What do grass carp eat? Techniques for raising grass carp properly

Grass carpis a fishFresh water brings economic valuehigh for farmers. This fish is todaymore and more popular in our country, especially in the regionbelongs to the Northern Delta. Thanks to the different characteristics cBecause of its high economic value, raising grass carp is a top concernof many farmers. Let’s go togetherMicrobial product Duc Binhlearn:What do grass carp eat? Grass carp farming techniqueshow to do it properly?

1. Basic information about grass carp

To feedgrass carpYou need to grasp the basic and necessary information about this type of fish. KHi now understand the characteristics of the speciesthen the care processwill be simple, bringing better results.

Basic information and characteristics about grass carp

What is grass carp?

Grass carp is a type of fish in the carp family (Cyprinidae) – It is the only species in the genus Ctenopharyngodon. A large grass carp can grow up to 1.5 meters in length and weigh nearly 45kg. Their lifespan can last up to 21 years and is specifically classified as follows:

• Belongs to the carp order Cypriniformes
• Belongs to the Cypriniformes carp family
• Belongs to the carp subfamily Leuciscinae
• Belongs to the grass carp genus Ctenopharyngodon
• Belongs to the grass carp species Ctenopharyngodon Idellus

Growth characteristics of grass carp

As introduced above,grass carprelatively large in size. The largest animals can weigh up to 35 or 40kg. With an average commercial weight of 3 to 5kg. When compared with other fish species of the same size with optimal growth conditions, the growth rate of grass carp is faster.

Fish growth characteristics

Normally, fish raised in ponds will reach 1kg after about 1 year. In later years, it reaches 2 to 3kg with weather conditions in temperate regions. Weight can reach from 4 to 5kg in breeding areas in the tropics.

Reproductive characteristics of grass carp

When living in natural environmental conditions, fish will reproduce in a semi-migratory form. This fish is an egg-laying species. Every year, when the breeding season comes, they will migrate to the upstream of the rivers where they live to lay eggs. Watershed areas are often areas with strong water density and certain changes in  water environmental conditions.

For grass carp, this is an extremely suitable condition for reproduction. Grass carp eggs are usually heavier compared to the weight of water. That is also the reason why they often float in the middle water environment. In case you see these eggs sinking to the bottom of the river, this means that the eggs are damaged and cannot hatch into fry.

Reproductive conditions in the natural environment

Under breeding conditions, carp often cannot reproduce naturally even though their reproductive systems still develop normally. To be able to reproduce, we need to inject more sex hormones, and at the same time, humans need to increase pressure to create strong fluctuations in the water flow in the aquarium.

The reproductive stage of grass carp is usually from 4 to 5 years old. This is the maturity stage of fish that is eligible for reproduction.

See more: The secret to making extremely sensitive bait for black carp fishing

2. Proper techniques for raising grass carp

As you can see, it is quite difficult for fish to reproduce in captivity. That’s why,when breedingthis fish and wantguaranteedIf the economic value is high, farmers need to have technology.

Clean and clean fish ponds

You need to regularly clean the fish pond area and dredge sludge if the amount of sludge exceeds the allowable level. At the same time,usIt is also necessary to apply lime throughout the pond bottom to kill trash fish and pathogens by evenly spreading an average of about 7 to 10 kg of lime powder for 100m2 of pond bottom area.

After about 3 days of deliming, you apply fertilizer with about 20 to 30 kg of manure spread evenly throughout the pond. In addition, you chop 50kg of green leaves (you should choose soft leaves to be used as green manure) and spread them evenly across the bottom of the pond. You can bury the leaves under the layer of mud or use them in small bundles weighing 5 to 7 kilograms to drown in the corners of the pond..

Clean and disinfect fish ponds

Note:The above volume is calculated for 100m²pond bottom area.

Next, people pour water into the pond to cover about 0.3 to 0.4m and soak for 5 to 7 days. Then remove all the green manure residue and add water to the pond to a depth of 1 to 1.5m. Remember to filter pond water using nets or nets to prevent aggressive fish or trash fish from entering the farming environment.

Release grass carp fingerlings into the pond

Grass carpSeeds are usually released in 2 certain periods:

• Spring crop time is from around February to March.
• Fall harvest time: August and September

These are two suitable times to release fingerlings into the pond under the best conditions. You should choose fish that are large, healthy and free of scratches or diseases. Stocking density should be 1 to 2 fish per meter². The suitable fish size to release is 8 to 10 cm.

The most standard technique of raising grass carp

Techniques for managing and caring for grass carp ponds

During the breeding process you need to note:

• Regularly monitor and manage the pond edge, drainage area and check the water level of the fish pond every morning.
• Early in the morning, you need to pay attention and check to see if the fish’s head is floating above the water because of suffocation. Does the fish’s floating time last long? If the above situation occurs, you should stop feeding and increase the water level in the pond.
• When you see diseased fish or scattered dead fish, you need to consult technical staff or fishery extension staff to get the most appropriate treatment method and treatment.

Time to harvest grass carp

After about 5 to 6 months of farming, a large number of fish can be harvested to serve food or sell for additional income. Then you add an equivalent amount of fingerlings to increase productivity in the breeding process. It is imperative to carefully record the number of fish harvested and the number of fish added after each trimming session. (Should include both the number of fish and the weight of the fish).

The right time to harvest

At the end of the year, farmers can harvest the entire amount of previously raised fish (during harvest, you can choose to keep small fish as seed for future farming seasons). After harvesting, it is necessary to carefully record the yieldgrass carpharvested (including fish trimming and year-end fish harvest).

The purpose of recording is to preliminarily account for the entire farming process and use it as a basis for subsequent investments in farming crops.

Prevention and treatment of diseases in farmed carp

Normally, grass carp will encounter a number of diseases such as: water fungus disease, wheelworm disease, single-host trematode disease or melon fruit disease. Each type of disease has its own unique symptoms and pathologies. Therefore, during the farming process, you need to monitor regularly to be able to promptly detect abnormal signs in fish to prevent and treat diseases.

Effective prevention and treatment for grass carp

To be more proactive in preventing diseases for raised grass carp, during this process you need to use lime to improve the farming environment better.

• For lime: Should be stored in a bag and hung at the beginning of the water source. The distance from the water surface to the lime bag is about ½ the depth of the water level in the cage. The average dosage would be 3 to 4kg of lime per 10m³Water is present in the cage.
• Copper sulfate (CuSO4) is used to prevent protozoan parasites. The required dosage is about 50g/10m³water, use an average of 2 times per week.

Note:Do not use antibiotics and chemicals that have been banned from use in aquacultureensure safety for people and the surrounding environment.

3. Some common diseases in grass carp

Although it is an omnivorous fish, has good vitality, and is easy to raise, people should not be subjective because of that. During the process of raising grass carp, they can suffer from the following diseases:

Red spot disease

It is the most common infectious disease in fish. If not treated promptly, the fish will die, causing serious economic loss. When newly infected, fish show symptoms of not eating and swimming lazily on the water surface. If you look closely, you will see red sores on their bodies and lots of falling scales. 

When the disease becomes severe, the fish’s fins gradually become amputated, the ulcers become many, and penetrate deeply into the body, causing bleeding. At that time, the fish started to smell bad. Disease-causing fungi and parasites also take this opportunity to attack, causing the fish’s abdomen to swell and its eyes to turn cloudy.

The danger of red spot disease in carp is that it can easily spread to healthy fish, affecting the entire pond. Therefore, disease prevention and treatment is extremely important. When we detect some fish showing signs of disease, we need to separate them from the pond as soon as possible. On the other hand, we will use the drug KN-04-12 to prevent and treat the disease. The product is provided by the Aquatic Environmental Research Institute so it is highly reliable.

Hemorrhagic disease

This disease is no less dangerous. The most worrying thing is that there is currently no specific medicine to treat the disease, so people need to pay attention to disease prevention from the beginning. Hemorrhagic disease caused by a virus can cause fish to die en masse even though their whole body remains intact.

Signs of this disease are not obvious, but if you observe closely you will see: Before they die, they often stop eating and move more slowly. If in the dark, the fish’s body will turn red because the scales under the skin are bleeding. Therefore, if the fish is large and close to harvest, farmers should select healthy fish to sell. In case the fry are small, they must be removed, then clean the tank to start a new crop.

Anchor disease

This disease sounds strange but is actually caused by anchor parasites. Once grass carp is attacked by this parasite, it will absorb all its nutrients, and ulcers will begin to appear on its skin.

Therefore, the fish’s resistance will decrease rapidly, creating opportunities for fungi and other pathogenic bacteria to invade. Identifying signs of anchor disease are: Red spots, ulcers, and bleeding throughout the body. The fish’s weight therefore decreases, the fish’s body is thin, the head is large, and the skin color also changes differently.

However, people should not worry too much when fish get this disease because we can prevent and treat it completely. Take fresh neem leaves, crush them, form a bundle and drop them into a pond with fish infected with anchor worm disease. When applying this treatment, we will see the fish have the phenomenon of raising its head. The reason is because the decomposing leaves cause the amount of oxygen in the water to decrease sharply.

4. What do grass carp eat?

In the process of raising animals, understanding and knowinggrass carpWhatever you like to eat is the best way for your fish to grow. In fact, compared to other species, grass carp has a relatively rich natural food source.

What do grass carp eat?

• Green foods: Grass, seaweed, banana leaves or cassava leaves, etc. should be used to feed fish every day. After the fish have finished eating, farmers need to remove the remaining old food stalks that the fish cannot eat. Add rice bran or corn bran to your daily meals. On average, for every 100 chickens, you feed about 2 to 3kg of green vegetables. Then, depending on the growth of the fish, add more food content.
• To gain weight of about 1kg of fish meat, 30 to 40kg of green food of all kinds is needed.
• With fresh grass food, farmers should feed from 30 to 40% of the weight of the fish’s body. For seaweed or duckweed, the feeding volume is 70% of the fish body.

5. How to prepare and use food for grass carp from elephant grass and agricultural by-products

Prepare

• 200kg of elephant grass, water hyacinth, green vegetables, corn, algae…
• 5 – 7 kg rice bran
• 1 liter of molasses (molasses or rock sugar)
• 1 package of fermented bran EMZEO 200gr
• Clean water 50 liters

How to compost food for grass carp from agricultural by-products and elephant grass

The most effective way to brew

• Use a machine to chop the ingredients of elephant grass, green vegetables… into 3 – 5cm pieces so the fish can easily eat them
• Dissolveyeast for animal feed – fermented bran EMZEOwith 50 liters of clean water and 1 literMolasses feeds microorganisms
• Stir the ingredients well with the rice bran and water evenly with the probiotic solution
• Stir into a compost pile or put it in a load to ferment for 2-3 days before using

How to feed grass carp

Depending on the type of ingredients used to make fish food, the feeding amount should be adjusted accordingly according to the table below:

Attention: People can use itEM garlicAdd to grass carp food according to the amount: 1 literEM garlicMix well with 100kg of food 30 minutes before feeding fish. Feed the fish with garlic EM 2-3 times a week.

Read now: What do carp like to eat? Ways to fertilize bait for carp fishingpopular today

In Vietnam, grass carp is foundplays a big role in increasing incomefor farmers in the field of aquaculture. Understanding the characteristics and food preferences of fish will contribute to improving farming efficiency. Note:People shouldLearn and deepen knowledge about other forms of grass carp farming to diversify fish farming models and earn high profits.

Above is the information about What do grass carp eat? Grass carp farming techniquesHow to bring high efficiency?If you have any further questions, please contact us immediatelyMicrobial product Duc Binhto be shared moreAquaculture secretseffective and sustainable!

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