Barramundi is one of the most popular saltwater fish in Australia. It is sustainable fish farming in any environment and does not need many other fish meals.
How to feed Barramundi? The farms provide the fish with trash fish, pressed pellets, and high-energy, extruded pellets. Pellet size increases, while the frequency decrease as the fish size increases.
Why do people farm Barramundi? And what are in the pellets? This blog will tell you about the Barra, what makes it unique, cultivate it, and how to feed it.
What is a Farmed Barramundi?
About Barramundi in Northern Australia
Lates calcarifer, known as Asian Seabass and Barramundi in Australia, is a sizeable euryhaline fish that lives throughout the Indo-West Pacific region. You can find it in the Arabian Gulf, China, Taiwan Province of China, Papua New Guinea, and Northern Australia.
It is a popular fish, and its range extends northwards from southeast Queensland’s Mary and Maroochy River systems to Shark Bay in Western Australia, throughout Australia.
The fish is known as Pla Kapong in Thai and Bhetki in Bengali. In the 1970s, people started to farm this fish in Thailand. In a short time, it spread all over Southeast Asia.
Barramundi Farm Cairns, Queensland
The barra farm in Cairns, called Daintree Saltwater Barramundi Fish Farms, is one of biggest sustainable farms in Australia. It is a 90-minute drive north of Cairns and half an hour from Port Douglas.
The farm is surrounded by World Heritage listed rainforest, the Coral Sea and pristine Great Barrier Reef in tropical North Queensland.
Feeding reproduction
It is catadromous, meaning they spend most of their lives in freshwater and go to the ocean to reproduce.
It is a protandrous hermaphrodite, which means they may change gender when they get to a specific size.
Biological features
- The body elongates and is compressed with a deep caudal peduncle.
- The head-pointed, concave dorsal profile becomes convex in front of the dorsal fin.
- Mouth large, slightly oblique, upper jaw reaching behind eye; teeth villiform, no canines present.
- The lower edge of the pre-operculum with a strong spine; operculum with a small spine, and a serrated flap above the origin of the lateral line.
- Lower first gill arch with 16 to 17-gill rakers.
- Scales large, ctenoid.
Freshwater Fish Habitat
It lives in freshwater, brackish, and marine environments such as streams, lakes, billabongs, estuaries, and coastal waters.
They are opportunistic predators. Primarily adult Barra’s diet consists of crustaceans and fish.
Is Barramundi a Sustainable Fish?
It is a sustainable fish that is caught or farmed in such a way as to protect the long-term viability of harvested species and ocean well-being.
They may be farmed in any environment and require fewer antibiotics than other types of fish.
They consume a largely vegetarian diet with a small amount of sustainably sourced fishmeal. It also eats low on the food chain. That gives it a fish-in fish-out ratio of 1:1.
This ratio means we’re not taking more fish from the environment than we produce. And it makes people love the fish and can eat it without feeling guilty.
How to Farm Barramundi?
Why are Barramundi ideal for farming (aquaculture)?
There are several reasons why:
- First, it’s a hardy fish that can handle crowding and has broad physiological tolerances.
- Because female fish are so fertile, they provide a never-ending supply of material for hatchery production of seed.
- Hatchery production of seed is relatively simple.
- It thrives on pelleted diets, and the juvenile is readily weaned to pellets.
- The growth rate is rapid, taking six months to two years to reach a harvestable size of 350 g – 3 kg.
- It eats low on the food chain. It is on a largely vegetarian diet with a little sustainably sourced fishmeal. As a result, we’re not depleting the environment of more fish than we create.
- It is a robust fish species that we can keep without hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides. It’s also good for you and them.
- Finally, we keep the fish at low densities to ensure they are well-cared for. As a result, they take up just 1% of the area in their sea cages, minimizing environmental impact.
What is the optimum Barramundi temperature?
The fish requires water temperatures of 20–30°C and clean water quality.
The water requirement for commercial growth rate is above 25°C. It is because it requires less feed with the decrease in water temperature. And it slows growth.
How long does it take for Barramundi to grow?
It can reach a harvestable weight (350 g – 3 kg) in six months to two years.
The culture can develop from a hatchery juvenile of 50 to 100 mm in length to a table size of 400-600 grams within 12 months and 3.0 kg within 18-24 months.
One central area is a recognized need, but to date, there is little effort in genetic selection programs targeting faster growth and disease resistance for disease outbreaks.
How big do Barramundi grow in captivity?
In captivity, growth depends on various factors such as feeding frequency, feed quality, stocking density, and temperature (between 28 and 32°C).
At low temperatures in Australia (22-27°C), 500 g of fish are produced in one year in tanks, while 800 g of fish are made within the same time frame at higher temperatures. Thus, it takes roughly two years to create 3 kg of fish.
Source: fao.org
The perfect Barramundi size for the market
It is readily available in the Australian market and imported one is frequently less expensive than Australian goods.
The size of the market-ready fish will vary depending on market demand and end-use, but it can range from 300g to more than 2kg per fish.
The primary markets are plate-sized fish weighing 400–800g and larger fish weighing 2–3kg (commonly for fillets).
Plate-sized fish can be produced in a year. But larger fish, weighing 2kg or more, will require a second growth out the season.
Source: agrifutures.com.au
What size tank for Barramundi in the aquarium?
Barramundi-breeding is unusual in a home aquarium since there are several water variables for each cycle or stage of reproduction throughout the breeding and spawning process.
To grow out in ponds or recirculation production systems, fingerlings must be at least 30mm and 100mm long. Fingerlings may be stocked at 15kg per cubic meter of water.
The majority of culture is done in net cages. Both floating and fixed cells are utilized, ranging from 3×3 m to 10×10 m and 2–3 m in depth.
You’ll need a substantially larger tank if you want to maintain it in an aquaponic system or care for it as a pet. It can reach up to 1 m in length. Begin with a 500-gallon tank, which should be enough for five.
What to Feed Barramundi?
Types of Feed (Commercial Fish Food Pellets)
Barramundi – Lates calcarifer may be fed with several feeds: trash fish, pressed pellets, and high-energy, extruded pellets.
Most are now fed on compounded pellets, although ‘trash’ fish is still used in areas where it is cheaper or more available than pelleted diets.
This aquaculture industry’s most significant environmental problems are uneaten fish feed and waste, including excess nutrients. This nutrient input may cause localized water quality deterioration and sediment accumulation, contributing to disease outbreaks and jeopardizing sustainability.
Feed Ingredients
The fish thrives on pelleted diets, and the juveniles are readily weaned to pellets.
It feeds a variety of foods in fish meals and pellets. The major components in the feed pellets include (percent as used): fish meal (40 percent), feed grade cereals (30 percent), meat meal (10 percent), soybean meal (10 percent), fish oil (5 percent), and others (5 percent).
Animal protein sources
The diets must include a high amount of fish meal, which can aid excellent growth at up to 60 percent inclusion rates. Meat meals have also been effectively used at inclusion levels of 40%.
Plant protein sources
Plant proteins can partially replace fish meals.
- Soybean meal (SBM) has been tested and extracted, and it was shown to promote good growth at a 10% fishmeal protein replacement level.
- In fish fed with a mix of fishmeal, shrimp head meal, scrap squid meal, SBM, and kangkong leaf meal as protein sources, there was weight gain (1.7:1) and FCR (1.7:1).
- Green mung beans, black-eyed peas, and cowpeas have been used as protein sources in natural diets at 18 percent without affecting growth.
- Corn gluten meal can be included in up to 10% of the diet.
Lipid sources
Soybean oil may replace fish oil without affecting growth because of its adequate ω3:ω6 ratio. In addition, replacing fish oils with vegetable oils (soybean, canola, and linseed) has no significant effect on the fish carcass’s lipid, moisture, or protein content.
Carbohydrate sources
A carbohydrate source may also be added to the feed as a component of many cereal bowls.
Source: fao.org
Feeding schedules
When they’re little, the fingerlings are fed a semi-floating pellet 5-6 times a day. This decreases to 1-2 times a day as they get bigger.
The size of the pellet increases as the fish grows larger. So until all feeding is stopped, farmers provide their fish with pellets.
Barramundi-fed pellets are given twice daily in the summer and once each winter.
Barramundi-fed ‘trash’ fish are fed twice daily at 8–10 percent body weight for fish up to 100 g, 3–5 percent body weight for over 600 g, and once daily after that.
Feeding methods
Hand-feeding
Hand-feeding is common in ponds and cages where labor is cheap. Trash fish are frequently chopped and released by hand in Southeast Asia. It may be cooked fresh or kept for later usage.
Automatic feeder
In intensive larval culture, live food, pellets, and microalgae are sometimes fed by hand. Still, automatic feeders are frequently used to maintain constant feeding frequencies and ensure proper densities of microalgae and live food in the tanks. In addition, feeding regularly enhances growth and reduces cannibalism during the hatchery phase.
In larger systems (cages, tanks, or ponds), feed blowers, feeding rings, and automated feeders supply daily meals.
Requirements for Caring for Barramundi in Aquaponics Systems
It is generally considered aggressive fish and can survive and give you many nutrients when given the proper conditions.
Common diseases
They can have various parasitic and pathogens. In viruses, the norovirus is more commonly seen; for bacterial bacteria, it is streptococci; for fungal, it can turn into red spots. Parasites like cryptocaryonose eodiniosis may also cause complications when raising the fish.
Can they be mixed with other breeds?
They are natural predators, so they won’t hesitate to eat smaller fish species. The two also started eating one another as a kid. Finger grading is done to maintain the same size as the salmon and keep them separate from the smaller fish.
Temperature of water
They love warm water, so keep your water temperature between 78 C and 86 C. It is suitable for warm areas, but it may make sense for people to buy a water tank in cold regions. Then you can choose to install solar swimming tanks to keep tank temperature steady and cool.
Tank size
They have an area more than a meter high, requiring very large tank housings.
Stocking density
I recommend that each fish has five-10 gallons. Generally, the recommended quantity of water needed to maintain is 10-15 gallons per fish. Stock density can also differ by the size of the aquaponics operation.
FAQ
What does Barramundi eat?
It eats various foods in the form of fish meals and pellets. The major components include (percent as used): fish meal (40 percent), feed grade cereals (30 percent), meat meal (20 percent), soybean meal (15 percent), fish oil (12 percent), and others (12 percent).
Can Barramundi survive in freshwater?
It spends most of its adult life in freshwater, as long as the water temperature is between 20°C and 32°C.
How much space does Barramundi need?
You’ll need a substantially larger tank if you want to maintain it in an aquaponic system or care for it as a pet. It can reach up to one meter long. Begin with a 500-gallon tank, which should be enough for five.
What fish can I keep with Barramundi?
You may keep the Barra with a wide variety of fish, including guppies, goldfish, and catfish.
What is the best eating freshwater fish Australia?
Some of the best freshwaters to eat in Australia include Sleepy Cod, Ruby Snapper, Barramundi, Silver Perch, and Australian Bass.
What is Barra farm Townsville?
It is a fun park in Queensland where you can catch a real live barramundi, hop on the cable ski, or jump on the Aqua Park.
