How To Start a Small Cat fish farm

Fish Farming

There is no reason why you shouldn’t make money while you are at home nursing your new baby, or being gainfully employed. The state of the Nigerian economy demands that a proactive approach to family income generation. As a housewife, husband, newly married couple or a single individual, there are many ideas you can engage to earn revenue for yourself and the family upkeep. If you have always desired a work-at-home opportunity, these ideas can make your dreams come true. 

There are a lot of people/families, who are searching for answers on how to solve their financial challenges. Whether they are finding themselves suddenly without a job, dealing with huge medical bills, or just having a hard time making ends meet. Fish farming is one of the many steps they can take to help them recover from these challenges.

Mans resolve to break into new grounds in the art of domesticating animals have taken him further into many more areas like, poultry, ostrich farming, bee farming, fish farming, cattle rearing amongst others. Within the aspect of fish farming, there are various types of fish farms; we have Cat fish, Croaker, Sardine and Titus fish farms.

Cat fish is a common name for about 2,200 species of fishes, of which some 1,200 are South American.  The name cat fish is derived from the fish feelers, or barbells, that extend from each side of the upper jaws of the fish, suggestive of the whiskers of a cat. About 1,800 species are found in fresh water. Cat fish are mostly nocturnal scavengers, living near the bottom in shallow waters, using their whiskers as food finders.

In cat fish farming, after acquiring a good and suitable site with easy access to fresh water source like, a flowing stream or borehole. A fish pond can then be constructed. There are basically 2 types of ponds; the earthen pond, which is made from dug out earth is quite cheap and easy to construct and provides an environment that is similar to the natural habitat of the fish. This type of pond however, makes harvesting difficult and tedious because, cat fish tends to hide inside holes they bore on the floor of the pond. Furthermore, during dry season the water in the pond dries off quickly, leading to the risk of losing your complete stock in a high drought season.

The concrete or intensive culture pond on the other hand is made from concrete blocks and cement. This type of pond is very expensive to construct and is labour intensive to maintain. Pollution is also a major challenge in concrete ponds due to the pond design. There is also the plastic pond or other artificial ponds. These, ponds environment are however not natural to the fish hence, making them dependent entirely on intensive care from the farmer. It however, comes with greater advantages as a small scale farm, with its easier and closer monitoring. Hence, though, the earthen pond is cheaper to construct, the concrete/plastic pond with its intensive care nature is better for a small scale farmer like the full time house wife, who is constrained by the time she can dedicate, to a more stressful earthen pond.

To have a successful fish business, a good knowledge of the best techniques should first be sourced from books as well as already established farmers and if possible, a veterinary. The required knowledge should cover areas such as;

a.      The cost of possible venture.

b.     Size of venture.

c.      The best location or site for the farm.

d.     Types of feed.

e.      How to feed the stock.

f.       A good knowledge of fish farm management techniques.

g.     Possible markets for fish disposal.

h.     Likely challenges such as medication, nutrition, sales and care.

In addition, cat fish farming today requires much more than just being able to produce a harvest. Successful farmers must have a sound understanding of the economics of their operation; keep good records and work to find the best markets for their product. Therefore, a full time house wife who wishes to venture into cat fish farming should carryout various investigation and enquiries before committing their time and resource.

Another form of fund generation from cat fish farming for a small scale farmer is through the operation of the farm as a hatchery. A small scale farmer could instead of a full time cat fish farming, venture into the hatchery aspect of fish farming. A single cat fish could lay upwards of 3,000 eggs at a spawn, hence, a house wife who ventures into this aspect of fish farming for instance with a view to supplying fingerlings, juveniles and post juveniles to other farmers could make a lot of money for a shorter period ranging from 4 – 8 weeks. This aspect of fish farming is therefore a higher rewarding venture, if well sited and managed. The farmer could therefore, consider venturing into cat fish farming or the hatchery as a faster source of fund generation from the cat fish farm venture.

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