Grow-out of European catfish (family Siluridae)

Grow-out

Grow-out of fry to fingerling and market size if generally carried out as monoculture in ponds. Fingerlings have been raised very successfully up to six months, fed on trout starter-feeds and pellets. Small ponds rich in plankton, are stocked at the rate of 10–15 fry per m2. They are fed with pelleted feeds or with ground fresh meat or fish, several times a day.

Yearlings can also be grown in polyculture in carp ponds. Fingerlings of both carp and sheat-fish, weighing 25–30g, are reared together, at stocking rates of 3000–5000 per ha. By autumn of the second year they attain a weight of 900–1100g.

Losses due to predation are more pronounced in the larval and fry stages. Among the diseases reported, the most common one that results in high losses is ichthyophthiriasis. Larger fish may suffer from branchyomycosis.