Rohu or rui is an important freshwater cyprinid species. Rui fish farming is very common and popular in India, Bangladesh and some other South Asian countries where it is available.
The rui fish is the most important of the three major Indian cyprinids used in the polyculture system. The other two species are Katla and Mrigal.
Rui fish farming is popular in India (especially northern and central India), Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar.
It has also been introduced in many other countries like China, Japan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and also in some African countries.
Single species stocking is not recommended for rui fisheries. For commercial production, you must also breed the other 2 main cyprinids, namely Katla and Mrigal.
Rui fish consume food from mid-water level. While katla and mrigal fish consume food from upper and lower levels respectively.
How to Start Farming Rui Fish
Among all types of carp, rui fish is very popular. Excellent taste and good market demand are the main reasons for its high popularity.
You can expect to make good profit from rui fish farming business if you do it commercially. However, here we describe more information about the commercial farming of rui fish.
Site selection
First of all, you need to choose a very good place to start a rui fish farming business. Although you can start this business if you already have tanks.
Noise and pollution free sites are offered to start and run a fish farming business in rui. Also consider the presence of full sun when choosing a site.
Basin size and design
After choosing a good site, you need to build a pond. For rui fish farming, earthen or natural tanks are recommended. To build a pond, you can use manual or mechanical labor.
The size and shape of the pond can be any, depending on the type of your site. But we recommend you to start a rui fish farming business in a one acre pond. However, you can bury the fish in any size pond if you already have one.
Basin preparation
Before filling the pond with water and burying the fish in it, you must prepare the pond well. Apply lime, as well as organic and inorganic fertilizers in the pond and leave for a few days. This sterilizes the pond and starts natural food production.
The doses of lime, organic and inorganic fertilizers depend on the intensity of agriculture and the own productivity. Please contact an aquaculture specialist or fisheries institute near you for more information on this.
Seed collection
Always try to collect seeds from reliable sources. There are many breeding centers or hatcheries that provide seed for rui fish. You need to collect the seeds from one of the hatcheries closest to you.
Please contact your nearest agricultural department or any fishing institute for more information on rui hatcheries available in your area.
Raising the young
You can keep 0.1 to 0.2 million fingerlings per acre for fingerling rearing in a nursery pond. Potatoes are grown in this pond for a while or until they reach a weight of about 10 grams. You can then place them in the main cultivation basin.
Rui fish are recommended to be harvested together with other types of carp, such as katla and mrigal. The ratio of rui, katla and mrigal can be 30:30:40.
Stocking in the main pond
Place juveniles weighing up to 10 grams in the main pond. In a one acre pond, you can keep between 25,000 and 30,000 fish. Please consult an aquaculture specialist in your area for more specific recommendations.
Fish feed
Providing fish with adequate food is very important for commercial fish farming. In addition to natural food, you should give your fish additional food for better fish growth. There are ready-to-use commercial fish foods that are considered good for rui fish, and you can feed your fish these foods.
The total amount of food per day depends on the number of fish reared in the pond. Generally, rui fish grow well if you can give them 5% of their food per day of their total body weight. Do not feed the fish all at once. Better to feed them several times a day.
Harvest
Rui fish grow quite quickly and you can expect good growth if you feed them properly. And you can expect to start harvesting when the fish has reached the desired size. Usually rui fish are ready to be caught within a year when they reach a weight of around 1 kg.
You can fish from the pond using fishing nets. Catching can be done depending on the size of the fish, as well as market demand and price.
Marketing
Send the fish to market immediately after capture. Rui fish is very tasty and nutritious and is in high demand in the market. It is used in many cases. Rui fish curries and roasts are very popular.
These are the usual steps in commercial rui fish farming. Hope you learned a lot from this guide. Good luck and God bless you!
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