Rural fish farming: avoid these common mistakes
We are all familiar with fish, but when it comes to the types of fish or distinguishing between them, we may find it a headache, because they do not seem very different and all look quite similar. Fish are highly nutritious and truly a delicacy - whether you steam, boil, fry or stir-fry them, each method has its own character. In rural areas, basically every household has a small pond and often stocks some fish in it. Then sometimes you will notice that the fish you raise do not grow big, or that your fish have disappeared, and other such problems. So today, the editor will show you several major mistakes in rural fish farming, and how to raise fish correctly.
1. Mixed stocking of species
There are quite a few species of fish, such as grass carp, silver carp, crucian carp, common carp, and so on. We cannot raise only one species in a pond, so generally we practice mixed stocking. But mixed stocking has conditions, and some fish cannot be stocked together, because they will eat all the newly produced small fish as a delicacy, and over a year there will basically be no small fish left. In other words, however many fish you put in is how many you get at harvest. This is also a mistake many people make: they put eels together with these fish, and end up finding fewer and fewer fish in the pond. So when stocking a pond we need to consider which fish eat what, whether they will eat small fish, and so on. If so, then simply do not raise them together.
2. Pond environment
Different fish have different abilities to adapt to the pond environment. Generally, for the most common fish, the water should not be too deep - usually two meters at most - and the water temperature should be kept at around 15 to 20°C. Before stocking fish, we need to clear out debris, silt and other material from the pond, raise the pond bed as much as possible, then spread a layer of quicklime around the pond for disinfection, and only after disinfection is complete can new water be added. One week before stocking, some base fertilizer can be applied to promote the growth of microorganisms in the water, so the fish have enough food. But many people simply fill their original pond with water and then put the fish in, only to find that within two days the fish they bought are floating on the surface. So be sure to remember to clear and disinfect the pond.
3. Feeding
Many people think that fish will grow as long as you put them in and toss in some grass. In fact, if you only raise grass carp, you can feed them only grass, but if you want your grass carp to grow bigger and faster, then you also need to use some other bait and feed, such as distillers' grains or specialized feed. Also, many people think fish eat the internal organs or droppings of other animals, but that is not actually the case - they only eat the microorganisms produced by those organs and droppings. So it is not enough simply to dump these things into the pond. If you throw them in, remember to fish them out after some time. If the pond water smells too foul, you also need to change the water, otherwise a large number of fish will die. Finally, when feeding distillers' grains, be sure to use an appropriate amount, otherwise the fish, being rather foolish, will get drunk and die.
4. Stocking density
Many people think that the more fish they put in the pond, the more fish they will harvest; that if they go in the same size, they will certainly grow by harvest time. In fact, this is all wrong. Generally, the maximum stocking amount for one mu of pond is 1,800 fish, meaning it absolutely must not exceed 1,800, otherwise the density in the pond will be too high, causing severe oxygen deprivation in the water and mass death of the fish. Also, the brood fish stocked should be fairly uniform in size, so that at harvest the fish in the pond are basically all about the same size, and there will also be many small fish, which can be used as fingerlings for restocking.
The above are several mistakes that Qinnong Network shares with you that are often made in rural fish farming. At the same time, we also tell you why you should not do those things and what the correct approach is. We hope that after reading this article you can raise the fish in your pond better and no longer make these mistakes that should not be made. If you want to learn more about fish farming, you can follow us at Qinnong Network.