Six key technical points to keep in mind for loach farming

In recent years, due to the heavy use of pesticides and increased fishing intensity, the natural resources of loach have declined, so artificial loach farming has become increasingly favored by farmers. Because the water areas used for loach farming are generally shallow and mostly still, the farming water quality tends to deteriorate easily. Therefore, in disease prevention and control, attention should be paid to scientific and reasonable feeding and fertilization, the stocking density should be appropriate, and new water should be added frequently to keep the water quality fresh. Doing a good job in disease prevention for loach farming mainly means doing the following six things well:

1. Fry and fingerling quality

Choose loach fry and fingerlings that are robust, highly active, smooth-skinned, and free of disease and injury.

2. Disinfection of fry and fingerlings

Before stocking the fry and fingerlings, it is best to soak them in 2%-3% salt water for 5-10 minutes to kill pathogens on their body surface.

3. Stocking density

During loach farming, if the stocking density is low, it wastes water resources, while if the stocking density is too high, loach are prone to disease. Generally, for summer fry with a body length of 3-4 cm, stock 100-150 per sq m; for fingerlings with a body length of more than 5 cm, stock 50-80 per sq m. Under good conditions, the stocking amount can be appropriately increased; otherwise, it should be appropriately reduced.

4. Feed management

Loach is an omnivorous freshwater economic fish, and it especially likes to eat tubifex worms, water fleas and other plankton, but animal feed generally should not be fed alone, otherwise loach are prone to overeating, indigestion, abnormal intestinal respiration, and death from "bloating." Feed that is putrid, spoiled or deteriorated must never be fed, otherwise loach are prone to diseases such as enteritis.

5. Water quality management

During the farming period, doing a good job in water quality cultivation is an effective measure to reduce farming costs. It also conforms to the physiological and ecological requirements of loach, can make up for the shortcomings of incomplete nutrition and uneven feeding of artificial feed, and can also reduce the occurrence of diseases and increase yield. After loach are stocked, apply topdressing in a timely manner according to the water quality conditions to maintain a certain fertility of the water quality, so that the water body is always in a lively and refreshing state.

6. Rearing environment

The rearing environment for loach should be chosen in a wind-sheltered, sunny place close to a water source. Loach does not have high requirements for water quality, but water areas polluted by pesticides or with excessively high concentrations of chemical drugs cannot be used as farming water. Before stocking the fry and fingerlings, the pond should be thoroughly disinfected and cleared, and some aquatic plants should be planted in the pond to provide loach with a comfortable, shaded and quiet living environment. At the same time, the roots of aquatic plants also provide a place for the reproduction of some benthic organisms, providing natural bait for loach.

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