Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Freshwater Pomfret Farming Technology
Pomfret, also known as jingyu or pingyu, is a tropical and subtropical fish valued both as food and as an ornamental species. Its flesh is delicious and nutritious, it helps prevent cardiovascular disease, and it has very few bones, making it highly popular with consumers. The pomfret eaten today is mostly farmed freshwater pomfret. Let's take a look at freshwater pomfret farming technology below.
1. Pond preparation
Pomfret has no special requirements for ponds; common ponds can be used to farm it, but the water source must be abundant, clear and pollution-free. Before stocking, the pond must be improved and disinfected. In winter, drain the pond completely and let the sun dry it until it turns white, then treat the mud at the bottom of the pond and install water inlet and outlet openings, all fitted with filter screens to prevent wild fish from entering and fry from escaping. After the pond has been improved, spread quicklime over the whole pond to disinfect it, generally using 100 kg of quicklime per mu, and also prepare aerators and feeding machines.
2. Releasing the fry
Half a month before releasing the fry, fill the pond with 60-80 cm of water, then soak tea seed cake in warm water and splash it over the whole pond to kill the eggs of other wild fish in the pond. Then apply organic fertilizer to enrich the water. Once the water color turns yellow-green, the fry can be released. Choose fry with little difference in size, which helps with farming management. Generally, stock 2000-3000 pomfret fry of 3 cm per mu. Before release, keep them temporarily in water at about 20 degrees for a period, with good feeding management during this time, feeding them some zooplankton or newly hatched Artemia nauplii, then feed them compound feed after one week. After 15-20 days of rearing, they can be put into the pond for farming.
3. Feed and feeding
Pomfret is an omnivorous fish with a huge appetite, so in farming, to make it grow quickly and achieve high yields, feeding is generally based mainly on compound feed. Choose soybean meal, fish meal, flour and some nutritional additives, mix them in certain proportions and make them into pelleted feed. Of course, other feeds can also be purchased, but the feed protein content must reach 30%-35%. Pay attention to feeding time and amount as well; generally feed once in the morning and once in the afternoon each day, with the morning feeding accounting for 40% of the total daily feed and the afternoon feeding accounting for 60%. The feeding amount should be decided according to the fish's growth condition and the weather and water temperature, following the principle of adding more and feeding less, so the pomfret eats its fill without wasting feed. In addition, in rainy, muggy weather, the pomfret's feeding ability declines, so the feeding amount should be appropriately reduced.
4. Daily management
During farming, patrol 1-2 times every day, mainly to check changes in water quality, the condition of the pond surface, and the growth and activity of the fish. The first thing to do is strengthen water quality management. If the water quality is found to be deteriorating, add or change water in time to keep the water fresh. Also manage fertilization well to keep the water color yellow-green or tea-brown. If the color is too dark, it means the water is over-fertilized, so add water in time to dilute the fertility; if the color is dull, apply organic fertilizer in time to maintain a fertilized state. The coverage of aquatic plants on the pond surface must not exceed 50% of the total pond surface area, and they must not be distributed too densely, to avoid reducing dissolved oxygen in the water. If insufficient dissolved oxygen is found, turn on the aerator in time to increase dissolved oxygen, especially during summer when temperatures vary greatly. Also remove leftover feed from the pond surface in time to avoid affecting water quality. The growth condition of the fish is extremely critical; when young, they suffer from many diseases and pests. Observe carefully, and if any abnormality is found in the fish, identify the cause, apply the right treatment, and help them grow healthily.
The above is freshwater pomfret farming technology. We hope it helps you. To learn more about pomfret farming, please stay tuned to us.