Tips for Successful Enlargement of Mujair Fish in Tarpaulin Pools

There are many media that can be used to cultivate tilapia fish. One of them is the enlargement of tilapia fish in tarpaulin ponds. Compared to other types of media such as concrete ponds, cultivation using tarpaulin ponds is considered cheaper in terms of making the pond.

Mujair fish is a type of freshwater fish that is popular and much in demand by the people of Indonesia for consumption. It's no wonder that the demand for this fish, which has the Latin name Oreochromis mossambicus, is always increasing.

As a beginner or cultivator who has limited capital, you can use a tarpaulin pond as a cultivation medium. The method of cultivating and growing tilapia in tarpaulin ponds is not much different from other media. Check out the following description.

Mujair Fish Cultivation Business Potential

Tilapia fish contains protein, vitamin B12, vitamin D, minerals, selenium, phosphorus and niacin, and is low in saturated fat. Some of the benefits of tilapia fish for the health of the human body are to help improve the body's metabolism and prevent cancer.

It is not difficult to market mujair crops. You can offer these crops in traditional markets and supermarkets, in restaurants to household-scale consumers. The selling price on the market is also quite stable, namely 35-45 thousand Rupiah per kilogram or the equivalent of 4-5 heads. 

From a business perspective, using a tarpaulin pool can reduce the cost of making a pool because you only need to buy the tarpaulin and the frame. The process of making the pond is also quite practical. Ponds can be placed on small plots of land but the stocking density remains high.

Tools and Materials for Tilapia Fish Cultivation in Tarpaulin Ponds

In general, actually you only need to prepare 3 things, namely tarpaulin, bamboo and wood.

You need to prepare a tarpaulin measuring 500-1,000 m2 or 50 x 50 x 100 m2 for culture tarpaulin, with a pond depth between 70-150 cm. Choose a tarpaulin made of sturdy, thick, and water-resistant material so it lasts a long time. Next, prepare bamboo and wood to make a frame or pond support so it doesn't collapse. 

So that the pond can more optimally support the growth of tilapia, there are several things that need attention. Such as the construction of filters and ditches that surround the pond as a channel to prevent rainwater overflow.

To make these filters and channels, there are several tools and other materials that need to be prepared, namely:

1. Tarpaulin
2. Bamboo or wood
3. Hammer
4. Saw
5. Machete
6. Shovel and hoe
7. Pipe or pipe
8. Wire and nails
9. Pliers and hammer

Stages of Mujair Fish Cultivation in Tarpaulin Ponds

The advantage of cultivating tilapia is that this fish has the ability to adapt and reproduce better than other types of freshwater fish, so the cultivation and enlargement method is not too difficult. Here are the steps.

1. Spreading Mujair Seeds

Stock up and buy high-quality tilapia fish seeds so that they are stronger against disease or changes in pond water conditions. How to get it is quite easy because this type of fish is very easy to breed, so the availability of seeds is quite a lot.

Especially after the seeds are raised and at a mature age, male and female tilapia fish can be directly spawned by themselves. However, make sure you buy tilapia fish seeds that are healthy and of uniform size.

There are several provisions that must be considered during the process of stocking the seeds into the pond for enlargement. The first is the number of mujair populations in one pond. The ideal stocking density of tilapia is 5-10 fish/m2 with uniform seed size, between 8-12 cm and weight of 15-20 grams/head. The maximum density of tilapia ponds is 400-500 tails.

Then, the time of deployment also needs to be considered. The right time to sow the seeds is in the morning or evening.

If you find that 3-4 tilapia have died after a few days of being stocked, you don't need to worry because this is a normal condition. It's another case if more than 4 dead, then you need to find out how to handle it.

2. Feeding Mujair

Mujair fish are omnivorous fish or all-eating fish, so you don't need to bother. To reduce feed costs, you can provide natural feed as the main feed, while artificial feed such as pellets are given as additional feed. However, keep in mind that feeding pellets is also important so that tilapia fish can grow faster.

Several types of natural food for tilapia fish that can help their growth are microscopic animals/plankton and food derived from household waste, such as cabbage, carrots, rice and chopped kale. When mujair reaches adulthood, you can provide feed in the form of moss, leaves, earthworms, worms/silkworms, taro leaves, bran, small insects, and small fish.

Tilapia fish are classified as greedy fish. Therefore, giving only natural feed will be lacking, while giving only pellet feed will make the capital expenditure for feed swell. If you want to provide pellet feed, look for pellets that contain a minimum of 28% protein, 30% fat, and 15% carbohydrates to optimize the nutrition needed by tilapia fish.

Feeding was carried out 2-3 times a day in the morning, afternoon and evening with a feed rate of 10%-20% from the weight of tilapia fish.

3. Harvest Mujair Fish

The last step in the tilapia enlargement process in tarpaulin ponds is the harvesting process which will be carried out 4-5 months after the seeds are spread. The method for harvesting tilapia in a tarpaulin pond is as follows:

• Give the feed first to add a little tilapia fish weight.
• Carry out the drying process by reducing the volume of water little by little to avoid stress on the fish.
• Do the catch directly using the net.
• Transfer the tilapia harvest into a clean container filled with water.

If the harvest is to be brought to the distributor or buyer immediately, make sure the container where the tilapia fish is placed has the required oxygen levels so that the tilapia fish do not die while on the way to the consumer.

Tips for Successful Enlargement of Mujair Fish in Tarpaulin Pools

A common problem in fish farming using tarpaulin ponds is that the volume of water continues to decrease, so you need to regularly check the volume of water and add it according to the standard water level. 

Regardless of these problems, pool water actually still needs to be replaced once every 2-3 weeks. The provision for changing the water is to throw away 20%-30% of pool water, then replace it with new water. The purpose of changing the pond water is to clean up the tilapia fish feed waste that settles at the bottom of the pond, so that the quality of the pond water is maintained to help the tilapia fish grow.

In addition, the ideal pond temperature standard for tilapia is between 28-30°C with a pH level of 7-8.5. The last tip for the successful process of enlarging tilapia in a tarpaulin pond is to keep the color of the pond water as clear as possible to make it easier to control if there are pests in the pond. Apart from that, build several tools to prevent pests from entering the tarpaulin pool.