How to Feed Catfish in Different Growth Stage
Catfish is a carnivorous fish that can eat many fish, shrimp, and aquatic insects. However, domestication allows for the modification of their food habits, which is why artificial formula feed is so important. To avoid catfish cannibalism, farmers need to pay more attention to how they are fed during different periods of their breeding season. This will ensure that there is an increase in economic benefits.
Parent fish breeding
Artificial breeding relies on parent fish breeding. It directly impacts the development and reproduction of the catfish’s sex gland. There are two types of catfish breeding bait: live bait or artificial combination feed. Because wild catfish are difficult to change, live bait should be used. Live bait can include feeding small fish, poultry offal, livestock, and small fish once per week. Farmers can use special compound feed to artificially breed catfish. The feed should contain approximately 52% protein. It is best to alternately feed live bait and artificial mixture feed during the parent fish breeding period. This will ensure a better result.
During the period for fry culture
The eggs of newly hatched fish are completely dependent on the yolk. After 2 days, the yolk slowly disappears and the larvae can swim at the lower level. Start feed for fry can be small cladocera, copepods or boiled egg yolk. Wrap the eggs in gauze and cook them well. Then, add the egg yolk to the water dish. Stir the yolk into the water until it forms a slurry. Finally, splash the whole thing to make sure the pool is full. The feed can include chironomid larvae and tubificidae as well as daphnia and chironomid eggs. Insufficient food can lead to fish fry becoming cannibalized. The best amount of feed should be small enough that there is a surplus before the next feeding. After cleaning biological bait, soak it in a 3% salt solution or 0.5% solution for about 3-5 minutes.
Fingerling rearing period
Catfish cannibalism occurs when they are fed artificial diets instead of live bait. Catfish over 5 cm should be fed artificial food. The basic ingredients include fish meal, dried silkworm meal, yeast powder, pig blood, yeast powder, cake, wheat, surimi, comminuted shrimps, crab, and animal live liver. Feed the catfish twice or three times daily for 7-12 days. The feeding amount should be 15% to 20% of its fish weight. The artificial diet was fed to 70% of the fingerlings. Since the feed does not require live bait, farms can feed artificial diet twice daily. Catfish fingerling
Period for adult catfish breeding
The main feed was artificial diets. It required 36%42% Crud Protein. The particle size ranges from 3 to 5 millimeters.
Adult catfish feed is made from 25% fish meal, 18% peanut paste, 5% yeast, 1.1% fish oils, 10.4% corn powder and 2% compound amino acids. To ensure feed efficiency and reduce feed loss, it is important to make sure that raw materials are as finely crushed as possible and that adhesives are of good quality.
Catfish, which are demersal fish, prefer to move around in cages. One water table should be placed per 10m2, with the water table hanging from the box 20 to 30 cm above the ground. The catfish ate the feed by sprinkling it on the table. Catfish that are 5-10 cm in length should be fed at 8%-10% of their weight daily, 3-4 times per day. The feeding rate for catfish that are between 10 and 13 cm in length is 4%6%, twice daily to three times. If the length exceeds 23 cm, the rate of feeding is 1%3% of the animal’s weight daily, once to three days. Around 10 p.m. is the last time for daily feeding.
In paddy farming, catfish can be fed as wild fish or low-value fish. These small wild fish can then be minced using a meat mincing machine and mixed with plant feed or flour. This is a cost-effective and convenient way to meet the nutritional requirements of small-scale catfish farming. The artificial compound feed should only be used if the rice breeding scales are large.
This is a great way to feed catfish
1. Feed size
Catfish feeding should be determined by how old or large your catfishes. There are many sizes and types of catfish food available so it should not be difficult to find the right one for your catfish. You can feed your catfish larger amounts of food as they grow.
If you have the ability to raise large fishes such as catfishes that weigh more than 1 kg, then you may consider feeding them 8 and 10 mm feeds. This will make it easier and more practical to feed your fish, but if you can’t find a larger feed, the regular feed should work just fine.
2. Feeding frequency
You should also consider how often you are feeding them, just as the size of the fish’s feeds is important. Different stages of development require different feeding times. Feeding fingerlings weighing 3-4 grams should be done twice daily. You can either reduce the frequency to once per day for post-fingerlings or juvenile fingerlings. You can then reduce the frequency of feeding them to once per day after they reach the post-juvenile stage or higher.
3. Catfish feed types
A common question for beginners in fish farming is what catfish eat. You can find any kind of catfish feed at any local fish shop. Organic fish food is available at some larger stores. To keep your catfish healthy, give them enough protein.
There are two types of floating feed: sinking feed and floating feed. The floating feed will keep floating even after they are placed in water. While the sinking feed will immediately sink once they are thrown into water. The floating feed is best for smaller fishes, such as the juveniles and fingerlings. The sinking one is best for larger fishes as they are bottom feeders.
4. Catfish nutrition
You need to be careful about what nutrition you feed your fishes to ensure a good harvest. Although ready-to-eat catfish feed is often rich in nutrition, it’s possible to give your fishes more natural feeds like duckweed. Duckweed is a popular fish feed that is often used in fish farming. How much duckweed is enough to feed catfish?
Duckweed is well-known for its high nutritional content. Duckweed also has a high level of amino acids like methionine and lysine that are good for fish growth. Duckweed can be used as an alternative food source for the fishes.
