Eight Key Techniques for Reducing the Feed Conversion Ratio in Aquaculture
Eight Key Techniques for Reducing the Feed Conversion Ratio in Aquaculture
The feed conversion ratio, also called the feed coefficient, refers to the ratio between the amount of feed fed and the total net yield increase of the cultured organism. The smaller the ratio, the less feed is used to produce each unit of aquatic product. Therefore, the smaller the ratio, that is, the lower the feed conversion ratio, the lower the feed cost and the higher the economic benefit of farming. In the farming process, reducing the feed conversion ratio is a systematic project that runs through the entire process of aquaculture production. The key techniques for reducing the feed conversion ratio are introduced below:
1. Improve farming methods and adopt new farming technologies. With scientific and technological progress, new high-yield farming technologies keep emerging. For example, in current freshwater aquaculture, the 80:20 farming technology based mainly on high-quality food fish is being promoted; in marine fish farming, cage culture technology is used; in shrimp farming, the technology of fertilizing the water before stocking shrimp fry to cultivate suitable palatable plankton for the shrimp to feed on, etc. These are all advanced farming technologies that reduce the feed conversion ratio and increase farming benefits.
2. Select improved varieties with fast growth and high feed conversion efficiency for stocking. According to comparative experiments, when pure allogynogenetic silver crucian carp is farmed and compared with ordinary crucian carp or impure silver crucian carp, under the condition of eating feed of the same quality and quantity, achieving the same yield requires reducing the feed conversion ratio by more than 30%; selecting and stocking whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fry from distant-line crosses free of viral infection significantly increases the survival rate and growth rate, and correspondingly reduces the feed conversion ratio; stocking Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) fry from the Yangtze River system, under the same feed and other conditions, gives better weight gain speed, overall yield and individual size than stocking crab fry from other river systems, and the feed conversion ratio is much lower.
3. Establish good water environment conditions and carry out benign ecological farming
1. Prevent water pollution and create an excellent water environment. This ensures normal growth of the cultured organisms, effectively reduces the feed conversion ratio, improves product quality and quantity, achieves the goal of producing green aquatic food, and increases farming economic benefits.
2. Increasing the dissolved oxygen content in water and reducing the concentration of harmful gases are effective measures to reduce the feed conversion ratio. The feed conversion ratio of fish at a dissolved oxygen level of 3.0 mg/L is doubled compared with that at 4.0 mg/L.
3. Pay attention to the effect of water temperature changes on the feed conversion ratio. When feeding, we should increase or decrease the feeding amount as the water temperature rises or falls, so as to achieve the best feed conversion ratio and reduce farming costs.
4. Scientific and reasonable stocking techniques, including stocking density, quality of stocked organisms, stocking operation methods, etc.
1. First, determine the appropriate stocking density, that is, the optimal stocking amount, according to local climatic conditions, the water quality status of the water body, and the biological conditions. If the density is too high, the cultured organisms grow in a poor water environment, and the feed conversion ratio will certainly rise; on the contrary, if the density is too low, the potential of the water body cannot be fully utilized, the output value and benefits decline, and the feed conversion ratio also rises.
2. The stocking size and quality of the cultured organisms are the second factor determining the feed conversion ratio in stocking techniques. If the stocked variety is of good quality and strong constitution, then appetite is vigorous, digestion and absorption rates are high, the energy conversion rate of feed is also high, weight gain is rapid, and this is reflected in a lower feed conversion ratio.
3. In pond or inner-pond farming and stocking, attention should also be paid to mutual interference behavior in feeding among species to avoid a decline in feed utilization. Generally, other supplementary fish should be stocked only after the main fish have been trained to complete feeding.
5. The influence of factors such as the feed's own variety, specification, quality and processing technology level on the feed conversion ratio. At present, the commonly used feeds in aquaculture production fall into two major categories: natural and artificial. The use of artificial compound feed should be gradually and comprehensively promoted. High-quality feed whose quality and specification are suited to the cultured organisms should also be correctly selected. In aquaculture, when using artificial compound feed for feeding, in addition to the quality of raw materials, indicators such as the nutritional ratio in the compound feed formula and the processing technology quality must also be assessed. First, it is required to have good stability in water; shrimp feed should reach 4-6 hours, and fish feed should reach 2 hours. The type and size of pellets must suit the feeding of the cultured organisms. In addition, it must have good palatability and feeding attractant properties. In conventional marine and freshwater fish farming, generally for fingerlings below 10 g, crushed feed with a particle size of 0.5-1.5 mm should be selected for feeding; for juveniles of 10-15 g, cylindrical pellet feed with a particle size of 1.5-3.0 mm and a length of 4-5 mm should be selected for feeding; at the grow-out stage for fish above 50 g, cylindrical pellets with a particle size of 4-6 mm and a pellet length of 6-8 mm should be selected for feeding. Shrimp and crab compound feeds also have corresponding special specification requirements.
6. Scientific feeding management and feeding techniques can reduce the feed conversion ratio. Determining a reasonable optimal feeding amount is the most important part of feeding techniques and also the key factor in reducing the feed conversion ratio. Correctly apply the "four fixeds" feeding method for feeding. In aquaculture, there are currently two ways to deliver feed: hand feeding and mechanical feeding. Whichever one is used, the principle of "uniform and slow" should be mastered, and in cage culture and industrialized flow-through culture, even more attention should be paid to adopting correct feeding methods.
7. Do a good job in feed storage management and use feed within the shelf life. In farming production, feed should not be purchased in too large a quantity at one time, and at the same time the freshness of the feed, production date, shelf life and whether the nutritional components meet label requirements should be checked. Where there are no laboratory testing conditions, careful identification should also be carried out by methods such as looking, touching, smelling and tasting. The above measures lay a good foundation for ensuring a reduction in the feed conversion ratio.
8. Pay attention to the promoting effect of natural bait on reducing the artificial feed conversion ratio. In aquaculture today, when we comprehensively use artificial feed, we must never neglect the important role of natural bait in the growth of cultured organisms. Applying base fertilizer, topdressing at the right time, and cultivating corresponding natural palatable bait at different stages are still important supplementary means for us to carry out modernized farming and reduce the feed conversion ratio. According to production practice, generally during the growth period of shrimp and crabs, if sufficient natural bait can be obtained, more than 1/3 of the artificial feed can be saved. In shrimp farming water bodies with good natural bait, the feed conversion ratio of the shrimp artificial feed used can be reduced to below 1.0, becoming an important means of obtaining good economic benefits.
--------------------------------------
Work experience worth learning from.
--------------------------------------
Eight Key Techniques for Reducing the Feed Conversion Ratio in Aquaculture
Practically meaningful!
--------------------------------------
Learned, learned, learned, learned, learned, learned
--------------------------------------
I am no longer in the aquatic feed business, so here I can only learn.
--------------------------------------
Whether aquatic or livestock and poultry; it is all: variety + management + high-quality feed = benefit
--------------------------------------
Indeed, farming management is very important
--------------------------------------
Good material, thank you
--------------------------------------
Learned, I rarely studied this area before!
--------------------------------------
Now I will study well, thanks to the original poster for the good material!
--------------------------------------
Good material, thanks for your hard work, original poster!
--------------------------------------
Work experience worth learning from.
1. Improve farming methods and adopt new farming technologies. With scientific and technological progress, new high-yield farming technologies keep emerging. For example, in current freshwater aquaculture, the 80:20 farming technology based mainly on high-quality food fish is being promoted; in marine fish farming, cage culture technology is used; in shrimp farming, the technology of fertilizing the water before stocking shrimp fry to cultivate suitable palatable plankton for the shrimp to feed on, etc. These are all advanced farming technologies that reduce the feed conversion ratio and increase farming benefits.
2. Select improved varieties with fast growth and high feed conversion efficiency for stocking. According to comparative experiments, when pure allogynogenetic silver crucian carp is farmed and compared with ordinary crucian carp or impure silver crucian carp, under the condition of eating feed of the same quality and quantity, achieving the same yield requires reducing the feed conversion ratio by more than 30%; selecting and stocking whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fry from distant-line crosses free of viral infection significantly increases the survival rate and growth rate, and correspondingly reduces the feed conversion ratio; stocking Chinese mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis) fry from the Yangtze River system, under the same feed and other conditions, gives better weight gain speed, overall yield and individual size than stocking crab fry from other river systems, and the feed conversion ratio is much lower.
3. Establish good water environment conditions and carry out benign ecological farming
1. Prevent water pollution and create an excellent water environment. This ensures normal growth of the cultured organisms, effectively reduces the feed conversion ratio, improves product quality and quantity, achieves the goal of producing green aquatic food, and increases farming economic benefits.
2. Increasing the dissolved oxygen content in water and reducing the concentration of harmful gases are effective measures to reduce the feed conversion ratio. The feed conversion ratio of fish at a dissolved oxygen level of 3.0 mg/L is doubled compared with that at 4.0 mg/L.
3. Pay attention to the effect of water temperature changes on the feed conversion ratio. When feeding, we should increase or decrease the feeding amount as the water temperature rises or falls, so as to achieve the best feed conversion ratio and reduce farming costs.
4. Scientific and reasonable stocking techniques, including stocking density, quality of stocked organisms, stocking operation methods, etc.
1. First, determine the appropriate stocking density, that is, the optimal stocking amount, according to local climatic conditions, the water quality status of the water body, and the biological conditions. If the density is too high, the cultured organisms grow in a poor water environment, and the feed conversion ratio will certainly rise; on the contrary, if the density is too low, the potential of the water body cannot be fully utilized, the output value and benefits decline, and the feed conversion ratio also rises.
2. The stocking size and quality of the cultured organisms are the second factor determining the feed conversion ratio in stocking techniques. If the stocked variety is of good quality and strong constitution, then appetite is vigorous, digestion and absorption rates are high, the energy conversion rate of feed is also high, weight gain is rapid, and this is reflected in a lower feed conversion ratio.
3. In pond or inner-pond farming and stocking, attention should also be paid to mutual interference behavior in feeding among species to avoid a decline in feed utilization. Generally, other supplementary fish should be stocked only after the main fish have been trained to complete feeding.
5. The influence of factors such as the feed's own variety, specification, quality and processing technology level on the feed conversion ratio. At present, the commonly used feeds in aquaculture production fall into two major categories: natural and artificial. The use of artificial compound feed should be gradually and comprehensively promoted. High-quality feed whose quality and specification are suited to the cultured organisms should also be correctly selected. In aquaculture, when using artificial compound feed for feeding, in addition to the quality of raw materials, indicators such as the nutritional ratio in the compound feed formula and the processing technology quality must also be assessed. First, it is required to have good stability in water; shrimp feed should reach 4-6 hours, and fish feed should reach 2 hours. The type and size of pellets must suit the feeding of the cultured organisms. In addition, it must have good palatability and feeding attractant properties. In conventional marine and freshwater fish farming, generally for fingerlings below 10 g, crushed feed with a particle size of 0.5-1.5 mm should be selected for feeding; for juveniles of 10-15 g, cylindrical pellet feed with a particle size of 1.5-3.0 mm and a length of 4-5 mm should be selected for feeding; at the grow-out stage for fish above 50 g, cylindrical pellets with a particle size of 4-6 mm and a pellet length of 6-8 mm should be selected for feeding. Shrimp and crab compound feeds also have corresponding special specification requirements.
6. Scientific feeding management and feeding techniques can reduce the feed conversion ratio. Determining a reasonable optimal feeding amount is the most important part of feeding techniques and also the key factor in reducing the feed conversion ratio. Correctly apply the "four fixeds" feeding method for feeding. In aquaculture, there are currently two ways to deliver feed: hand feeding and mechanical feeding. Whichever one is used, the principle of "uniform and slow" should be mastered, and in cage culture and industrialized flow-through culture, even more attention should be paid to adopting correct feeding methods.
7. Do a good job in feed storage management and use feed within the shelf life. In farming production, feed should not be purchased in too large a quantity at one time, and at the same time the freshness of the feed, production date, shelf life and whether the nutritional components meet label requirements should be checked. Where there are no laboratory testing conditions, careful identification should also be carried out by methods such as looking, touching, smelling and tasting. The above measures lay a good foundation for ensuring a reduction in the feed conversion ratio.
8. Pay attention to the promoting effect of natural bait on reducing the artificial feed conversion ratio. In aquaculture today, when we comprehensively use artificial feed, we must never neglect the important role of natural bait in the growth of cultured organisms. Applying base fertilizer, topdressing at the right time, and cultivating corresponding natural palatable bait at different stages are still important supplementary means for us to carry out modernized farming and reduce the feed conversion ratio. According to production practice, generally during the growth period of shrimp and crabs, if sufficient natural bait can be obtained, more than 1/3 of the artificial feed can be saved. In shrimp farming water bodies with good natural bait, the feed conversion ratio of the shrimp artificial feed used can be reduced to below 1.0, becoming an important means of obtaining good economic benefits.
--------------------------------------
Work experience worth learning from.
--------------------------------------
Eight Key Techniques for Reducing the Feed Conversion Ratio in Aquaculture
Practically meaningful!
--------------------------------------
Learned, learned, learned, learned, learned, learned
--------------------------------------
I am no longer in the aquatic feed business, so here I can only learn.
--------------------------------------
Whether aquatic or livestock and poultry; it is all: variety + management + high-quality feed = benefit
--------------------------------------
Indeed, farming management is very important
--------------------------------------
Good material, thank you
--------------------------------------
Learned, I rarely studied this area before!
--------------------------------------
Now I will study well, thanks to the original poster for the good material!
--------------------------------------
Good material, thanks for your hard work, original poster!
--------------------------------------
Work experience worth learning from.