Mumbai IAH Visit to CIFE

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To cut a long story short after a poll and deciding the date we combined our Monthly Aquarists Meet with the CIFE (Versova) visit
Date : 16th November 2013. 1030 am - 0330 pm

The extract is from the IAH forum page. If you have an id you can see the photos also.
http://indianaquariumhobbyist.com/commu ... sc&start=0

Comments by Percy
As we has decided, we all met at CIFE-Andheri (West), Mumbai. Its a Gianormous Area and covers the whole industry's education

WOW! what a trip. Very informative. Its a huge industry and varied openings to be a professional in Fisheries.

Dr Tiwari, (Principal & Scientist at CIFE), who led us to the conference room for detailed presentation about CIFE and its various educational set-up.

The scope of Fisheries is extremely vide. Each subject has numerous levels.

Chemistry and Biology, being the main subject involved here, it practically demands 12 hours of devotion.

It is very interesting. The Industry requires tremendous support on inhouse growing/breeding of fishes.

It was also explained that certain lands where Sugarcane is farmed, after a healthy yield the land become baron.
In such cases creating a natural pond or water body for breeding fishes, can help the farmer to survive with his land. Its only a matter of time and the farmer can get almost any help from this institutions.

Later we proceeded to the Food production and packaging Plant.

Mr Sable, explaining the various machinary and concepts of food preperations from fishes, which are edible by Humans.
This is a marvelous concept of the industry which covers growing the fishes and finally providing it as food for survival.
Packaging without preservatives for a longer shelf life is one of the greatest effort to conserve food.

End of Percys comments

Later I added a note.

Our learnings.

Dr V K Tiwari even took time off from some lectures to acomodate us and educate us.

Here are some learnings and what they do/teach you at the CIFE and how farmers are involved in fisheries :-

Fishery production is unknown in the rivers but with aqua culture they can keep a tally of progress in small ponds constructed

Macrobrachium has huge cannibalisation so difficult to breed therefore separation needed constantly as growth increases. Crucial stage on macrobrachium bet 5-6 stage. So salinity is adjusted to surpass or speed up into the next stage. Right now the process is only done for education.

Marigold flower and Rose petals mixed in fish food is used for color enhancement. Experiments revealed that the time frame is 2-3 years to say results are concrete

Food is also kept floating for certain types of fishes in the middle of pond in the center of the pond so that the fish will eat the food from below. A Net barrier is put so that the food does not drift to the sides of the pond

They have a feeding machine on pond will travel one corner to another and they refill it when it gets empty.
Large aeration machines are also set up in the ponds.

Every student studying at the CIFE doing experiments needs 10-12 tubs for 15-20 days before he can put his findings down.
Many students have been placed internationally across the world.

Nets are important where they breed prawns because because bird poo lowers the production and increased the diseases

In man made ponds they check for natural food that's in the water column from samples of water. The outer ring is lined with plastic to control erosion. If there is no soil erosion natural food remain in the water column or things become very expensive as they have to provide food from outside.

Specific fish are kept together in all levels ie top, mid and bottom feeders such that all stay together amicably. Keeping fish in this manner increases yeild.

Here at the CIFE they are building a fish aquarium room and a big pond to handle Aquaponics. Even a potato can be grown above a thermocol with the roots below in an aquaponic system

Their food processing unit which has a drying machine enables them to makes Fish paste sandwich ready to eat and curry and fish kurkure and fish & prawn pickles. They don't add preservatives.

More farmers are breeding pangasius bocourti (basa) due to demand but not able to export because flesh changes colour after fish is killed

They are not able to culture Magur fish .. cat fish because they just breed naturaly

In four months farmers can grow the prawns to adult size. 50 numbers of prawn per square meter but agriculturists put it at 100

Ornamental fish breeding were Angels, Black Knife Ghost, Danios, Mollies, Guppies and Endlers. Most of the breeding Tubs were filled with Ludwiga, Amazon Sword, Giant Ambulia, Egeria Densa, Hydrilla Verticillata, Vallisneria, Hygrophila Difformis, Hygrophila Polysperma and Lillies.

At the CIFE labs they currently have a microscope which is worth 3 crores and allows you to magnify what the human eye cannot see

They have a huge library English and Hindi. Students journals are also documented. and they also have a separate Digital Library for students to access during their studies

Dr Tiwari explained a Daphnia Culturing Process. This has bee posted in the Aquapetz Fish Food Section

For more photos please see the IAH Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 706&type=1

Cheers
Pio

[jack]

thats nice... good to hear this