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Fry and Fingerling

Growing a robust population

Powering progress
Optimize every life stage
The fry and fingerling stage takes place at the hatchery. Many fish farmers start with the purchase of fingerlings. Further growth occurs during the starter and grower stage and where applicable the finisher stage. Overall, fish farmers grow their fish to reach a specific harvest weight which depends on market preferences, economics and fish species. To reach optimal profitability, key factors are feed conversion, survival rates and production. Explore the interactive wheel to find customized insights and recommended actions tailored to each life stage, supporting your unique farming needs and goals for each of these stages.
Main target in this stage
Maximize growth with a strong health
The main goals for the fry and fingerling stage are to maximize growth, measured by Average Daily Gain (ADG), while ensuring high survival rates and strong health. The focus is on raising a robust and healthy population that grows efficiently and thrives with the highest chances of survival.

Mortality is high in this period

Minimizing disease and parasites is essential for raising strong, healthy fish. Careful management and control are crucial now, with a focus on maintaining excellent water quality. Clean, well-oxygenated water, appropriate exchange rates and consistent high feeding frequencies are vital to supporting growth and robustness. Additional nutrients such as omega-3 are added to the feed as needed to further improve health and performance.
Check attention points for biosecurity

How to maximize feed intake?

To maximize feed intake, the more feeding rounds per day, the better. Use high-quality, palatable feed that matches the fish's size and meets all nutritional needs. Feed should be water stable, homogeneous, floating or slow-sinking, and free-flowing. During rapid growth, fish may eat 10-16% of their body weight daily, so efficient feeding is essential. Proper feed with the correct nutritional requirements per life stage supports growth, organ development and immunity.
Check out our fry & fingerling feed

How to transport my fingerlings?

Minimize transport time and adjust the number of fingerlings in bags or tanks based on travel distance: the longer the journey, the lower the stocking density. Ensure sufficient air or oxygen in the bags or tanks to maintain water quality. Extended transport increases ammonia levels, which can harm the fish. Transporting in the early morning is ideal to avoid higher afternoon temperatures and reduce stress on the fish.
Checklist for optimal transport

Frequently Asked Questions

Key questions in the fry & fingerling stage

For tilapia, achieving a monosex male population is crucial. Start feeding immediately after hatching the eggs or collecting the fry, so the fish have access to treated feed as soon as they have absorbed their yolk sac. Delay of testosterone feed beyond 10 days risks unsuccessful sex reversal. Feed with testosterone for 21 days to ensure all fry develop as males, optimizing population uniformity and growth performance.

 

Contact your sales advisor for expert advice

Provide the fry and fingerlings with enough high-quality feed containing all essential nutrients to support rapid growth. However, overfeeding causes pollution and deterioration of water quality, reducing growth and health. Feeding smaller portions more frequently helps both growth and size uniformity as they have limited capacity to take the feed. Improved survival and better uniformity in size will ultimately enhance performance and profitability.

 

 

 

Check the feeding tables for optimal feeding frequencies

Record keeping is essential to know how your fish are doing and where to focus. At De Heus we have designed a record keeping guide which helps you to calculate feed conversion rate (FCR), monitor growth and plan harvesting and feed purchase. When comparing your key data to benchmark you also know when there is an issue or where you can improve. Integrating quality monitoring of feeding, growth, and water quality into your records provides a complete picture for better decision-making.

More about the importance of record keeping

Fish start feeding by absorbing their yolk-sac. Some can transition onto formulated feed after yolk absorption. Others need intermediate feeding with live feeds like micro-algae, rotifers or artemia for digestive development. Wean onto formulated feed as early as possible, by gradually increasing formulated feed, alternating with live feeds, until the fish are comfortable to take all their nutritional requirements from commercial diets.

Check with your sales advisor on the best weaning protocol for your fish

Our feed

The best feed for your fish

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Talk to our Aquaculture Experts

Need support to optimize fish growth and quality? Our specialists are here to help you tackle challenges and achieve top performance at every life stage.

Give me a call or call Ivan at 256771936946

Ivan Sswabe

Powering progress
Optimize every life stage
The fry and fingerling stage takes place at the hatchery. Many fish farmers start with the purchase of fingerlings. Further growth occurs during the starter and grower stage and where applicable the finisher stage. Overall, fish farmers grow their fish to reach a specific harvest weight which depends on market preferences, economics and fish species. To reach optimal profitability, key factors are feed conversion, survival rates and production. Explore the interactive wheel to find customized insights and recommended actions tailored to each life stage, supporting your unique farming needs and goals for each of these stages.