Pond Management

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Agriculture and Forestry University

Pond Management
AFU
Site selection for pond construction

Aquatic weeds and Predators control
Liming
Fertilization
Feed and Feeding
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Site selection
• Site selection for fish farm affects:

• Success or failure
• Productivity and utility
• Construction cost
• Once, it is built on wrong place, it is difficult to
correct it
12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

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Questions for site selection
• Is there an adequate supply of water?

• Is the soil able to hold water for a fish pond?
• Is the land a good shape for a fish pond?
• Is the pond area close to your home?
• Can equipment to build a pond be borrowed or
brought?
• Is there a market place nearby?
• Are there roads and vehicles to market?
• Are there enough feeds and fertilizers available?

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Ecological factors
• Soil

• Water (Availability)
• Land (Topography)
• Climate

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Soil
• Influences both productivity and water quality

• Must be suitable for dyke construction
• Important properties
• Texture and
• Porosity or permeability
• Able to hold water
• Must contribute to fertility of water
• Silt clay, clay-loam, loamy soils are generally
suitable
• Gravels should not exceed 10%.
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Soil test
• Test 1: Squeeze test

• Take handful of soil and wet it
• Squeeze it hard and open your hand
• If the soil retains the shape of hand, the soil contains
adequate amount of clay
• If the soil does not retain the shape of hand, the soil
contains too much sand
• Test 2: Throw test
• Take handful of moist soil and squeeze into a ball
• Throw the ball into air (50 cm) and catch it
• If the ball falls apart, poor soil with much of sand
• If the ball stick together, good soil with enough clay
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Soil test…
• Test 3: Thread test

• Take a handful of moist soil and roll it into a thread
• Try to bend the thread to make a circle
• If the thread breaks before forming a circle, it has too much sand
• If it forms a circle, it is good soil with enough clay
• Test 4: Water holding ability
• Dig a hole/ pi as deep as your waist
• In early morning, fill with water to the top
• In evening, the water level has gone down
• Again fill with water and cover with leafy branches or some
boards
• Next day examine water
• If most water is still in the pit, it is good to hold water in the pond

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Water
• Availability of an adequate and dependable source

of water
• Pond filled at regular intervals to adjust water depth
• Usual sources are reservoirs, streams, springs,
canals, surface run off, wells, tube wells etc.
• Natural water source is preferrable
• Factors to be considered
• Water temperature
• Water salinity
• pH
• DO etc.

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Water sources
S.N. Water source Disadvantage

1. Rainfall Dependency- supply depends on amount of rain
and seasonal fluctuations
2. Surface run-off High turbidity, Danger of flooding and Pesticides
in the water
3. Natural waters Contamination- Pesticides or other pollutants
Disease transmission
4. Springs Low dissolved oxygen and low temperature
5. Wells Low DO, low temperature and presence of toxic
gases

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Land (Topography)
• Steeper land is preferrable (not more than 2%)

• Site free from high flooding
• Flooding record of 10 years
• Dyke height must be higher than past record
• Land with regular shape is more suitable
• Areas near industry should be avoided as far as
possible
• Lands with heavily rooted vegetation- not suitable

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Climate
• Climatological factors to be considered:

• Temperature
• Rainfall
• Evaporation
• Humidity
• Sunshine
• Wind speed and direction
• Incidence of heavy rain
• Incidence of wind/ heavy storms etc.

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Biological and operational factors
• Species to be cultured

• Availability of seed for farming
• Type of project based on investment
• System of culture to be adopted
• Semi-intensive
• Intensive
• Super intensive

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Economic and social factors
• Land without any legal problems

• No local problems or conflicts with local population
• Less prone to the theft and poaching
• Should have road facility- accessible in all weather
conditions
• Availability of electricity and communication
• Availability of construction materials, equipment,
labor etc.
• Availability of nearby market for input procurement
as well as marketing the products
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Pond management
Pond
management

Pre-stocking Post-stocking
management management
Pond Regular
preparation feeding
Control of Intermittent
aquatic weed fertilization
Controlling
Liming
predators
Disease
Liming
control
Harvesting
Fertilization
and marketing
Stocking

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Pond preparation
• Drying or dewatering

• To kill undesirable species and predatory fish
• To help works of dike reconstruction
• To help for liming and fertilizing to the soil
• Should be allowed to dry for at least 15 days in sun
• Disilting/ Bottom mud excavation
• Excess mud of bottom should be removed
• 10-12 cm mud is removed (mud < 30 cm in pond)
• Dyke and canal reconstruction

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Control of aquatic weeds
• Unwanted and undesirable plants- weeds

• Adopt to grow and reproduce under aquatic conditions
• Some might be useful while some have negative
impacts
• Aquatic weeds interfere with the primary
productivity of ponds
• Absorbing nutrients
• Harmful for the growth of planktons- a major
source of food for fish

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Positive roles of aquatic plants
• Serve as food to herbivorous and detritivores fish.

• Form base of food chain
• As a source of oxygen in water (submerged)
• As a green compost or manure
• Provides shelter, protection, and cover
• Food for human and livestock
• Strengthen pond embankments
• Forms spawning substrate
• Sinks for pollutants
• Eichhornia strips metals from water
• Aesthetic value- beautiful flowering plants
• Waste water management
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Negative roles of aquatic plants
• Absorbs nutrients from pond water

• Shading effect
• Some may release toxic substances
• Off flavor, e.g. geosmin
• Hamper netting and angling operations
• Offer shelter for fish parasites and predators
• Interferes fish movements
• Promote accumulation of deposits leading to
siltation
• Cause imbalance of DO concentration
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Aquatic plants- Classification
• Different groups based on different criteria

• Softness and hardness
• Type of association with fish pond
• Habit and habitat
• Most useful classification- based on habit and
habitat
• Floating plants
• Emergent plants
• Submerged plants
• Marginal plants
• Filamentous algae
• Planktonic algae
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Floating plants
• Free floating with leaves above water surface, roots

in water but not attached to soil
• Eichhornia (Water hyacinth)
• Pistia (Water lettuce)
• Spirodela (Giant duckweed)
• Lemna (Duckweed)
• Azolla (Mosquito fern)
• Salvinia (Water fern) etc.

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Emergent plants
• Rooted in the bottom, have some or all leaves and

flowers above water surface
• Prefers shallow parts and shores of the pond
• Nymphaea (Water lily)
• Nelumbo (Lotus)
• Trapa (Water chestnut)
• Nymphoids (Floating heart) etc.

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Submerged plant
• Completely submerged within water

• May or not be rooted
• Vallisneria
• Najas
• Hydrilla
• Ceratophyllum
• Utricularia etc.

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Marginal plants
• Grow on margins or on the shoreline

• Typha
• Ipomoea
• Panicum
• Colocasia etc.

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Filamentous plants
• Form ‘algal mats’ in and around main water body

• Spirogyra
• Pithophora etc.

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Planktonic algae
• Minute planktonic algae

• Rapid proliferation results into algal bloom
• Microcystis
• Oscillatoria
• Anabaena
• Volvox
• Chlorella
• Euglena etc.

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Control of aquatic plants
• An important part of pond management

• Removal of excessive weeds is necessary
• Moderate growth is beneficial for pond
• Different measures taken to control aquatic weeds
• Biological
• Mechanical and
• Chemical methods

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Biological methods of weed control
• Most convenient and least expensive

• Ecologically sustainable (??)
• Number of fish and bird species
Biological agents Controls Nos./ ha
A. Fish
i. Grass carp Floating, emergent and submerged weeds 100-300
ii. Silver barb Floating, emergent and submerged weeds 500-1000
iii. Tilapia Filamentous and planktonic algae 500-1000
iv. Common carp Emergent and submerged weeds 400
v. Silver carp Planktonic algae 500
B. Birds (Ducks, geese, Floating, submerged and marginal weeds
swans)
C. Snails Periphyton

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Chemical method of weed control
• Weedicides, must have to be used carefully

• May have adverse effect of fishes too
• Floating weeds like Pistia and Salvinia
• Foliar spray of paraquat @ 0.02 kg/ha
• 2-4 D ester @25-40 kg/ha
• Mineral oils (Kerosene and diesel) @ 775-1100 L/ha
• Kerosene and urea (5:1)
• Water hyacinth
• 2-4 D ester @ 4.5-6.7 kg/ha
• Lemna, Spirodella and Azolla
• Gramoxone @ 0.1 kg AI/ha

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Chemical methods…
• Emergent weeds

• 2-4 D ester @ 1.5 kg/ha mixed with 1% wetting agent
• Submerged weeds
• CuSO4 pelleted with mud @ 35 kg/ha
• Sodium arsenite @ 5-6 ppm
• Urea @ 50-300 ppm
• Anhydrous ammonia @ 15-18 ppm
• Marginal weeds
• Foliar spray of sodium salt of 2-4 D ester @ 5 kg/ha
• Dalapon @ 25-30 kg/ha
• Mixed with diesel and detergent for effectiveness
• Algal bloom and filamentous algae
• CuSO4 @ 0.25-0.5 ppm
• Simazine @ 0.5- 1.0 ppm
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Mechanical method of weed control
• Physical removal

• Manually or power operated devices
• Periodical removal by hand picking, uprooting,
cutting, dragging, racking or beating up
• Different mechanical equipment available
• Under water weed cutters, weed harvesters
• Cutting the weeds, collecting and dispersal
• Labor intensive and chances of grow back is high.

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Control wild and predatory species
• Wild fishes

• Unwanted, uneconomic, small-sized wild fish
• Occur naturally or accidentally introduced in ponds
• Also known as weed fish
• May be predatory or non-predatory
• Non-predatory wild fish compete for food and space
with cultivated fish species
• More adapted to natural pond environment
• Can breed easily
• Have high fecundity
• Some can breed in summer even without rain
• Break out disease for cultured species
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Wild fishes (non-predatory)
• Puntius spp. (Sidre or Pothia)

• Barilius barna (Fageta)
• Danio devario (Danio)
• Esomus danricus (Dedhuwa)
• Rasbora daniconius (Dedhaura)
• Salmostoma spp. (Chelhwa)
• Amblyopharyngodon mola (Mara)
• Trichogaster spp. (Kotari, Gourami)
• Setipinna phasa (Gankabai) etc.

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Wild species (non-predatory)

Puntius Amblyopharyngodon mola Danio devario
Barilius
Trichogaster Salmostoma
Setipinna phasa Esomus danricus Rasbora daniconius

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Predatory fishes
• Carnivorous in nature

• Prey upon other fishes
• Common are:
• Channa spp. (Snakehead/ Hile/ Bhoti)
• Clarias magur (Mungri/ Mangur)
• Heteropneustes fossilis (Singhi/ Kande)
• Wallago attu (Buari/ Badhari)
• Mystus spp. (Tengra)
• Anabas testudineus (Kabai)
• Glossogobius giuris (Bulla)
• Notopterus notopterus (Golhi)
• Chanda nama (Nata/ Channa)
• Mastacembalus armatus (Dhare baam)
• Xenentodon cancilla (Kauwa machha)
• Monopterus cuchia (Andho baam)etc.
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Predatory fishes

Channa punctatus
Notopterus notopterus
Xenentodon cancilla
Monopterus cuchia
Wallago attu
12/15/2023
Mystus sp.
© Rahul Ranjan
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Predatory fishes…

Clarias magur
Glossogobius giuris
Heteropneustes fossilis
Mastacembalus armatus
Anabas testudineus Chanda nama

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Problems with wild and predatory fishes
• Prey upon cultivated fishes

• Compete for feed and space with cultivated fishes
• Compete for oxygen consumption
• Disease transmission etc.

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Eradication measures
• Netting

• Conventional method
• Repeated netting by fine meshed drag net
• Benthic species may not be caught
• Hooks and lines
• Conventional method
• Catch mostly piscivorous fishes
• Used with live baits
• Complete removal is not possible

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Eradication measures
• Draining and drying the pond

• Complete dewatering followed by 1 week drying
• Also helps to keep the pond in hygienic condition
• Poisoning
• Sure method
• Restricted due to high toxicity
• May affect the plankton also
• Should be done with caution
• 3 types of fish poisons
• Poison of plant origin
• Organophosphates
• Chlorinated hydrocarbon

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Poisoning
• Poison of plant origin

• Derris root powder (Derris trifoliata)
• Mahua oil cake (Madhuca indica)
• Tea seed cake (Camellia sinensis)
• Pire sanewar (Polygonum hydropiper)
• Kukur tarul/ Nepal yam (Dioscorea deltoidea)
• Century plant (Agave americana)
• Siudi/ Royle’s spurge (Euphoria royelana) etc.
• Killed fish suitable for consumption

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Poisoning…
• Organophosphates

• Thiomenton
• Phosphomidon
• Dimethyl dichlorovinyl-phosphate etc.
• Killed fish not suitable for human consumption
• Chlorinated hydrocarbon
• Endrin
• Dieldrin
• DDT
• BHC etc.
• Killed fish not suitable for human consumption

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Poisoning…
• Application of 12.5 kg ammonium sulfate

[(NH4)2SO4] and 62.5 kg of slaked lime [Ca(OH)2] per
katha
• Increase ammonia and increase pH
• Kills all fish in 12 hours

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Preventive measures for wild fishes
• Screening the water inlet

• Stocking fish before the breeding season of weed
and predatory fishes
• Repair damaged portion of dyke before rainy
season
• Care during stocking of cultivated fish to avoid the
introduction of weed fishes

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Liming
• A part of pond management with several benefits

• Not a type of fertilization
• Mainly used to correct the soil acidity
• Advantages of liming
• It enhances pond productivity, improves sanitation, and acts
as prophylactic and therapeutic
• Kills pond bacteria, fish parasites and their intermediate
lifecycle stages
• Build up alkaline resources and effectively stops the
fluctuation of pH by buffering action
• Renders acidic water unsuitable for aquaculture by raising
pH to alkaline level
• Improves pond soil quality by promoting mineralization
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Liming…
• Advantages…

• Precipitates excess dissolved organic matter and reduces the
chances of oxygen depletion
• Supplies calcium (Ca) needed for plant growth and for bone
and scales formation in fish
• Reduces the poisonous effect of Fe, Mg, K, and Na ions
• Increases the pH of bottom mud and thereby increase the
availability of Phosphorus (P) added in water
• Caution must be made when liming- toxic effect
• Stock fish only after 10-15 days of liming
• Liming should not be done with phosphorus fertilization
• Forms insoluble compound, calcium phosphate

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Timing of liming
• Not always necessary

• Sometimes may be waste of money or might have toxic
effect
• Conditions of liming
• When pH is too low (< 6.5)
• When alkalinity is too low
• When organic matter content is too high
• When decomposition of bottom mud is too high and water gives
foul odor
• When there is threat of DO depletion
• When there is threat of disease outbreak
• When prophylactic measures are needed
• When fertilization fails to produce an adequate plankton bloom

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Liming materials
• Ca or Ca and Mg associated with an anionic radical

that will neutralize the acidity
• Three basic chemicals commonly used as lime are:
• Agricultural lime
• Calcite, CaCO3
• Dolomite, CaMg (CO3)2
• Hydrated lime or slaked lime or builder’s lime
• Calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)2
• Quick lime or burnt lime
• Calcium oxide, CaO

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Liming materials…
• The main source of acidity in pond is CO2

• When lime is present
• Liming materials neutralize acidity

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Neutralizing value
• Relative abilities of liming materials to neutralize

acidity
• Pure calcium carbonate (CaCO3)- 100% neutralizing
value
• Others compared against it
• Lower the molecular weight, higher the neutralizing

value is.
• Value is for pure material
• All material are not pure
• Calculation based on chemical method (back titration)
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Efficiency rating
• The ability to neutralize acidity depends on

efficiency rating
• Depends on fineness
• Efficiency ratings for different size particles of
agricultural lime (CaCO3) have been established.
Particle size US standard testing sieve Class total Class
class (mm) (Screen scale) alkalinity efficiency
Passed on Retained on (mg/L) factor (%)
>0.85 20 4.02 7.3

0.85 to 0.42 20 40 12.25 22.4
0.42 to 0.25 40 60 26.81 49.0
0.25 to 0.106 60 140 47.46 86.7
<0.106 140 54.74 100.0
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Liming methods
• Through inlet or broadcast- Water filled pond

• By broadcasting- Dried ponds
• Better to dissolve the lime in water and broadcast

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Liming dose
• Based on mud pH and base unsaturation

• Considers the texture of soil
• Actual amount of lime required can be calculated
as:
pH Value 4-5 5-6.5 6.5-7.5 7.5-8 8 or more

Amount of lime (CaCO3 2000 1000 500 200 Not
kg/ha/yr) needed

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Pond fertilization
• To increase the productivity and carrying capacity

• Aimed to develop natural food and save formulated
feed
• Fertilizers provides nutrients to encourage rapid
growth of phytoplanktons
• Heterotrophs depends on primary producers
• Once primary production increased, series of food
chain activates
• Economic fish production
• Natural or synthetic fertilizers
• Organic and inorganic fertilizers
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Organic fertilizer
• Composite of nature

• Contain all natural elements for metabolic cycle
• Contain a mixture of organic matter and mineral
nutrients
• Can be produced locally
• Can be of following types:
• Livestock manure
• Compost
• Green manure
• Night soil

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Advantages of organic fertilizer
• Improves pond soil structure, fertility and water

holding capacity
• Relatively inexpensive
• Readily available on-farm
• Slow nutrient release for long time
• Convert unusual surplus waste into useful products
• Organic matter are also potential source of
micronutrients

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Advantages of organic fertilizer…
• Serve as direct source of food for certain fish

species
• Increases the effectiveness of inorganic fertilizer by
providing necessary organic matter base
• Encourages bacterial growth, favoring better
development of zooplankton
• Helps to clarify the clay turbidity

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Disadvantages of organic fertilizer
• Difficult to transport

• Continual application reduces pond depth
• Low contents of primary nutrients (N,P, & K)
• Aesthetic objections and sanitary concerns
• Time consuming to collect and apply (bulk materials)
• Results in unpredictable nutrient quality and high
BOD, causes DO depletion
• Unsuitable for intensive high-yield culture systems
• Decomposing OM creates unhealthy conditions
• Favors the incidence of some diseases like gill rot

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Inorganic fertilizer
• Chemical fertilizers

• Dissolve in pond water and provide nutrient immediately
• Contain only mineral nutrients and no OM
• Manufactured industrially for agriculture
• Commonly used fertilizers
• Nitrogenous fertilizers
• Urea
• Ammonium sulfate
• Phosphorus fertilizers
• Single super phosphate
• Triple super phosphate
• Compound fertilizers
• Diammonium phosphate (DAP)

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Nutrient content of IF
Compound Nutrient content (% weight)

N P P2O5
Urea 45-46 0 0
Ammonium sulphate 20-21 0 0
Ammonium nitrate 33-35 0 0
Single super phosphate (SSP) 0 9 18-20
Triple super phosphate (TSP) 0 20 46-48
Diammonium phosphate (DAP) 18 20 46-48

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Advantages of inorganic fertilizer
• Exact composition of nutrients available

• Mineralization is fast giving quick effect on pond
productivity
• Easy transportation
• Lack of pollution
• Does not undergo bacterial decomposition and produce
obnoxious gases like CH4, NH3, SO2 etc.
• No BOD required
• No effects on pond depth

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Disadvantages of inorganic fertilizer
• Costly, not easily available

• Slow growth of zooplankton
• Effective for short period
• May create water quality problem
• Application of ammonium and urea based fertilizers may
cause acidification of pond

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Time of fertilization
• In new pond, when good bottom mud has not yet

formed
• When pond water is more transparent (Secchi disk
visibility > 40 cm)
• Periodic basis (1-2 week interval)
• When pond is not green in color
• Secchi disk transparency can be used as a simple
method
• Fertilization level depends on Secchi disk visibility

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Fertilization level
Secchi disk Management/ Control
transparency

< 25 cm No fertilization; closely observe fish for signs of
dissolved oxygen depletion; increase water flow
if necessary
25-40 cm No fertilization; regularly observe the fish
behavior
40-60 cm Routine fertilization necessary
> 60 cm Routine fertilization necessary; increase in dose
recommended

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Do not fertilize when…
• Fish production does not depend on the use of

natural food
• The exchange rate of water is excessive
• There is too much aquatic vegetation
• The water is too muddy or dark colored, and
transparency is limited
• The plankton turbidity is too high

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Application method
• Large applications at long intervals are wasteful

• Much of phosphorus adsorbed in mud
• Nitrogen lost through denitrification
• Never throw solid fertilizer directly into pond
• Especially for phosphorus fertilizers
• Organic fertilizers
• Heaping at corner of pond with a sunny exposure
• Making platforms about 30 cm under water
• Inorganic fertilizers
• Dissolve in water and spray all over the pond

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Application of fertilizers
• Fertilize only when there is plenty of sunlight

• When there is optimum dissolved oxygen
• When there is conducive temperature
• When there is no wind
• When there is adequate water level
• Always maintain and adjust the fertilization by
checking water quality and fish behavior

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Impact of inorganic fertilizer
Inorganic fertilizer

Nutrients
Phytoplankton growth
Fed by fish Photosynthesis Zooplankton growth
O2 production Fed by fish
O2 pool sustains DO at night

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Impact of organic fertilizer
Manure

Digest by bacteria and mineralize
Bacteria multiply and manure is processed
Minerals+CO2 Fish feed on bacteria
Photosynthesis
Phytoplankton
Same as in inorganic fertilizers

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Fertilizer dose
• Depends on nutrient availability and nutrient status

of pond
• Recommended dose:
• Nitrogen: 0.2-0.4 g N/m2/day
• Phosphorus: 0.1-0.2 g P/m2/day
• Manure: 120-150 kg/ha/day
• For the use of fertilizers:
• Urea: 470 g/100 m2/ week
• DAP: 360 g/ 100 m2/ week

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Food and feeding
• Growth of fish directly related to amount of food

available
• Natural food most economical
• Not sufficient to produce maximum fish growth
• Proper management of feeding important to
maximize yield
• Can be classified as
• Natural food
• Formulated food (Supplementary food)

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Food

Food
Natural Formulated
Plankton Aquatic Aquatic Farm made

Detritus Pellet feed
animals vegetation dough
Phytoplankton Sinking
Zooplankton Floating

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Natural food
• Refers to plankton, aquatic animals and plants

• Consists of live, or fresh, whole organisms
• Naturally produced and considered best food
• Maintained by proper fertilization
• Consists of:
• Planktons
• Aquatic animals
• Aquatic vegetation
• Detritus

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Planktons
• Essential food for fish and crustaceans

• Especially for early life stages
• Adult fish too are planktivorous
• Two groups:
• Phytoplankton- Autotrophs
• Zooplankton- Heterotrophs
• Nutritional values varies
• Proteins and lipids are generally higher in
zooplanktons
• Carbohydrates and minerals are generally higher in
phytoplankton
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Aquatic animals
• Consists of smaller aquatic organisms

• Snails, clams, insects, aquatic worms, and small
crustaceans
• Nutritionally complete
• Rich in protein
• Considered best for omnivorous and carnivorous fishes

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Aquatic vegetation
• Food for herbivorous fish

• Small to large
• Terrestrial plants are also used as feed

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Detritus
• Non-living particulate organic matters covered by

microorganisms
• Represents a good source of food for fish
• Nutritional value increased by colonized organisms:
• Bacteria
• Fungi
• Attached algae (periphyton) and
• Macroinvertebrates

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Formulated feed
• Derived from plant and animal sources processed in

some way
• Supplemented in pond to promote the growth of fish
is a direct way
• Varies depending on species
• Points to be considered:
• Easily available on relatively low cost
• Nutrient rich and readily acceptable
• Easily digestible
• High conversion rate
• Easy to transport
• High keeping quality
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Plant feeds
• Major source of feed:

• Oil cakes and
• Grains
• Oil cakes- major source of protein and lipid
• Mustard oil cake (MOC)
• Soybean cake
• Cotton seed cake
• Peanut cake
• Sesame cake
• Sunflower seed cake
• Protein content varies between 20-50%
• May contain certain antinutritional factors
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Plant feeds
• Grains

• Major source of carbohydrate
• Low protein content (8-12%)
• High N-free extract (55-70%)
• Low lipid content (2-8%)
• Grain used for fish feed are:
• Rice and rice bran
• Wheat, wheat flour and wheat bran
• Corn, barley, oats, sorghum etc.
• May contain antinutritional factors

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Animal feeds
• Major source of protein (40-80%)

• Generally by-products from processing factories,
slaughter house and silk-weaving factories
• Presence of well balanced amino acids and high
levels of vitamins
• Methionine and lysine
• Digestion and absorption much higher
• Examples:
• Fish meal, shrimp meal, bone powder, blood meal,
blood powder, feather powder, silkworm pupae etc.

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Feed formulation
• No single feed material is complete

• Multi-ingredient feed satisfies the nutrient
requirement
• Raw materials should be selected based on their
ability to supply particular nutrients at lowest cost
• Feed formulation methods:
• Pearson’s square method
• Least cost approach method
• Hit-and-trial method
• Software based methods

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Pearson’s square method
• Example: To make feed of 22% CP from Mustard Oil Cake (30% CP) and Rice Bran
(10% CP).
Rice Bran

30-22= 8
10%
22%
MOC 22-10=12
30%
Rice Bran Proportion= 8*100/20= 40% 12+8= 20

MOC Proportion= 12*100/20 = 60%
To make 120 kg: 40%* 120= 48 kg of Rice bran and 60%*120= 72 kg of MOC.
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Least cost method
• Select the local ingredients and determine their

protein content (%).
• Use least cost analysis to select protein and energy
sources.
• Balance the crude protein level.
• Balance the digestible energy level.
• Check the levels of essential amino acids and
essential fatty acids in the finished feed.

84
84
Feeding management
• Thorough knowledge needed

• Food and feeding habits vary with species, season,
size and age
• Newly hatched larvae have yolk sac
• Subsist for at least 2 days
• Fry stage have almost identical feeding habit
• Primarily zooplankton
• From fingerling size, change in feeding habit starts
• Suitable formulated feeds have to be provided for
healthy growth of fish

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85
Feeding management…
• Rice bran and mustard oil cake are commonly used

for carps
• 1:1 ratio
• Soaked in water for some time
• Made into small balls or pellets for the purpose of
feeding
• Growth promoting substances like vitamin B complex,
yeast etc. may be added
• Contains 20-25% CP

86
86
• Feeding rate and frequency vary

• Species, size, water temperature and dietary energy
level
• Daily feeding rates can be calculated based on fish
biomass or can be fed ad libitum
• Smaller fish need more feed and more frequently
• Upto 10% of body weight and 3-4 times/ day
• Larger fish needs less feed and less frequently
• 2-5% and twice a day
• Grass carp can be fed with tender grass
• 40-50% of BW
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87
• Should be given at fixed place and fixed time

• Usually in morning when DO begins to rise
• Should not be done at late evening
• Feeding associated with increased DO demand
• At evening DO begins to fall and might cause problem
• Regular inspection to understand the degree of feed
utilization
• Avoid feeding on cloudy days and when temperature
is below 15°C (carps)
• Amount of feed should be adjusted at 2-4 weeks
interval
88
88
Comparison of food
Parameters Dough (Mass) feed Sinking pellet Floating pellet

Price Cheapest Relatively cheap Expensive
Availability Easiest Easy Difficult
Production Farm level Industry as well Industry, sophisticated
as farm machinery
Nutrients Mixing not sure All nutrients All nutrients
Consumption Not sure Not sure Sure (easily detectable)
Wastage High chance Medium chance Low chance
FCR High Low Lowest

Thank You
89
89
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Agriculture and Forestry University

Site selection for pond construction

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan

Agriculture and Forestry University

Agriculture and Forestry University

12/15/2023 © Rahul Ranjan