How much feed should I give my Catfish

 The question “Simply how much feed should I give my fish?” can be an all important question that directly affects profits for some farmers. If Catfish are underfed, growth rate is slowed up, and if overfed, it reduces profits since feed is the best operating expense in virtually any farming business.


Feeding fish correctly means:
1)Giving feed of the right nutritional quality for the specified age of fish,
2)Feeding the best feed size for quick consumption (Feed Size),
3)Feeding the right amounts (Feed Ration),
4)Feeding at the best time(s) daily (Feeding Frequency).


The total amount of feed your fish needs or Feed Rations and how big is feed pellets varies as time passes through the gestation amount of the fish and it ought to be adjusted while the fish grows. Smaller sized fish have higher protein requirement, eat smaller sized feeds and have quicker growth rates, so their rations must be adjusted more often (preferably weekly) compared to the larger sized fish which consume larger pellets and might be adjusted every 2 weeks.

To be able to calculate the total amount of feed necessary for each pond, certain information highlighted below must be collected and input to the formula to have the specified result. The mandatory information are the following:

1.The amount of fish in the pond
2.The typical weight of the fish (weight in an example / no. of fish in sample);
3.Feed Rate which is really a percentage of its weight (this data might be gotten from a supply chart of a supply production company or study materials)

Feed ration per pond= average fish size (weight) x feed rate (%) x total amount of fish in the pond.

E.g. If an African catfish of 180 grams takes a ration of 2.5% of its weight, just how much food should it get daily?

Number of feed to be fed daily = 180 grams x 2.5/100

= 4.5 grams feed per fish per day.

If you will find 1000 fish in the pond, then; = 4.5 g x 1000 fish = 4,500 g (4.5 kg) of feed must be weighed out for the day.

It is essential to notice that fish don't feed at exactly the same intensity every day. The total amount of food they consume daily is dependent upon various factors such as the water temperature and other stresses (high pH, ammonia, disease etc.) that can be found in the environment.

Feeding Frequency has a function to play in the using the feeds by the fish. Feeding frequency is how many times fish in a pool are fed daily. The frequency is essential to be able to reduce starvation and have a standard growth rate. Smaller sized fish must be fed more often as their stomach is too small to put on food they'd require for the entire day, whilst fish from 400 g and above might be fed once a day.

As an example, the 1,000 fish above requiring 4.5 kg daily ration must be fed twice daily. Which means the 4.5 kg of feed must be divided in to 2.25 kg to be fed in the Morning and Evening.

Also, the Feed Size is essential as fish would think it is hard to take larger sized pellets.
How exactly to easily calculate Feed ration, frequency and size

To be able to easily calculate Feed ration, size and the feeding frequency, we've had the oppertunity to produce a spreadsheet taking into account all the required information simplifying the procedure for other fish farmers.








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