Misgurnus anguillicaudatus is an omnivorous fish, which likes to live in paddy fields and ponds with water all the year round, and has a wide range of feeding habits and strong reproduction. It preys on plankton, small crustaceans, insects, flat snails and debris and algae of higher plants, and sometimes it feeds on underwater humus or sludge. In the seedling stage, they mainly feed on microorganisms in water, such as rotifers, cladocera, copepods and zooplankton.

Misgurnus anguillicaudatus has thin intestinal wall, straight intestine and many blood vessels, and can breathe. When the water is short of oxygen, besides gills, you can also breathe through the intestine. This phenomenon mostly occurs before sudden climate change and low-pressure rainstorm. In winter, water and mud drill, and breathing with intestinal tube in humid environment can also maintain life.

When feeding, plant feeds such as wheat bran, rice bran, peanut cake, bean cake, vegetable cake, earthworm, fly maggot and duckweed can be fed, and a small amount of fish meal and silkworm chrysalis can be properly matched. In addition, manure and green manure can be applied to promote the reproduction of aquatic bait. Misgurnus anguillicaudatus is mixed with other fish. Misgurnus anguillicaudatus often feeds on the leftovers of other fish, so it is called the "cleaner" in the fish pond. Misgurnus anguillicaudatus is very gluttonous, so we should feed less animal feed to avoid overeating, which will hinder the normal breathing of intestinal tract and affect growth.