Artificial breeding techniques for blue crabs

The blue crab , also known as the blue crab , has delicious meat and is an excellent edible crab. It is widely distributed and is currently artificially cultivated in many areas. Here are some tips on artificial blue crab breeding .

1. Pond selection

The pond should be located on a coast where winds and waves are not too strong and the tidal range is large to facilitate filling and drainage. The area of ​​the pond ranges from 3 to 5 mu at the smallest to 30 to 50 mu at the largest, with a water depth of 1 to 1.5 meters. There are 1 to 2 longitudinal or transverse trenches in the pond, which are about 2 meters wide and 0.5 meters deep. There are slopes and shallow water beaches at the bottom of the pond to allow blue crabs to rest away from the water.

2. Stocking crab seedlings

Before releasing crab seedlings, the most important thing is to clear silt and eliminate pests. Dredging work is usually carried out before the crab seedlings are released in autumn, and mainly focuses on clearing the silt in the pond ditch and draining the pond. The goal of pest control is to eliminate organisms that are harmful to the growth of crab seedlings and repair escape prevention facilities. You can choose to choose sunny weather before stocking, expose the pond to the sun, remove old sludge, and re-plow the bottom silt.

3. Choose crab seedlings

Before stocking, you need to select the crab seedlings. Generally, you should choose those with harder shells and greener colors. It is best if the crab seedlings in the same area are of similar size, and the amount of seedlings released depends on the scale and conditions of breeding. In order to ensure that the crab seedlings are vigorous and avoid releasing them in rainy weather, you need to choose a sunny and windward side.

4. Water quality control

In the breeding process, the control of water environment is an important link. The transparency and purity of water directly affect the final yield and economic benefits of farmed crops. During the breeding period of blue crabs, the water quality needs to be adjusted at any time to meet the living needs of blue crabs and ensure that the water in the pond is fresh and lively. The most suitable water temperature for its survival is around 15~30℃. When the temperature is lower than 15℃, the growth rate slows down significantly, and the most suitable salinity range is 26%~50%.

The initial stage mainly involves adding new water, and the water should be changed every 3 to 4 days. The amount of water changed each time is about one-sixth of the pool water depth to ensure the freshness of the water. You can also improve the pond water quality by adding water conditioners every 30 days to maintain water clarity. In the later stage of blue crab farming, the moderate introduction of fresh water can help promote the molting growth of blue crabs and increase their growth rate.

5. Feeding management

Blue crabs are carnivorous animals and like to eat miscellaneous fish, shrimps, etc. The bait should be fresh and fed once in the morning and evening. After two months of feeding, the crab seedlings will slowly grow. Note that the blue crabs are at their weakest when they are molting. In order to prevent miscellaneous fish in the pond from attacking the blue crabs, do not feed too much tail feed each time to prevent them from not finishing the food and causing water pollution.

6. Crab pond management

Do a good job in crab pond management in winter. Blue crabs are tropical crabs. The water temperature is too low in winter, and blue crabs are prone to death if they do not eat. You need to strengthen the insulation of the crab pond. You can add more water, twice as much as usual. This way, the temperature at the bottom of the pond will be higher, and the blue crabs will dig holes to prepare in time.

That’s it