Tuesday 5 January 2016

Fish, Food and Maintenance

"Where are you Subbu"?"

Sir I am at Moolakaraipatti, a small hamlet near our farm. I am in a pig farm purchasing pig dung.

"Oh !. Must form a good manure" - me

"Sir it is for our fishes.  We need to mix pig manure (3 bags) with Japan Urea (Some coarse urea crystals) (2 Bags) along with cow dung and keep it in a bag.  Immerse the bag after 2-3 days in water and keep a heavy stone on it.  Make a small opening in the bag.

The idea is the mixture will rot, create worms. Fishes will be able to eat them.  This one mixture is enough for days to come. Slowly there will be constant supply of the worms from this rotting bag inside water"

Great Idea. expert one too. Go ahead - me.

The pig dung costs Rs. 200 a bag. The urea is costing 310.  Though I hate the word urea, its ok since we are using it for fish feed first time. I need to discover some better things in organic.

"Sir we are also cooking ration rice for the fishes using women folk. They keep three stones and cook in the farm. we feed this rice also to fish."   Oh I am missing the farm.

"I guess fishes must be visible now?".  "Yes. I have seen them. Unlike last time, the water is clear now. We can see fishes.  Wind pump clean water is getting added and is cleaning the pond. Add to that fish waste is also creating the water into green. I will send photos tomorrow" - Subbu.

"Fishes are even fond of Ponnanganni spinach too. They are eating like mad. We enjoy feeding them".  (earlier I had asked him to plant this across all mud eroding sides).

It is strange that even common birds (sparrows) are very fond of this in my home here.  The sparrows never allow them to grow. They eat away.  In general  all small animals including fish are finding something good in this. This spinach must be really a good stuff.

English: Alternanthera sessilis, Dwarf Copperleaf.
Tamil: Ponnanganni
Telugu: Ponnagantikura
Hindi: Garundi, Guroo
Kannada: Honagonne
Malayalam: Ponnankannikkira

How is the frog population. Has it increased ?  - Me

No sir, strangely it has not. only small frogs are still there. I donot know what's wrong with them. Crabs are there.

I wonder myself what could be wrong in the food chain ?

Meanwhile Subbu said this will be the last feed. "Last feed ?"  what will happen to fishes?  He said they will grow in 3 months. This feed bag will contine to supply for some time, fresh worms.

I asked if they will lay eggs and if we can learn the technique of how to preserve them.

He said, "Sir it is a mistake we made. We should not have dug the pond using JCB.  (Earlier we wanted to widen and deepen a more).  We should have left the "karandai mud"  (Floor soil) as is."

"Will the eggs be preserved in hot sun ?."

"Yes sir, it will be inside the mud holes. We should not disturb them. When water comes they will hatch.

Strange are the ways of nature. It must be true. Otherwise how do you explain sudden arrival of so many small animals when apparantly they are absent for miles to gather and months togather.




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