How to farm snakehead fish? A full analysis of methods and techniques
Snakehead fish is the common name for Channa argus, also known academically as snakehead murrel, live fish, and so on. The snakehead is a rather fierce carnivorous fish and is very common in China. It is relatively large in size, grows quickly, offers high economic value, has few bones, a high proportion of flesh, and is very rich in nutrients. Its protein content is higher than that of other meats, it can be used to heal wounds, and it has been listed as a top-grade food fish. So today, the editor brings you the farming methods for snakehead fish.
1. Pond selection
When farming snakehead fish, the first thing is to determine the pond's farming area. Snakehead fish should not be farmed in excessive numbers, but they can be divided among several ponds and raised separately, with one pond around 2-5 mu. The water depth should be around 2 m, the silt at the bottom of the pond should not be too much, and escape-prevention nets must be installed at the pond's inlet and outlet to prevent the snakehead fish from escaping during farming. Before stocking, quicklime needs to be sprinkled over the fish pond for disinfection. Water hyacinth about one meter wide can also be planted in the pond, which not only prevents the snakehead fish from jumping out of the pond but also effectively shades the pond. The pond should be chosen in a place far from noisy, clamorous areas, with sufficient clean and hygienic water sources and a good drainage and water-exchange system.
2. Fry stocking
When selecting fry, they are generally bought from the market. Although market prices are relatively low, their specifications vary, and they often suffer mechanical damage. Therefore, before stocking the fry, the pond must be disinfected with quicklime, or the fry should be soaked in salt water and bleaching powder for about 20 minutes to disinfect them. The stocking density of snakehead fish should be determined by various factors such as farming area, rearing techniques and feed. Generally, one mu can farm at most 2500 snakehead fish.
3. Feed feeding
Anyone with experience in snakehead fish farming knows that the snakehead is a very fierce carnivorous fish. Whether the meat is live or dead, it mainly feeds on various small fish and shrimp in the pond. When feeding snakehead fish by hand, you must feed at fixed points and fixed times every day, feeding at least twice daily at 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Generally, about one week after stocking, the fry will begin to come to the water surface to compete for food. When the snakehead fish are eating, you should also carefully observe their feeding situation. If there are relatively few snakehead fish near the food or the competition for food among them is not intense, it means most of the snakehead fish are already full and feeding can be stopped.
4. Feeding management
The snakehead fish has a very large appetite, so it also produces a lot of waste, which quickly makes the pond water increasingly fertile and causes large numbers of zooplankton to breed and multiply. This causes the pond to begin to lack oxygen, so during farming you should pay attention to changes in the dissolved oxygen content of the water. If oxygen deficiency occurs, you must increase oxygen in time. If the situation is relatively serious, then you should adopt a water-surface sterilization method, sprinkling trichlorfon in an area about 3 m from the pond edge. Although the snakehead fish has strong disease resistance and the incidence rate during farming is relatively low, in autumn, if management is not done correctly, it can still cause the snakehead fish to become ill. So at this time everyone must always pay attention to the growth of the snakehead fish and, upon discovering abnormal conditions, promptly take corresponding measures.
The above is a brief introduction to snakehead fish farming methods. When farming snakehead fish, you can also appropriately raise some other fish in the pond. Because the snakehead fish is highly aggressive and generally eats all the other fish in the pond, you can also appropriately add some natural food for the snakehead fish. The pond water should be replaced in time to prevent the pond water from becoming too fertile and causing oxygen deficiency in the pond, which would affect the normal growth of the snakehead fish.