There are various ways to start a catfish business. Catfish farming is a simple and flexible animal based business and you can start anywhere, especially in tropical climates like Nigeria. In addition, catfish farming can be done where you live, especially if you have large yards. Yes, you can start catfish farming at home.
Around the world, there are so many fish, some of them include: pangas catfish, greasy grouper, big fish, grass fish, silver snapper, common catla, Nile tilapia and so on. But most fish are not suitable for farming in Nigeria. Catfish Feed Formula The most common fish in Nigeria are tilapia and catfish, and later catfish are the most common.
(1)Machines For Making Catfish Fish Feed
Catfish feed extruder machine and catfish feed pellet making machine is widely used in making both floating fish feed and sinking feed pellets for aquaculture farms and fish feed making plants. Through the fish feed extruder we can use cheap local raw materials to produce high-quality fish feed, which may save feed costs.
(2)Profitability Of Catfish Farming In Nigeria
As mentioned, catfish is one of the most consumed sources of animal protein in Nigeria. Catfish farmers feed on everything from local chili soups to roadside barbecue vendors to upscale restaurants. Please note that this is a home purchased for daily use. Catfish is in far greater demand than supply, and will continue to grow due to its huge health benefits. Because fish grow very fast, turnover is very high. If you put your best efforts into this profitable business, you can make a huge profit, and I can assure that you should break even in a few months.
(3)Decide The Size Of Your Catfish Farm
The size of your catfish farm depends of course, on the starting capital you have. You can start from small-scale catfish farming using one tank or a small pond. Catfish farming in tanks is an option for temporary business, if you want to have a real profitable long-term business, you should think about catfish farm in a pound. However, in order to avoid harm and money loss, it is better to start from small, to understand how this business works. Your business should not do any harm to the environment. Try to choose the proper place taking into account the size of the future farm, necessity of water supply and of course, not to spend a small fortune.
Feeding catfish is far from an exact science. It's a very subjective process, catfish farmers are different. Changes in feeding methods are the result of many factors, such as cropping systems, fish size, the ability to manage water quality, the experience of feeding labor, and difficulties in estimating fish stocks.
In general, fish should be fed once a day as they will be consumed without adversely affecting water quality. During the warmer months, most catfish producers feed once a day, seven days a week. While feeding twice a day may slightly improve species growth, the logistics of feeding multiple times on large catfish farms make it impractical.
(5)Health And Environmental Concerns
Keep your catfish healthy, make a point to detect early signs of diseases, and take the necessary actions to prevent them. Follow safety guidelines and medication regulations for your fish farm. Know what chemicals are safe to use and how to treat diseases and the water in an eco-friendly manner to treat diseases and pests. Several chemicals such as copper sulfate, formalin, hydrogen peroxide, and povidone iodine are FDA approved and are safe to use in your pond for treating catfish diseases.
(6)Challenges Affecting Catfish Farming In Nigeria
Though this is one of the most lucrative businesses in Nigeria today, it has severalchallenges that are not just peculiar to the Nigerian terrain, but are faced generally.
①Fish farming is capital intensive.
②Acquiring of suitable land for siting the farm.
③Depending on the scale at which you operate, it can be labor intensive.
④Lack of technical knowhow.
⑥There is usually cannibalism among the fish.