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ÉCONOMISEZ 10% SUR VOTRE PROCHAINE COMMANDE AVEC LE CODE CLEARWATER2024 - VALABLE JUSQU'AU 1ER MAI✨
ÉCONOMISEZ 10% SUR VOTRE PROCHAINE COMMANDE AVEC LE CODE CLEARWATER2024 - VALABLE JUSQU'AU 1ER MAI✨
Optimiser la croissance des poissons en aquaponie

Optimizing fish growth in aquaponics

In this article we are going to talk about how to maximize the mass of fish produced compared to the kilos of food supplied in aquaponics? First of all, you should know that in aquaponics, this represents between 40 and 50% of our expenses. It is also important to understand the growth curve of fish. We all know that at the beginning, the fish is very small. We are going to take the example of koi carp which, up to a year, will not take on a lot of mass, but between one and three years, the slope of the curve will be very steep and therefore the fish will take on a lot of weight. weight in a short time. Then there will be a clear inflection for the rest of his life.


Why is there a strong growth at the start and then a big stagnation?


This is mainly related to the production of reproductive sex cells, male or female. In fish, it's called gametes. The male gamete is the sperm produced by the testicle. The female gamete will be the egg produced in an ovary. Thus, the sexual maturity of females is different from that of males. For koi carp, it will be 4 to 5 years for a female and 2 to 3 years for a male.

We will take a well-known example in aquaponics which is the rainbow trout because we like to raise this in our aquaponic tanks, especially in cold climates. You should therefore know that for this species, the sexual maturity of males is one year old while that of females is two years old. So basically we're going to have optimum growth for a given amount of food for one year for males and two years for females. In fish farming, they only want to raise female trout since that is where they get the best yield. This also leads them to make aberrations such as giving male hormones to small females. Suddenly, the small trout will develop testicles and this will be the phenotype of a male, but the genotype of a female. And so it's a pseudo male and a female that will exclusively produce females since all the chromosomes will be Xs.

Only males have Greek ICSIs. So if you buy trout from fish farms in 99% of cases, it will be females since that is how we will have the best growth for the minimum amount of food given.


A few facts for fish to grow well

The first thing is that the water temperature must be adapted to the species. You wouldn't put tilapia in cold water or trout in hot water. Then, you will give food adapted to the species you are raising. There are herbivorous fish, carnivorous fish, and omnivorous fish that eat both. So be very careful and be sure to buy the right food for your fish. And finally, it takes a sufficient amount of food for them to grow. It is necessary to cover the energy needs for their metabolism and the cells for their activity. So if you give them a few pellets once a week they will survive. But of course, they will not grow.

The difference in terms of growth

The first thing to know is that fish will grow faster if you feed them several times a day. So, for a daily dose of food, it is better to break it up into two or three intakes, rather than giving it all in the morning or evening. Then, to optimize the growth of all your fish, they will have to be about the same size.

In fish farming, they spend their time sorting the fish, that is, separating the small from the medium and the large, not only so that they do not eat each other, but also so that each can absorb the right amount of food, not just that the big fish eat all that available to the little ones.

And finally, the third factor that will make the difference is linked to the second. That is to say, everyone must eat. So if you have a fish food dispenser , the food will fall to one place. And it is the strongest and most territorial who will have priority access to this food. And the shy little puny ones won't get much. So if you distribute food evenly across the surface of the water, you maximize the chances of everyone eating.
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