What are the methods for raising loach and yellow eel in net cages?

Set up net cages in ponds with good water quality to raise loach and yellow eel. The loach swimming up and down helps increase oxygen, and can prevent the yellow eels from tangling with each other and dying. This breeding model is easy to manage, quick to show results, and highly profitable.

1. Environmental conditions.

The pond water quality is required to be pollution-free, the water level stable, and the water depth guaranteed to be above 1 m; an area of 1 mu to 20 mu is acceptable.

2. Net cage setup.

Choose polyethylene netting with fine mesh to make the net cages. The mesh size should be based on the principle of not letting the eels or loach escape and facilitating water exchange inside and outside the cage. The area of a single cage should not exceed 20 sq m, with specifications generally being 5 m to 7 m long, 2 m to 3 m wide, and 1.5 m to 2 m high. Fix the net 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 net cage area not exceeding 10% of the pond area. 7 days to 10 days before stocking the fry, soak the new net cages in water so that a layer of algae biofilm attaches to the surface of the netting, to avoid scratching the eels' bodies. Put soil that has been sun-dried or disinfected into the net cages, about 0.2 m thick, so that the eels and loach can burrow into the soil to overwinter in winter. Transplant water peanut into the cages, with the coverage accounting for 70% to 80% of the net cage area.

3. Stocking of fry.

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

Live feeds such as small fish, small shrimp, earthworms, fly maggots, silkworm pupae, pig blood, and animal offal are best. Part of the loach feed can be solved by fertilizing the water quality, and it needs to be fed appropriately. The feeding amount should be small at first and then gradually increased. Feed twice a day, once from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. and once from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. During the breeding period, the daily feeding amount is generally 8% to 10% of the total body weight of the eels and loach. The feed should be fresh and its quality relatively stable. Set 1 to 2 feeding platforms per 10 sq m net cage, with the feeding platform 0.2 m from the water surface, and the feed should be placed on the feeding platforms.
    
5. Daily management.

Persist in checking the cage body morning and evening, prevent escape, prevent rats, prevent theft, prevent flooding, and promptly remove water peanut that grows too vigorously in the cage to prevent it from growing outside the cage and causing the eels and loach to escape. After November, if there is no soil layer set in the cage, the water peanut 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.