How to grow catfish at home?

Surely everyone has seen marble catfish in grocery stores on fish counters. And very many people like this type of fish, because its meat is quite juicy, soft and tasty. But not everyone knows that it is quite easy to grow this fish on your own or on a small fish farm. In this article, we will consider the rules for breeding and growing fish in a subsidiary farm, but you can also grow catfish for personal consumption in the same way.

Catfish

In general, "marble catfish" is not quite the correct name for this fish. In fact, its name is African clarius catfish (lat.Clarias gariepinus). These fish are native to Africa. Even in the waters of the Sahara, you can catch the Nile Clarias. It looks like a completely ordinary catfish: its long body in brown spots has a light abdomen. A distinctive feature of all catfish is a long mustache. Clarius has 4 pairs of mustaches. This type of fish is able to process oxygen from the air using the supragillary respiratory organ. For this purpose, the catfish emerges to the surface and is saturated with air. It is this feature that made the Clarius so easy to breed. There is no need to provide it with fresh water. Moreover, one cubic meter of water can plant about 300 kilograms of live fish. Of course, this is only possible if the faeces are removed regularly.

To keep a large number of fish, you must either purchase special pools, or have access to large enough reservoirs. One of the features of the method is the possibility of further application of warm water from incubators, which leads to better results.

Manufacturers

For the most part, the parent stock is fish that grow faster than others. African catfish can participate in reproduction by 1.5 - 2 years. The female reaches sexual maturity by 6 months, but the best results are obtained at 2 years of age.

Usually, during breeding, the parent stock is kept in separate tanks, the water in which is heated to 23-25 degrees Celsius. Producers' feed must be carefully balanced. The protein content in such feed should be at least 38%. Producers must consume at least 1.5% of their weight per day.

The optimal number of breeders in one fish receptacle is 100 individuals.

Reproduction under control

Most often, to obtain high quality sex products, manufacturers are stimulated by injections of hormones. Before starting the hormone administration, the females must be distributed to different aquariums or pools.

2-3 days before the spawning procedure, you need to put the fish on a starvation diet. With a single injection, the pituitary gland is used, at the rate of 4.5 mg per kilogram of the live weight of the fish.

African catfish, which it was decided to breed with the help of injections, also responds well to Ovopel. It is administered once, using 1 pellet per kilogram of fish. This drug is used as a physiological mixture. Males are kept in the same reservoir until spawning.

Spawning

For successful maturation of eggs, it is necessary to keep females in water with a temperature of about 26 degrees until spawning. Full ovulation occurs 12 hours after the injection of the pituitary gland.

African catfish is a rather nervous fish, therefore, to obtain eggs, females must be euthanized. This is done by injecting an anesthetic drug. Most often used "Propiscin".

Eggs are obtained from each female separately. In this case, it is considered acceptable if the mass of caviar is at least 20% of the weight of a particular individual. After the procedure, the female is placed in a KMnO4 solution for about an hour. The drug must be diluted at the rate of 0.5 g per 100 liters of water.

Milk is mostly taken from the gonads of already caught males. The efficiency of spermatozoa lasts up to 24 hours at one temperature - 4 degrees.

Fertilization

The resulting caviar is divided into three parts. It is better not to mix caviar from different females. Each serving should weigh approximately 300 grams. Then take 3 ml of milk. The efficiency will be higher if the milk comes from different males - this stimulates the fertilization process. Thus, it is better to take 1 ml from 3 males. Dip the milk and caviar in water and mix well for about five minutes.

De-gluing

After fertilization has been carried out, the eggs must be washed well. For this, a tannin solution is used. It takes about 10 grams per 10 liters of water. To completely de-glue the caviar, it is necessary to thoroughly rinse it in a solution for no more than 30 seconds.

Incubation

After the caviar is de-glued, its incubation begins in trays on frames or in special devices. The incubation frames should be sheathed with a mesh of about 0.5 mm. The caviar is spread on a grid in a layer of 1 egg. At a water temperature of no higher than 27 degrees, larvae appear. It takes about 25 hours from the moment of fertilization to the appearance of the larva. The water in the trays is consumed at a rate of 10 liters per minute.

Keeping the larvae

The larvae must be kept in trays or small pools until the yolk sacs are absorbed. You can put the larva in the pool for the first two days, then move it to the trays.

African Clary Catfish larvae should be kept in the dark. Three days after the final resorption of the yolk sac, it is necessary to remove the moldy film from the bottom of the tray. If the larvae become active, then the yolk sac is completely dissolved.

Stages of growing larvae

The first stage lasts about 3 weeks. Its end occurs when the African catfish begins to breathe oxygen from the atmosphere.

Planting larvae during this period is equal to about 100 pieces per liter of water. The water must be constantly saturated with oxygen, and its exchange must be established in the pool. You need to feed the larvae with decapsulated brine shrimp or tubule. A week later, starter feeds are introduced into the diet. Lighting should be dim or dim.

The larvae are cannibalistic, therefore, by the end of the first stage, the content of fry will naturally decrease to 25-50 pieces per liter of water. Sorting future fish need to be in the third week. Such interference can anger the larvae, so sorting must be done very carefully. After that, the fish is left in the antibiotic solution for an hour.

The second stage lasts about 5 weeks. This cycle usually begins with the filling of the pool with well-sorted larvae. Their number should be approx. 300-500 mg. The larvae should be sorted into 2 pieces by size.

Most often, the African catfish fry is planted taking into account the specific weight of the fish and the volume of the basin. The daily ration, divided into 3 meals, should be approximately 5% of the weight of the fish.

The next stage is about two months. Fish during this period should weigh 130-200 grams. The growth rate of fry depends on the stocking density. For a pool with a volume of 5 thousand liters, the stocking density is 2.5 pieces per liter. The water temperature is within 27 degrees.

During the third stage, the main food for the African catfish is floating. The feeding process is automated or manual. The water must be changed after 2 hours.

Growing

It takes about 50 days to grow African catfish to marketable form after the third stage of larval rearing is completed. The average weight of fish by the end of the whole process can be up to 2 kilograms. During this stage, African catfish is in pools with a capacity of about 10 cubic centimeters. You can plant no more than 3 fish for two liters of water. This method yields approximately 400 kilograms of live fish for every cube of water.

Most often, fish are fed at this stage with floating feed. The food volume is about 3% of the weight of the fish. It is necessary to feed her about 5 times a day.

Excellent results can be obtained when using Reflex feeders. One feeder of this type is used for 10 squares of pool area.

Hand feeding ensures a more even distribution of food. This leads to a differentiation of the fish mass. African catfish, which are bred in a controlled manner, show significant gains in a fairly short period of time.

After completing all stages, the fish are sorted. Individuals that have shown the best rates of weight gain and growth are left for further reproduction, the rest of the fish is sent for sale. Pools and trays after fish rearing are washed and cleaned until the next generation. Before new use, treat with an antiseptic solution.

Given the rather high average water temperature, it is possible to breed African catfish only in the south of Russia. Currently, catfish are being bred in the Temryuk district of the Krasnodar Territory.

History of the African catfish
About business
How much money is needed to open a farm for growing African catfish
Technology for growing catfish in a reservoir
A step-by-step plan to discover where to start
How much can you earn
What OKVED to indicate when registering a business
What documents are needed to open
What taxation system to choose for business registration
Do I need permission to open
Growing technology

Recently, the cultivation of African catfish has attracted more and more interest from Russian farmers. There are reasons for this. Firstly, African catfish easily adapt to the conditions of basin cultivation, which is very important for the climate of Russia. Secondly, catfish are very easy to breed, disease resistant and reared at high stocking densities. Third, there are simple and beneficial feeding programs for African catfish. These facts make the catfish growing business quite profitable and profitable.

History of the African catfish

African catfish is tasty, unpretentious fish and grows fast enough. The biology of catfish is such that they can live without water for two days, breathing ordinary air. The point is that they have both gills and lungs. This is a very strong and intelligent fish. In their homeland, in Africa, catfish can walk up to 1 km "on foot" - when the water leaves the flooded rivers. From pits with water, where they fall, catfish can jump up to 2 meters in height and crawl to look for water.

Catfish can cope with water temperatures ranging from 8 to 35 degrees Celsius. But for reproduction, a temperature of more than 18 degrees is needed, and for feeding, more than 20 degrees.

The first catfish farms appeared in Holland in 1980. Since 1985 until 1986 over 60 farms appeared in Holland, which produced about 300 tons of fish. In 1992, the production of African catfish already totaled over 1235 tons, moreover, 71.3% of this number, i.e. 880 tons, produced in Holland on 8 large farms. In Russia, one of the currently known catfish farms is LLC "Aquatoria", located in the city of Orel (up to 100 tons of marketable fish).There are a number of other small farms that grow mainly small volumes of marketable catfish (no more than 50 tons per year).

About business

For growing catfish, any heated room with an area of 50m2 or more is suitable. For example, German farmer Peter Waller (a farm in the Leningrad Region) grows African catfish in a former vegetable store. The fish is raised in special pools - closed water supply installations (see also - “sturgeon rearing in the RAS“).

How much money is needed to open a farm for growing African catfish

Investments for opening a catfish farm with a volume of 10 tons of marketable fish per year can range from 2 to 5 million rubles. The main costs are the creation of conditions for fish farming: the acquisition of swimming pools, the creation of a closed water supply system, a water filtration system, and engineering communications. And this is provided that the premises for the farm are rented, and not built from scratch. Otherwise, the costs may amount to more than 10 million rubles.

Equipment for a farm that produces 10 tons of African catfish per year may include:

eight pools of 1.5 m3 each;
two sedimentation tanks 1.2 m3 each;
well reservoir with a volume of 2 m3;
biofilter and 12 m3 of filter bags;
a stove that dissolves water;
1 kW pump;
pipes, fittings;
55 W UV lamp;
feed dispenser type "Reflex" - 8 pieces.

Characteristics of the recirculation system for the production of 10 tons of African catfish per year:

minimum building area - 60 m2;

pool area - 10 m2;

pool volume - 10 m3;

water volume in the system - 15 m3;

change of water in pools with fish - 1 time per hour;

process water consumption - up to 300 m3 per day;

permanent removal of impurities - sedimentation;

biological filtration, biological filter volume - 11 m3;

biological filter area - 150 m2 / m3;

installed capacity - 1 kW;

adding clean water (feeding) per day - 100 l / 1 kg of feed.

Technology for growing catfish in a reservoir

African catfish fry can be purchased at a price of 1100 to 1500 rubles for 5000 pieces. But bringing juveniles to maturity is not an easy task. According to Peter Waller, the most difficult period for fry, which weigh no more than 10 grams, mortality at this weight is the highest. After 10 grams, a very small percentage of fish die. Malek, in fact, is the main problem of the economy.

Catfish grow quickly. The growth period of the larva to marketable fish is only 6 months. Catfish are omnivores and are eaten by almost everyone. In their homeland, in Africa, catfish eat both fruits and antelope meat, which remains after the "crocodile supper". In Russia, they are fed with compound feed, but you can also give wheat, corn, bran.

“When a fish eats actively, it means that it is healthy and in a good mood,” laughs Rimma Nikolaevna, Peter Waller's business partner. And the mood of African fish changes from magnetic storms, and from the wind outside, and from the state of the water. By the way, the task of water purification is one of the main conditions for the success of the economy. And the recirculating water system - the installation of a closed water supply - copes with this task best of all. Each aquarium with fish alternates with containers with bacteria that are not visible, for that benefit - as from an expensive purification system. Microorganisms clean the pools of food residues, fish waste products, and therefore the water remains perfectly clean.

According to businessmen, expensive feed and water heating costs account for almost 30% of the cost of fish. These are the only downsides to raising African catfish.

The average wholesale price for African catfish is 150 rubles per kilogram. At first, problems may arise with the sale of fish. To begin with, you can conclude contracts with small wholesale resellers, deliver fish to markets, restaurants, cafes and retail stores. The ideal client is retail chains, which are not so easy to get into.

In Germany, Holland and France, the consumption of equatorial fish is actively promoted by the state, because catfish is a natural source of fatty amino acids, and for farmers it is a quickly payback business.

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Habitat in nature

The fish is a thermophilic African catfish. Therefore, it is supposed to contain it at an ambient temperature of at least +18 ° C. Sharmut is relatively unpretentious to the composition of the water. In the wild, such catfish are found mainly in Africa. On this continent, they can be found in almost all bodies of water. Also, the habitat of African catfish is the Jordan River, lakes and ponds of South and Southeast Asia.

general description

Outwardly, the charmut is very similar to an ordinary catfish living in the rivers of Russia. The body of this fish is elongated, slightly compressed from the sides. The unpretentiousness of the charmut in relation to the conditions of detention is explained, among other things, by the fact that he is able, if necessary, to breathe atmospheric air. Along with the gills, this fish has a special organ densely penetrated with blood vessels. Due to the presence of such a primitive "lung", the African catfish is able to live on land for up to 14-47 hours.

Researchers have found that when the oxygen content in the water is less than 4.3 mg / l, the charmouth can get out of the pond and go to look for another, more comfortable "place of residence."

Like the European catfish, the African catfish has a mustache and teeth. There are no scales on his body. The color of the charmut can vary quite widely and depends on the color of the water.

Productivity indicators

Charmouths reach commercial size at the age of about 6 months. By this time, the fish weighs almost 1 kg. The performance indicators of the African catfish depend only on the quality of feeding. Environmental conditions have practically no effect on the growth of this fish. Therefore, the African catfish is considered a "planned" living creature. That is, the farmer can very easily calculate the ratio of the feed used and the gain, and therefore the estimated profit.

Breeding a sharmut is not only relatively straightforward. Many farmers also note the fact that African catfish is one of the most profitable in fish farming. The price per kg of his meat is quite high. At the same time, he does not consume too much feed.

The dimensions of the reservoir

Sharmouths are grown, including in Russia, today both in large fish farms and on small farms. Even some summer residents are engaged in breeding this fish in the summer season. By the size of the reservoir, Sharmut is not too whimsical. On a suburban area, some summer residents breed this fish even in very large barrels or plastic pools.

Water parameters

The African catfish is able to endure the water temperature of +18 ° C practically without harm to itself. Sometimes this fish survives for a long time even at t + 12 ° С. However, the highest productivity indicators can be achieved only when the African catfish is kept at a temperature not lower than 25-30 ° C. Wherein:

the acidity index of water should be 6.5-8 pH;
the salt content in the water should not exceed 10 ppm.

Water from lakes and rivers on the territory of the Russian Federation, therefore, is just perfect for breeding this fish. But, unfortunately, it is highly discouraged to use it to fill artificial ponds with clary catfish. The fact is that with such water it is very easy to introduce an infection to which this guest from Africa simply will not have immunity.

Therefore, ponds with sharmut are usually filled with well water. In this case, among other things, special installations can be used to reduce the alkalinity of the latter. The fact is that well water in many regions of the Russian Federation is very highly mineralized. Her pH values are 8.5-9. When using water from natural lakes and rivers, it is usually additionally disinfected using special installations.

How to feed properly

The African catfish, the breeding of which is a relatively simple matter, is not only distinguished by its unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention, but is also almost omnivorous. In large farms, Sharmuts are usually given exclusive compound feed, prepared industrially according to special recipes. They are quite expensive. But on the other hand, catfish grow on them literally by leaps and bounds.

On the backyard, African catfish can be fed with all sorts of trash fish. It can be a gerbil, ruff, tulka. It is allowed to feed the fish with catfish, including frozen. Young animals, of course, have to grind such feed. But after the catfish reach 10 days of age, the need for this procedure, as a rule, disappears. The mouth of this fish is very large. The daily allowance for such feed for African catfish is 3% of their weight.

Throw the fish into the sharmut pond three times a day. The feed should be distributed over the entire pond surface. In this case, the fish will gain weight more evenly.

Feeding African catfish in this way is not difficult. But in no case should there be interruptions in the supply of food to the pond. The fact is that these fish, like any others, have a tendency to cannibalism. With a lack of nutrition, they will simply begin to eat each other.

Sometimes clarius catfish, like, for example, carp or trout, are fed with waste from poultry factories. For example, in Moscow and Kursk farms, Sharmutes are grown on chicken craws.

Broodstock

The producers of African catfish are raised, of course, separately from the marketable young. For the formation of the broodstock, the best individuals are selected and the most comfortable conditions for them are created with good feeding.

Clary catfish can spawn every month. But for this, the uterus should be stimulated. The eggs obtained from the latter are artificially fertilized with the sperm of males, and then placed in special incubator aquariums. From here, the already slightly grown fry of African catfish are transferred to the basins themselves.

Using this technology, Sharmut is bred mainly in large fish farms. Obtaining fertilized eggs in the conditions of a personal plot will, of course, be problematic. Therefore, summer residents who grow catfish usually just buy it from fish farms.

What to consider when drawing up a business plan for growing African catfish

Before starting to organize a farm for breeding this fish, an entrepreneur, of course, needs to make all the necessary calculations. A business plan for such a farm is drawn up, taking into account:

equipment cost;
consumption and prices for feed;
fry cost;
prices for the meat of the catfish itself.

Business plan: feed consumption

When using factory granulated mixtures or waste fish, this figure will, of course, be different. In the first case, 1 kg of feed is usually consumed per 1 kg of catfish weight. Waste fish will have to spend about 3 kg.

Equipment in large farms

When raising African catfish on large farms, the following types of equipment are usually used:

large swimming pools;
sedimentation tanks;
wells-reservoirs;
biofilters;
feed dispensers.

The area of the catfish breeding room itself depends, of course, on the number of individuals raised. So, a farm designed to produce 10 tons of fish per year should have an area of at least 60 m2. In this case, the optimal volume of the pools is 10 m3. In order for the fish to feel comfortable, the water in these containers must be completely changed at intervals of 1 hour. This means that filters in the pools must be installed powerful enough.

African catfish: breeding at home

The climate in Russia is cold. Therefore, when grown in small summer cottages, a greenhouse is usually set up above the container with catfish.To maintain the required water temperature, special heaters are also used.

African catfish are raised under dim lighting. Therefore, barrels with this fish can be installed not only in a greenhouse, but also simply in a heated basement or even in a garage. In order to achieve a stable water temperature in tanks, in the latter case, wood panels are usually substituted under them.

The air temperature in the basement or garage, of course, does not always reach the required 25-30 ° C in winter. Therefore, when growing catfish in such premises, as in greenhouses, it is usually necessary to use additional heaters. Also in the garage you will need to equip ventilation. The fact is that heaters dry the air greatly, which leads to rapid evaporation of water from the container. The simplest fresh air ventilation will help solve this problem.

Water supply system

Catfish water can be pumped into barrels from a well or well. But, of course, it must first go through a coarse filter and, possibly, a softener. Additionally, you will also need to buy a separate container for settling water. After all, you cannot pour a cold one into a barrel of catfish. You will also need to make a soft filter with biobacteria (like in aquariums with ornamental fish, only large).

Business plan: how much fry, feed and meat cost

Fertilized African catfish eggs are sometimes purchased by farmers. But more often for fish farms they buy, of course, fry. It is relatively inexpensive. For 5000 pcs. fry are usually asked for only 1200-1500 rubles.

Food for African catfish (in addition to the expensive elite) can be produced mainly in two varieties: "Extra" and "Premium". The first one costs about 30-40 rubles for 25 kg. The price for the second is 40-60 rubles.

Of course, in order to calculate the profitability of a future farm, it is worth knowing how much the commodity African catfish actually costs. The price per kg of meat of this fish is approximately 150 rubles (wholesale).

The cost of catfish on the market is slightly lower than that of other types of fish, so they are often used to make canned fish. And since there is demand, it means that breeding catfish at home can be an excellent and profitable business.

There are several technologies for breeding and growing fish, and it depends only on you and your initial capital which one to choose.

Which breeding method should you choose?

The extensive method is the minimum investment in the construction and arrangement of the pond. The fish will eat naturally occurring foods found in the water. The cage method is the cultivation of fish in special suburbs, which are installed in a natural reservoir. The entrepreneur will need to spend money on the purchase of feed and these structures.

Experts assure that the intensive method is most suitable for raising catfish, when the fish needs to create the most favorable conditions for growing. In the reservoir, the optimal temperature for gaining mass with catfish is set, the process of feeding food is automated, and so on.

The businessman can use the catfish as a kind of orderly for the reservoir when it is raised along with other types of fish. But it should be remembered that catfish is a predatory fish, therefore, when selecting fish for combined breeding, you need to carefully select the size of carp or trout. Then the catfish will not be able to eat them, because it easily eats smaller fish.

Catfish keeping conditions

Breeding catfish in a pond on a personal plot is a profitable business if you choose the right type of catfish. Clarium (marble) catfish is best suited for this. For it, it will be necessary to create favorable conditions: a sufficient oxygen content in the water, salt level and pH. This fish is very fond of twilight, so it is advisable to place the pond in a shaded place.

At home, you need to keep catfish in a pond only in the warm season.Fry is released into the reservoir when the water temperature reaches 15C, 25C is considered the most optimal temperature for fish growth. For a reservoir capacity of about 2000 liters, about 60 fry will be needed.

African catfish should be fed at least 3 times a day with ready-made feed and compound feed. In addition, the clary catfish feeds on plant foods, so chicken offal, earthworm and various insects can act as top dressing. In general, the amount of feed required is calculated based on the age and weight of the fish.

The female and male at the age of 2 years are considered sexually mature and can be used for breeding. Breeding catfish as a business will only be profitable if you provide the fish with an indoor reservoir for wintering. Otherwise, the growth of the catfish slows down, and the young may die altogether, thereby bringing continuous losses.

Keeping catfish in a closed installation also has a number of nuances, so you will definitely need to purchase additional equipment: a pump for air supply and a device for maintaining a stable temperature in the pond.

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Equipment for breeding and keeping Clarius catfish

A pond, indoor facility, aquariums or barrels are suitable for starting a fish farming business. The main thing is the temperature regime and dim light in the room. Each of the chosen method of growing catfish will require certain investments. It will definitely be boring to buy such equipment:

A couple of sedimentation tanks of about 1.5 square meters.
Biofilters.
Pumps with a minimum power of 1 kW.
Fittings and pipes for water.
Feeders.

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Economic aspect and possible profit

As for the possible costs of creating a pond and raising fish, everything here will depend on the chosen farming technology. It is necessary to approach its selection wisely and, among other things, take into account the size of the initial capital that can be spent on the arrangement of reservoirs.

All costs can be conditionally divided into several large groups:

Regarding the heating of water in swimming pools. There can be several heating methods: using equipment in the pool itself or with warm air inside the building.
The costs of operating the farm, cleaning and cleaning up reservoirs.
Spending on the purchase of feed and planting material.

It is possible to produce about 2,000 kilograms of products if you spend 300 thousand rubles (the amount does not include the arrangement of pools, since you can use different reservoirs and different equipment for this purpose). The price of a kilogram of catfish on the market today is such that the business will begin to pay off already in the second year of fish farming.

For a year, fish can be grown to a weight of 2 kilograms with the right three meals a day. As a result, about 400 kilograms of fish are obtained per cube of water. Depending on the chosen method of growing fry, the result may also be different.

In any case, a novice businessman can choose an extensive method for himself, when the catfish will eat only natural food and the costs / investments will be minimal.

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Basic costs

It is imperative to draw up such a business plan in advance, which will help to soberly assess the risks and your capital. It includes the following items:

The purchase of fry is about 10 thousand rubles.
The salary of workers is 30 thousand (at the initial stage, you can do it on your own).
Other expenses - another 30 thousand.
Fish food - 10 thousand.

As a result, at least 80 thousand rubles will be needed to maintain a small pond without additional equipment. With such a business, the gross profit can reach 100 thousand rubles, which is very good considering the investments.

The grown fish in the reservoir must be sorted regularly. Individuals that have the best rates of weight gain can be left for further reproduction.Send the rest of the fish for sale, and then prepare a pool or pond for new generations.

In general, there should be no difficulties with breeding Clarius catfish. But since catfish is very demanding on the average water temperature, if you want to gradually expand your business, you will need to purchase equipment for heating water. Otherwise, the rate of its growth decreases, as does the entrepreneur's profit.

Date of publication:Growing at home