high yields. Loach meat is delicious and nutritious, with a high protein content; it also contains fat, riboflavin, phosphorus, iron and other nutrients; in medicine, it has a certain therapeutic effect on facial boils, mumps and other conditions, and it is also one of the main aquatic products for export trade. It has become a major species for courtyard farming and small-water-surface farming such as ponds and pits. Recently, the editor received a letter from Ma Dejun of Nehe City inquiring about loach farming techniques, and an expert has now provided the following introduction.
1. Loach farming in dedicated ponds: this is generally the farming method adopted by producers who specialize in loach farming. Ponds with mud bottoms are preferable; if it is a cement pond, it should be supplemented with 15-20 cm of soil. The pond area should not be too large; about one mu is suitable, and 50,000-100,000 loach fry 3-4 cm long can be stocked per mu. Before stocking the fry, base fertilizer should be spread, mainly organic fertilizer, to cultivate large amounts of zooplankton as loach feed. After stocking the fry, gradually increase feed feeding and apply additional organic fertilizer. The main types of feed fed include rice bran, soybean cake, wheat bran, soybean dregs, silkworm pupa powder, earthworms and food processing waste, etc. Fertilizers include human, livestock and poultry manure, crop straw compost, etc. If the water temperature is above 30°C or below 10°C, the amount of bait fed should be reduced. Generally, after 8-10 months of rearing they can be harvested, and high-yield ponds can reach 250-400 kg per mu. Each fish reaches commercial specifications at about 15 cm in body length and 10-15 g in weight.
2. Household loach farming: this means using the area in front of and behind the house or pits and reservoirs in vegetable gardens for loach rearing. Generally, 4,000-5,000 loach fry 3-4 cm long can be stocked per mu, or they can be polycultured together with ricefield eels and common carp. At ordinary times, pay attention to feeding and fertilizing, such as with leftover meals, livestock and poultry manure, vegetable leaves, etc.; the feed should use a combination of plant-based and animal-based ingredients. At the same time, control water quality well. When loaches are found darting out of the water surface to "gulp air," it indicates a lack of oxygen in the water body, so fertilization should be stopped and new water should be added. When individual loaches grow to 15-20 cm, they can be harvested for market. After 8-10 months of rearing, the yield per mu can reach more than 100 kg.
Capture methods
Because loaches are small in size and have the habit of burrowing into mud, catching them is somewhat difficult. Based on other characteristics of loaches, the following capture methods can be used:
Capture by flushing water: that is, spread a fine-mesh fishing net near the water inlet, then release water from the water inlet. Because loaches have the habit of fleeing against the current, they gather at the water inlet, and then the previously laid net is lifted at the proper time so that the loaches are captured.
Capture by bait luring: place fragrant rice bran or other palatable bait inside a net; when the loaches are lured in to seek food, lift the net at the proper time to capture them. The bait can also be put into a fish basket or hemp sack and placed on the bottom, which can make large numbers of loaches enter the basket or sack; often they are put in at dusk and taken out the next morning, and a certain number of loaches can be captured.
Capture by draining the pond: when the water temperature drops below 15°C after autumn, loaches gradually burrow into the bottom mud of the pond. The pond water can be drained to capture them. Generally, first pump the pond water dry, then dig several small ditches in the bottom mud; the loaches will gather in the drainage ditches and be captured by hand, or the loach-containing mud can be dug into an iron sieve and the mud washed away with water to capture them.
Disease prevention and control
During loach farming, attention should be paid to disease prevention and control. Common diseases include red fin disease, water mold disease, gas bubble disease, curved bone disease, trichodiniasis, epistylis disease, pesticide poisoning and other biological enemies, etc. The main prevention and control methods are as follows:
⟧ 1. Prevention and control of diseases caused by microorganisms - red fin disease: this disease is highly harmful to loaches and has a high incidence, and is caused by bacilli. Symptoms are: first, part of the epidermis on the fins or body surface peels off, appearing grayish white, the muscles begin to rot, and the anal area turns red; subsequently blood spots appear in these areas and gradually turn dark red; in severe cases, fin rays fall off, the fish stops feeding, and eventually dies. It mainly occurs in summer. Prevention and control methods: avoid injury to the fish body, and before stocking fry and fingerlings, bathe and disinfect them with a 4% salt water solution; when the disease occurs, chloramphenicol can be mixed into the feed and fed.
Water mold disease: for prevention and control in loach eggs, bathe them for 1 hour in a solution of 400 g salt plus 400 g baking soda per cubic meter of water. Diseased loaches can be soaked in a 3% salt solution for 5-10 minutes.
Print disease: the lesions are generally oval or round, swollen and with red spots. The affected area is mainly at the base of the caudal peduncle. It is prevalent in July and August. It can be treated by splashing 1 g per cubic meter of bleaching powder or 2-4 g per cubic meter of Chinese gallnut over the whole pond.