ARTIFIC'IAL FEEDING OF CARP FRY

ARTIFIC’IAL FEEDING OF CARP FRY
By
A.E. lMAM:
AND
A. PH. HABASHY
Institute of Inland Waters and Fish Culture Barrage Fish Farm

INRTODUCTION
With the start of an intensive fish culture programme in UAR, it was felt
necesaary to develo-p a more suitable and balanced diet for better production
of healthy carp fry. With this in view, preliminary work commenced in Barrage
Fish Culture Research Station; aiming to enhance fish production and minimizing the rearing period. While the present work is limited to observation on survival and growth of carp fry, and mainly envolving a practical nursery diet for
them, it is proposed to continue investigations for suitable, cheap and
productive artificial food for fingerlings as well as for adult fish.
Advantage was taken of the experience of earlier workers like Schsperclaus
(1933), Ali Kounhi (1952) Ali Kounhi et. al (1954-1955), Lakshmann et al (J 967)
and many others who established zooplankton as the main natural food for carp
fry. Accordingly, all tested items of feed were compared with this standard
food. Growth and survival were taken as the criteria for deciding the comparetive merit of the different items of food.
Consistency and availability of feed as possible factors affecting growth
(Wolf (195] b) were also taken into consideration.
A series of laboratory and field experiments on rearing of carp fry from
hatchening to two Or three weeks old were conducted using different types of
feeds. AfGer the preliminary testing of different feeds, poorer ones were
eleminated and the more promising items were tested. The latter were
analysed chemically to determine their protein, carbohydrate, fat and ash
contents. Vitamin assay had however to be omitted for laboratory facilities.
During field expeiments, the rate of stocking of fry per square meter was
taken into consideration as a factor affecting the rate of growth of the reared fry.