What is the type of Osteochilus vittatus fish feed and how to make its food? Here is the explanation to help you grow the fish in the pond.
To determine the Osteochilus vittatus fish feed types, you need to do the research. You can start it by selecting the type of food they eat in their natural habitat. It is essential to know its eating habit to understand the digestive system of the fish.
Osteochilus fish or Osteochilus vittatus belong to the herbivorous group. Its leading food is in plants(macrophytes) and other food in phytoplankton, mollusks, insects, and detritus. There are also various research-tested feed innovations that you might try to grow this food.
Plant
Osteochilus vittatus is a freshwater fish that grows well in Indonesia. Osteochilus vittatus likes to consume natural food like plants, for example, algae that grow in the waters. Hence, it is not surprising that this Osteochilus vittatus often helps fishers clean floating nets from periphyton and plants attached to the nets.
Phytoplankton
Phytoplankton is an aquatic organism used as a natural Osteochilus vittatus fish feed. The existence of Osteochilus vittatus has an essential ecological role in the phytoplankton life cycle in the waters.
Phytoplankton as autotrophs needs nutrients to support their growth. That is why if you want to make phytoplankton the primary food for Osteochilus vittatus, you need to grow phytoplankton in the pond while providing other sources of nutrients, including through fertilization.
Organic fertilizer is an environment nutrient that can support the growth of phytoplankton. However, prevent yourself from giving too much fertilizer. Make sure that the growth of the phytoplankton is in line with the growth of the fish.
Mollusks and Insects
Mollusks are soft-bodied triploblastic coelomates. All soft animals with and without shells, such as various types of snails, chitons, shellfish, and squid and their relatives, belong to this group.
Although considered as herbivorous fish, it turns out that Osteochilus vittatus can also consume mollusks for additional food. Small insects that exist in the waters are also likable by this fish.
Detritus
Detritus is organic matter that comes from dead particulates, distinguished from dissolved organic matter. Detritus usually includes bodies or body fragments of dead organisms and other impurities. Detritus usually harbor communities and colonies of decaying and decomposing microorganisms.
One of the environmental advantages of Osteochilus vittatus is that it acts as a bio cleaning agent since it likes to eat detritus. The presence of Osteochilus vittatus in the waters is beneficial for people because it can clean floating net cages.
Turmeric
According to research conducted by Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) students, feeding Osteochilus vittatus with turmeric can increase the productivity of its eggs. By using this method, Osteochilus vittatus seeds will have excellent quality as well as quantity.
The farmer combines the leading food and turmeric flour with the coating method. This coating method combines the previously prepared feed with 1%/kg CMC, which functions as a binder. After that, the hormones that have been added to water are then sprayed on the feed.
You can feed the fish three times a day (morning, afternoon, and evening). The weight of the fish is approximately three percent of the fish mass.
Osteochilus vittatus can grow well and be fulfilled with the feeding methods we explain above. Make sure you feed the Osteochilus vittatus regularly and keep up the quality of the food. Overall, Osteochilus vittatus fish feed did not take up too much time and money.