It is often difficult to tell how much food is right for your fish. A moderate amount of food may seem like too little for most fish farmers. However, overfeeding fish can be a serious problem that can cause the fish to become lethargic and sick, and even lead to death. Overfeeding fish not only affects the health of the fish, but also negatively affects the overall environment of the pond. The amount of feed to feed the catfish can be problematic for fish farmers because you may not know when the fish have eaten all they will. As a result, it is easy to overfeed, wasting feed and possibly damaging water quality. In feeding, there are some problems to pay attention to, especially for beginners.
Some of the health problems associated with overfeeding include indigestion, fatty liver and fin rot. Improper digestion can lead to pond contamination as fish produce more waste than usual. Fatty liver is a hepatitis-like disease where fin rot is caused by overeating and can make fish look weak
If the fish can’t eat all the feed you give them, the rest of the feed will start to rot. This can lead to the accumulation of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate, which are chemical by-products of the decomposition of organic waste such as rotting food in the pond. These compounds are toxic to fish and can even be lethal in high concentrations. Additionally, uneaten feed left to rot in the pond can reduce oxygen and pH.
Unused feed floating in the pond can contaminate the pond environment, requiring more frequent water changes. With increased toxicity and reduced oxygen levels, unwanted algae can overpopulate and ponds can become cloudy, so pond maintenance can quickly become a daunting task that wastes money and energy.
√ When using the floating fish feed, try to avoid excess feed on the water surface
Watch your fish carefully to see what keeps them full. If the floating fish feed has to stay on the water, it should be something the fish can do within 5 minutes of you stop feeding; any extra feed left is a waste.
√ When trying to avoid overfeeding, the first thing to do is to find out how much you should be feeding your fish.
Start by feeding the fish what you normally eat and see if they eat all of their food within four or five minutes. Gradually reduce the amount of food given to the fish until they have finished feeding within the appropriate time. If there is still food in the pond, use a net to remove uneaten feed. Once you know how much your fish should be fed, create a feeding plan and stick to it. Certain types of fish like to be fed once a day, while others should be given several smaller feedings throughout the day. Fishers and farmers should know the feeding schedule and amount of fish by observation.
√ For sinking feed, watch your fish carefully
They’ll be excited to eat and their reflexes will diminish as they start to get full, but if you can barely see them sticking their heads out of the water to eat, it’s safe to stop. If you have 1000 fish in a pond, but only see 5-10 fish eating after a while, it’s safe to stop; anything can be wasted as the feed sinks.
Knowing when to stop feeding is something inexperienced catfish farmers must deal with. How to feed catfish correctly is a process that requires constant exploration and experimentation by fish farmers