Fish farming

How much feed should I give my fish?

Free tool for pond farmers in Bangladesh, built on government guidance: pond preparation, how many fingerlings, a budget for the crop, today's feed, FCR and profit. No sign-up.

Beta: the numbers come from government guidance, published tables and trials, but a fisheries scientist has not checked them yet. Use them as a starting point and confirm with your upazila fisheries officer.

Fish

Feeding rate from a published table by fish weight (FAO or a Bangladesh university).

Enter the size of your pond to see what to do, step by step.

Your entries stay on this phone only. Nothing is sent anywhere.

How the numbers are worked out

Feed per day = number of fish × average weight × rate

Feed is a share of the fish's weight, and the share falls as the fish grow. The tool takes the number of fish and their average weight, finds the share for that weight in a published feeding table, and multiplies.

Example: 5,000 tilapia of 50 g weigh 250 kg. At 50 g the FAO table gives about 2.6% of body weight, so the feed for the day is about 6.6 kg, in two meals.

Other fish

This is general guidance from published tables and trials, not veterinary advice. For a sick pond, ask your upazila fisheries officer. The tool does not give medicine doses.

Rules every pond farmer should know

These come from two Acts of 2010. They protect a farmer who buys feed or fingerlings: check before you pay.

Feed must come from a licensed seller and be labelled

No one may make, import or sell fish feed without a licence (Fish Feed and Animal Feed Act 2010, section 4). The bag must show the maker's name and country, the firm's name, address and registration number, the true weight, the ingredients and nutrient percentages, a lot number, which fish it is for, and the dates of making and expiry (section 13). Do not buy a bag that lacks these.

No antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids or pesticides in feed

Fish feed may not contain antibiotics, growth hormones, steroids, pesticides or other harmful chemicals (section 14). Feed with poisonous or harmful substances may not be made or sold (section 12), and feed that fails a laboratory test is seized (section 11).

Penalty

A person who breaks the feed Act can be jailed for up to one year or fined up to 50,000 taka, or both (section 20).

Buy fingerlings from a registered hatchery

No one may set up or run a hatchery for business without registration from the district fisheries officer, renewed every year (Fish Hatchery Act 2010, sections 4 and 5). Ask to see the registration certificate.

Hybrid fish and imported fingerlings

Only research and extension institutes recognised by the government may cross-breed fish, and a hybrid may not be released for farming without the Director General's approval (section 6). Live fish, spawn or fingerlings may not be imported without prior approval (section 8). Do not buy a "new breed" that has no approval.

Medicines

These Acts do not list medicines a farmer may use on fish. Do not give antibiotics on your own: ask your upazila fisheries officer first. This tool gives no medicine doses.

Read the Acts in full at bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd. This is a short summary, not legal advice.

Questions farmers ask

How much feed should I give my fish each day?

It depends on how much the fish weigh in all and how big each one is. Small fish eat a larger share of their weight (10–15%) and big fish a smaller share (2–3%). Enter the number and average weight of your fish above to get the amount for today.

How do I find the average weight of my fish?

Catch 10 or more fish with a net, weigh them together, and divide by how many you weighed. The tool does the division in the box marked weigh a few fish together. Do it every 14 days.

Why is the feed less in winter?

Fish eat less in cool water. At 18–21 °C they eat about two thirds as much as in warm water, and under 18 °C about half. Choose the water temperature in the tool.

What is FCR?

FCR is the kg of feed that grew 1 kg of fish. If you gave 900 kg of feed and the fish put on 600 kg, the FCR is 1.5. A high FCR means feed is wasted, and feed is the biggest cost of a fish farm.

Can I trust these numbers?

Where the government gives a figure (the Haor and Wetland Development Department's fish page, which follows Department of Fisheries advice) we use it and say so. Tilapia and pangas feed rates come from published tables. For the rest the rates come from Bangladesh trials and the tool says so. There is no national table of fish inputs like BARC's fertilizer guide, and the Department of Fisheries' advisory forms leave most boxes blank, so you fill in your own prices. Every source is listed on the page.

Is it free? Do I need to sign up?

It is free and needs no sign-up. What you type stays on your phone.

Sources

Every rate and stocking figure comes from one of these.