Detailed Explanation of Key Points on Freshwater Aquaculture Technology for Barbel Chub

The barbel chub (Squaliobarbus curriculus) belongs to the family Cyprinidae, subfamily Leuciscinae, genus Squaliobarbus, commonly known as red-eye fish, red-eye mud carp, or canyu. It is one of the main high-quality economic fish species in rivers. Its flesh is tender, delicious, and nutritious, and it is highly favored by consumers. This fish has the advantages of fast growth, strong adaptability, omnivorous feeding habits, low breeding costs, high market prices for commercial fish, and a body shape resembling one-year-old grass carp. It is currently a popular species in freshwater aquaculture.
　　
I. Pond Conditions:
Aquaculture ponds require an adequate water source, good water quality, no nearby pollution sources, good water retention, convenient water inlet and drainage, a flat pond bottom, and little silt. An area of 1000-3000 sq m is suitable, with a water depth of 1.2-2.0 m. The pond water should be "fertile, active, tender, and refreshing," with transparency maintained at around 25-40 cm.
　　
II. Pond Disinfection and Water Filling:
Excess silt should be removed from the pond. After drying and sun-exposing the pond in winter, disinfection is done by dissolving 100-150 kg of quicklime per sq m. After 10-15 days of disinfection, 200-300 kg of fermented and decomposed manure can be applied per mu as base fertilizer, then water is filtered in through 60-mesh silk screens.
　　
III. Fingerling Stocking:
Select healthy, lively, high-quality fry. Before stocking, fingerlings can be soaked in 3-5% salt water for 5-10 minutes. For ponds mainly producing adult fish, generally 800-1200 winter fingerlings are stocked per mu; for mixed-culture ponds, 100-200 are stocked per mu.
　　
IV. Feeding Management:
1. Feed feeding. The barbel chub is an omnivorous fish that can feed on algae, organic debris, and aquatic and terrestrial grasses, and it readily eats artificial compound feed. For main-culture ponds, it is best to use full-price compound pellet feed. The crude protein content of barbel chub feed should be around 30%. Fine green algae, as well as tender, fresh, palatable aquatic grasses, ryegrass, and vegetable leaves, can also be collected as supplementary feed.
The daily feeding amount is 3-8% of the fish body weight. Generally, feed once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Feeding should adhere to the "four fixed" feeding principle, and a reasonable feeding amount should be determined based on weather, water temperature, water quality, and the fish's feeding conditions. Feeding is more vigorous in June-July and September-October, and slightly slower in midsummer.
2. Water quality regulation. During the aquaculture production process, turn on the aerator for 1-2 hours at noon every day, and turn on the aerator at night as appropriate according to weather conditions to prevent fish from surfacing for air. Maintain pH between 7 and 8.5, dissolved oxygen above 5 mg/L, ammonia nitrogen within 1 mg/L, and nitrite within 0.06 mg/L. In the middle and late stages of aquaculture (especially during high-temperature seasons), promptly replace with fresh water to keep the pond water fresh, with transparency controlled at 25-40 cm. Every 10-15 days, splash 10-15 kg of quicklime per mu over the entire pond once to make the pond water slightly alkaline, which benefits fish growth and disease prevention. Farmers with the means can apply microbial preparations such as EM liquid and photosynthetic bacteria every 12-15 days according to pond water quality and water temperature conditions, which can effectively improve water quality.
3. Daily management. During the aquaculture process, daily management must adhere to frequent observation and frequent pond patrols to observe water quality changes, fish activity, feeding conditions, and whether there are diseases, and problems should be dealt with promptly. Regularly remove garbage around the fish pond, residual bait on feeding platforms (sites), and floating objects on the water surface, and keep good records of all work.
　　
V. Fish Disease Prevention and Control:
The barbel chub has strong adaptability to life, with relatively low infection rates for various diseases and low mortality after infection. However, fish disease prevention and control should adhere to the principle of "prevent disease before it occurs, treat disease early when it occurs, comprehensive prevention, and active treatment." In addition to disinfecting fish bodies when fingerlings are stocked into ponds, fresh grass (feed), feeding sites, and tools should also be disinfected with drugs, and during the summer and autumn seasons when fish diseases are prevalent, fishery drugs should be used regularly for fish disease prevention.
　　
VI. Harvesting of Adult Fish: When most individuals reach market size, large ones should be caught and small ones left, and they should be brought to market promptly.