clementcro: @Mecaboy, your above analysis is totally wrong, cat fish farming is lucrative, the more you invest in it, they more you get your profit, if you invest like 2m in the establishment of the business, you can be making a minimum of 300k every month after the first 4 months of establishment of your farm.

If you need more information and how to achieve this, contact me on 08060595019

19naia: The first year of any business is not to be expected to be profitable because time it takes to get customers knowing you and the time it takes to learn the patterns of the location you choose....start up cost is the main big factor and the start up cost should be rationed off into several years of profits as you would in paying off a loan...dont assume start up cost is an every year expense...first year should expect to not make profit or very little......The next year could not include buying the young fish if you keep small breeding pond which will have few fish making hundreds of babies...there are people who farm insects and worms for fishermen,and the cricket and worm operations take little space and feed...fish castings do well in the soil that can then be compoted back to the worm farm and the worm farm can feed fish and also fertilize garden crop which can feed insect farm and garden can compost back to the worms.....Think ECO system as no one feeds the fish in the natural eco system...if you can invest in maintaining an eco system,then you can have self sustaining fish farm...Fish pond will grow algea,there are fish that you can get that remain smalll and eat algea..rotate the cat fish and tilapia away from algea infested pond and put in the algea eaters and then make a regular cycle,if the algea eaters get to breed so many to manage,put them in to be eaten by the catfish and tilapia....In termite season,one can catch 1 months worth of fish food in one night...the list of options go on..people raise chickens in open land no feed bout for them.the chicken becomes food for people but also food for fish...there are people who collect blood from slaughter houses to cook it into blood meal pellets to make animal/fish feed......The start up cost must be endured and if you like to work,there are so many ways to make it work out....i love fish farm and i grew up with small fish farm in ondo state,but the pond was in ground about 3000gallon and water came from natural spring in the ground with native small fish finding thier way into the fish pond and also open to insects and lizards,snakes e.t.c ,the fish would eat anything of small size that falls into thier home.....i prefer to have land in a water soaked area (where many will not buy the land for a house) And take advantage of the natural ecosystem.......it depends on how much work and money can be put into it.....oCEAN FISHING AND OTHER WILD CAUGHT FISH ARE A DWINDLING MARKET AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE WORLD AND POPULATION INCREASE,TAX NATURAL RESOURCES..THE DEMAND FOR FARM FISH WILL ONLY BE RISEING AND ALREADY IN USA,THERE ARE WARNINGS OF MERCURY POISION RISK IN WILD OCEAN FISH...SO PEOPLE WILL CONTINUE TO DEMAND INCREASED PRODUCTION FOR SAFETY FROM MERCURY TOXIN AND ALSO THE DECREASE IN WORLD SUPPLY OF OCEAN FISH.....gO FISH FARMERS...

mekaboy:


IF THE FIRST YEAR OF ANY BUSINESS IS NOT PROFITABLE I WONDER WHY PEOPLE GO INTO BUSINESS AT ALL

gzib: 200 naira? How did you feed them?
@ jmoore, are you putting the cost of the water you supply? cos i am not adding that, because i cannot quantify that. i have a ready borehole at my house and i make use of that for my fish.
This is my simple projection
i buy Juveniles for 30 x 67 pieces = 2000
feed for 4-5 months 3 bags at 4000 average = 12,000
average weight after 4-5 months 1.2 kg
survival rate, lets say 60 pieces
total weight 1.2 x 60 = 72 kg
gate price per kg = 450
total price = 450 x 72 = 32,400
interest = 32,400-2000-12000 = 18,400 naira.

for 60 pieces. so if you go for a larger scale and you stock every month or two month you will be making what you stocked multiply by the factor.
let say i go for 300 pieces, then it will be 18,400 x 5 =92,000. if you stock every month then you will be making 92,000 every month but the investment will also increase,
say, 2000 x 5 = 10,000 for the juveniles, 14,000 x 5 = 70,000 for the feeds for each stock. And get a market b4 you start to rear.
Fish farming is not for everybody. you must be willing and be dedicated to it as the slightest lukewarmness can cause your investment to go down the drain.

ogbongenet: Quail Farming,quick Cash:

Quail farming is an uncommon farming business in Nigeria, but the few people that have embraced it are not only smiling to banks, they are also enjoying both the nutritional and health values derived from consuming it
Considering the large number of poultry farmers in Kaduna that have embraced quail farming, it is no doubt one booming farming business that is gradually taking over chicken poultry business in most parts of the north. The high rate of returns and low cost of investment as well rearing them are some of the reasons many farmers are fast resorting to quail farming. In Zaria alone, there are more than 50 farms where quail are reared and sold. The fact that the birds grow and reach maturity stage faster and lay eggs within two months, compared with the six-month maturity period of chickens for whether egg-laying or consumption, attract them to farmers who see the business as a better and more sustainable investment to explore.
From market surveys both in Zaria and Kaduna, a female quail bird sells for N500 while the male goes for between N250 and N300. Its speckled eggs go for between N20 and N25. The bird’s high nutritional and market value encourage many chicken poultry farmers to abandon the business for quail farming. The NEWS gathered that these financial and health benefits, especially the high and quick returns on investment, largely explained farmers’ rush into the business in Jos where it first started, and in Kano, Kaduna and other states in the north where it is booming now. But it is very difficult for people in the southwest who wish to go into quail farming due to the problem of getting quail chicks for starting. Good news the problem has now been solved because you can easily get it now in Ibadan. I started the business just three months ago but glory be to God I earn nothing less than 2000 Naira every day.
BENEFIT OF QUAIL FARMING
It is very easy to maintain
It is not capital intensive compare to poultry farming
High return in a very short time (quail start laying at 45 day old)
It require small space
Quail egg are now recommended in the hospital which makes a good business
Here are some additional benefits you might get from eating quail eggs.:
* acquire a strong immunity system and improve metabolism.
* contain important quantity of calcium easy to assimilate.
* help healing gastritis, ulcer.
* increase hemoglobin level, remove heavy metals, toxins from blood.
* help in the treatment of tuberculosis, asthma,.
* diabetes
* contain ovomucoid protein, used in the production of anti allergic drugs.
* help inhibit cancerous growth.
* help eliminate and remove stones from liver, kidneys and bladder.
* stimulate intellectual activity.
* may accelerate recuperation after blood stroke and help strengthen heart muscle.
* are a powerful stimulant of intimate potency. They nourish the prostrate gland with useful substances, phosphorus, proteins and vitamins and therefore help restore intimate potency.
FOR FURTHER INFO TYPE QUAIL FARMING OR BENEFIT OF QUAIL EGG ON GOOGLE.
TO START QUAIL FARMING CONTACT ME ON 08060115253 OR profindeed@yahoo.com
Meet you at the top

jam04: I am currently putting up some write-ups regarding the wrong info i have read regarding cat fish breeding in Nigeria and i can boldly say 95% of the info shared are false and misleading. but not to derail your thread i will answer your question as truthfully:

1 Cost of pond depends on area, land and type of pond you intend to have. By type of pond, i mean earthen, concrete or tarpaulin ponds

2 Cat fish have sizes: we have fingerlings, juveniles and post juveniles. I always advise potential farmers to go for juveniles since most of them don’t have facilities to handle fingerlings. Healthy juveniles cost between 25-30 naira

3 This is where gullible investors fall prey. Before you go into cat fish farming, make sure you know your market or better still make sure you know your buyers and what type of size they buy. For instance it will be difficult for you to get a buyer for a 500g fish if your market environments demands for a 1kg fish and vice versa. however, on average, you should be able to get a size above 1kg within 5 months PROVIDED you fed them well and they are raised with the best and healthy practices

4 I could see you really know what you want and this your question will make those that deceive others shiver in here..lol. i have heard where they will tell you, 'each fish will consume 200naira worth of feed for 6 months and you will attain above 1kg'. Oh my God!!! How is this feasible? Definitely it is not and yes i said it is NOT feasible because different factors and condition determine the response of fish to feed at any particular time. Factors like water quality (turbidity,ph,temperature..e.t.c), stress and health. What i generally advise is to set aside considerable amount for feed. for 1000 pcs of fishes and your target is 1kg and above fed for 6 months, i will advice you keep 250,000 for feeding.

5 This is another good question. Cat fish price varies from place to place, in some places 1kg sized fish goes between 500-520 while in some places we have 460-480. but also have this in mind that not all the 1000 pcs will survive and also not all with attain 1kg averagely. However, if they are well fed and raised under the appropriate conditions, you should have above 850kg at the end of the day. So if you do your maths with the price range i give above, you will still make profit. Profit margin however depends on the pond type you choose. Concrete and tarpaulin ponds consume more money than earthen ponds because of the need to change water.

I have always advised potential investors to seek for a one-on-one training with professionals before they venture into raising cat fish. Do not rely on what people say that you only need to read their manual and you are all set to go, it is disastrous as it is a cheap and easy ploy to deceive you into buying their training manual. I am not dis-crediting their manual but what i go against is the assumption that the manual is the only thing you need to read before you start your own farm. Also, make sure you have an onsite assessment of a fish farm by yourself and don’t assume things in your head.

As you can see form the attached pic,these fishes are 5months and 2 weeks old and their average weight is 1.3kg-1.6kg

As soon as i am through with the write-up, i will put it up and people can learn one or few things from there and i hope i have answered your questions. Thanks

olayiwola Farms Nigeria ltd (A div of Penthouse Nigeria Ltd)
olulay@yahoo.com,08090938426

Mashkov: @ OP,
Fish Farming is lucrative, I can authoritatively tell you that and that is from experience. My advice is that you seek knowledge before going into it and most importantly, you must have PASSION for the business. Be aware that EVERY BUSINESS has got it's own downsides, so when you go into it and you see some setback, you will no be discouraged. I will summarize some key points for you, catfish farming's success depends largely on 4 cardinal parameters listed below,

1. The quality of the fish (Genetics)
2. The quality of the feeds
3. The quality of the water system
4. The structure of the pond system (space/depth)

FYI, if you start with Juveniles (I advise you do this), don't consider fingerlings or post-fingerlings. A juvenile will attain a 1kg (table size) weight in 4 months. The difference in the price of a juvenile and others is significant enough when compared to the cost you incur in rearing them for up to 6 month to attain market size.

Your major cost will be the cost of feeds. The best method is to start your fishes with foreign feeds for the first month of 6 weeks, after this, place your stock on local feeds. The formula and specification is not a difficult thing, that can always be provided if you want. I will not advice you start producing your feeds cos of the cost of setting up a fish feed mill (mini), when you scale up, producing your feed will make a whole lot of sense.

I can go on and on. If truly you have done a soul searching and decided this is what you want to do, I can always provide all the information you need and also expose you to practical experience if you so desire. We can both sit down and work out a detail feasibility/profitability projection based on the resource you have.

Regards,

manny4life: Anyone familiar with the Recirculating Aquaculture System?