Good day, 
All too soon, our catfish fries are now a week old, and they are very active and energetic. They still look tiny, but a lot bolder than a few days ago. Their growth is now quite evident, and upon closer examination, they actually resemble fish with visible heads, bodies, and tails.
We’ve also adjusted their feeding routine to four times a day to support their rapid growth and development. The feeding times are 6:00 am, 11:00 am, 4:00 pm, and 9:00 pm.
Let me share a few reasons why my brother decided on this feeding schedule:
First, catfish are naturally carnivorous, and this instinct starts right from birth. You’ll often find stronger fries preying on the weaker or smaller ones. It’s genuinely a survival world in their tank. Lol
Feeding them frequently helps to reduce cannibalism. It doesn’t eliminate it entirely, but it minimises it.
Secondly, at this stage, they are very active and love swimming around, exploring their environment like busy bodies, Lol. Their stomachs are still relatively small, so they can’t eat much at once. Frequent feeding ensures they receive sufficient nutrients and energy to continue growing strong.
Another reason is to achieve even growth among the fries. By about seven weeks, they should grow into fingerlings, the size we target for sale to grow-out farmers who will raise them to table size for consumption. Regular feeding helps maintain uniform growth, although not all individuals will grow at the same rate. In approximately four weeks, we’ll sort them by size and group them accordingly.
Interestingly, catfish can survive for days without food, but that’s not ideal for the fries. Starving them can lead to stunted growth, just as it does in humans.
Ultimately, regular feeding enables us to meet our target and maximise profits. The more consistently they eat, the faster they reach fingerling size, which reduces production time and cost.
Our fries are growing beautifully, and we can’t wait for their first sorting, which is expected in two to three weeks. Additionally, I noticed that because their metabolism is high now, the water becomes dirtier than expected, which means more Clogging of dirt. Dirty in the sense of their pop and leftover food particles in the water.
Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a wonderful day ahead.