How to lower fish farming costs? These practical methods are worth knowing
Many people worry about the cost of fish farming, but they do not know where to start. In fact, the cost of fish farming has to be tackled from many aspects. Although each aspect seems to save only a little, in the end you will find that the costs saved across multiple aspects are actually quite considerable, and the quality of the fish raised will also be somewhat better, which can increase returns. With this back and forth, the cost appears to be reduced by a lot. So how can fish farming costs be lowered? Let us take a look together below!
1. Reasonable feeding amount
Feeding fish requires a fair amount of patience. Fish actually eat quite slowly, and many farmers often end up wasting feed, which both increases costs and damages water quality. Feeding fish emphasizes multiple small amounts. After each feeding, observe the situation of the fish school. If you think that more than ten minutes after feeding is finished there are still a considerable number of fish lingering around, then it means they still need to be fed. If after feeding the number of fish visibly decreases, then it is about time to stop; feeding more would just waste feed.
2. Control feed size
Feed size is also very important for feeding fish. If it is too large, it will basically all be eaten by the big fish, while the smaller fish cannot eat it, creating a vicious cycle. The big fish are full and stop eating, while the small fish cannot eat the feed, ultimately resulting in waste. For fry, the feed size should be controlled at around 0.5-1.5 mm; for small fish, around 1.5-3 mm; for adult fish, there is less concern about pellet size, and around 4-8 mm is fine. If every time you feed, a relatively large amount of large pellets floats on the water surface, then this feed is temporarily not suitable for feeding at the current stage, and it needs to be appropriately smaller.
3. Regularly feed grass
Many fish farmers are now habitually feeding only compound feed and, finding it troublesome, are unwilling to feed some grass. In fact, regularly cutting grass to feed fish has an obvious effect on lowering feeding costs. Moreover, fish that are regularly fed grass not only have somewhat better meat quality, but their feed digestion and fattening results are also significantly better. For example, if fish fed purely on compound feed can digest 5 grams out of 10 grams of feed, then fish regularly fed grass may reach around 7 grams. Anyone can calculate the cost difference in between. So if convenient, it is best to regularly feed grass. It only costs a bit of labor and can noticeably lower costs. No one would refuse that, right!
4. Balance stocking density
Many people think that stocking density only affects their own profits and has no effect on lowering costs, but this is actually a wrong view. When pond density is too high, the feeding efficiency and fattening results of the fish will reach extremely low levels. What originally took three months to raise now takes three and a half months. You can calculate the extra cost you have to pay. Secondly, at this time the probability of disease and death will also increase accordingly, and your costs for disease prevention will increase a lot as well, and the profits from those extra fish raised are simply not enough to cover the price you pay.
The cost of fish farming is saved little by little just like this. Everyone is simply maximizing profits in all aspects as much as possible, while the returns from farming remain unchanged or even become higher. Why not do it? Aquaculture has always been suited to diligent people. If you are rather lazy, I personally do not really recommend that you go into aquaculture, because this really is money earned through hard work.