Starting a freshwater pond. Should I stock rohu, katla or mix them?
Which fish is best for pond culture, rohu or katla?
MManoj Sharma1yr ago · 401 views
4 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓1yr ago
The best practice is composite (polyculture) carp farming, not a single species. Stock Indian major carps together so they use all layers of the pond: Catla (katla) feeds at the surface, Rohu in the middle column, and Mrigal at the bottom; you can add silver carp, grass carp and common carp. A common ratio is roughly 30 to 40 percent surface feeders, 30 to 40 percent column feeders and the rest bottom feeders, adjusted to your pond. This gives higher total yield than rohu or katla alone. Maintain good water quality, apply lime and manure, use quality seed (fingerlings), and feed with rice bran and oil cake. Your State Fisheries Department or KVK can advise stocking density for your pond.
RRanjan Kumar1yr ago
I stock catla, rohu and mrigal together plus some grass carp. Mixed stocking gives much better total harvest than only rohu. Liming the pond before stocking reduced disease for me.
AAwadhesh Rai1yr ago
Seed quality is everything. The year I bought cheap fingerlings of mixed sizes, growth was uneven and many died. Good healthy fingerlings of the right size from a reliable hatchery gave a far better harvest even in the same pond.
SSunita Kumari11mo ago
Stock at a sensible density, do not overcrowd hoping for more fish. My over-stocked pond ran short of oxygen and growth slowed for all of them. Fewer fish that grow to full size sold better than a crowded pond of small ones.