MANUAL ON ESTABLISHMENT OF A CATFISH FARM

Contents i. Introduction Ii.Pond construction 1.    Which space do i use to grow my fish? 1.1Ponds 1.2 Raceways 1.3 Stocking       2.0 Economic analysis/cost analysis of cat fish (2000 stocking capacity)      3.0 How do I prepare my pond for fish?      3.1 Creating a dark environment      3.2 Covering the pond with mosquito mesh net      3.3 Running-in your quality water      3.4 Washing off cement      3.5 Carrying out water test      3.6 Fertilization      4.0 Where do I buy my fingerlings?      4.1 Never buy your fingerlings from the wild      4.2 Take from your stock      4.3 Identification of species of catfish      4.4 With what do I feed my fish?      4.1 Formulated feed      4.2 Fish meal      4.3 Composition of some useful ingredients      4.4 Feed formulation and manufacture      4.5 Feed types and feed allowance      4.6 Homemade feeds     4.7 Feed storage and quality     4.8 Feeding advanced fingerlings to harvestable size fish     4.9 Storage of pellet feeds for fish on a farm     4.10 Time and frequency of feeding CATFISH GROW OUT TECHNIQUES INTRODUCTION WHAT IS CATFISH ? The definition catfish culture can mean different thing to different people let us take a look at variety of fish bearing that name. NO 1-The European variety or ‘‘wel’’silurusglanis is popular in central Europe for eating or sports. NO 2- The channel catfish – letaluruspuctatus, the undisputed king of farmed fish in America and increasingly favoured in exports particularly to Germany. NO 3- A host or ONARMENTAL FISH, like the offside down, Glass, Network and Ocellifer catfish and marine species. NO 4- The African mud or (sharp tooth) catfish – clarias gariepins (through commercially grown in countries such as Holland) is the main object of the culture in Nigeria, though some other related species like the aluminium catfish – chriscthysnigrodigitanus and heterobranchus bidorsalis are also grown to some extent, have less enjoyed such popularity and permitted technology feats to be performed on her as much as clarias gariepinis. The need for a substantial increase in the world supply of animal has stimulated interest in Aquaculture in recent year. Aquaculture otherwise known as fish farming is making gigantic strides the world over. The Global Aquaculture Alliance (G A A) an offshoot of the world Aquaculture society (W A S ) stated in 1997 that Aquaculture now provides about 25% of the world sea food, and we expect the proportion to double in the next two decades. FAO report 1988 ex farm sale of Aquaculture produce at US$22.4 billion. East Asia (10 countries) contributes about 75% of world production, while 34 countries south of sahara produces only 0.1%. Case study (i)                TAIWAN: ‘From the protein nutrition point of view it is cheaper to grow Aquatic rather than land animal in Taiwan. The rate of return on investment is higher in aquaculture than in ocean  fishing and pig farming. (ii)               USA: ‘It all started as an experiment by a handful Mississippi Delta row-crop farmer in the early 1960s’’,concentrated in the south-east of the country  made up of about 15 states whose sale were worth $417 million by 1996. The total no. of farms as at Jan. 1997 was 1,302 all using about 177,000 water surface acres with additional 4,650 acres being constructed. As at jan 1 1997, at total of 6.055 acres were devoted to broodstock sand 145,265 acres for food size product on while some 22,840 acres were devoted to fingerling product on (iii)            NIGERIA: The demand for fish in Nigeria has increased from 1.2 million metric tons in 1989 to about 1.5 million metric tons presently while present production is only 20% of the estimated yearly potential yield of 1.1 million metric tons.    Things You Need To Get Started With Catfish Farming In Nigeria        The proper attitude  In life, your attitude towards a thing always makes a difference between success and failure. To become successful in catfish farming, you must approach it with the right mindset. Don’t expect to start making millions immediately. You must be ready for the challenges that come with business, in this case, a catfish farm business.                                                                          Knowledge·   No matter the amount of capital you have to invest in a business, if you don’t have a simple knowledge about it, you’re heading to utter failure. Never invest any money into catfish farming without taking the time to learn the strategies used in running a successful catfish farm. In order to get this knowledge, you need to partner with an experienced catfish farmer and also attend seminars and workshops pertaining to catfish farming.                                                                 Good land A good land for fish farming should be accessible by road, have a clean place for the farm house ponds and a good drainage system.                                                                Reliable Water supply The truth is, no water, no fish. You can’t successfully run a catfish farm if there is no reliable source of water supply near your location. You must ensure that there is a constant water supply because the fish cannot do without water. Overhead tanks must be mounted or a borehole system would be perfect.                                                         Pond construction You can choose a plastic tank to minimize cost or you build a concrete pond. Without a well built pond, your business may fail in no time. So, don’t try to fix it yourself. Get the service of an experienced fish pond builder.  We have a long way to go. Very positive contributions to make good profit to be made taking a cue from agriculture crop farmers, the good farmer look after their crops. Before planting they make sure the soil is well prepared. They select good soil or good seedlings. They water their young plants regularly and remove weeds. They use manure or fertilizer to increase growth and watch out for pests and diseases. HARD WORK produces a good crop, but laziness or neglect will result in a poor harvest! It is the same for farming fish. The fish become the crop, the pond is the field. Weeds are the wild or predatory fish while diseases are there too! pest are animals (including man) and birds which attack the fish. For the complete manual contact: Charllychim Ventures Call/whatsaap: 09023301229 charllychim@gmail.com