Detailed Explanation of Key Management Techniques for Sea Cucumber During the Overwintering Period
As air temperatures begin to steadily decline, water temperature also gradually drops, and sea cucumbers begin to enter the overwintering period. At this time, pond temperatures are generally lower than those of shallow sea areas. Combined with residual excrement from the high-temperature period, problems such as oxygen deficiency and gas bubble disease in sea cucumbers are highly likely to occur after ice sealing during overwintering. Therefore, management during the overwintering period of sea cucumbers is extremely important. Let's take a look at the management techniques for sea cucumbers during the overwintering period.
1. Key Management Points
According to climate changes, the overwintering period of sea cucumbers can be divided into three stages: before ice sealing, the ice-sealed period, and the ice-melting period. The management measures for each stage are different, and any mistake in any step may lead to overwintering failure and cause huge economic losses.
2. Management Before Ice Sealing
As air temperature drops, water temperature also declines, so the first thing to do is raise the water temperature, which helps maintain the stability of the bottom environment and can avoid stress reactions and disease in sea cucumbers caused by wind and temperature affecting water quality and substrate. In addition, raising the water level can also inhibit the growth of aquatic plants. Temperatures vary by region, so water levels also differ, generally between 1.5-2 m. Management of water quality and substrate must also be strengthened. Autumn is the period of maximum feeding, so a large amount of excrement accumulates at the bottom of the aquaculture pond, where it ferments and deteriorates under low-temperature conditions, producing toxic substances and causing mass mortality of sea cucumbers. Therefore, before ice sealing, an oxidizing substrate improver should be splashed over the entire pond to decompose organic matter, improve the substrate, and detoxify, allowing sea cucumbers to grow safely. Like the substrate, water quality management cannot be ignored. Winter temperatures are relatively low, and water quality is less likely to deteriorate. The main problem to solve is dissolved oxygen. Insufficient dissolved oxygen causes sea cucumbers to die from oxygen deficiency, so oxygen measures must be well implemented before ice sealing.
3. Management During the Ice-Sealed Period
After ice sealing, water quality and the condition of sea cucumbers should be checked regularly, with particular attention to oxygen deficiency in the water and gas bubble disease. Problems should be solved promptly to reduce losses. Snowfall in winter affects the photosynthesis of algae in the water body and reduces dissolved oxygen in the water, so after snowfall, the 2 accumulation of snow on the ice surface should be cleared promptly so that algae can carry out normal photosynthesis, release oxygen, and increase dissolved oxygen, avoiding oxygen deficiency. When temperatures rise again, the duration of light increases, and algae and plants in the water grow vigorously, producing more oxygen through photosynthesis. This leads to excessive dissolved oxygen in the water body. If it is not released in time, it will cause gas bubble disease. At this point, holes should be drilled in the ice to release the excess oxygen.
4. Management During the Ice-Melting Period
When temperatures gradually rise and the ice surface gradually melts, the ice-melting period begins. At this time, salinity and temperature in the water body drop sharply, which can easily trigger stress reactions and lead to sea cucumber death. In areas with thicker ice layers, melting ice during the ice-melting period causes a large amount of fresh water to gather on the surface, leading to oxygen deficiency in the lower layer. Therefore, at this time, this fresh water should be drained promptly and new seawater injected. Another issue is substrate treatment. After a long ice-sealed period, there are large amounts of dead and rotting aquatic plants at the bottom. They ferment and accumulate harmful substances. When temperatures rise during ice melting and sea cucumbers begin feeding, they will eat them, triggering conditions such as swollen mouth and skin ulceration. Therefore, after ice melting, improvers should be added promptly to decompose organic matter at the bottom of the pond. If conditions such as swollen mouth and skin ulceration are found, a low-irritation disinfectant can be applied to the entire pond for disinfection treatment. It is not recommended to use highly irritating disinfectants, to avoid adverse reactions in sea cucumbers.
The above are management techniques for sea cucumbers during the overwintering period. We hope this helps you. To learn more about sea cucumber farming, please stay tuned to us.