Milkfish is a type of edible fish that is popular in Asia, including Indonesia. Milkfish has been cultivated for a long time and its farming system has been developed in various ways with the aim of reducing production costs, simplifying daily maintenance and providing more profit or income to breeders.

Milkfish is certainly easy to find in people’s daily lives as a side dish or as processed foods, such as presto milkfish and milkfish brain. Not surprisingly, milkfish have been a mainstay for farming fish farmers from ancient to modern times due to their vast market share.

Along with the development of technological advances and various innovations in milkfish cultivation, a way of cultivating milkfish is now found that is much more effective and saves production costs, namely the no-feed technique: organic feed appears without the fish farmers have to provide it. For more details, see the full review, 13 ways to grow milkfish without food.

Natural food is the main factor for the growth of small milkfish or those that have just been deployed in the field and started to breed, although naturally, the nutrients it contains are very complete and sufficient to cover the needs of the fish. , this method is the basis for the emergence of milkfish farming techniques without food, only in the early days, but now it is developing to become an adult milkfish.

1. Origin of natural food

The main requirement to be able to provide natural food for the milkfish until the harvest period is to fertilize the land gradually, not using chemical fertilizers, but organic fertilizers from livestock manure and agricultural waste. You can also make your own fertilizer using chicken manure, bran, and rice straw. Ingredients that trigger natural food growth to make the milkfish grow big or fat. (Also read about milkfish bait tips for beginners.)

2. Material for making fertilizer

To make fertilizer, prepare:

• 200 kg of straw or leftover fodder banana leaves.
• 600 kg of dry chicken manure.
• 50 kg of bran.
• 50 kg of shell charcoal.
• 100 kg of humus. (Also read about how to grow milkfish ponds)
• 1 liter of decomposition solution.
• 1 kg of sugar.

3. Preprocessing

The way to process the fertilizer in the early stages is as follows:

• Chop the straw and other organic matter until evenly distributed, add lime to enrich the content.
• Dilute the solution with 200 ml of clean water and 1 kg of granulated sugar.
• Pour the solution into the material while stirring, the density should be between 30 to 40%, how to measure the fist by hand but no water should come out of the squeezed material.
• Cover with plastic for fermentation. (Also read about how to feed the milkfish)

4. Period during fermentation

The finished material is left for 15 to 20 days for fermentation, making sure that the temperature is at most 45, while waiting to prepare the best land for cultivation, which is clean and free of contamination and easy sources of water so that fertilizers that are stored will develop optimally. (Also read about how to eradicate pests in milkfish ponds.)

5. Spread fertilizer

Make sure the pond water is free from pests, gradually add water along with the fertilizer that has been made. Leave for 3-5 days for fertilizer absorption, refill until full, make sure the pond location is accessible to direct sunlight so that the organic fertilizer can grow well. (Also read about milkfish farming in canvas ponds).

6. Spread milkfish seeds

Raise it first if the water recedes by filling water in the pond, inserting milkfish seedlings at a density of 3,000 heads per hectare. Make sure the seedlings are healthy, nearly uniform in size, free of defects and free of disease.

7. Daily care

The larger the milkfish is kept, the pond water should also rise if the water recedes or decreases, the goal is to allow the milkfish to move freely and cause the growth of moss and other natural foods that the milkfish needs so that fish farmers you don’t need to feed it.

8. Evaluation

Make sure that the natural feed made from the fertilizer processing in the field runs smoothly, during the maintenance period of 3-4 months, the size of the milkfish should reach 2kg per 3 milkfish, which indicates that the nutrition is enough, at that time the harvest can be done

9. Anticipate problems

If it turns out that the milkfish does not grow as expected, which is a sign that food is lacking, refertilize and reduce the water for refertilization, at which time the milkfish can be protected in the ditch around the pond, if the subgrade changes color from brown to green is a sign that natural food has already been grown, the pond water can be replenished so that the milkfish can once again enjoy the natural food that is available.

10. Disease protection

Although the milkfish has been given natural, chemical-free and less risky foods, there is nothing wrong with giving it additional vitamins in an effort to maximize nutrition and protection against disease, giving them regularly at least once a week.

11. Make spaces

When the milkfish has reached its body weight for harvest or according to demand and market share standards, clean it up, i.e. harvest in stages so that the milkfish that continue to grow do not fill the pond or rush and fight for the food. Weigh in periodically and choose from the largest size.

12. Harvest time

At the time of harvest or when all the milkfish seedlings have reached a uniform size and maximum maturity, the harvest can be done immediately with a fine net that does not damage the body of the fish, and then the soil can be processed to make it at the base for the refertilization of baby milkfish again.

13. Advanced Processing

Before continuing cultivation after the harvest period, check the condition of the soil base by first reducing the water, if the bottom of the pond is green, it means that organic food is still available in large quantities, while if it is colored brown, means you have to re-fertilize and reprocess the soil as before, provide quality feed seed for milkfish that are further grown.

That is what the author can convey, I hope it is a quality vision and the best guide for your daily cultivation of milkfish. Thanks. Greetings.