Mandarin Fish Farming Requires Attention to Live Bait Feeding and Water Quality Management

Mandarin fish farming refers to freshwater aquaculture activities centered mainly on the mandarin fish (commonly known as guihua fish or jihua fish). The mandarin fish has delicate, tender flesh with few bones and a delicious flavor, and has long been regarded as a premium food fish with stable market demand, which is why a fairly large-scale farming industry has formed in Guangdong, Hubei, Jiangsu, Anhui and other places.

The most common farmed species is the bighead mandarin fish, followed by the bigeye mandarin fish and the spotted mandarin fish, and in recent years newly bred varieties have also been put into production. The mandarin fish is a typical carnivorous fish that prefers to prey on live fish and shrimp; at the fry stage, if the bait is not palatable, survival is often difficult, which is the main challenge that sets mandarin fish farming apart from conventional pond fish farming.

As for farming methods, dedicated pond monoculture is the most widespread, followed by cage culture and industrial recirculating water systems. In production, forage fish such as mud carp and silver carp must first be bred in support, and then fed in palatable sizes according to the growth progress of the mandarin fish; at the same time, the mandarin fish has high dissolved oxygen requirements, so ponds should be equipped with aeration equipment and attention should be paid to water quality regulation. At present, techniques for domesticating mandarin fish to eat artificial compound feed are being gradually promoted, which helps reduce dependence on live bait and lower costs and disease risks.

Common problems in farming are concentrated in fry first feeding, disease prevention and control, and water quality management. Viral and bacterial diseases as well as parasites can all cause considerable losses, so it is necessary to persist in scientific feeding, regularly regulate the water body, and use drugs in a standardized way. With the spread of the concept of green aquaculture, practices such as tailwater treatment and ecological prevention and control have also been introduced into mandarin fish farming, driving the industry to develop in a healthy and sustainable direction.