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Dr. Sunil Kumar Singh

Department of Zoology
H.R. (P.G.) College, Khalilabad,
Sant Kabir Nagar, (U.P.)
Mob. 9415261727; 8400259327
Composite fish culture:

Stocking of cultivable fishes of different species which differ in feeding habits in same
pond is called Composite Fish Culture or Polyculture or Mixed Fish Farming. In other words,
combined or mixed farming of compatible fish species is called Polyculture or Composite Fish
Culture. Composite fish culture is a system in which five or six different species of fishes are
grown together in a single fishpond. Fishes with different food habitats are chosen so that they
do not compete for food among themselves. This ensures complete utilization of food resources
in the pond.
When several species belonging to different ecological niches of a pond are cultivated
together, the available food in the pond is utilized most efficiently leading to maximum
production of fishes. The stocking is done in such a way that towards the end of vegetative
period, marketable fishes of all the species are obtained.
Objectives of Composite Fish Culture:
(i) All available niches are fully utilized.
(ii) Composite fish species do not harm each other.
(iii) No competition among different species is found.
(iv) The entire type of food supply is utilized.
(v) Production increases five to eight times than monoculture.
(vi) Fishes may have beneficial effect on each other.
Countries Opting Composite Culture:
Most Asian and Far Eastern countries have taken up composite fish culture mostly on the
line of Chinese system of mixed fish farming, though, with certain modifications, so as to suit
the local demands. The composite cultures of four species of Chinese carps is still being
plasticized by Chinese fish farmers.
The four species of carps are:
1. Grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) – It feeds on aquatic macrophytes and grasses.
2. Big head carp (Aristichthys nobilis) – It feeds on macroplanktons.
3. Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) – It feeds on microplanktons.
4. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) – It is an omnivorous and bottom feeder.
Composite Fish Culture in India:
A full-fledged coordinated research project of I.C.A.R (CIFRI) on composite fish culture
was started in (1971) with one centre in six major states engaged in fish culture. These centres
are in- (i) Andhra Pradesh (ii) Haryana (iii) Maharashtra (iv) Tamilnadu (v) U.P., and (vi) West
Bengal.
The location of these centres in these states are given below:
(i) Sunkesula fish farm (A.P.).
(ii) Saidpura fish farm, Kanyal (Haryana).
(iii) Hadapsar fish farm, Pune (Maharashtra).
(iv) Bhawani Sagar fish farm (Tamilnadu).
(v) Gujartala fish farm, Jaunpur (U.P.).
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(vi) Kulia fish farm (W.B.).

Mixed farming involves rational manuring and fertilization of pond, as well as feeding
the fish with supplementary food consisting of oil cakes, groundnut cakes, rice bran, wheat bran,
etc. In India, mixed fish culture is an old practice and species like Catla catla (surface feeder),
Labeo rohita (column feeder), and Cirrhinus mrigala or Labeo calbasu (bottom feeder) are
generally stocked together in the same pond.
Now-a-days in India polyculture is progressing well in larger ponds on commercial scale.
In West Bengal at Anjana Fish Farm, 4,000 kg/hectare/year production of fish has been recorded
with Rohu, Catla, and Mrigal.
Hora and Pillay (1962) proposed culture of Catla, Rohu, Mrigal and Calbasu in
proportion of 39 : 50 : 10 : 10. Composite fish culture at Cuttack involved a maximum of 7
species viz., the Grass carp. Silver carp, Catla, Rohu, Scale carp, Mirror carp and Tilapia in
proportion of 25 : 15 : 15 : 30 : 40 : 10 : 15 respectively. Many more experiments conducted at
Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute (CIFRI) and by ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural
Research) have indicated possibilities of high yield and income.
Various combinations selected for composite experimentation chiefly include:
(i) Grass carp, Silver carp, Scale carp and mirror carp in ratio of 5 : 3 : 8 : 2.
(ii) Grass carp, Silver carp, Rohu, Scale carp and Mirror carp in ratio of 5 : 3 : 6 : 8 : 2.
(iii) Grass carp, Silver carp, Catla, Rohu, Scale carp, and Mirror carp in ratio of 5 : 3 : 3 : 6 : 8 :
2.
(iv) Grass carp, Silver carp, Catla, Rohu, Scale carp, Mirror carp and Tilapia in ratio of 5 : 3 : 3 :
6 : 8 : 2 : 3.
However, experiments conducted at various stations of CIFRI involved mixed farming of 3
indigenous major carps and 3 exotic carps.
The feeding behaviour and type of food consumed by these three indigenous and three
exotic carps are given below:
Indigenous Major Carps:
1. Catla catla (Catla or Bhakur) – It is a surface feeder consuming zooplanktons.
2. Labeo rohita (Rohu) – It is a column feeder consuming algal forms, decaying plants and
macrophytes.
3. Cirrhinus mrigala (Mrigal or Nain) – It is a bottom feeder consuming decaying plants and
detritus.
Exotic Carps:
(1) Cyprinus carpio (Common carp) – Omnivore and scavanger, feeding on both animals and
plants.
(2) Ctenopharyngodon idella (Grass carp) – It feeds on coarse macrovegetation, viz.; Spirodela,
Lemna, Azolla, Hydrilla, Ceratophyllum, etc.
(3) Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (Silver carp) – A surface feeder on phytoplankton.
Stocking Density:
In India, with improvement in management practices, the stocking density of six species
of carps had been gradually increased from 5000-6000 fingerlings/hectare (Low input
technology) to 8000 fingerlings/hectare (Intermediate input technology) to 10000
fingerlings/hectare (high input technology). A higher stocking density (15,000-25,000) of
fingerlings/hectare through rational culture is being experimented out at CIFA, Kansalyaganj.
The results are encouraging and promising.
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Stocking ratio with three indigenous and three exotic carps is as follows:

Although all the major carps show a good growth, grasscarp shows a growth of 36.5 cm
in length and about 508 gm in weight within two months.
Experimental ponds containing above six species were regularly fertilized with cow
dung, inorganic fertilizers comprising ammonium sulphate, super phosphate and calcium
ammonium nitrate in varying quantities. They were fed with rice bran and mustard oil cake in
ratio of 1 : 1 by weight. Grass carps were fed with aquatic weeds such as Spirodela, Lemna,
Azolla, Hydrilla and Certophyllum.
In West Malaysia, when grass carp, silver carp and bighead carp were grown together,
bighead showed much faster growth and, therefore, proposals for importing it from South-East
Asia are a foot.
Thus the results obtained so far in the experiments conducted on composite fish culture
can be considered as very encouraging at least 5-8 times more than what is achieved by the
traditional methods.
The factors which are considered useful for the purpose of complete utilization of
natural/supplementary food and higher productivity are given below:
(i) Selection of suitable combinations with respect to food and feeding habits and their tolerance
limit to various physicochemical and biological factors.
(ii) Stocking densities of fingerlings stocked per hectare area of the pond.
(iii) Initial total weight of fingerlings being released in the pond.
(iv) Rate, kind and frequency of fertilization of pond.
(v) Rate, kind and frequency of artificial food being supplied.
(vi) The abiotic and biotic characteristics of the pond.
(vii) Fish production including the gross weight of fish harvested per hectare area of the pond.
(viii) The cost of production, based on expenditure increased and the net profit.
Production:
The results of the experiments on mixed farming of the aforementioned three indigenous
and three exotic species (ecologically well balanced species) have opened in a new line in
aquaculture in India. It was found that an average yield of indigenous major carps in intensive
mixed fanning is about 4000 kg/hectare/year whereas of exotic carps is about 3000
kg/hectare/year and the average yield of indigenous and exotic species cultured together is 8000
kg/hectare/year. Further, raise in the polyculture have been done and a production of over 11,000
kg/hectare/year have been reported in recent years.
Additional Fish Polyculture:
In USSR and in a number of East European countries, the tenches are stocked
additionally with the carps. These fishes feed on submerged vegetations and the invertebrates
from the peripheral zone of plant canopy, occupying the bottom of the pond. They also feed on
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residue falling down to the bottom, thereby preventing decomposition and improving sanitation
of the pond.
In India, among the other fish species which can be reared with major carps (indigenous
and exotic), the preferred ones are the predatory cat fishes and murrels (additional fish
polyculture). As the murrels consume trash fishes, they are advised to be introduced only after
the fingerlings of carps have grown sufficiently larger in size, so that they may not fall victim to
predatory fishes.
Supplementary feed in the form of larvae of insects, chopped flesh, worms, etc. may be
provided to feed these fishes. Addition of cat fishes to commonly cultivated stocks of carp will
not only restore the depleted stock of catfishes in inland water resources but also conserve the
meat of high food value.
Statistics of Growth Rate of Main Six Species Used in Composite Fish Culture
Programming:
Growth potential of different carps under composite fish culture has been studied in
different agro-climatic conditions in India. However, the average monthly growth rate of Grass
carp and Common carp is higher in comparison to Silver carp, Catla, Mrigal and Rohu.
In ponds where both supplementary feeding and fertilization were carried out, the average
monthly growth rate of different carps in gram is as follows:
i. Grass carp – 96.6 – 112.5
ii. Common carp – 83.0 – 93.0
iii. Silver carp – 65.6 – 92.6
iv. Catla – 43.0 – 64.2
v. Mrigal – 42.2 – 53.5
vi. Rohu – 38.0 – 46.6
Species Inter-Relationship in Composite Fish Farming:
1. Catla and Silver Carp:
Both these carps are planktophage surface feeders, though catla is predominantly
zooplanktophage and silver carp phytoplanktophage. Various species ratio combination of catla
and silver carp such as 1 : 1 or 1 : 2.5, or 1.5 : 2 or 1 : 3 have been tried. Silver carp grew better
even at times double to that of catla or more are noticed.
At Pune centre, where the highest fish production rate of 10,670 kg/ha/year had been
obtained, catla and silver carp attained an average weight of 1.3 kg and 2.1 kg respectively in one
year when stalked in the ratio of 1 : 2.5, the total stocking density of all the six species, being
10,000/hectare. The average monthly growth rate of catla has been about 108 gm and silver carp
has been about 175 gm.
In certain experiments, even the average monthly growth rate of catla was 122 gm
compared to monthly increment of 191 gm shown by silver carp. The monthly increment of
silver carp showed even 264 gm at Jaunpur (U.P.) fish farm.
2. Mrigal and Common Carp:
The growth performance of mrigal and common carp in 1 : 1 stocking ratio appears to be
similar in cases where supplementary diet was not provided. However, when supplementary diet
was provided, common carp showed better growth performance indicating its superior capability
of utilizing artificial feed than mrigal.
The monthly average increment of weight by common carp has been 147 gm and 76-107
gm in mrigal in some experimental ponds.
3. Grass Carp and Other Fishes like Rohu:
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Association of grass carp in composite fish culture has an indirect benefit too. The
excreta consisting of semi digested aquatic vegetation, serves as the food for the bottom feeders
such as common carp and mrigal. However, grass carp is also well known to utilize
supplementary feed like oil cakes and rice bran.
In order to avoid competition among grass carp, rohu etc., it is advisable to provide
aquatic weeds in adequate quantity to grass carp. Grass carp has shown an unprecedented growth
of 5.04 kg in one year at Kulia Fish Farm with an average monthly increment of 416.3 gm.
The concept of composite fish culture involves judicious exploitation of entire niches
available in the pond. However, the use of extraneous fertilizers and feed increases the
productivity. It modifies the natural balance in the ecosystem, which needs to be judiciously
exploited. It is also essential to make composite fish culture as a commercial, economical and
self-sustaining system through synergetic approach in line with local condition.