Lining tarpaulin to raise eels without mud, harvest 200 kg/tank

Eel farming has been developing strongly in many places in Vinh Thanh, Co Do, Thot Not, ... (Can Tho) with diverse farming methods, but the most popular is still the traditional farming method in mud.

However, this type of farming has revealed certain limitations such as difficulty in managing the number of eels, excess food, diseases and high loss rate, etc. At the same time, investing a large amount of land in the farming tank contributes to increasing product costs and reducing economic efficiency.

Eels raised without mud in tarpaulin lined tanks.

Currently, in Thanh Phu commune - Co Do district (Can Tho), many eel farming households have boldly applied a new eel farming model (no mud in tarpaulin-lined tanks), with quite positive results.

Mr. Nguyen Hong Dung, residing in Phuoc Loc hamlet, is a typical successful farmer with this model. After many years of working in the profession, he has continuously expanded his eel farming tanks, now having 4 tanks with an area of ​​nearly 100m2.

According to Mr. Dung's experience in raising eels without mud, with a 20m2 pond (4m x 5m), he released 50 kg of eel fry (30 fish/kg), stocking density 75 fish/m2, survival rate 70%. After 7 months of raising and caring, the eels reached a weight of 180 - 200g/fish, harvested about 200 kg of eel meat, sold at an average price of 125,000 VND/kg. It is estimated that if deducting the costs (seeds, food, tools for making tarpaulin tanks, care costs), each pond he earns nearly 12 million VND.

Mr. Dung said: “Previously, I mainly lived on farming with only about 3,000m2 of rice land, working hard and hard for many years but the income from rice was not worth much, life was difficult, lacking everything. When I saw that people in many places raised eels and brought in quite high profits, I had the idea and immediately started raising eels. At first, although I encountered many difficulties, thanks to diligence, hard work, and a desire to learn, my skills gradually improved.”

Mr. Dung shared some experiences in raising eels without mud. To raise eels well, farmers need to pay attention to the following issues:

- Prepare eel tank:

+ Choose a quiet location, with few people passing by, shady, easy to get water in and out, make a roof or a trellis to grow climbing plants to block the sun and wind.

+ Place the poles, use thick, non-draining nylon tarps to surround the poles to create a pool. Pool area: 20m2. Pool height 1 - 1.2m.

+ Pour filtered, sterilized and parasitic water into the tank. Water level in the tank: 20 – 30 cm. Water level is 40 – 50 cm lower than the mouth of the tank. Add vegetables (bitter gourd, water spinach, pickled cucumber, etc.) and bamboo to create shade and shelter for the eels.

- Selecting and releasing breeds: There are 3 types of eels (dark yellow, greenish yellow and ash gray). Farmers should choose dark yellow eels to raise because this is the type of eel that has the best growth and development rate. The appropriate size of eel breeds for raising is 30 - 60 eels/kg. If the breed is too small, the eels will be difficult to care for, die easily, and the raising time will be long.

When buying large eels (10-20/kg), you must pay attention to the source of the breed, because this size of eel often dies after about a month of raising due to spinal column stretching when caught. The eel breed for raising must be the same size, not damaged, and healthy.

The best stocking density is 60 – 80 fish/m2. Before stocking, bathe the eels in 2 – 3% salt water for 3 – 5 minutes to disinfect and remove weak fish. If you see the eels rushing to the water surface, change the water or take the eels out.

A type of mud-free tarpaulin-lined tank for raising eels. Photo: IT.

- Feeding method: Farmed eels need to go through a domestication process to get used to the food. Do not feed eels immediately after being released, but starve them for 2-3 days. Food for eels is mainly caught from nature: crabs, snails, trash fish, shrimp, etc. and industrial food. Feed eels 1-2 times a day, the amount of food is 5-7% of the weight of the eel in the tank (if you feed too much, the greedy eel will easily get overfed and die, if you feed too little, the eel will grow slowly), put food on the floor in a fixed position, feed eels on time (usually the main meal is from 4-6pm).

After each feeding, it is necessary to remove excess food from the tank to avoid polluting the water environment. When the weather is cloudy, rainy, or cold: reduce the amount of food. At the same time, eel food should not be changed suddenly but should be changed gradually so that the eel can adapt. In the early stages of raising, food must be provided to the eel so that it does not go hungry because they will eat each other, reducing the survival rate. Every 7 days, mix vitamin C and digestive enzymes into the food to increase the eel's resistance and digestive ability.

Mud-free eel farming is a model that brings high economic efficiency. Photo: IT

- Changing the water in the eel tank: Because of intensive farming and eel being a smooth-skinned aquatic species, it is very sensitive to the living environment. Therefore, the water in the eel tank must be changed every day (100%) of the water in the tank. Maintain the water level just above the substrate (about 30 - 40 cm).

Commenting on the mud-free eel farming model using bamboo tea and vegetables as substrate in a tarpaulin-lined tank of Mr. Nguyen Hong Dung, Ms. Pham Thi Tuyet Anh - Officer of the City's Agricultural and Fisheries Extension Center said: "Mr. Dung is the first person in the commune to find a new way of raising eels, bringing high efficiency and supplying clean eel products to the market. His model has changed the way of thinking and working, helping local eel farmers learn, shortening the farming time and reducing feed costs.

In addition, the model of raising eels without mud in tarpaulin-lined tanks does not cause pollution, contributing to the transformation of crop and livestock structures and joining hands in building new rural areas. It can be said that the model of raising eels without mud is a new direction that is both highly economically efficient and creates jobs for a part of the local idle labor force. This is a unique model that needs to be replicated to help people quickly escape poverty and stabilize their lives.

The value of eels is not only a source of food rich in nutrients (protein: 18.6%; fat: 9.1%), they are also objects of high economic value in the market compared to some other freshwater aquatic species.

In medicine, eel meat has the effect of enriching blood and calming the mind (treating insomnia). Scientists also consider eels an interesting research subject, because it has a process of transforming female body into male body.