Category: FIsh Farming

Feeds are an important component of fish farming as they constitute more than 70 percent of the total operational costs..

As a result, the key to any commercial fish farmer is always to use the best feeds but also maximize on all fronts and keep the ‘wastage taps’ at minimum.

Right feeds

Sourcing for the right feeds, record keeping of the trend in feeding, maintaining hygiene around and inside the pond are some of the best practices that farmers are advised to observe by experts in order to reap big from the trade.
Another paramount exercise that farmers are advised to observe is embrace best fish feeding method.
According to Susan Nakimu from Ugachick, Uganda’s biggest fish feed producer, the best fish feed method is Feed by Response where fishes are fed according and when they are hungry. This ensures that the feeds go directly to the fish and not the predators as well as maintaining hygiene in the pond since the feed is given to the fish and the fish eats it instantly and therefore eliminating any remains that could dissolve and pollute the water.

Feed by response

To feed by response, fish need to be trained to come and eat from the same place at the same time at the water surface. In order to achieve this, a farmer should initiate it by calling the fish at a designated fixed time and place. He can call on the fish for instance by making a sound or stump the ground before feeding. The farmer then pours in the pond at the specific point a handful of feed first. If the fish come, add more, if they do not come do not any feed.

The following day, do the same until the fish eventually learn that if they do not come to feed on time, there will be nothing left for them. It is important to note that this may take several days for the fish to adapt.
In the first week, one should not give more than half the estimated required ration according to what is given to you by the extension worker or expert.
This will help train the fish to feed intensively and rapidly. In order to keep the rapid feeding pattern, one should a container to broadcast the feeds in the pond rather than trickling them in.
After adaptation, the fish should finish all the food given in 15 minutes. If this is not possible, then reduce the ration.

However, if they finish it all in less than five minutes, add more and record daily how much has been consumed.

Summer is an ideal season for buying fish for your garden water feature. Here’s your guide to choosing and caring for them.

New ponds need two-three weeks for the biology to mature and settle. Don’t be in a rush to stock the pond.
Pond filters have a media that helps the ecology and pH balance of the water. This can benefit from both time and the addition of commercial bacteria (bought as a gel).
Summer is an ideal season for buying in fish. In winter, fish kept inside can go into shock if dumped into a cold pond below 15C in temperature.
Float the bags containing your new fish on the water’s surface for at least half an hour to acclimatise them to the temperature. Opening the bag, drift in a little pond water over the next half hour, before releasing the fish gently and quietly/
Ratios vary by species, but for goldfish, the most popular and un-fussed pond fish – five fish will require in the area of 1,000l of water. If your non-native fish outgrow the pond, gift or sell them — don’t drop them in an Irish river!
Every fish pond needs filtering and even then you should test the water periodically to ensure the nitrate and potassium levels and general hardness (GH) are all healthy.
Together with koi, goldfish, black moor and shubunkins, you can keep native Irish freshwater fish in your pond including rudd, tench and carp (goldfish are actually a coloured type of carp).
Depending on the species, some fish types can grow exceptionally large and be predate other smaller fish. Get advice from your fish supplier for safe introductions.
There are various ways to keep herons, cats, mink and other predators out of your pond, ranging from jets of water set off by sensors, to nets and electric fencing (which looks pretty awful).
Surface feeding fish will be most vulnerable. The Heron Stop Reflector is a ball with a beady eye that sits on the water, terrifying herons.