Feed for trout: composition, features and stages of feeding

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:41

The popularity of food for rainbow trout is due to the fact that from 1973 to 2006 the share of this species in the fish market of the Russian Federation was constantly increasing. Russia is in 6th place in Europe in terms of trout production. Climatic conditions and ecological characteristics make it possible to grow this fish using the numerous rivers and streams that flow through the country.

General information

Currently, trout farming is carried out at the same level as carp. The difference mainly concerns the sales markets. Demand for rainbow trout persists throughout the year in the country, while carp is the fish most often eaten seasonally. Due to the popularity of these types of fish, there is a wide variety of food for them.

Breeding

Trout belong to the salmon family. In the Russian Federation, the most common species is the rainbow trout. It belongs to aquatic inhabitants, resistant to temperature changes in the environment, and characterized by rapid growth. An unfavorable feature is its sensitivity to viral diseases. As a rule, its cultivation is carried out near rivers, streams or streams withfast current and cold water.

Spawning

In special ponds, individuals are prepared for spawning. The timing of the start of this process depends on temperature, sunlight and other natural characteristics of habitats. The fish, as a rule, lives from 3 to 5 years, and the sex ratio is 1 male to 5-10 females. Females and males mature for breeding are selected. Attention is drawn to their body weight and he alth status. About 2000 eggs can be obtained from a female at a time. The amount depends on the size of the individual (about 1500 eggs per kg of fish body weight).

Female rainbow trout reach sexual maturity at 3 years of age and males at 2 years of age. Spawning on farms continues from May to September.

Fry Development

Caviar development takes place in incubators. These are rooms in which special devices are located, where acceptable environmental conditions are maintained.

The farms use various incubators. Either one supplies a sufficient amount of oxygenated, clean water free of suspended solids and contaminants. Plaque in a dirty environment surrounds the eggs, depriving them of access to oxygen, and also creates ideal conditions for the development of pathogenic microbes. For this reason, the composition of trout feed is selected so that it does not settle in the water.

It is worth paying attention to the speed of the flow of water flowing among the fertilized eggs. Too slow a flow leads to insufficient oxygenation, and too fast can cause the phenomenonturbulence, which interferes with the development of eggs. Each of the devices has a cover that protects the caviar from direct light.

The duration of incubation depends on the temperature of the water. Maintaining the temperature between 4 and 10°C produces fry after 34 days.

Feeding fry

Fry from incubators and cable trays are moved to a new environment. Trout weighing at least 40 g is selected at this stage. Feed for trout fry should be balanced. Most often, offspring appear in early spring.

Fry after reaching a certain body weight are transferred to new containers. They are kept there until their weight reaches 200-500 grams. The entire production cycle lasts two years.

Where fattening

Trout is fed in longitudinal ponds measuring 25x5 m with a depth of more than a meter. The inflow and outflow are protected by a fine mesh that does not allow the fish to get out. The mesh needs to be cleaned frequently as algae and leaves settle on it, making it difficult for fresh, oxygenated water to flow in.

Sometimes this type of fish is bred directly in a flowing river or spring, only nets are installed to prevent the fish from escaping. This type of solution does not guarantee the proper quality of trout keeping and may also create a safety hazard in case of intensive production. There are fish-breeding artels focused on breeding trout only of a certain age. However, the greatest efficiency is observed in farms specializing inproduction of fish at all stages of its development.

Food

The composition of feed for trout is necessarily balanced. It satisfies the demand of fish for components such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals and vitamins. Trout fish food in granular form of animal origin is especially popular. We are talking about meat, offal and animal fat. There is also the use of starter feeds for trout based on flour, wheat bran, yeast.

When determining the dosage, it is necessary to take into account such factors as water temperature, body weight of fish, oxygen content in water, water pH. The quality of feed for trout plays a big role.

An important factor influencing the rate of growth is the frequency of feeding. The younger the fish, the more often you need to feed it. Fry after birth should be given food every half hour. Food for older trout may be provided twice a day. Feeding can be done manually or mechanically using special machines. The advantage of automatic feeding for trout is the reduction of time and effort. The disadvantage is limited control over the he alth of the fish.

Live food for trout

Feeding live food is very popular. For trout, it has many advantages. This is the natural way of feeding the fish, which increases their vitality. Providing a balanced and satisfying diet is very important. Enough range of live foodslarge, but choosing the right food is not always easy. For example, red mosquito larvae are often used for this purpose. They have a characteristic red color, which is associated with the oxygen content. Fish love this food, and thanks to the red color, they immediately notice it. In a cool place, the larvae can be stored for one to two weeks.

Biomar

Biomar food for trout is popular. This manufacturer is one of the leaders in this market segment. It produces more than 30 varieties of food for various types of fish.

Additional recommendations

Trout today is bred, as a rule, in pools, natural reservoirs and in special systems created artificially. It is important that the fish be sure to receive a balanced diet. This directly affects the speed of its development. Trout is a predator. Special feed mixtures are used for it. They definitely contain carotene. It is noteworthy that initially the meat of this fish does not have a reddish tint - it is this element that colors it.

As a rule, food is used wet or dry. Granular is popular with breeders. For a weight gain of 1 kg of fish, about 2 kg of dry food is required. If we are talking about wet food, it takes about 6 kg. At the same time, even effective feeding does not bring special results if there are no suitable circumstances. It is necessary that the water has a sufficient concentration of oxygen.

Usuallyimported feed costs about 2 dollars per 1 kg. About a day, one adult eats food in the amount of 10% of its body weight. However, this indicator is directly affected by the conditions of its content. Contrary to popular belief, it is dangerous to give too much food to trout. This may slow down its growth. It is most profitable to breed one-year-old fish whose weight exceeds 250 g. Young individuals need to be fed about seven times a day, and adults - no more than 4 times a day.

It is worth considering that this fish adapts very well to various conditions. Depending on the environment, it is able to change its color. Not only in different waters, but also in the same stream, you can find fish that differ in color from others. Trout are often grown in artificial reservoirs because only about 10% of the fry survive in the natural environment.

Reproduction in the natural environment occurs in the spring, but in fish farms it can occur all year round.

For the selection of feed, it is necessary to take into account the conditions in which this type of fish is bred. It is recommended to use fish meal (up to 50% of the diet), as well as milk (skimmed, dry), blood or bone meal. Trout should consume a lot of protein, especially juveniles. In bloodmeal, this component is not quite complete, which breeders need to take into account.

In addition, you can add cake and meal (linen, sunflower, and so on) to the fish feed. However, it is not recommended to give her cotton cake due to the presence of toxic impurities in it. Definitely neededadd fodder yeast to the diet, which is a source of many vitamins.