Pla Duk Not Eating And Loosing Weight.

[mellow1]

Pla Duk aren't eating, and actually loosing weight, is this due to the cold? They all appear healthy without parasites or any other visible problems.

[RedBullHorn]

What are your feeding schedule, morning, noon and at 5pm weather temperature like ? size of your fingerlings when you bought them and the size of your school of pla duk now?

Let me know all this detail and i can get an idea on how to correct your problem.

(mine are eating well~)

Edited November 10, 2010 by RedBullHorn

[mellow1]

What are your feeding schedule, morning, noon and at 5pm weather temperature like ? size of your fingerlings when you bought them and the size of your school of pla duk now?

Let me know all this detail and i can get an idea on how to correct your problem.

(mine are eating well~)

Hello RBH, I was hopping you'd see this. Our feeding schedule has been the same as when we first started. 8-9AM and 3.30 to 4.30 PM. Only very small fish (tadpole size) which are not in this RAS get also fed at noon. We buy the fingerlings very small for 0.20Baht, raise them outside the RAS until they get about index finger size, then put them into the system at about a thousand per cubic meter tank. The RAS is running at about 30% capacity mainly because it has been doing well like that, plus not enough customers yet, to buy more fish. At the moment we only have 5500 fingerlings in it ( 5 or 6 inch), and about 3000 fish 5/K. So 8500 fish. Usually we run about 10 or 12000, but got shorted on the batch in there. This may be a self created problem. A couple months ago, I didn't like the Bio Filter set up, and had the workers modify it one tower at a time. So what is happening is that the water is staying very clear, and everyone is agast that the fish are a bit dark, do to the clear water. Then they decided to prolong water changes, and the draining of the filter tanks. But the water remained clear even after 6 days. Today the wife had them clean out the filters, and do a good water change. I looked in the filter chambers, and they were filthy, but the water remained clear. I'm hoping with this regular maintenance, which is the way we have been operating from the beginning, the fish will get their appetite back.

But since I am fortunate to have your attention once again, please give me your input RBH. Also the darkness of the fish, can it be controlled, they seem to like them yellow, but personally I like them when they look like granite, dark on top, and light on the bottom, with a lot of spots. But since I'm not the buyer it don't count.

[D-MAX]

If the catfish is kept in a clay pond, with muddy water, they will turn light.

If the water is clear they will turn dark.

In our area (Sukhotai) the local buyers preferred the light coloured fish.

[mellow1]

If the catfish is kept in a clay pond, with muddy water, they will turn light.

If the water is clear they will turn dark.

In our area (Sukhotai) the local buyers preferred the light coloured fish.

yes, I know that, you can also throw in dirt to lighten them up, doesn't mean that they are good quality fish. It's only that the Thais are hung up on the white thing, except for you ( Farang). Nothing personal, or insulting towards you on my part. Thank you for your participation.

[RedBullHorn]

What are your feeding schedule, morning, noon and at 5pm weather temperature like ? size of your fingerlings when you bought them and the size of your school of pla duk now?

Let me know all this detail and i can get an idea on how to correct your problem.

(mine are eating well~)

Hello RBH, I was hopping you'd see this. Our feeding schedule has been the same as when we first started. 8-9AM and 3.30 to 4.30 PM. Only very small fish (tadpole size) which are not in this RAS get also fed at noon. We buy the fingerlings very small for 0.20Baht, raise them outside the RAS until they get about index finger size, then put them into the system at about a thousand per cubic meter tank. The RAS is running at about 30% capacity mainly because it has been doing well like that, plus not enough customers yet, to buy more fish. At the moment we only have 5500 fingerlings in it ( 5 or 6 inch), and about 3000 fish 5/K. So 8500 fish. Usually we run about 10 or 12000, but got shorted on the batch in there. This may be a self created problem. A couple months ago, I didn't like the Bio Filter set up, and had the workers modify it one tower at a time. So what is happening is that the water is staying very clear, and everyone is agast that the fish are a bit dark, do to the clear water. Then they decided to prolong water changes, and the draining of the filter tanks. But the water remained clear even after 6 days. Today the wife had them clean out the filters, and do a good water change. I looked in the filter chambers, and they were filthy, but the water remained clear. I'm hoping with this regular maintenance, which is the way we have been operating from the beginning, the fish will get their appetite back.

But since I am fortunate to have your attention once again, please give me your input RBH. Also the darkness of the fish, can it be controlled, they seem to like them yellow, but personally I like them when they look like granite, dark on top, and light on the bottom, with a lot of spots. But since I'm not the buyer it don't count.

Hi mellow1, seem like you missed out the most important information i need, the weather temperature in the morning (at the time you feed), high noon and the afternoon which you feed at 4pm...btw...is the water in your tanks flowing in and out all the time because of the bio filter ? Are the tanks getting enough sunlight ? What brand of feed and the grade are you using as it contribute to the colour of the fish as well, for example...Betagro "Bio" or Betagro "Omeg" (grade A, FCR 1.13:1) combine with greenish water in earthen pond will produce a beautiful fish that has a yellowish and slight greenish tinge while Cargill "Accore"(grade B, FCR 1.39:1) will produce fish of the unperfered greyish colour in a similar earthen pond. Pla duk at the market places are black in colour because retailer kept changing the water that goes into the basin everyday. For your operation you need to prolong water change to get that desired colour that suit the market even though good clean water will enhance growth.

The reason mine are eating well is because they are in earthen ponds and baking under the sun during the day, the ponds' bed will absorb the heat energy in the day and are release back to the lower part of the ponds' water in the night when temperature drop, i'm having 12-15'C at 6am in the morning right now....But concrete tanks will not be able to absorb and release this heat energy from the sun because the floors of the tanks are cement concrete.

I only feed them once a day at 4-5pm, my 100'000 fishes of weight 4,5,6 fishes/kg are eating 13 sacks up to today and will increase by another 2 sacks in next 5-6 days time.

Befor the cold started at 20th of last month (i think) they were eating twice a day totaling 21 sack a day...now due to the cold, i only feed them once a day, started with 11 sacks fed till satiation and increased to 13 sack now...no decrease only increase meaning they are eating well (voraciously as usual) and growing, i'm havesting before the end of the month...by then i'd have fed 103 sacks per 10'000 fishes attaining the size of 3,4,5 fishes/kg majority.

Edited November 11, 2010 by RedBullHorn

[mellow1]

What are your feeding schedule, morning, noon and at 5pm weather temperature like ? size of your fingerlings when you bought them and the size of your school of pla duk now?

Let me know all this detail and i can get an idea on how to correct your problem.

(mine are eating well~)

Hello RBH, I was hopping you'd see this. Our feeding schedule has been the same as when we first started. 8-9AM and 3.30 to 4.30 PM. Only very small fish (tadpole size) which are not in this RAS get also fed at noon. We buy the fingerlings very small for 0.20Baht, raise them outside the RAS until they get about index finger size, then put them into the system at about a thousand per cubic meter tank. The RAS is running at about 30% capacity mainly because it has been doing well like that, plus not enough customers yet, to buy more fish. At the moment we only have 5500 fingerlings in it ( 5 or 6 inch), and about 3000 fish 5/K. So 8500 fish. Usually we run about 10 or 12000, but got shorted on the batch in there. This may be a self created problem. A couple months ago, I didn't like the Bio Filter set up, and had the workers modify it one tower at a time. So what is happening is that the water is staying very clear, and everyone is agast that the fish are a bit dark, do to the clear water. Then they decided to prolong water changes, and the draining of the filter tanks. But the water remained clear even after 6 days. Today the wife had them clean out the filters, and do a good water change. I looked in the filter chambers, and they were filthy, but the water remained clear. I'm hoping with this regular maintenance, which is the way we have been operating from the beginning, the fish will get their appetite back.

But since I am fortunate to have your attention once again, please give me your input RBH. Also the darkness of the fish, can it be controlled, they seem to like them yellow, but personally I like them when they look like granite, dark on top, and light on the bottom, with a lot of spots. But since I'm not the buyer it don't count.

Hi mellow1, seem like you missed out the most important information i need, the weather temperature in the morning (at the time you feed), high noon and the afternoon which you feed at 4pm...btw...is the water in your tanks flowing in and out all the time because of the bio filter ? Are the tanks getting enough sunlight ? What brand of feed and the grade are you using as it contribute to the colour of the fish as well, for example...Betagro "Bio" or Betagro "Omeg" (grade A, FCR 1.13:1) combine with greenish water in earthen pond will produce a beautiful fish that has a yellowish and slight greenish tinge while Cargill "Accore"(grade B, FCR 1.39:1) will produce fish of the unperfered greyish colour in a similar earthen pond. Pla duk at the market places are black in colour because retailer kept changing the water that goes into the basin everyday. For your operation you need to prolong water change to get that desired colour that suit the market even though good clean water will enhance growth.

The reason mine are eating well is because they are in earthen ponds and baking under the sun during the day, the ponds' bed will absorb the heat energy in the day and are release back to the lower part of the ponds' water in the night when temperature drop, i'm having 12-15'C at 6am in the morning right now....But concrete tanks will not be able to absorb and release this heat energy from the sun because the floors of the tanks are cement concrete.

I only feed them once a day at 4-5pm, my 100'000 fishes of weight 4,5,6 fishes/kg are eating 13 sacks up to today and will increase by another 2 sacks in next 5-6 days time.

Befor the cold started at 20th of last month (i think) they were eating twice a day totaling 21 sack a day...now due to the cold, i only feed them once a day, started with 11 sacks fed till satiation and increased to 13 sack now...no decrease only increase meaning they are eating well (voraciously as usual) and growing, i'm havesting before the end of the month...by then i'd have fed 103 sacks per 10'000 fishes attaining the size of 3,4,5 fishes/kg majority.

Sorry I didn't get back to you yesterday, but I had to do my yearly visa thing.The wife went out and bought a thermometer to record the temperature on an hourely basis, you will get that tomorrow. The fish which aren't eating are the left over runts from the last batch. this system is completely covered by a roof, so there is no sunlight involved. Apparently The new batch is eating well, and has gained substantial growth, according to our foreman today.

As for the color factor, I don't know, but we have not had this problem prior to the temp. drop, so it's new to us.

Also the biggest problem remains that our production capability, way surpasses demand in this area ( Isaan).

Either way you'll get a report tomorrow. The fish food we use is called 'fish first', we have been getting # 5 in 60 days with this. Yes , the water circulates all the time.

[RedBullHorn]

Fish First is a new and quality product, at least the owner guarantee it, i'm selling Fish First by the kg to my village community , to my understanding the owner produces only #1 size pellet (32% protein)and my group are switching to it and they use #1 size pellet all the way until harvest...i'll test it on the next batch so i can't comment on whether it enhance desire body colour but this is what i know...when a new product comes to the market, everything is there, the vitamins, the protein... etc etc...but after a few years manufacture will withdraw the full strength of the product and we change to a new product at a cheaper price.

OK...since the Mrs is recording the temperature and after you find out the warmest time of the day already...do this...stave them for 1 day

Edited November 13, 2010 by RedBullHorn

[RedBullHorn]

(...stave them for 1 day)...then feed them the next day on the warmest time of the day. Pla duk have good memory of feeding time and they will be piss if they don't get fed on the time they expected to be fed , they will splash surface water en-mass to get attention...Repeat the daily feeding schedule on the warmest time of the day.

Because you are raising them on concrete ponds unlike me doing earthen ponds, please forgive me if my method don't work.

Edited November 13, 2010 by RedBullHorn

[mellow1]

Thanks again RBH for getting back to me. Yes themp is 23C in the morning at 8AM, but by 11AM its 30C. so we will be feeding them at that time, because after lunch they clean filters and do water changes. If you know any buyers who do Issan, turn me on to them please. Can do 2-3 tons every 2 months.