Overview:
To get a good crop of marketable fish it’s necessary to stock the pond with the correct number of fingerlings. Stocking too few fish may result in fast growth and large fish but this isn’t an economical use of the pond. However, stocking too many fish will result in slow growth and a large number of very small fish.
Catfish
- If you are stocking catfish fingerlings to rear to market size, stock them at a density of from 2 to 5 per m2. Stocking with the lower number (2/ m2) should give you fish of up to 500 g each after 6-9 months of culture. Stocking at the higher density will give you smaller fish over the same rearing period, resulting in perhaps 200-250g fish, depending on water temperatures and the amount of care you give to the pond.
- For nursing to fingerling size, stock catfish fry in tanks or aquaria at 50-150 fry/L. Nurse them in the aquaria or tanks for at least 14 days and then move them out to ponds or hapas, and stock at a density of 100 fry/ m2 and rear them for another 35-40 days.
