With some photos, i'll illustrate how i started my fish farm with updates when necessary, i hope it turns useful to someone out there.

As a youth in my mid-twenties, looking for jobs after graduation has been out of my thoughts as i had always preferred entrepreneurship ,


Apart from having two other Jobs handling,i still have alot of free time of which decided in trying out catfish farming.


1, i stay in a very favourable location where i could jug every morning and evening or any time of the day to my farm.

2, Location (site) was allocated by one government institution (campus) for agricultural activities only, of which i got approval and paperworks.

3, Location is surrounded by a natural running stream/river very closeby which i used as my source of water. With several constructions within the ponds giving a proper inflow and outflow for a healthy pond.


4, After construction, before stocking fishes, proper treatment was given to the water,

5, I started by stocking 4,500 fishes using three ponds having about 1,500 in each. On 12th January this year (Photo of the sizes will be uploaded soon).

The above photo was the first day of digging, we tried to make sure the depth is good enough before stocking after being treatedas earlier mentioned.


After stocking on the first day, i treated with a multi vital drug to ease them from stress.


Did not feed them till the next day which i started with 2mm foreign feeds. (Skrettings).

At this beginning stage, feeding is usually taken easily to avoid over consumption which could lead to death , Or contermination of the water due to excessive remains of feeds which dissolved over time.

I was told the best time to feed was early at mornings, (please correct this if wrong) but i normally do wait a little while longer till 9 am or thereabouts when they have alot of appetite, and also, in the evening. (I have cocome accross some threads which states feeding should be done trice a day but i choose mine to be twice.)

Pictute speaks louder than words,oya upload na websurfer

uruba23:
Pictute speaks louder than words,oya upload na websurfer

Not a problem, will find a way to do that soon including videos i already documented (I-phone wahala) . But kindly keep in touch

Later today, i'll post new photos and how they look like now, including the connections

You feed only twice a day? We feed every four hours. They eat themselves if we don't feed them like that. We use a concrete pond.

I sure hope they do survive, I hope you are checking the water pH and what happens if it rains,how do you protect from predator.Better fix a net.

Neduzze5:
You feed only twice a day? We feed every four hours. They eat themselves if we don't feed them like that. We use a concrete pond.

yes, they eat themselves sometimes and its normal until you sort them after some time.

Sometimes it could be twice with one in betweens but lightly

uruba23:
I sure hope they do survive, I hope you are checking the water pH and what happens if it rains,how do you protect from predator.Better fix a net.

Yes, that photo was the begining, a net was fixed,


Although, after sometime , we discovered the net could trap or kill the fish as they grow bigger if not properly checked if some parts the net goes down

WebSurfer:
With some photos, i'll illustrate how i started my fish farm with updates when necessary, i hope it turns useful to someone out there.

As a youth in my mid-twenties, looking for jobs after graduation has been out of my thoughts as i had always preferred entrepreneurship ,


Apart from having two other Jobs handling,i still have alot of free time of which decided in trying out catfish farming.


1, i stay in a very favourable location where i could jug every morning and evening or any time of the day to my farm.

2, Location (site) was allocated by one government institution (campus) for agricultural activities only, of which i got approval and paperworks.

3, Location is surrounded by a natural running stream/river very closeby which i used as my source of water. With several constructions within the ponds giving a proper inflow and outflow for a healthy pond.


4, After construction, before stocking fishes, proper treatment was given to the water,

5, I started by stocking 4,500 fishes using three ponds having about 1,500 in each. On 12th January this year (Photo of the sizes will be uploaded soon).

Following keenly. You may need to get water testing kits. it will save u a lot

Just like i promised earlier.


New day to the farm..

This bridge is my entrance, the only way in and only way out.
A fallen tree acting as a bridge.

Now,, this is my source of water.

We created inlets and outlets for every pond but their positions vary most times as could be interchanged.


From the second photo, the main source closer was the inlet but later closed, the visible pipe is serving as the outlet .
The inlet was collected from the middle pond as we got a perfect speedy inward flow.

Lets move on to the middle pond which serves as the main inlet source from the river..

Predators, The reason for the net.

You can see how neat it is that you can spot the fishes clearly from inside.


Getting closer views...

Dont forget, they are about three weeks and two days old counting from January 12th, 2017.

Below is the second pond, (Entrance pond earlier).

From my observations, this pond might not be neater than the first pond but i think the fishes here grows faster. both has huge appetite always.

Questions ? Suggestions ?

Would love to do same in my Villa as I plan relocating there in two years time to concentrate some of my business their ,but when it rain my area get really flooded especially area close toa river ,so I am thinking of getting some hectares and doing some integrated farming like the Soghia people. So my question is how do you mitigate against flood,stop cannibalism among the fish,and what kind of vitamins are you given the fish,lastly what is the effect of algae on the water.I was once an apprentice,but we did more of tank fishing, although I plan tampulin pond I still haven't seen where to buy tampulin in Nigeria or i see is prefabricated tampulin pond.

WebSurfer:
Questions ? Suggestions ?

Please after digging the earth pond did you treat the pond before stocking with fish? If yes what did you use and how did you go about it. Was it fingerlings or which one did you stock

WebSurfer:
I love to take a some rest here most times lost in very deep thoughts TOTALLY ALONE IN THE WOODS

The terrain looks familiar. OP where is the location of your farm.

Nobally:


The terrain looks familiar. OP where is the location of your farm.

Delta

uruba23:
Would love to do same in my Villa as I plan relocating there in two years time to concentrate some of my business their ,but when it rain my area get really flooded especially area close toa river ,so I am thinking of getting some hectares and doing some integrated farming like the Soghia people. So my question is how do you mitigate against flood,stop cannibalism among the fish,and what kind of vitamins are you given the fish,lastly what is the effect of algae on the water.I was once an apprentice,but we did more of tank fishing, although I plan tampulin pond I still haven't seen where to buy tampulin in Nigeria or i see is prefabricated tampulin pond.

Im sure you will be glad if you do. as for the vitamins, i have to recheck the names,


For flood, after due observations from the farmers who usually farm in the terain over some years, they gave me a guarantee such wouldnt happen but im trying to observe it from the first few months of heavy rainful first, hopefully i must have come to harvest by then, or about

Good Evening,

I have been inspired by your industrious nature, i have recently started a business and i am looking for other opportunities, and going by the description and topography of the area and pictures you have shown, i think i can do the same in my village which has a large river flowing through it.

please this is my email ekanemd@live.com, please i would to get more information about this from you, thanks .

p.s : i sent you a mail on nairaland

Duekanem:
Good Evening,

I have been inspired by your industrious nature, i have recently started a business and i am looking for other opportunities, and going by the description and topography of the area and pictures you have shown, i think i can do the same in my village which has a large river flowing through it.

please this is my email ekanemd@live.com, please i would to get more information about this from you, thanks .

p.s : i sent you a mail on nairaland

Very much welcomed and thank you.. i will be here if there is any info needed to give.

Catfish farming business is an untapped farming biz that has not been.....

WebSurfer:


Very much welcomed and thank you.. i will be here if there is any info needed to give.

Why did you abandon the thread

ThatHistoryGuy:


Why did you abandon the thread

Failure. Catfish farming goes far beyond just stocking and feeding . its a wide tyep of projects without adequate knowledge, u risk high level of failure.