Detailed Explanation of Loach Cage Culture Technology in Ponds

Based on conclusions drawn from many years of farming, the technology of loach cage culture in ponds has achieved the greatest success. The methods and results are introduced as follows:

1. Loach fry are purchased from nearby markets and strictly screened before being placed in cages to ensure the fish are disease-free and uninjured, swim actively, are plump and uniform in size. They are soaked in a 3% salt solution for 10 minutes before being placed in the cages. The optimal period for stocking loach fry in cages is from May to June 10-20. About 1200 jin of loach are stocked per mu, with a size of 5 grams. Each cage of 10 sq m is stocked with about 30 jin of loach on average.

2. The cage material is made of polyethylene, of the twisted wire mesh type; length x width x height is 6 m x 4 m x 1.8 m. The cage frame is built with bamboo poles. Each cage requires 6 bamboo poles, with 3 on each long side, fixed directly in the water. The underwater part of the cage is 1.5 m, and 0.3 m above water. The cage bottom is about 0.5 m from the pond bottom. The cages are installed 15 days before stocking loach fry, so that algae attach to the cage walls, and water peanut and water hyacinth are transplanted inside the cages, occupying 1/3 of the cage area. On average, one cage is placed per mu of water surface.

3. Loach is an omnivorous fish. Throughout the farming process, plant-based feed mainly includes rice bran, rapeseed cake, wheat flour, potato residue and corn flour, while animal-based feed includes yellow mealworms, snails, earthworms, fly maggots and small trash fish. Its weight gain rate will increase significantly, and the benefits will be better.

4. For loach cage culture, a cover net should be added. The loach's unique intestinal respiration function causes it to frequently move up and down in the cage, swallowing air. In actual farming production, it is easily pecked by water birds. Only after adding a cover net was this phenomenon avoided.

5. Patrol the pond every morning and evening to check whether the cages are damaged and whether the loach activity is normal; in the high-temperature season from July to August, the water surface area covered by water hyacinth should be maintained at 1/2 of the cage area; at ordinary times, remove excess water hyacinth from the cages so that the area covered is maintained at about 1/3 of the cage.

6. During the entire experiment, the cages were basically not brushed. Over-reliance on the loach's intestinal respiration function makes it unlikely to die from hypoxia. In practice, the cages should be brushed frequently to speed up water exchange inside and outside the cage, so that the water quality inside the cage is better, which is conducive to loach growth.

7. After 5-8 months of rearing, the body weight of loach can increase by about 4-6 times. On average, each cage produces 120-150 jin of loach, and the pond yield per mu is 4500-5000 jin. Calculated at 13 yuan, the output value is 55000-60000 yuan, and the net income is more than 30000 yuan.

Therefore, developing loach cage culture in ponds has very considerable economic benefits and is worth adopting by farming enthusiasts.

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