Breeding methods and precautions for mandarin fish

Mandarin fish, also known as osmanthus fish, belongs to the genus Siniperca of the family Serranidae. This fish is tall and laterally flattened, with a pronounced bulge on the back. They have large mouths with the lower jaw being longer than the upper jaw. The upper and lower jaws, vomer and operculum of the mandarin fish are all covered with small teeth of varying sizes. The posterior edge of the preoperculum is serrated, and there are four large spines on the lower edge. There are two large spines on the posterior edge of the operculum. The head of the mandarin fish is covered with fine scales, and the lateral line curves upward along the arc of the back. The dorsal fin is divided into two parts, the front part is hard spines and the back part is soft fin rays. The body of the mandarin fish is yellow-green, the belly is grayish white, and there are irregular dark brown spots and patches on the sides of the body. There is a narrow black band from the tip of the snout through the eye socket to the front and bottom of the dorsal fin. Let’s learn about the breeding methods and precautions of mandarin fish.

1. Selection of feed fish

When breeding osmanthus fish in ponds, the types of bait fish that can be used include silver carp, bighead carp, wild carp, wheat carp, Thai carp, crucian carp, carp, etc. The bait coefficient is generally between 4-5. According to the growth specifications and food intake of sweet osmanthus fish, a pond 3-4 times larger than the sweet osmanthus fish pond is needed to cultivate enough bait fish.

1. Early forage fish

In the pond where osmanthus fish is raised, 1 to 2 million fry of silver carp, bighead carp, wild carp, wheat carp, Thai carp, crucian carp and other fish are released in advance per acre as early bait fish for osmanthus fish. After these fry are fed with roughage such as peanut bran and wheat bran for 15-20 days, when their body length reaches 1.5-2.5 cm, they are disinfected with eucalyptus and povidone-iodine effervescent tablets, and then 2-3 cm osmanthus fry can be released for cultivation.

2. Mid-term bait fish

In the ponds of the four major carps, 200,000 to 300,000 fry of local carp, wheat carp, Thai carp and other fish are raised per acre, or fry of silver carp, bighead carp, crucian carp and other fish are specially cultivated as bait fish for large-sized osmanthus fish.

3. Late-stage bait fish

In addition to self-production and self-sufficiency, we can also purchase from outside. In the later stage of breeding, winter usually comes, and the bait fish of the dace species are easily frozen to death. Therefore, some cold-resistant bait fish such as silver carp, bighead carp, and crucian carp should be cultivated and prepared to overwinter, and used as backup bait fish for osmanthus fish in winter and spring.

2. Mandarin fish breeding technology

1. Pond conditions

The pond area is generally 2-4 acres, the water depth is about 2 meters, and it is mainly rectangular. The water quality must be fresh, with little or no bottom mud, and complete drainage, irrigation and oxygenation equipment.

2. Bait fish cultivation

Based on the principles of good palatability and low economic cost, silver carp, white carp, bighead carp, silver carp, bighead carp and other fish fry can be selected as bait fish. You can use the idle period before stocking the sweet-scented osmanthus fish pond to cultivate early bait fish, you can breed crucian carp or bream fry yourself, or you can release various types of fish fry about 20 days before stocking the sweet-scented osmanthus fish, with a stocking capacity of 400,000 to 600,000 per mu. The breeding method is to feed with soybean milk or other feed. In the middle and late stages, the bait fish must be raised in special ponds. It is advisable to adopt the method of high-density breeding in multiple ponds, catching them in batches, and gradually defecating them to ensure that the bait fish and mandarin fish grow synchronously.

3. Stocking of Mandarin Fish

The stocking time is generally in June, and the stocking specifications should be 6-10 cm. The advantage is that the survival rate is high and the growth rate is fast. The general stocking rate is 500-800 per acre.

4. Feeding of bait fish

During the adult fish breeding period, it is advisable to ensure that they can eat enough every day. If there are too few bait fish and they are hungry, it will affect the growth of the mandarin fish or cause cannibalism.

5. Water quality control

The water quality of the mandarin fish pond should be well controlled and the water should be changed frequently. The high temperature season from June to September is the peak feeding season. The water should be filled and drained once a week, with 0.4 cubic meters of water replaced each time, and the transparency of the pool water should be maintained above 40 centimeters.

3. Tips for stocking mandarin fish

1. Source and fishing of fish species

Source of fish species: It is now the hot season, the temperature is very high, and the fish species are relatively weak, so it is generally not convenient to transport them over long distances. The source of fish for replenishment is mostly solved through local adjustment, or it can be caught in nearby natural waters. The fishing site of the fish should be very close to the stocking site, and the fishing and stocking should be closely connected. The fish should not be out of water for too long, and it is best to catch and stock them at the same time. If this is not possible at the moment, you can temporarily raise the fish in a net cage or hold them in a dragnet for operation, but the time should not exceed two hours. It is strictly forbidden to operate fish out of water.

Fishing: The principle of catch fast and release lightly should always be adhered to when catching and raising fish. When fishing, you must be careful, operate slowly, and try not to injure the fish. The best time to fish is in the morning and evening when the weather is cool. Fishing tools should be large drag nets, trap nets and other tools that will not harm the fish. When fishing in the same water body, the net should not be pulled too many times to avoid causing the fish to float to the surface and die. Wire mesh will damage the fish body and cause scales to fall off, so do not use it. Fishing in a dry pond may cause the fish to choke to death due to the dirty water, and may also burn the fish body due to the shallow water, so it is best not to do this. For carnivorous fish, you can use medicated bait to lure them when feeding, intercept the nets on their movement routes, and capture them in batches. This is also a good fishing method.

2. Stocking and management of fish species

Preparation before stocking: All preparations should be done before stocking fish, and check whether the inlet and outlet are intact to prevent leakage. If any problems are found, they should be resolved immediately. Secondly, it is necessary to observe the conditions of the water bodies where stocking is carried out, especially to understand the situation of fish escaping from the ponds, so as to find out the details and determine the species and quantities to be released. Finally, the water body needs to be improved. Due to the current high temperature, the water is generally turbid, there are a lot of dirt in the water, the water quality is very poor, and bacteria can easily multiply. You should use quicklime or alum to spray the water to clarify the water and purify the water quality. If the water body is thin, you should also apply a little fertilizer to cultivate natural bait in the water.

Stocking operation: In order to reduce stocking mortality and ensure stocking results, fish species should be selected for replenishment. The selected fish species should have complete scales and fins, powerful jumps, lively swimming, a plump physique, and no diseases or injuries. Fish that are thin, slow to react, have congestion on the body surface, or have mechanical damage should be eliminated. The stocking species can be determined according to the source of the fish species and the stocking needs, but the stocking scale should be large, and the stocking density can be based on the principle of sparse stocking, so that the adult fish at the end of the year can reach commercial specifications, reduce the adverse effects caused by the short growth period, and ensure the breeding efficiency. When stocking, the fish must be disinfected with medicine before being put into the water to prevent the fish from entering the pond with diseases and causing the spread of fish diseases. Generally, it can be soaked in 2% to 3% saline or povidone-iodine solution for 3 to 5 minutes.

Management after stocking: After stocking, you must carefully carry out tasks such as feeding, fertilizing, water quality regulation, and fish disease prevention based on the species and quantity of stocking. The feed is generally based on concentrated feed to accelerate the growth of the fish. The most suitable daily feeding amount is 5% to 8% of the total weight of the fish in the pond, and there should be a slight surplus after feeding. If there are many fish such as bighead carp in the pond, you can add more fertilizer, and then spray the bacteria and algae fertilizer into water throughout the pond. Within 7 to 10 days after stocking, use povidone-iodine effervescent tablets to kill bacteria. At the same time, you can use Eucalyptus or Bencao Lequ at intervals to kill parasites and effectively prevent the occurrence of fish diseases.

The above is an introduction to the breeding methods and key points of osmanthus fish. To breed osmanthus fish, one must rationally utilize its own advantages. Water quality, feed management and other aspects are crucial.