Natural Feeding of Tench (Tinca tinca L.) at Polyculture Rearing in Carp Ponds

G.K. GROZEV, T. HUBENOVA-SIDEROVA and E. PASKALEVA

Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute, BG-4003 Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Abstract

GROZEV, G.K., T. HUBENOVA-SIDEROVA and E. PASKALEVA, 2000. Natural feeding of tench (Tinca tinca L.) at polyculture rearing in carp ponds. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 6: 209-214

In the present study the feeding of one-, two- and summer-year-old tench (Tinca tinca L.), reared in polyculture with carp and herbivorous fish in earthen fishery ponds was examined. It was found out that the taking of six types of natural food (zooplankton, chironomids, insects, fillamentous algae, submerged weed and detritus) is dependable on the age of the fish and the presence of food in the pond. Directly or indirectly the composition of the polyculture also affects the composition of the natural food when discussing tench. It was also determined that tench of every age takes peleted carp forage. The role of tench for achieving an optimal utilization of natural food resources of polyculture fishery ponds is under discussion as well.

Key words: tench, natural food, carp ponds