VPP 322: Aquatic Animal Diseases, Health Care and Management (1+1)

FEEDING  OF AQUATIC ANIMALS

• The nutritional requirements of the aquatic animals is fulfilled by the natural food that are available in the aquatic system or by providing the artificial feed (when these aquatic animals are reared or grown in a closed system like pond, pens etc). Feeding is supplying the animals being cultured with additional or artificial food. This “artificial food” or feed may consist of individual raw materials such as rice bran or ground nut oil cake, simple mixtures of ingredients, or complex formulated compound feeds compacted by hand or machine.
• Feeds used in aquaculture may be regarded as supplementary or complete.
  • Supplementary feeds are those which supplement the natural food available in the pond. Feeding supplementary feed increases the fish production from the pond.  Supplementary feeds used are mostly low-cost agricultural and animal by products which can be directly consumed by fish but which in excess, may also act as organic fertilizers, Eg. Mill sweepings, brewery wastes.
  • A complete feed supplies all the nutrient requirements of the fishes. Complete feeds are essential in intensive fish culture systems where very less or no natural food is available.

Feeding habits of aquatic animals

Herbivores	Detritus feeders	Omnivores	Carnivores
Grass carp Molluscs (Clams, oysters, mussels etc.,) Silver carp, Milk fish  Tilapia	Mud carp	Common carp Freshwater prawns Mullet Channel catfish	Trout  Salmon Shrimp Snake head (Murrel) Groupers Black carp Sea bass