Ornamental Fish Farming – TABLE OF CONTENTS

PART 1

SOME FUNDAMENTALS OF COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION

1.1    Production: a schematic overview
1.2    Water: chemistry, sources, temperature and biological load
1.3    Choosing species to produce
1.4    Production and market suitability of some major families and groups
1.5    Grouping fish according to their reproductive strategies and commercial breeding methods
1.6    Identifying the sexes
1.7    Acquiring breeders
1.8    Quarantining new breeders
1.9    Genetics and selective breeding

PART 2

OPERATING STYLES, STRATEGIES AND FACILITIES
2.1 Culture facilities and farm layout
2.2 Grow-out strategies and facilities

PART 3

PRODUCTION METHODS

GROUP 1: BATCH-SPAWNING THE EGG-SCATTERERS
(REFERENCE SECTION FOR ALL GROUPS)

HOLDING AND CONDITIONING BROODSTOCK

3.1    Holding facilities and stocking densities
3.2    Water chemistry and maintaining water quality
3.3 Broodstock holding temperature
3.4    Light
3.5 Broodstock: numbers, turnover and replacement
3.6 Mixing species
3.7 Ratios of males to females
3.8    Separation of the sexes
3.9 Selecting broodstock: purity of strains and other considerations
3.10 Genetic diversity
3.11    Conditioning: diets
3.12    Feeding
3.13    Breeding age
3.14    Recognizing spawning ripeness
3.15    Time needed for breeders to reach spawning ripeness and their recovery-time between spawns
3.16    The reproductive lifespan of broodstock in commercial production

SETTING UP FOR SPAWNING

3.17    Spawning tanks
3.18    Hygiene
3.19    Water: chemistry, depth and temperature
3.20    Spawning medium
3.21    Tank dividers
3.22    Peat extract
3.23    Spawn robbing and its prevention
3.24    Aeration
3.25    Lighting
3.26    Tank layout for spawning
3.27    Step by step preparation for spawning

INTRODUCING THE BREEDERS

3.28    Grouping of males to females – gender ratios for spawning
3.29    Catching and selecting breeders for spawning
3.30    Selecting ripe spawners
3.31    Introducing breeders to the spawning tank: sizing
3.32    Introducing breeders to the spawning tank: water temperature and pH
3.33    Introducing breeders to the spawning tank: timing
3.34    Feeding during spawning
3.35    Expected time from introduction until spawning takes place

SPAWNING

3.36    Spawning: time of day and duration
3.37    Spawning activities
3.38    Detecting and observing eggs
3.39    When and how to remove breeders and spawning medium after spawning

CARE OF EGGS

3.40 Development of eggs
3.41 Aspects of egg care

CARE OF PRE-FEEDING LARVAE

3.42    Aspects of larval care
3.43    Moving larvae to rearing tanks
3.44    Characteristics of larvae before becoming free-swimming
3.45    Uniformity of development (growth and behaviour)
3.46    Microscope use

REARING FRY – FROM FIRST FEED TO ABOUT TWO MONTHS OF AGE

3.47    First stage of rearing in a two-stage style of production
3.48    Initial stocking density when moving larvae from spawning tanks to glass rearing tanks
3.49    Recognizing when larvae are free-swimming and ready to feed
3.50    First dietary options
3.51    Timing the first feed
3.52    Administering the first feed
3.53    Feeding frequency
3.54    How much to feed on an ongoing basis
3.55    Maintaining water quality
3.56    Bacteria in the water
3.57    Diseases
3.58    Other troublesome organisms
3.59    Light
3.60    Behaviour of fry
3.61    Stocking density
3.62    Size-variation and cannibalism
3.63    Temperature and growth rates
3.64    Deformities
3.65    Weaning fry from brine shrimp onto prepared diets
3.66    Summary of first feeding and other rearing procedures

GROW-OUT TO SELLABLE SIZE

3.67    Grow-out facilities
3.68    Grow-out strategies
3.69    Water chemistry and maintaining good water quality
3.70    Stocking density
3.71    Mixing species (polyculture)
3.72    Introducing fry to the grow-out facility (second stage)
3.73    Diets
3.74    Feeding
3.75    Temperature and growth rates
3.76    Maintaining health and well-being

HARVESTING, PACKING AND SHIPPING

3.77    Selling size
3.78    Harvesting, sorting, counting, holding and purging
3.79    Packing and shipping

PART 4 (Production methods cont’d)

BREEDING STYLES IN GROUPS WITH REPRESENTATIVE FAMILIES AND SPECIES
(A) BATCH-SPAWNING THE EGG-LAYERS

GROUP 1:
BATCH-SPAWNING THE EGG-SCATTERERS

Representative families and species:

CHARICIDAE

Tetras and other characins
4.1    Head and tail light tetra (Hyphessobrycon ocellifer)
4.2    Glowlight tetra (Hemigrammus erythrozonus)
4.3    Black phantom tetra (Megalamophodus megalopterus)
4.4    Emperor tetra (Nematobrycon palmeri)
4.5    Blue tetra (Bhoelkia fredcochui)
4.6    Congo tetra (Micralestes {Phenacogrammus} interruptus)
4.7    Silver dollar (Metynnis hypsauchen)
4.8    Spotted headstander (Chilodus punctatus)
4.9    Neon tetra (Paracheirodon innesi)

CYPRINIDAE

Barbs
4.10 Tiger barb (Puntius tetrazona)
4.11 Golden barb (Puntius semifasciolatus ‘schuberti’)
4.12 Cherry barb (Puntius titteya)

Danios
4.13    Zebra danio (Danio rerio)
4.14    Kerri danio (Brachydanio kerri)
4.15    Barred danio (Brachydanio pathirana)

White cloud mountain minnow
4.16 White cloud (Tanichthys albonubes)

Rasboras
4.17 Harlequin rasbora (Trigonostigma heteromorpha)

Goldfish and Koi
4.18 Goldfish (Carassius auratus)
4.19 Koi (Cyprinus carpio)

GROUP 2:
BATCH-SPAWNING THE BUBBLE-NESTERS AND OTHER BROOD-CARERS