Rearing FRY of Red Nile (Oreochromis SP.) in a Floating Net Cage
Adaptability of the Technology
This technology is best suited to small -scale farmers, since only a relatively small investment is needed.
Use of the Technology
Rearing of Red Nile (a kind of tilapia) fry begins when the fry weigh about 3 grams, and lasts until they reach around 35 grams in weight. It aims at providing fish that will be reared for consumption. Rearing techniques can follow the methodology below.
Prepare Cages
- 1. Prepare 4-unit floating net cages of 3 x 3 x 1 m and 8-unit floating net cages of 1 x 1 x 1 m in one raft (Fig. 1). The net can be made from polyethylene netting (Fig. 2).
Introduce Fingerlings
- 2. Prepare 1 kg of red nile fingerlings (about 5 grams each). The number of fish will be about 450-500 fish per m2. Introduce the fingerlings into the cage at night, or at dawn before sunrise.
Feeding Schedule
- 3. Feed with pellet feed with a 28-30% protein content. The amount of feed provided depends on the age of the fish.
- 1st-2nd week, 7% of body weight;
- 3rd-4th weeks , 6% of body weight;
- 4th-5th weeks, 5% of body weight;
- 7th-harvesting time, 3% of body weight.
The feed is divided into three parts and given to the fish in the morning, at noon and in the evening.
Harvesting
- . The fish can be harvested after eight weeks. The weight should be about 35 grams/fish.
Note: Agricultural technologies are highly location specific. For this reason, please try new technology first on a small scale to see if it works well in your own field.
Index of Images
Figure 1 Floating Net Cages (I)
Figure 2 Floating Net Cages (II)
Download the PDF. of this document, 166,561 bytes (163 KB).
