By Herbert Musoke
During the Vision Group Group master class that aired live on Bukedde TV1 on Monday, January 27, Ivan Ssabwe, an expert from Koudijs, tipped fish farmers on the right feeding strategy, stocking and water quality among others.
Ssabwe cautioned farmers to be mindful of the quality of the feed rather than focusing on the price.
“Cheap feeds of low quality will in the long run lead to stunted growth of fish thus giving you poor harvest which lowers productivity and profitability,” he added.
Ssabwe explains that there are factors fish farmers must put into consideration while choosing the feed and the time of feeding to optimally utilise the feed.
Stocking density
For proper management, stocking should be put into consideration. Proper stocking should be 1-3 fish per square metre, but if you can refresh your water for oxygenation, you can stock 3-4 per sqm for those in ponds.
If you are rearing in cages in water bodies like lakes, you can stock 80-120 fish per cubic metre. Tilapia need a lot of oxygen for health, proper feeding and growth.
Water quality
Water is key in fish farming, therefore, it should be of good quality in terms of cleanliness and oxygen levels. Dirty water will stop your fish from eating well. You can know your water quality is poor when all the fish swim to the clean side during the time of refreshing.
Cage positioning
Make sure you space the cages with paper spaces. This will allow water to have enough room to clean before entering the next cage, hence improving the growth and performance of fish.
Fish age and size
Fish feed must be mixed according to its age. Young and small fish should be given feeds with high nutritional content like pellets which enable their bodies to grow faster and properly. Also, the feed should have small particles because big ones can choke the fish and others can die of hunger for failure to eat.
Temperature
Temperature influences the feeding behaviour of the fish. When it is cold, the fish will not eat, so, feed them when it is warm. The ideal temperature should be 27 degrees. The first feeding should be an hour after sunrise and the last two hours before sunset.
Record keeping
It is important to record whatever you do on your farm right from stocking. This will help you track the performance of the farm and rectify mistakes during the next stocking.
Cleanliness
Many diseases that affect the fish are mainly from fungi which can only be eliminated by practicing proper cleanliness. Therefore, you should clean your ponds and cages before stocking and after harvesting.
The Vision Group master classes are organised by Vision Group with support from the Embassy of the Netherlands, KLM airlines, Koudijs Nutrition BV and dfcu Bank.
