Proper Nursery & Hatchery when Cultivating Catfish

Hello, Mr/Mrs Cultivators! Surely you have heard the term nursery in the catfish farming process. Well, nursery is one of the most important stages when cultivating catfish. Before we discuss nursery, let's discuss the stages involved in catfish farming! Here are the stages of good catfish farming!

• Pool preparation
• Choose healthy seeds
• Proper feeding
• Pool maintenance
• Pest and disease management
• The process of harvesting catfish

So, when do we do nursery?  According to Suyanto, nursery is the process of enlargement of seeds to a size that is safe for cultivation in enlargement media. Generally, nursery and nursery cultivators are different from enlargement cultivators. The process of raising catfish is also different from the process of cultivating catfish. However, both were equally important for satisfying cultivation results! The following is the catfish hatchery process, including the catfish nursery process!

1. Memilih Induk Ikan Lele

The selected parent must not be disabled, have agile movements, and grow faster than the others. For maximum results, selecting the parent catfish should be done when they are still 5-10 cm in size. In order to maximize seed yields, the mother catfish should be treated with special care and separated from other catfish. The goal is to prevent disease and make it easier to treat.

2. Pemijahan Ikan Lele

Spawning or mating is the process of fertilization in fish. There are 2 types of spawning, namely natural spawning and intensive spawning. Natural spawning is a marriage that does not require human intervention in the process of fertilizing the egg with sperm. Fertilization occurs naturally when the female catfish meets the male catfish in the same pond. This spawning is relatively long and difficult to occur, so cultivators tend to choose intensive spawning. There are 3 methods of intensive spawning, namely:

• Pituitary injection
• Artificial hormone injections
• In vitro fertilization (in a tube)

3. Pemeliharaan Larva

A successful spawning process will produce catfish larvae.  First of all, separate the larvae from their parents and set up a pond to care for the larvae. Make sure the pond has good aeration so that oxygen levels are stable. You can use an aerator. In addition, the pool temperature must be maintained at 28-290C. When the water temperature is below 250C, white spots will appear on the larvae which will lead to mass death. If there is a change in temperature, try no more than 10C. Pond cleanliness is also very important to maintain the condition of the larvae. Clean the pond from dirt and leftover feed so as not to produce ammonia gas which triggers the death of the larvae. Larvae do not need to be fed for 3-4 days because they still have a supply of food in their bodies. However, after that the larvae must be fed according to their size. 

4. Proses Pendederan Ikan Lele

• Preparing Nursery Ponds

Ponds used for nursery or enlargement of fish seeds are different from ponds for enlargement or hatchery. This separation is done so that the seeds are protected from pests, diseases, and extreme environmental changes. Ponds for nursery can be in the form of earthen ponds, cement ponds, or tarpaulin ponds. There is no pool size standard that must be followed, but the pond should not be too big or too deep so that the seeds can be easily checked. You can make a 2×3 or 3×4 pond with a depth of 0.75-1 meter. It is better if the pond is also covered or shaded so that the seeds do not die from the hot sun in the dry season. 

• Releasing Seeds

When releasing the seeds into the pond, make sure the seeds are of uniform size so that you can better control their growth. Usually the seeds are moved to nursery ponds at the age of 3 weeks. Because small seeds are very sensitive to extreme environmental changes, it is advisable for you to use certain techniques to transfer the seeds. Use a bucket/plastic container and fill it with water from the original pool. Then, put the seeds in a bucket/plastic using a fine net. Next, insert the bucket/plastic into the nursery pond by tilting it. Wait for the seeds to swim out of the container on their own.  Make sure the seed density is not too dense so that the seeds can grow in a comfortable environment. Filling the water pond is also done gradually, following the growth of the fish fry. Stocking density of 300-600 individuals per m2 enough for seeds measuring 1-2 cm.  The nursery process lasts for about 5-6 weeks, until the seeds are 5-7 cm in size or according to the buyer's request if you sell catfish seeds.

• Giving Special Feed

With a small size, of course, catfish seeds cannot eat just any feed. The feed given to fish seeds must be feed with a special size and type so that the seeds can grow optimally quickly and healthily.  Use flour pellets with a protein content of more than 40 percent when the seeds are 1-2 cm in size. At that age, catfish seeds need a lot of protein for development. Supervise the feeding process closely to avoid accumulation of feed on the bottom of the pond. If the seeds are 2-3 cm to 406 cm in size, give small pellet type feed. The size of the feed must be adjusted to the mouth opening of the fish fry, so you must diligently check the size of the fish and the type of feed given. Give feed about 4-5 times a day, namely morning, afternoon, evening and night. It is better to multiply the feeding at night because catfish are nocturnal creatures or creatures that are active at night. 

5. Panen Benih 

After the nursery process is complete, you can harvest catfish seeds to cultivate yourself or sell to other catfish farmers.  How to harvest catfish seeds is not difficult. Dry the pond slowly until the fish gather at the same point to make it easier for you to collect the seeds. Then, take the seeds using a fine net carefully so that the seeds are not injured. Transfer the fish seeds into a container filled with nursery pond water so that the fish are not stressed. The following are the sizes of catfish seeds that are commonly sold for cultivation:

• Small: 2-3 cm
• Mild/medium: 3-4cm, 4-5cm, 5-6cm, 6-7cm, 7-8cm
• Super: 9-10 cm
• Head: 11-12 cm
• Bledugan: >12 cm

Butuh Bantuan Budidaya Ikan Lele?

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