Methods and Techniques for Cage Culture of Loach and Ricefield Eel

 Set up cages in ponds with good water quality to raise loach and ricefield eel. The loach swimming up and down helps increase oxygen levels and can prevent ricefield eels from tangling with each other and dying. This culture model is easy to manage, produces quick results and offers high returns.

1. Environmental conditions.

The pond water must be free of pollution, the water level must be stable, the water depth must be kept above 1 m, and the area can be anywhere from 1 mu to 20 mu.

2. Cage setup.

Choose polyethylene netting with a fine mesh to make the cages. The mesh size should be such that the eels and loach cannot escape while still allowing water exchange inside and outside the cage. The area of a single cage should not exceed 20 sq m, with typical dimensions of 5 m to 7 m long, 2 m to 3 m wide and 1.5 m to 2 m high. Fix the cages along the pond edge with bamboo poles, with the cage opening 0.5 m to 0.6 m above the water surface, 1.5 m between cages, and the total cage area not exceeding 10% of the pond area. 7 days to 10 days before stocking the fry, soak the new cages in water so that a layer of algae biofilm attaches to the surface of the netting, to avoid injuring the eel bodies. Put soil that has been sun-dried or disinfected into the cages, about 0.2 m thick, so that the eels and loach can burrow into the soil to overwinter in winter. Transplant alligator weed inside the cages, with the coverage accounting for 70% to 80% of the cage area.

3. Fry stocking.

Before stocking ricefield eel and raising loach, stock the fry in the pond according to conventional culture requirements. Eels and loach can be stocked from April to November. The eel fry size is about 20 g per fish. Ricefield eels in the same cage should be as uniform in size as possible to avoid cannibalism. Stock as early as possible to help increase the size at harvest. For each sq m of cage, stock 2 kg of ricefield eel at a size of 25 g and 0.5 kg of loach; or stock 3 kg to 4 kg of ricefield eel at a size of 50 g and 1 kg of loach. 3 days to 5 days before stocking the fry, disinfect the alligator weed and water body in the cage with a bleaching powder aqueous solution. For disinfection of eel and loach fry, soak in a 10 ppm methylene blue aqueous solution for 10 minutes to 15 minutes, or bathe in a 20 ppm potassium permanganate aqueous solution for 5 minutes to 10 minutes, or soak in a 3% to 4% salt water solution for 3 minutes to 5 minutes.

4. Feed feeding.

Live feed such as small fish, small shrimp, earthworms, maggots, silkworm pupae, pig blood and animal offal is best. Part of the loach feed can be provided by fertilizing the water quality, and it also needs to be fed appropriately. Start with a small feeding amount and gradually increase it later. Feed twice a day, once from 8 am to 9 am and once from 5 pm to 6 pm. During the culture period, the daily feeding amount is generally 8% to 10% of the total body weight of the eels and loach. The feed must be fresh and its quality relatively stable. Set up 1 to 2 feeding platforms per 10 sq m cage, with the platform 0.2 m from the water surface, and the feed should be placed on the feeding platforms.

5. Daily management.

Persist in inspecting the cage body morning and evening, prevent escape, rats, theft and flooding, and promptly remove alligator weed that grows too vigorously inside the cage to prevent it from growing outside the cage and causing the eels and loach to escape. After November, for cages without a soil layer, the alligator weed can be thickened to 0.3 m and then pressed down with a heavy object, allowing the eels and loach to hide in it to overwinter.