Small Scale Rainbow Trout Farming

Small Scale Rainbow Trout Farming

Small Scale Rainbow Trout Farming

How To Start Small Scale Rainbow Trout Farming

Acquisition of permissions is  important. Without the necessary permissions the construction should not start. The range of the permissions needed varies from country to country, or even from region to region within the same country. Especially in many mountainous regions, which are part of protected areas or national parks, obtaining permissions might be complicated.

Construction is the third step of the implementation. With a reliable engineering design, not only budgeting and programming but also the execution of the construction will be easier. Although much of the construction work can be done using one’s own labour resources, it is recommended that a skilled bricklayer and plumber be contracted. They will ensure that the work is of the required quality.

There are many different ways and solutions for constructing concrete tanks and ponds and their water supply and drainage structures. Ideas can be gathered from the sections above.

Also Read: What do rainbow trout like to eat? 

Trial run is the last step in the implementation of a new trout production unit or farm. A trial run lasting a few days before starting fish production is important as this enables hidden defects and problems to be detected and remedied.

The trial period is also useful for observing the quality and quantity of the received water and practising its control and management.

9. Production work and tasks

9.1 Receiving eyed eg, fry, fingerlings and older age groups On many trout farms, production starts when eyed eggs, fry or fingerlings arrive from another farm. Before the actual arrival of eggs, all of the rearing devices should be cleaned and disinfected. After the preparation of the devices, their water supply should also be checked.

Fry or fingerlings are transported either in plastic bags or in containers. The tempering procedure is the same in both cases.

1. Measure the temperature of the transport water and the receiving water. 2. Gradually adjust the temperature of the transport water to the temperature of the receiving water. 3. As soon as the temperatures are equalized, the fry or fingerlings may be transferred to their new place. Eyed eggs are transported either: I. in plastic bags with water and oxygen; or II. hibernated in insulated box on trays with ice. The steps of tempering* the eggs and unpacking are similar in both cases.

Also Read: Why is salmon superfood 

1. Measure both the temperature of the transport water and the hatchery water. Gradually adjust the temperature of the transport water to that of the hatchery water. As soon as the temperatures are equalized, the eyed eggs should be placed into the trays after disinfection, as prescribed by the supplier.

2. Gradually adjust the temperature of the eyed eggs in the transporting box by carefully adding hatchery water through the ice found on the top tray. As soon as the box is filled with hatchery water (the temperatures are equalized), the eyed eggs should be placed onto the hatching trays.

What Do Rainbow Trout Like To Eat?

Feeding is the most expensive part of trout production.

In the past, trout were fed with trash fish and slaughterhouse by-products, offal and wastes. It is a widespread opinion that using the feeds for fattening listed in Table 5 is rather inconvenient and also very polluting both to the rearing tanks/ponds and to the surrounding environment.

The next period in the development of the trout farming industry was the formulation and use of different types of high protein* feeds. Their feed conversion ratio (FCR*) varied between 2 and 3.

Also Read: Can rainbow trout be farmed? 

Water flow and fish size

I. Water should not flow faster within 1 second than the actual total length of the reared fish. However, the maximum velocity of water should not exceed 20 cm/sec (12 m/min) even if the fish is longer than 20 cm.

II. The optimal velocity of water is 2–3 cm/sec (1.2–1.8 m/min) for smaller fish and 4–10 cm/sec (2.4–6 m/min.) for larger ones. However, the actual speed of water per second should not be faster than from one-half to three-quarters of the length of the reared fish.

Production work and tasks 

In the modern trout farming industry, the traditional feeds have been definitively replaced with very efficient pelleted dry feeds (0.6–1.1 FCR).

There are publications that advocate the use of home-made feeds, which may be feasible only with some reservations. Home-made feeds seem to be a good solution, especially where commercial trout feeds are not readily available. However, the ingredients of home-made feeds should be easily locally available, with continuous supply in the required quantity and quality and at competitive prices. In this case, one of the numerous recipes of formulated trout feeds should be selected and blended. Extensive experience has proved that purchasing commercial feeds is often the only feasible and profitable option. 

In evaluating the commercial feeds, the expected FCR and the related price are those characteristics that should be considered at purchase and use. It is a general rule that the price of a feed is inversely related to its FCR – the lower the FCR, the higher the price of a feed will be. However, economic calculations may prove that a feed with a lower price but a higher FCR will be more expensive than an expensive feed with an outstandingly low FCR. For this reason, many farmers choose high-quality expensive feeds for the first stages, where little feed is used but where the fish are most vulnerable and sensitive.

Normally, commercial feed manufacturers determine the recommended daily quantities of their feeds. If not, Figures 44 and 45 provide guidance for adjusting the daily rations.

Daily feed rations should be given in 2–24 equal portions. It is a general rule that the younger fish should be fed more frequently than older ones . The frequency of feeding should also be increased with the temperature of the water. Concerning the size of feed particles, they should be small enough that fish can comfortably grab and swallow them.

Practical aspects of feeding and feeds

Hand-feeding techniques

Hand and mechanized feedings are the two widely practiced techniques. Of these, hand feeding is the recommended one. Loss of appetite among fish is one of the most obvious symptoms of many different problems. It indicates, among others, insufficient oxygen content of water or a developing disease in fish. Therefore, regular daily feeding is an excellent opportunity to observe fish and detect problems and diagnose diseases.

Also Read: How to farm raise scallops 

Demand and automatic feeders

Demand feeders are those that release feed according to the appetite of fish. Because rainbow trout are very greedy fish, these feeders may allow unnecessary overfeeding of fish unless the portions are controlled.

The advantage of mechanized and automatic feeders is that they save on labour.

The most typical mechanized and automatic feeders are the demand bar feeder, used from fish size 50 g, and the clock-driven feeding belt.

Signs of feeding problems

Obvious signs of feeding problems are the increasing differences in individual sizes, growing aggressiveness and cannibalism. Lack of sufficient feed manifests itself in bitten/damaged fish and dead fish.

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