Dr. Karri Rama Rao Feeding schedule and Feeding Frequency in Fin fish and Shell fish SHELL FISH Initially*, when the shrimp are small and the feed quantity is minimal; two feeds per day will sufficent. After about 30 days of stocking, this should be increased to about 4 or 5 feeds per day. Feeding frequency should be increased to the highest practical number. The feeding ration should be more during night than day. Tetraselmis sp. fed so as to maintain a concentration of around 10, 000 cells/ml throughout the culture cycle from day 2 after hatching (N3 – 6) to M3/P1. Brachionus plicatilis fed to maintain a concentration of five organisms/ml from Z3 to M3/P1. Artemia salina nauplii fed to maintain a concentration of two organisms/ml from M2 to M3/P1. 1. Feeding Schedule for Penaeus monodon: Recommended feeding practices for post-larvae during the first 30 days are quite variable: 2 to 6 feedings per day. However, during grow-out, the recommended feeding frequencies are 4 times per day for shrimp of 3 to 14 grams and 5 to 6 times per day for shrimp above 14 grams. The feeding strategy varies according on the size of the pond. Pellets are fed into tiny ponds by hand distributing them across the water's surface. In big ponds, pellets are spread by rope boat. Most of the shrimp farmers will feed to given on somewhere between every day and every two or three days, depending on the tank's age and conditions etc. Well-aged tanks that have been up and running for months will normally have a decent amount of biofilm and algae, giving them plenty to graze on throughout the day. Feeds are given at fixed rate of 5–10% of the estimated shrimp biomass per day. Although the food requirement for maintenance and growth increases with increasing biomass, the relative food requirements per unit weight of animal decreases with increasing shrimp. One of the most important operational functions in shrimp culture is the provision of adequate food supply to ensure that the cultured animals attained the desired harvesting size within the targetted time frame. Dr. Karri Rama Rao, Asso. Professor, Dept. of Zoology/ Fisheries, Govt. Degree College (A) Page 1 2. Vannamei Shrimp Feeding Schedule in Biofloc Syste System Based on my experience doing shrimp farming in Biofloc System for more than 4 years, I have come up with this Vannamei Feeding Chart for Biofloc System that may help you. I have prepared it for 100,000 shrimps and starting from day one to day 100 how much you need to feed them. Dr. Karri Rama Rao,, Asso. Professor, Dept. of Zoology/ Fisheries, Govt. Degree College (A) Page 2 Stocking Density: Number of shrimp PL’s stocked Number of Days: Every 10 days you need to change the feeding pattern Feed Number:: Shrimp feed has a number, accordingly, you need to feed them Body Weight in Grams: Need to check the current shrimp body weight Percentage of Feed: Based on their current body weight, calculate the total biomass Per Day Feed in KG:: Per day how much feed is supplied in Kilograms Total Feed: Total feed consumed every 10 days        FIN FISH Feed for fish during the day Increasing the frequency of supplementary feeding during the day has several advantages, particularly if natural food does not form a major part of the daily food intake, namely:  reducing food wastage;  reducing dissolved oxygen consumption and improving water quality;  reducing nutrient losses attributable to leaching, thereby improving food quality;  improving uniformity of fish sizes, giving more possibility for the less aggressive fish to feed;  improving fish growth and feed utilization. Before deciding on how frequently you should feed for fish (a) The smaller the fish, the more frequently they should be fed. (b) Dry feeds need to be distributed more often than moist feeds. (c) In any one feeding, no more than 3 percent of the total fish weight should be distributed. (d) The feeding frequency should be reduced as the water temperature cools down, or if it exceeds optimum levels. (e) The frequency should be adapted to the fish species. Tilapias do much better with small but frequent meals. On the contrary, trout larger than 50 g do well on one meal a day. (f) The feeding cost should be checked to make sure it is not excessive compared to the yields obtained. Dr. Karri Rama Rao, Asso. Professor, Dept. of Zoology/ Fisheries, Govt. Degree College (A) Page 3 (g) After deciding on how often you will feed your fish each day, subdivide the daily ration accordingly. Adjust it frequently on the basis of feed utilization. Possible feeding schedule various carps After deciding on how often you will feed your fish each day, subdivide the daily ration accordingly. Adjust it frequently on the basis of feed utilization. Example We determine a daily ration of 2 kg. If you decide to feed the fish twice a day, each meal should be made of 1 kg Checking on feed utilization It should regularly check on feed utilization to adjust feeding properly. This is usually done on several occasions. (a) Before feeding, check it there is any feed left over from the previous meal. To do this you may need to use a light scoop made of fine-mesh metal netting mounted on a long handle. Adjust the feeding accordingly. Example Fingerling common carp are fed once a day in the presence of a good supply of natural food. Two to three hours after feeding, check the feeding place. If there is no feed left, increase the DFR slightly on the next day. If there is feed left over, check again five to six hours later. If there is little feed left over, use the same DFR on the next day. If there is more feed left over, decrease the DFR on the next day. Dr. Karri Rama Rao, Asso. Professor, Dept. of Zoology/ Fisheries, Govt. Degree College (A) Page 4 (b) During feeding, observe the fish carefully to see how actively they eat. A good appetite is a sign of good health and good water quality. (c) Every 15 to 30 days, check on the new fish biomass present in the pond, and adjust the daily feeding ration accordingly. Check on feed utilization during the last 15- to 30-day period by calculating the food conversion ratio for this period.  The first column of this chart shows the growth of fishes, represented in weeks  The second column shows the average body mass of the fish.  The third column shows how many kilos of feed should be fed to thousand fish a day.  The fourth column is what percentage of feed to be fed to fishes by weight.  Fifth column represents protein content in the feeds and sixth column shows the size of pellets.  The next column is about the amount of total feed to be given in the span of time, that is in the first week or two to three weeks.  In the last column is the total amount of feeds per size. Period (Day from the date of stocking) 1–5 Rate of feeding 4 times the total initial weight Amount of feed for 0.1 million of spawn 560 g/day Dr. Karri Rama Rao, Asso. Professor, Dept. of Zoology/ Fisheries, Govt. Degree College (A) Page 5 6 – 12 8 times the total initial weight 1120 g/day 13 No feed - 14 Harvesting Overfeeding can make your fish ill, and excessive fish waste pushes the limits of what can be biologically reduced in the pond, resulting in a drop in water quality. Fish should not be served more than three times a day. In colder water (65-70 degrees Fahrenheit), they should be fed once a day, if that. Growing common carp fry are fed in proportion to the quantity of stocked larvae, at a rate of around 0.1-0.15 g/stocked larvae/day. This ratio should be gradually increased to 0.4-0.5 g/stocked larvae/day by the conclusion of the advanced fry rearing period. We recommend feeding fish twice or three times every day, rather than just once. Fish will learn the schedule if you feed them every day at 7 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m. This percentage is called the daily feeding rate (DFR) . If DFR = 2.5 percent of the fish biomass B = 80 kg, you will require 80 kg x (2.5/ 100) = 2.0 kg of supplementary feed to be distributed daily in the pond. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) is the conventional measure of livestock production efficiency: the weight of feed intake divided by weight gained by the animal. FCR= 2:1 References: FAO, Fish feeds and feeding, https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/fishery/fish_carps_feed.html Dr. Karri Rama Rao, Asso. Professor, Dept. of Zoology/ Fisheries, Govt. Degree College (A) Page 6