₦airaland Forum

robonski15:

Hello sir, we don't have the pellet on ground because when we started pelleting it did't come out good because of its high protein content only the 6mm was a bit ok. This is the first time i am hearing N25 per kilo to pellet.. The fed is meant to be mixed with warm water mold and fed to the fishes, i have met with farmers in Texas and Mississippi, who has been using the powder feed for years without even thinking of pellet or floating feed all they are after is smiling to the bank,so also in Nigeria

We have increased production to meet demand and also trying to find the right mix for pellet without altering its CP.

@Robonski kindly upload a demonstration on the use of the feed, I hope I will be able to learn it and teach to the person that help me feed them, because I also want to smile to the bank. On the N25 per kilo that is what I was told by the distributor, it is too cheap or expensive.

Na baby catfish farmer I be o!

soft777:
PROPER AGREEMENT HAVE BEEN MADE WITH ALL OUR DISTRIBUTORS IN REGARDS TO PRICE INTEGRITY AND CONSTANT PRICE OF THE FEED.
FARMERS SHOULD KNOW THAT WHEN GIVING FINISHER FEED, DOES NOT MEAN YOU SHOULD REDUCE THE PROTEIN CONTENT OF YOUR WEIGHT FEED; SO WE HAVE MAINTAINED SAME 60PERCENT CRUDE PROTEIN BUT INCREASE THE CARBOHYDRATE AND VITAMIN COMPLEX THAT AID CARBOHYDRATE DIGESTION TO ENERGY IN OUR ENERGY FEED.
PLEASE DO NOT MIX OUR FEED WITH OTHER INGREDIENTS :::FOR MAXIMUM RESULT USE OUR FEED ALONE:::::
THE 150 and 180 I WROTE IN ONE OF MY WRITE UP IS NOT 180 PER KG OF FEED ; ITS AN ESTIMATED 180 THOUSAND NAIRA FOR FEED ALONE IN THE CYCLE :::AND THE FEED I DID ANALYSIS ON IS 1.2 fcr OUR FEED IS 0.8 fcr MEANS WHAT THOSE FEED WILL DO IN 4MONTHS OUR GELATIN FEED WILL DO IN ABOUT 3MONTHS : SO MEANS U SPEND LESS ON FEED AND STILL GET GREATER RESULT ::THANK YOU

@Robonski15 and Soft77, I am beginning to think that the demand for the Gelatin feed is becoming higher than the supply, I have been trying to get the pelleted version in 3mm for some days now from one of the distributors in Lagos, he keeps telling me that his stocks has not arrived.

On the other hand, is the issue of the cost, we are made to know that the Gelatin feed comes in powdered form and we have to make it like EBA or AMALA before we can feed it to the fishes, for this reason am been told that I am to pay N25 per kilo for pelleting meaning on every 50kg @N10,000 I will have to pay N1,250 (N25 x 50), which makes the total amount of 50kg-bag N11,250.

I had once said it that some of us may not be able to use the EBA or AMALA form, since it seems we can only get the Gelatin feeds from the distributors, please try and make it available to them so that it can circulate to those of us reading testimonies about the feed, we also want to benefit from it.

Keep up the good work, more 'FISH OIL' to your elbow.

robonski15:
Larry show farms: shop d127 prosperity line Ikotun market ikotun
Phone number :08088070750 or 08055102449

Melange Farms: 10 Femi adeyemi street, liberty estate, ita-oluwo, ogijo, ikorodu lagos
Phone number: 08057950487 or 09031504726

@Robonski, Thanks so much, will contact them.

robonski15:
Kindly contact the two Lagos distributors to get the feed. Thanks sir

I can't find their contacts on the tread, can u pls help with that?

robonski15:
We have different sizes 2mm 3mm 4mm and 6mm.. Fingerlings will be able to pick 2mm and also juveniles

@Robonski15, how do we on Agege and Agbado Axis get the feed, before the store in Agege comes up?

robonski15:
Hello sir, we have done justice to the price.. The distributors sell at just 10k and 11k per 50kg depending on location.. They have to pay for cost of transportation themselves and also rent, staff etc.. Now we buy coppens, zeigler, multifeed on the average 5k for just 15kg or even higher, for 50kg will amount to #16,600 on average.. Our feed are 10k per 50kg which is #6600 lesser than foreign feed also considering its high crude protein content..When you multiply by how many bag of feed you will use till harvest you will see how much cost you have saved by purchasing our feed.. Thanks

@Robonski, Thanks for addressing this issue with explation, it is better coming from you directly. For those of us in Agbado and Agege axis how do we get the feed?

robonski15:
PRICE LIST:

WEST:10k
EAST, NORTH AND SOUTH :11K

ALL BAGS COMES IN 50KG

@Robonski, let's now be serious, I had earlier had my reservations to the price you quoted earlier when you first advertised the Gelatin feed (We will be selling at a very low price for all to benefit and maximize profit.. A 100kg will be sold for for #15,000 (fifteen thousand Naira only)), we are all excited by this that yes one of our own has come to our rescue.

I believe due consultation had been made about the price before you made it public and most of us are already adjusting our budgets towards this, I mean to switch over to this feed. We so much believe in your person and ability based on the wealth of experience you have shared and solution you have proffered with excellent results.

The first price you mentioned that all will benefit from was #15,000 for 100kg which means #7,500 for 50kg.

Now the price is PRICE LIST:

WEST:10k
EAST, NORTH AND SOUTH :11K

ALL BAGS COMES IN 50KG



When the issue of pricing from distributors came up, I had expected a detailed analysis from you, to either come to their defense or give reasons. You only said 'Exactly' on post on thread 247 about the issue.

Some of us have had the opportunity to work in different capacity in different manufacturing outfit and I can tell of a fact that pricing is a very sensitive issue especially for an emerging product.

I will appreciate it if you can make a detailed analysis on the platform as to the reasons in price changes within a very short period of time when 90% of us that are excited about the news have not even benefited from it.

Mind you, the new price you are quoting stands a very little chance of convincing to switch because is almost the same if not less to the prices of feeds that we are already used to.

More 'Fish OIL' to your elbow...

Kess122:
@ Ronbosky... one of your feeds distributor is telling me its #20000 and not # 15000 like you said. whats your take in this. or is it your directory to sell it at #20000 to us...?

@Robonski pls answer kess122 question o, because u just recommended dat I should get it from one of the distributors before the Agege store will b ready. Don't forget say you promise say, na your goal to make sure that, na all of us 'Will Smile to the Bank' not selected few. Thanks for your quick response as always more FISH OIL to your elbow

robonski15:
NOTICE NOTICE NOTICE!!!!!!

Our Gelatin feed will soon be produced in different sizes ( 2mm 3mm SUPER GROW)( 4.5mm 6mm SUPER WEIGHT)... We just acquired all the necessary equipment to pelletize the feed, production has commenced already... Thank you all for your patronage as we look forward in making fish farmers maximize profit and smile to the Bank.

@Robonski, Wooow this is a great news, because I have been so worry about the EBA or AMALA method, I never get the energy to make EBA or AMALA for 10 people talk much of thousands of guys(cat fishes) on daily basis, na to kill person be that o, and I hope it can be stored in large quantity for long period use.

Pls when the Agege office is up and running let us (me) know...

More 'FISH OIL' to your elbow

soft777:
WATER MANAGEMENT : This is a very important aspect of fish farming because it determines the growth and wellness of your fish for maximum profits .
We have to know that water management start with preparation of your pond. Use the methods i mentioned in my earlier topic using formalin and water to soak the concrete pond for 3 hours and using a plastic bowl to take the water mixed with formalin to splash all the walls of your pond, Then after 3 hours rainse it with salt and water using same splashing method .NOTE the water and formalin solution should be 1/4 of your pond.
For earthen pond use the agric lime and chicken manure method ,explained in my earlier post .
Having done that the next step is to test your water of its physical and chemical properties .
A good fish farmer should have a water test kit ,if you dont have one then ,its like a crop farmer without hoe or cutlass
The major things that determine a good water quality are PH , TEMPERATURE AND DISSOLVED OXYGEN:
When u follow the right amount of these parameters strictly, then you will have a successful harvest.

PH:
Catfish require the range 6.5 to 8 ph for optimal result.
Your ph can be corrected using simple but effective materials, in concrete ponds ,use crushed oyster shell by placing them in a sack and place under the ponds water at the point were your water inlet enters your pond .Other shells that can be used are periwinkle shell the ones the calabar call insam , snail shells and palm cannel shell can also be used to correct your water ph.
You can also use lemmon grass or elephant grass ,but cutting fresh grass ,wash it and put them in a sack and place them under the pond were new and fresh water enters your pond or at you water inlet .This 2 simple material help balance your ph from acidic to neutral. because they are natural buffers.This will help you reduce cost ,instead of buying the chemical buffers ,which sometimes you have to be vigilant with.
For ponds with high basic water,though its not common to have high basic water. Most water problems are acidic but for those with high basic water , cut some woods that are decaying or tree backs ,then cut them into smaller pieces and put in a sack placed under your water .this is also a cheap and effective way of reducing cost in your water ph problems
For best result with your fish make sure you check your water ph 1 time a day mostly in the afternoon to get an accurate value of your water ph for concrete ,plastic and tarpaulin users
For earthen ponds users , water ph is more and easily maintained by using the agric lime and chicken dry poo .and this can last till the end of a cycle but still try to check your ph once a week , especially those who get there source of water from nearby streams, because flowing streams tends to have fluctuate in ph rapidly, due to different human activities done on open streams.

Temperature should be maintained between 26 degree to 30 degree not that catfish can not grow at lower temperatures but these particular range of temperatures give them the best chance to have good metabolism ,breaks down there feed better for flesh and weight .
How to increase your pond temperature in time of cold using concrete pond ,is to close your pond with a tarpaulin , using a dark color tarpaulin, so it can help absorb heat from the environment help retain the heat in the pond and make the pond dark at same time warm...,which the cats like ...
To reduce heat in your pond like some temperature in the north ,is to try to open your ponds tarpaulin cover and try to do partial water change in your pond.
For earthen pond users during hot season try to allow fresh water from streams wells or bore hole in to your ponds .And to increase temperature like raining or cold season , add more chicken manure in your pond to allow or to facilitate the growth of algae and other aquatic plants in your pond so they can form some reasonable amount of shade and help keep the water under the pond warm.
Oxygen in your pond both in concrete and earthen pond are increased when you do regular water change or flow through .
Having get all these right, there are some physical problems that deteriorate your pond water quality ,there are some water that looks milky and has lots of particles , these are due to underground pollution .This type of water need to be diverted from your source of water first ,into a filter tank .This tank can be plastic like the type robonski posted some month backwards during the hatchery set up . In this tank add a foam and gravel with charcoal in the tank for the water to pass through , Its called natural filtration before the filtered water can be channelled to your pond inlet by gravity through connecting pvc pipes .FOR THOESE COMING FOR TRAINING IT WILL BE DEMONSTRATED FOR YOU TO SEE HOW IT WORKS.
For stagnant concrete pond users , place a bag containing crushed oyster shell, charcoal and granite let the quantity be 3 to 5 kg crushed oyster shell and half the sack bag containing charcoal and granite .. to help condition your water maintains your ph and reduce the ions concentration in your stagnant pond .
For all earthen ponds users try to get what is called a water hyacinth.
This is a water plant that grows freely in lagoons and most earthen pond . When you have just 2 water hyacinth, in 7days it can multiply to 100 ,and this water plant makes your pond self clearifying because its a big nitrogen eater in your ponds ,so it clears your water of excess nitrogen in you ponds ,making it ver clear.FOR THOSE COMING FOR THE TRAINING; 2 FREE WATER HYACINTH WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU TO REPLANT IN YOUR POND:
Another great challenges earthen ponds users face are scums ,these can be formed by bad water from nearby streams , or over pollution from many un eaten feed . Or when u have too much algae bloom . Sometimes you see a brown thick layer like mud and silver shining particles on your earthen pond which is a sign of too much ion concentration in your pond soil .This is totally bad for your fish health because scums blocks the exchange of atmospheric oxygen with your water surface,so a quick and effective way to remove it .
Get a pvc pipe 1inch, tie a rope or twine to the two ends of the 1 inch pvc pipe.
Make sure the length of the pvc is same as the width of your pond .
This process have to be carried out with two people were by a person holds one end and another holds the other end , and gently lay the pipe on the pond .NOTE the pond outlet is to be open when carrying out this process so as to allow the scum flow out .
Both persons ,each on opposite sides of the pond will hold to the twine .......TO BE CONTINUED
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Awww this is like watching a very interesting film, I was so immersed in this write-up only to see .....TO BE CONTINUED, Oga SOFT77 Thanks for sharing your wealth of knowledge with us, when is the concluding part coming up can't wait, more 'FISH OIL' to your elbow.

lovesuite:
Hello olabakefish,sorry for disturbing you,please after sorting the fishes,i still witness some death rate,please what do you think is could be the cause of it.please,thanks

@Lovesuite please am also a baby fish farmer like you and you are even bigger than I am, all the credit should go to @ayosat he has been the one answering my questions and yours.

@ayosat thanks a lot for the prompt response.

[size=8pt][font=Lucida Sans Unicode][size=8pt]My ogas in the house, @soft77 @Robonski, @Nuvember,

Please I have this concern, I had earlier booked 2000 juve with an hatchery while I was constructing my concrete pond and he told me he had set set aside 2150 for me. which he kept in one of his juve pond. I could not pick them up at the promised date because there was a 2wks delay due fixing problem of leakage and drainage in the new pond couple with finance.

When I finally went there to pick up the stock we could only count 1580 the rest had been lost to cannibalism, not that the fishes were so different in sizes, we complained bitterly that if we had came earlier he wouldn't have suffered that loss.

He said the place became small for them hence they began attacking themselves. I had to settle for the quantity he gave me which was 25% less than what I planned for.

My fear is that will this not continue in my pond as I cannot afford to lose so much!

Please help a BABY FISH FARMER![color=#000099]

soft777:
for example using a concrete pond as a study .
When you weigh your fish and get average weight of 200 gram , then the next week u get an average weight of 300gram means your fish has gained 100kg in one week .The third week you weigh again and get an average of 450g means all good, u got extra 150kg in 1 week interval .If at 4 week u get 500kg ,fine you got 50 kg extra but from your projection your weight have dropped and because you were getting 100 and 150 weigh gained before so with 50kg you will start to be very carefull and try to determine 3 things...........
1, Make sure its not your water quality problem that reduce the weight
2,Make sure you are giving your fish the right feed in quantity cause as they grow you must increase the amount of feed
3 make sure they are not sick or affected by diseases
These are the 3 major problems that can affects your fish weight gained, but if u see that all these factors are ok then you now start to realise your fish pond is getting to its carrying capacity so start to look for buyers and sell .
Or when you weigh your fish and discover your fcr is increasing .So at 1.2 fcr, using how i explained to calculate fcr in my previous write up , then you know its time to sell. because at fcr above 1.2 i fear loss will set in .
In every 2 weeks interval an increase in feed should be administered most time a 1/4 increase in feed for example , if you dont have acess to weighing your fish regularly in determining the calculation i stated on my topic feed on earlier post, you can use this crude but effective method .
For example if you give your feed 10kg daily, by 2 weeks time ,all things been equal , you need to increase by 1/4 , so by calculating this will give us , 1/4 of 10kg , that will give us 2.5 kg. Meaning the amount of feed to be administered after 2 weeks will be 10kg plus 2.5 kg this gives 12.5kg , and in every 2 weeks a good growing fish will need fish size change .This implies that in every 2 weeks interval if your fish is consuming 2mm feed by 2 weeks ago .Then by today they should be consuming 3mm, and what it implies is that, at 2 weeks ago consuming 10kg and 2mm should today consume 12.5kg and 3mm. That means you have increase both your feed quantity and size to meet up with your growing fish every two weeks.
These are when all condition are perfect because if you have disease out break or slow growing fish it may not apply.
When you buy fingerlings from hatcheries make sure they are of uniform size , because too many un uniform size will lead to carnibalism and there for reduction in your fish quantity and eventual loss.
Let me elaborate more, for new farmers to understand better ,starting with good quality standard fingerlings eating 1mm feed after 2 weeks , they should be taking 2mm and by next 2 weeks again, they should take 3mm , but you can feed 2mm to your fish from juvenile till they are 1month after juvenile and feed local feed .
Those going for grow out;
because fish reared for grow out will need to feed more of 2mm before changing to 3mm or local feed , because this will ensure there fast growth cause most 2mm foreign feed contains more percentage crude protein than 3mm , and above .
But for melange farming u can feed 1mm to fingerlings after 2 weeks you change to 2mm for 2 weeks then start local feed .I will elaborate further when i treat the topic melange farming revealing some detailed secrets on how to maximise your profits in mellange farming.
But if you know the technique like in my farm , we feed local feed from fingerlings to grow out which helps us maximize profits .
For better understanding of the technique i advise you book a day starting from febuary ,for a 1 or 2 day intensive practical training with our farm.DETAILS WILL BE RELEASED SHORTLY !!!


If you are unlucky to be given last growers by bad hatcheries ,all hope is not lost what you need to do is add fish boosters to your feed and water ,at least 2 sachet to 100kg feed but please this is for people with low growing fish ,dont add fish booster to normal growing fish because they already have active enzymes in them that already support fast metabolism which is breaking down or cnverting there feed or fod to flesh so adding high concentrated boosters may be too saturated for normal fish and may cause health problems ,its only used for slow growing fish because the fish booster acts as catalyst, which are nutrients that helps fasten or increase fish metabolism making them to grow or help kick start there body enzymes for faster metabolic reaction.
When you sort your fish the slow growing or smaller ones can be boosted by separating them in a different pond and add 2 sachet of fish booster to there own feed and feed them.
Also on weekly bases add the liquid booster to there pond water anytime you change there water, though it may cost you little more ,but it is better than losing them to low sales cause of slow growth problems.
Though i still strongly insist that to make reasonable profit ,get your fingerlings from reputable hatcheries ,do not look at the time or distance ,better to be late than never.
How to catch your fish at regular interval to weigh them .I see some farmers draining down there pond , before they weigh , but that method will stress you and your fish. What you need do, taking earthen pond as an example .The night before you weigh them , take a 2 square meter mosquito net. insert it under the feeding point of your pond , and tie its four edges with a rope. Let the rope on the four edges be long enough to get outside the pond and use very strong stones to hold the rope edges firmly to the ground so as not to let the wind blow away the net.
Note this should be done a night before the next day weighing process , cause if u do it same moment when you want to feed them , as said earlier , catfish are very intelligent fishes ,they will not come there to feed when they discover you setting a trap there ,.
So after successfully doing this , by morning during feeding, they will all converge at the feeding point not realising the net under them...
Make someone to assist you by pulling the net handles, that is the ropes very fast this way you will catch a hand full of them and this should be done when they are fully engaged in their feeding. Do not wait till they finish eating, so that the new feed they are just eating will not add to the fish weight , giving you a wrong calculation .. The average of the fish caught is then weighed and returned back immediately.
How to weigh your fish to determine the average weight , for example if your net catches lets say 6 fishes, you weigh them all together lets say they give you 600g. This means you divide the 600 gram by the total number of fish you caught giving you 600 DIVIDE BY 6 that is 100g.
This implies that your average weight of your fish is 100 g.For concrete or plastic vat just put your weight checking on one of the days you do your pond water changing .when u reduce your pond water to change it .Take like 5 to 6 of them and the average weight taken . This way you have done 2 things with one method
Please for concrete pond users when you do partial or total water changes please endeavour to add either fish or poultry anti stress to your pond for 30 minutes before you fill it up back with water this does 2 things ,
1 Will help them begin to take food faster again after water changes .....
2,It helps condition the water as in making the water to settle down faster and properly.
Note anti stress is different from fish booster.
When you dont use anti stress t condition your water, its why some concrete pond users encounter fish disease more than the earthen pond users because when they change water regularly which is a good practice ,but without giving them anti stress .it causes stress t your fish so my candid advice for concrete or plastic pond users ,is to do flow through system when changing water.
Than the drain all and refill system.
NOW MY CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR EVERYBODY ,
A little secret, in as much as the iya eleja that is the fish buyers , likes to cheat ,we will not encourage ourselves to do the same but i see most farmers here, when they want to sell there fishes at maturity ,they dont feed a day or skip a day feed before sell, yes sure its normal practice , so the fishes do not vomit out there feed when harvesting and making a mess of the whole place. But skip a day will definately drop the weight of your fish there by reducing your profit
In fish farming every gram counts, do this 2 days before selling ,I call it super energy chunk feed ,its called chunk feed because you feed your fish with it 2 days before you sell ,and the feed will remain in your fish belly as a chunk for more days to come without fully digesting. This will help maintain your fish weight for the 2 days without feeding and its weight will be increased or stable and they will not vomit it out .
Its a 10kg feed mix 7kg palm carnel cake pkc with 3kg yellow grounded corn, pelletize them together and add 1/4 liter fish oil .if you cant get fish oil buy pure cow fat from abatior heat the fat without water in a pot till it gets to oil and measure 1/4 liter of the fat oil and mix with 7kg pkc and 3 kg grounded to powder yellow corn, then pelletize and give your fish . You see this 2 simple and readily available cheap ingredients will keep your fish weight intact.
This feed formula is only given 2 days before selling .you will discover drastic weight increase and there will be no vormiting of feed while harvesting ,but please dont give your fish this feed as a regular feed ,keep to your normal feed formula till 2 days befre harvest, because if u give your fish this chunk feed as regular feed , it will block there digestive system and this will be bad for your fish .
The formula should be given only 2 days before selling thank you for reading.......................
AFTER HAVING GOOD SEED .GOOD FEED FORMULA AND KNOWING HOW TO FEED ,THE NEXT STEP IS HOW TO MANAGE YOUR WATER;UNDER THIS TOPIC I WILL TREAT ALL POND SYSTEMS AND ALL POND TYPE IT WILL BE A 3 TIMES WRITE UP WATCH OUT. IT WILL BE EXPLOSIVE::::: merry xmass everybody!!!!

@soft77 Wow this write-up is explosive and eye opening, I just started mine along side an existing farmer and I had to quickly put a call across to quickly correct a mistake I made through a standing instruction I gave in order to cut cost based on feed rationing. Thanks so much more FISH OIL to your elbow.

Wow this write-up is explosive and eye opening, I just started mine along side an existing farmer and I had to quickly put a call across to quickly correct a mistake I made through a standing instruction I gave in order to cut cost based on feed rationing. Thanks so much more FISH OIL to your elbow.

What about concrete pond?

robonski15:

To know the estimated stocking density of an earthen pond we multiply the feet and dept divided by 3 multiply by two (for earthen ponds)

lets use POND 1 as an example 35 feet by 25 feet depth 5 feet.

35x25x5=4375

4375/3=1458

1458 x 2= 2916

on pond 1 you can stock 2916 fishes to maturity..

Use this formular to calculate the rest ponds... Thanks

This is very helpful. But am a bit confused about skipping a day meal before & after the treatment, does that means they will not eat for 3, 2 or 1 whole day(s). Please elaborate more on that.