1.

Pond preparation

 The pond should be limed using 2 ton /hectare of agricultural lime (2 kg /10 sq. meters)
 The pond should be sun dried to kill fungi and bacteria.
 The edges of the pond should be cleaned of all grass so that hiding places for frogs and water monitors
is limited.
 The slopes of the pond wall should be graded to a 45 degree angle.
 The ponds should be fitted with screens to prevent unwanted fish entering the pond.
 The pond should now be filled with clean water.
1.1 Filling the pond
 The pond should be filled a week before being stocked with fish (10g).
 It is undesirable to fill the pond more than a week prior to stocking, as this would give predatory insect
larvae and crustaceans a chance to establish themselves as well.
 Ensure the is properly closed and the inlets have screens to avoid other fish species coming in
 Pond edges should be cleaned of grass and any other dirt.
 The supervisor should inspect the pond prior to filling and stocking to ensure that all is in good order.
1.2 Stocking density
 The stocking density is 5pieces per square meter.
 If the manager has seen that the previous year’s results were not good, he may change this.
 If a pond has good aeration or a good supply of fresh water (direct from a clean furrow), a higher stocking
density can be used but this is only on the managers discretion.

Determining the number to be stocked

Number to be stocked in a pond is calculated as follows:

No. to be stocked = pond area x stocking density

Where: Pond area should be expressed in m2

E.g. a pond of 0.50 ha will be 0.5 x 10000m2 and this will give 5000m2
Using the stocking density of 5.0m2 then the total number to be stocked will be 25000 pieces of fish. A 5%
allowance for mortality can be added.
1.3 Introducing the fish

 A pond can be stocked at the discretion of the supervisor

 The type of fish to be stocked should be known and the fingerlings should be pre-counted 3 days prior
to stocking.
 Once the fish is ready for stocking they should be moved in large drums half filled with water and should
have a sack covering the top to prevent spillage and fish loss.
 The drum should be moved by a vehicle directly to the pond to be stocked
 The manager and pond operator should be present when a pond is being stocked
 Scoop about one bucket of pond water into the drum every five minutes to keep fingerlings strong.
 To avoid fish stress and growth shock from rapid temperature change, pond water and vessel water
should be mixed slowly.
 Preferably move the fish during the early hours of the day when the temperatures are still low.
 The vessel should be placed in the pond not allowing pond water in.
 The vessel should be tilted slowly so at no faster than 10 litres per minute.
 When the vessel is full with mixed water the bottom should be lifted so as to allow the fish to swim into
the pond freely.

2. Management of Grow-out Earth Ponds

Pond water Quality Parameters

2.1. Temperature
 The temperature of the water determines the rate at which all biological processes take place.
 Every living organism has a thermal range in which it is comfortable and a narrower range of optimal
temperatures.
 Most biological processes in a pond occur optimally at a temperature of about 27C., tilapia grow
optimally at 26-28C, although they grow well at any temperature between 20 and 30C.
 Temperature fluctuations are part of everyday life in a pond, and fish can tolerate changes well, provided
the changes are neither too extreme, nor too rapid.
 A suggested guideline of acceptable levels is 1C decrease or 2C increases per hour.
2.2. Dissolved oxygen (DO)
 The concentration of oxygen dissolved in the water in which fish are reared is of extreme importance; if
there is too little DO and the fish will not grow well and ultimately die.
 All aerobic processes require oxygen, including the respiration of algae and fine organisms on which the
fish feed.
 Ponds rely on two sources of oxygen, viz. photosynthesis and the atmosphere. Plants photosynthesize
by day and release oxygen as an end product, but by night the plants respire, converting oxygen to
carbon dioxide (CO2).
 The result is that natural ponds, especially if they are well vegetated, have high levels of DO in the late
afternoon and low levels of DO before dawn.
 Practical signs of low oxygen levels include; Fish stop feeding and gasp at the surface, tadpoles gather
at the edges of the pond or a smell similar to rotten eggs coming from the pond.

2.3. pH
 pH is a measure of the degree of acidity or alkalinity of the pond water and is measured on a scale of 1
to 14, with 7 being neutral.
 The water source will determine the initial pH and hardness of the pond water.
 Photosynthesis by pond algae utilizes carbon dioxide as a carbon source by day, thereby causing the
pH to increase towards the late afternoon, especially on hot sunny days when photosynthesis is most
rapid.
 During the night the algae respire, producing carbon dioxide which binds with water molecules to form
carbonic acid, thereby lowering the pH.
 During an algal bloom this daily pH fluctuation can be of the order of several pH points, which is highly
stressful to pond inhabitants such as fish.
 Biological activity within a pond is optimal at a pH of 7.8 and most pond fish species do well in a pH range
of 7.0 to 8.5, although they will survive within a wider pH range.
3. The dynamic nature of an earth pond

 There is a predictable daily fluctuation of several pond water quality components that must be understood
by the fish farm manager
 The extent of this fluctuation depends largely on light intensity, water temperature, water chemistry and
availability of nutrients.
 It is important for the manager to understand how these factors interact and the next three chapters deal
with site selection, designing a suitable earth pond and managing it to achieve maximum yield by maximising
these positive effects whilst simultaneously limiting the negative effects.
 Main factors that fluctuate during the day and night in an earth pond and the direction of fluctuation.
 Day Night

Temperature  

pH  

Dissolved Oxygen  

Carbon dioxide  

4. Management Procedure
 The management has a single main objective in mind, TO MAXIMISE PROFIT.
 To achieve this goal they is need to utilize the dynamic nature of ponds to their best advantage and be
aware of potential problems that can arise following on certain actions.
 When the pond is initially stocked the biomass is very low, but as the fish grow the biomass increases
exponentially, and so does the risk of associated problems.
 When problems occur it is generally a combination of factors that together create the problem, so the
manager needs to understand, predict and prevent such problems from arising.

4.1. Manure Distribution

 Too much manure will lead to huge fluctuations in pH, CO 2 and DO and ultimately the death of the fish,
too little will limit the growth of the fish.
 As a guideline before adding manure, use the water check to ensure that the pond is not too green.
 To check water quality, deep your hand into the water up to the elbow level, and turn up your palm.
 Flip your finger up and down.
 If you are able to see you fingers, then you need to put in more manure.
 If you cannot see your fingers, then it means the water is too green and you need to flush it with fresh
water.
4.2. Dissolved oxygen
 To avoid low oxygen conditions arising it is important to flush the water so that the deeper, oxygen poor
water comes into contact with the surface waters to release CO2 and take up oxygen by diffusion.
 Levels of DO decrease during night time and increases during day time
4.3. Feeding
 Feed pellets generally twice daily in the shallow water all around the pond, so that the small fish are
encouraged to feed across as much of the bottom of the pond as possible.
 First feeding usually should be done at 10:00hrs and last feeding should start at 14:30hrs.
 As they grow spread the feed out more widely.
 Monitor the condition of the fish and any wastage at the time of feeding.
 The fish should respond enthusiastically to the presence of the person feeding especially if they are fed at
regular times each day.
 Feed the fish as much as they will consume so that there is no wasted feed left over by the time of the fish
have stopped feeding.
 It is impossible to determine precisely the exact quantity of feed required by a given number of fish, of a
given mass, at a given water temperature, due to the large number of factors involved.
 The ideal situation is that the fish are fed as much as they can consume over the feeding time
 As the water temperature drops at the end of summer fish require less feed and the daily mass of feed fed
must be adapted.
 Note: The Table below is a general guide of feeding in a pond 1000 fish.

Age Average Fish Feed Type Feed Feed/Total Body Ave. Feed Quantity
(Weeks) Weight (g) Freq. Weight (%) per Day (g)

1-5 0.5 - 10 Fry Meal (48% CP) 5 12 % 361

6 - 11 15 - 88 Tilapia Grower (32% CP) 2 6% 2457

12 - 24 122 - 490 Tilapia Finisher (30% CP) 2 3.6% 8070

5. Sterilising (Liming)
 Sterilising the pond between subsequent fish crops limits the buildup of pathogens in the pond.
 The pond should ideally be left to dry out completely before being refilled for the next fish crop, however,
this wastes production time, and the same results can be obtained by sterilising the pond chemically.
 Quicklime and hydrated lime are the two forms of lime most commonly used for sterilising empty ponds.
 Apply lime at the rate of 2kg: 10m2 and spread this evenly in the pond.
 This should be done as soon as the harvesting is completed, prior to the pond having time to dry out
(cracking).
6. The Feed
 The mass of feed fed daily to each pond must also be recorded in order to monitor the growth of the fish
relative to the amount of feed fed.
 Feed makes 80% of the cost of fish production and it is therefore imperative that we maximise the benefit of
it.
 Fish growth is a function of feed consumed and as such it should be closely monitored and recorded

6.1. Feed Conversion Ratio

 This is the amount of feed fish eat to gain 1Kg in body weight
 A higher FCR indicates poor feed utilisation and a lower FCR indicates good feed utilisation
 The standard optimal FCR is 1.6

7. Water temperature
 A maximum/minimum thermometer should be submerged in one of the ponds and the maximum and
minimum temperatures recorded daily at the same time.

 A string with one end tied to the net and the other tied to the thermometer will prevent it from drifting
away.

 Tie a float above the thermometer and a small weight to the lower end to keep it drifting at a depth of
40cm below the surface.

8. Operational record

 Whenever fish are stocked into a pond, harvested from a pond and moved between ponds this must be
recorded for later reference.

 It is important for the supervisor to know how many fish are in each pond, what size they were stocked
at, their size at harvest and survival in order to determine the return on stocking at the time of harvesting
the pond.

9. Procedure when suspecting a Fish health problem

 What is the behaviour of the fish?

 When did you first notice the problem?
 Have the fish been harvested, moved or stocked recently?
 Are different sized fish behaving the same?
 Did they eat their most recent feed?
 When was water last removed and replaced?
 Is the algae green and alive, or is it dying?
 When did you last fertilise and what fertiliser did you use, and from what source?
 Has pesticide been used near the fish ponds recently?
 Draw a water sample from a depth of 50cm and immediately measure the following water quality
parameters: temperature, pH, hardness, ammonia, and nitrite.
 Catch weak looking fish to look at the skin (colour, growths, dots, and blotches), the condition of the fins,
and the state of the gills.
 Squeeze the fish’s lower abdomen gently to see if it excretes.
 Do a skin scrape on the captured fish to look for parasites?
 A 50% water change will often go a long way towards alleviating or solving the problem, and can be
applied as a first action in most situations where the quality of the incoming water is not suspected as
contributing to the problem.
 Bear in mind that individual fish will die from time to time without this being a cause for concern.
 Some individuals are weaker than others and will die even under perfect conditions.
 However, when the behavior of a number of fish is suspicious at the same time, then there may well be
a problem.
Note: Inform the local Fisheries Department for immediate site attention or better yet Contact me for
help if need be…
But Remember that these guidelines vary for situation to situation
CHINYEMBA MYEZI
097 8 724424