The Types of Feed Given for Rearing Giant Prawns
Find out some types of feed for giant prawns if you plan to farm and rear the prawns in a pond.
Giant prawns farming is increasing in quantity every year. The adaptability and easy farming maintenance make this particular prawn receive widespread popularity all over the world. If you plan to raise these particular prawns in a pond, consider giving the proper selection of feeding. Here are the following types of feed for giant prawns you can choose.
1. Crustaceans
Crustaceans have become the first live food option that many giant farmers choose. This type of diet is easy to find and has an affordable price. Besides that, this live feed also contains important nutrients and high protein that become the source of energy for the growth of giant prawns. The physiological state, age, and salinity of crustaceans also affect the use of dietary protein in feeding giant prawns.
2. Brine Shrimp
Another feed for giant prawns is brine shrimp. Brine shrimp also becomes one of the popular choices on the list. Brine shrimp is easy to digest, especially for the giant prawn larvae. Besides the affordable price, this shrimp contains protein and also becomes the content of energy for the larvae to grow up.
3. Natural Food Organisms
When farming giant prawns in a pond, some natural food organism may appear and grow well. You can find some food organisms from nature like algae, diatoms, moss, zooplankton, and phytoplankton in the pond. Those organisms can be the sources of feed for giant prawns. These natural food organisms contain a lot of nutrients and energy for the growth of post-larvae and juveniles of giant prawns.
4. Snails
Bear in mind that the grown-up giant prawns can eat a variety of diets. One of them is the snails. Snails are suitable for the post-larva prawns as they seem to be omnivorous and actively eat at night. Besides that, the snails are rich in protein and nutrients for the prawns. So, giving the post-larvae giant prawns with the snails will be a complementary diet choice.
5. Moist Feeds
Feeding the giant prawns with available natural food organisms in the pond is not enough. You need to support them with additional feed. Some diet sources can be from available ingredients around you. You can combine chopped toads and frogs or rice bran with trash fish. If you have some leftovers at home, cut them into pieces, and distribute them to the pond. Feed the grown-up giant prawns twice in the daytime and thrice times at night.
6. Dry Pelleted Feeds
Another source of feed for giant prawns is dry pelleted feeds. If some natural food organisms and other additional diets are not enough, you can use pelleted feeds as the complement.
These dry pelleted feeds are available commercially and also contain the nutrients needed for the growth of the prawns. Besides that, these supplementary feeds are safe and stable in the water. If you plan to buy dry pelleted diets, make sure you keep the bulk of the diets in a storage room with low humidity conditions.
In conclusion, many types of diets you can give to the giant prawns. You can combine the natural food organism with pelleted feed for giant prawns. With the appropriate feeding method and frequency, you can produce large giant prawns and harvest them when harvest time comes.
Sources:
http://www.fao.org/3/ac210e/AC210E10.htm
http://www.fao.org/3/AB915E/AB915E00.htm
http://www.fao.org/fishery/affris/species-profiles/giant-river-prawn/nutritional-requirements/en/