Artificial eel reproduction, a simple technique suitable for small-scale households, helps eel farmers take control of their seed sources in eel farming production.

Preparing the pond for artificial eel reproduction :

The pond should be located in a flat area with tall and cool trees. The area of the pond ranges from 15-30m2 and is usually rectangular in shape with a length twice its width or more to facilitate caring and egg collection.

• The frame of the pond can be made of iron or bamboo, then covered with tightly sealed nylon or rubber, which is about 0.8 – 1.2m high.
• After sealing, water should be pumped into the pond for leakage checking, and any leaks should be fixed immediately.
• The pond should be filled with clean mud without any pesticide residue, mixed with about 10-15% of decomposed straw.
• The depth of the mud in the pond is 30cm, and two mud layers are added along the sides of the pond, which are 1-1.2m wide and 40cm high, as a shelter for the eel.
• A canal is created in the middle of the pond, which is 0.6-1m wide. Water is then added to the pond, and the canal is filled with water to a depth of 20-30cm, while the land on both sides of the canal is raised about 10-15cm.
• The canal can be filled with water hyacinths or other aquatic plants.
• The water supplied to the pond should be clean, such as well water or irrigation water, without any iron or sediment pollution, and the pH should be between 6.5 and 7.5.
• Coconut leaves or woven palm leaves can be used to cover and cool the pond.

Preparing nest for artificial eel reproduction:

• Clean plastic containers with a diameter of about 30cm, with 4 holes drilled around the bottom of the container about 3.4cm in diameter for eels to easily enter.
• Use a 12cm diameter plastic tube with a height of 12cm placed in the center of the container to allow the eels to create nests and lay eggs.
• Pierce a small horizontal stick through the plastic tube to secure it and prevent it from falling during the eels’ nesting process.
• Put these plastic containers around the pond.

Choose stocking eels for artificial eel reproduction:

After 15 days, we can start stocking eels. However, we should to make sure all these things for sucessful artificial eel reproduction:

• Eel is a hermaphrodite species. When they mature and start reproducing, most of them are female eels. However, after a period of reproduction and growing larger, they will become male eels.
• Therefore, female eels must be 10 months or older and weigh 20-30 eels/kg (smaller than 30cm in size), while male eels are 4-8 eels/kg (sizes from 45cm and up), with a male/female ratio of 1/1.5.
• It is recommended to choose at least 2 to 5 different sources of eel seeds to avoid inbreeding.
• All chosen eel must be clean, strong and healthy.

Feeding eel for artificial eel reproduction:

• When start stocking eels., do not feed them on the first day to let them get used to their new environment.
• The feeding period usually lasts for 3 months (months 1-3).
• The feed for eels includes crabs, shrimps, snails, mixed fish, cinnamon worm, earthworms… and industrial bran with 42-45% protein.
• Fresh food is finely chopped to match the mouth size, and the feeding amount is 3-4% of the body weight, fed once a day at 17-18 o’clock every day.
• The feed is placed in a feeding net and placed in a fixed position in the water channel of the pond. After 2 hours of feeding, remove the excess feed to avoid water pollution.
• The feed for eels must be fresh, not stale or spoiled. Supplement with Vitamin C, digestive enzymes… at a dose of 5-6 mg/kg of feed to increase eel’s resistance.
• Feed enough and with the right amount, and adjust feeding according to weather changes, reducing feed when necessary and increasing it when eels eat well again.
• Change the pond water once a week, but it can be changed earlier if the pond water is contaminated.

Collect and hatch egg in artificial eel reproduction:

After 3 months of nurturing, eels begin to artificial eel reproduce naturally in the pond.

• Signs of eel reproduction: When bubbles appear on the mouth of the cave or on the surface of the water and the bubbles gradually grow in the evening, the eel has laid eggs by the next morning.
• The eggs adhere to the bubbles and are light yellow in color, transparent, and about 3.5mm in diameter.
• The number of eggs obtained varies greatly depending on the size of the eel, ranging from tens to hundreds of eggs per nest. After the first laying, the eel continues to lay new eggs about 1-15 days later.
• When an eel nest is discovered, it should not be disturbed, but rather observed (disturbing the eel nest will destroy the eggs).
• After 4 days of laying, the eel eggs turn reddish-brown, and at this point, the eggs are scooped up with a net, rinsed clean, and incubated in plastic basins (with a diameter of 40cm) containing clean water and gentle aeration.
• The incubation temperature ranges from 28-30°C, pH 6-8, and oxygen levels above 5 ppm. After 2-3 days, the eggs begin to hatch and are completely hatched in 2-3 days.
• We can make the hatch eeg system easy…. read more

Eel larvae take care:

Newly hatched eel larvae are very small, with a length of up to 2cm, and are not very active, lying still at the bottom of the tank. During this time, aeration must be maintained continuously.

After 5 days, the eels are transferred to an indoor tank, and they are fed with water fleas, small worms, and minced fish (which account for 6-10% of their body weight) four times a day.

After 10 days, they start eating small pieces of crushed earthworms, and at 15 days old, they can begin eating minced fish.

Eels from 30 days old and above can be fed with small crushed snails. At this stage, it is necessary to supplement them with vitamins and minerals to enhance their immune system.

After 2-3 months of raising eels, they reach a weight of 5-10g/each, with a size of 10-15cm/each, and can be transferred to a tank for mud-free eel farming.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for any info regarding product information, technique of Artificial eel reproduction transfer in farming.

Vietnam Farming.

Hochiminh City – Vietnam

Tel/whatsapp: +84-983346179

Email: vietfarm2002@gmail.com

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