Pond planning
How much feed will the crop need?
This is the question a farmer actually has to answer before a season, and it has a real arithmetic answer. Stocking density gives you an expected yield; yield multiplied by conversion ratio gives you the feed. Everything else is detail.
What the systems here actually produce
| System | Stocking | Period | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carp polycultureKatla reach 2.5–3.5 kg, rohu 1.5–2.5 kg at this density. | 5,000 rohu · 500 katla · 250 mrigal per ha | 12 months | 9–11 t/ha/year |
| Carp, denser stockingFish finish smaller — katla 1.5–2 kg, rohu 0.8–1.3 kg — but total yield is higher. | 10,000 rohu · 500 katla per ha | 12 months | 13–15 t/ha/year |
| Pabda monocultureAt 40,000/ha: 80 g average harvest weight, around 70% survival. | 20,000–40,000 fingerlings per ha | 8 months | 2.2 t/ha/year |
| TilapiaHarvested around 500 g; two crops a year are possible. | — | 6 months | 8–10 t/ha per crop |
These are figures the industry and published studies report, not yields we promise. Stocking density, water quality, seed quality and management move all of them. Treat them as the range to plan within.
Turning a harvest target into a feed budget
Feed needed = Expected harvest (kg) × FCR
A one-hectare carp pond stocked at 5,000 rohu, 500 katla and 250 mrigal reports 9–11 tonnes a year. At a conversion ratio of 1.8 that is roughly 16–20 tonnes of feed across the cycle. At 3.5 it is 31–38 tonnes for the same harvest.
That gap is the whole argument for a formulated feed, and it is also why the price on the bag is the wrong number to compare. What matters is the feed cost behind every kilogram of fish you sell.
Work it out on your own numbers- Start from harvest, not from the bagDecide the tonnage you are aiming at, then work backwards to feed.
- Conversion ratio is the multiplierIt decides whether a target costs you sixteen tonnes of feed or thirty-eight.
- Plan the grades, not just the totalEarly stages take a fraction of the tonnage but decide survival.
- Buy against the cycleTell us the crop and we will phase supply so you are not holding stock you cannot use.
Before the feed question
What we will not pretend to be expert in.
Site selection, pond construction, liming, water chemistry and disease management are real subjects with real specialists, and we are a feed company. For those, the standard reference is the FAO's training material on pond culture, and your state fisheries department will know local conditions better than any website.
How often should I change pond water?
Far more often than aquarium guidance suggests, and it depends entirely on your system. Semi-intensive ponds commonly exchange in the region of 10% a day, rising through the cycle as the organic load builds. Advice to change "10–20% weekly" is written for home fish tanks and does not transfer to a stocked pond. Ask your fisheries extension officer what suits your system rather than a general figure.
Can I use farm-made feed instead?
Many farmers do. Published trials of rice-bran-based mixes at around 16–17% protein report conversion ratios of 3.5 to 4.0 — you need three and a half to four kilograms of feed per kilogram of fish. That is the trade-off to weigh honestly: a cheap input with a poor ratio, more organic load on the pond, and a longer cycle.
How much feed do I need for the early stages?
A small fraction of the total tonnage, and it matters out of all proportion to its cost. The hatchery and nursery grades decide survival and uniformity, and a crop that starts badly never recovers in grow-out. Send us your stocking numbers and we will work out the quantities by grade.
Do you guarantee these yields?
No. These are published figures from studies and industry reporting, included so you have something to plan against. Your pond will do what your pond does. We stand behind the specification of the feed, not the outcome of a crop we do not manage.