THE 14 SECRET OF PROFITABLE FISH FARMING(must read for every fish farmers)

Profitable fish farming is not a game of luck, but a result of basic principles in which if followed will produce consistent result and will make you to always smile to the bank at the end of your production cycle.

If you follow the 14 secrets below then your return on catfish farming investment (ROCFI) is guaranteed.  

1. Ensure you Stock Quality Fingerlings/Juveniles: Good seed, water, proper spacing and feed are the most important factors of catfish farming. No matter how good your catfish management skill is, bad seeds can frustrate your effort. DO NOT COMPROMISE PRICE OR COST FOR GOOD SEEDS.

2. Avoid Overstocking: Stocking more than the stocking density of your ponds will not increase returns on your investment but trigger unnecessary management stress. The best practice to ensure your pond is neither overstocked nor under stocked is to stock your fingerlings/juveniles in a separate pond and later count and restock in other ponds. This will make you to be sure of actual number of fishes stocked, considering the limit of stocking.

3. Feed Your Fishes Regularly: It is recommended to feed twice a day for fish under two months old. You can limit their feeding to once a day once they are grown up. Not having a regular feeding pattern is a bad feeding habit. Feeding for two weeks properly and skip feeding for one week for whatever reason is a killer of the business.

4. Don’t Compromise on Quality Feed: The use of quality feed cannot be overemphasized in catfish farming. Whether ready made feed or feed formulated yourself, basic nutritional requirement of your fishes must not be compromised. Cost should not be the only guiding principle in the choice of feed. If you are not sure of the quality of your locally pelleted feed, it is better you use ready made feed with proven quality guaranteed.

5. Stop feeding once frequent or uncontrolled mortality is discovered on your pond: Feeding fishes with health challenges can trigger increased rate of mortality, you can resume feeding once your fishes stabilize. Make sure you increase feed given to recovering fishes gradually till they reach their normal health status.

6. Overfeeding is a waste of fortune: Overfeeding will only cause water pollution and increase the cost of production, taking note when flushing or changing water is important to ascertain the amount of wasted feed, at the bottom of a pond. This can be managed by using all through floating feed and practicing spot feeding. 

7. Avoid Underfeeding: This encourages cannibalism and uneven growth. Don’t forget that it is natural for a hungry fish to feed on another hungry fish. Ensure you feed your fish well.

8. Don’t Substitute Feed for Supplements: The usage of supplementary feed such as offal, poultry waste, meat waste, maggot, earthworms, blood waste, etc. are never a bad idea provided they do not cost more than normal pellets. Don’t forget that they are wastes and they should be treated as supplementary feed, not real feed. Do not reject them if you can get them free or at cheaper price. Combining the usage of normal pellet and supplementary feed will help your fish to feed on variety of diets.

9. Water management : This is one of the core aspects of catfish farming that you must master. If possible, make your pond free of pollution. A good fish is a product of good environment (water).

10. Depth of Pond: A deep pond produces good results but your pond must not be too deep A minimum of four feet and maximum of seven feet of water level is recommended for your pond. Shallow ponds produce small fishes except in a very rare situation where flow-through is in place.

11. Unnecessary Usage of Drugs: Avoid usage of drugs when your fishes are healthy, except for routine management purposes. Ensure that your fishes do not develop resistance to drugs by avoiding it when necessary.

12. Do not sell your fishes before maturity: Make sure you plan the sales of your fishes as you are stocking them. Impulse sales will not favor you as a farmer. Sell your fishes to the best customer as you deem fit.

13. Farm Security: Security of your farm is the most important aspect of your investment in catfish farming. Ensure you protect your farm from theft and flood.

14. Consult an expert if you need further clarification’s

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