₦airaland Forum

What this fish farming did me 20+ years ago ehh, for years when I see catfish either live or as pepper soup my body go just de shake, I go de sweat as if them pour me water. Lol
One my Guy relocate back to naija 2 years ago after tens of years aborad, talk say him de go into fish farming, I been just de look am, omo fish don humble am.
No doubt people make money out of it, I guess not everybody if cut out to be a fish farmer.

Same thing I used to say until then dry am and I come chop am for soup, then my mind changed...

Apcshit:
I will never eat cat fish .very disgusting

koxyz:
The problem is peculiar with most agricultural practices, from the outside, it looks so easy but when you dive into it, you will know that you are still a learner.

Na so e be with business ventures oh!

Very easy when looking from the outside, but when your enter, soldier ants go come dey bite you inside your shokoto.

Yommiefish:
Muyiwa was tired.

Tired of seeing people post:
“Fish farming changed my life.”
“₦500k profit in 4 months.”
“Catfish farming is the new oil.”

Everywhere he turned on Facebook and YouTube, somebody was smiling beside ponds and holding big fish.

So one day, he made a decision.

He borrowed money.

Five Million naira

Money from cooperative.
Money from friends.
Money from family savings.

Because in his mind, fish farming was simple:
👉 Buy fish.
👉 Feed fish.
👉 Sell fish.
👉 Make profit.

What nobody told him was that fish farming can humble a grown man emotionally.

Muyiwa had no mentor. Only Online Social Media Mentors

No practical training.

Though he has little understanding of feed and feeding based on what was told online, but lack understanding of stocking density, grading, fish behavior, sales and marketing

But confidence was high.

He stocked 5000 of post-fingerlings immediately because he wanted “Good ROI.”

The first few weeks looked exciting.

The fish were active.
They rushed feed aggressively.
Friends visited the farm and praised him, uploaded the videos and posted it

He started calculating profit in his head already.

Then reality started quietly.

First problem:
Feeding reduced.

Then mortality started.

2 fish.
5 fish.
12 fish.

People told him:
“That one is normal.”

So he ignored it.

One morning, he got to the pond and saw dozens floating.

Dead.

That was the first day panic entered his heart.

He changed water anyhow.
Added salt because somebody online recommended it.
Reduced feed. Add bitter leaf, add antibiotics
Increased feed again.

Nothing was coordinated because he never truly understood what he was doing.

Then, the price of feed went up as a result of inflation.

Almost every week, the price of fish was going up.

The money he borrowed was disappearing faster than the fish were growing.

Soon, feeding became fear.

Every bag opened felt like money burning.
He started Rationing, someone advised him to formulate local feed to save cost. He did, then another problem for a newbie.
Then water management became a problem because of the sinking feed that pollutes water so fast, he would have to pump water more than expected.

At this point:
The fish were not growing uniformly.

Some were big.
Many were tiny.
His Cost started going up because of frequent water changes

Cannibalism had reduced the pond density because he never graded on time.
The locally formulated feed was not giving the expected result.
The nutrient requirements were not met

Like Yakubu, he endured and ‘managed’ for 4 months.

But the biggest shock came during sales.

The buyers he expected never showed up.

When they showed up the price was ridiculous.

Middlemen even offered worst prices.

Some said:
“The fish never reach size.”
“The Price of Fish have come down”
“That’s the price farmer A, B, C, D and E is selling”
“Town I, J, K, L are even selling lower than town U”

Meanwhile the fish were still consuming feed every single day.
He had stayed additional 3 weeks beyond the expected sales day

Debt pressure started building.

Calls started coming.

“When are you paying back?”
“How far with the farm?”
“You said harvest was this month…”

Muyiwa stopped sleeping well. Praying, the fish should not die.
Hoping the price will go up.

The same business that looked exciting online was now giving him anxiety in real life.

One evening, after calculating his expenses, he realized something painful:

He was not farming fish anymore.

He was feeding debt. More than 40% of his capital has gone.

This is the hidden side of fish farming nobody posts online.

Many people enter this business because of motivation…
Filtered Online Post, etc.
But stay trapped because they ignored Preparation.

Fish farming is profitable.

But experience matters.
Mentorship matters.
Training matters.
Planning matters.
Starting small Can teach you a lot.

Before you borrow money for fish farming…

Please learn first.

— The Hidden Sides of Fish Farming Nobody Posts Online (Series),
by Olaide Abayomi

Insightful.

Yommiefish:
Muyiwa was tired.

Tired of seeing people post:
“Fish farming changed my life.”
“₦500k profit in 4 months.”
“Catfish farming is the new oil.”

Everywhere he turned on Facebook and YouTube, somebody was smiling beside ponds and holding big fish.

So one day, he made a decision.

He borrowed money.

Five Million naira

Money from cooperative.
Money from friends.
Money from family savings.

Because in his mind, fish farming was simple:
👉 Buy fish.
👉 Feed fish.
👉 Sell fish.
👉 Make profit.

What nobody told him was that fish farming can humble a grown man emotionally.

Muyiwa had no mentor. Only Online Social Media Mentors

No practical training.

Though he has little understanding of feed and feeding based on what was told online, but lack understanding of stocking density, grading, fish behavior, sales and marketing

But confidence was high.

He stocked 5000 of post-fingerlings immediately because he wanted “Good ROI.”

The first few weeks looked exciting.

The fish were active.
They rushed feed aggressively.
Friends visited the farm and praised him, uploaded the videos and posted it

He started calculating profit in his head already.

Then reality started quietly.

First problem:
Feeding reduced.

Then mortality started.

2 fish.
5 fish.
12 fish.

People told him:
“That one is normal.”

So he ignored it.

One morning, he got to the pond and saw dozens floating.

Dead.

That was the first day panic entered his heart.

He changed water anyhow.
Added salt because somebody online recommended it.
Reduced feed. Add bitter leaf, add antibiotics
Increased feed again.

Nothing was coordinated because he never truly understood what he was doing.

Then, the price of feed went up as a result of inflation.

Almost every week, the price of fish was going up.

The money he borrowed was disappearing faster than the fish were growing.

Soon, feeding became fear.

Every bag opened felt like money burning.
He started Rationing, someone advised him to formulate local feed to save cost. He did, then another problem for a newbie.
Then water management became a problem because of the sinking feed that pollutes water so fast, he would have to pump water more than expected.

At this point:
The fish were not growing uniformly.

Some were big.
Many were tiny.
His Cost started going up because of frequent water changes

Cannibalism had reduced the pond density because he never graded on time.
The locally formulated feed was not giving the expected result.
The nutrient requirements were not met

Like Yakubu, he endured and ‘managed’ for 4 months.

But the biggest shock came during sales.

The buyers he expected never showed up.

When they showed up the price was ridiculous.

Middlemen even offered worst prices.

Some said:
“The fish never reach size.”
“The Price of Fish have come down”
“That’s the price farmer A, B, C, D and E is selling”
“Town I, J, K, L are even selling lower than town U”

Meanwhile the fish were still consuming feed every single day.
He had stayed additional 3 weeks beyond the expected sales day

Debt pressure started building.

Calls started coming.

“When are you paying back?”
“How far with the farm?”
“You said harvest was this month…”

Muyiwa stopped sleeping well. Praying, the fish should not die.
Hoping the price will go up.

The same business that looked exciting online was now giving him anxiety in real life.

One evening, after calculating his expenses, he realized something painful:

He was not farming fish anymore.

He was feeding debt. More than 40% of his capital has gone.

This is the hidden side of fish farming nobody posts online.

Many people enter this business because of motivation…
Filtered Online Post, etc.
But stay trapped because they ignored Preparation.

Fish farming is profitable.

But experience matters.
Mentorship matters.
Training matters.
Planning matters.
Starting small Can teach you a lot.

Before you borrow money for fish farming…

Please learn first.

— The Hidden Sides of Fish Farming Nobody Posts Online (Series),
by Olaide Abayomi

Good write up 👏

When prepared rightly, Catfish is one of the finest animal protein. You need to try catfish pepper soup with rice or yam. You will love it.

Apcshit:
I will never eat cat fish .very disgusting

Business Generally is humbling. But we can re-adjust and win.

nedekid:
What this fish farming did me 20+ years ago ehh, for years when I see catfish either live or as pepper soup my body go just de shake, I go de sweat as if them pour me water. Lol
One my Guy relocate back to naija 2 years ago after tens of years aborad, talk say him de go into fish farming, I been just de look am, omo fish don humble am.
No doubt people make money out of it, I guess not everybody if cut out to be a fish farmer.

Much Thanks

AlphaTaikun:
Insightful.

Apt! Every business with its challenges

descartes400:
Na so e be with business ventures oh!

Very easy when looking from the outside, but when your enter, soldier ants go come dey bite you inside your shokoto.

Don't be too faster than your shadow

olayinka63:
Thank you.
How much is your training or ebook. Just go straight

You are very right

LabStores:
Every business has its risk.

That's the biggest challenge. They are usually the loudes

gabbasin:
Funny thing is most people claiming expert on fish farming online never actually get involved in the business. And many are being deceived into going to it

The challenges are enormous. Particularly where you have to depend on grid or generator for water supply

edogu:
Fish farming no be for the faint-hearted. My dad runs a fish farm, and when he started during Goodluck Jonathan’s time, an average bag of foreign fish feed depending on the fish size was around 7k. As we all know, different fish sizes require different feeds.

The last time we discussed, he was already considering suspending the business because of the high cost of feed and the cost of pumping water. Fuel is now over 1300 per litre, and to make matters worse, the transformer in their community has not been working for over a year.

For now, he has shifted more into raising noiler birds, which seems to be more profitable and less stressful.

Thank You Sir.

SonOfDSoil01:
very interesting write up and thanks op…….you nailed every aspect of it. I’m also a livestock farmer basically poultry and fish farming…..fish farming is lucrative and profitable but you need have mentorship and proper training to invest in fish farming and most importantly experience place a great role in how far you will go in the business. A lot of people don’t want to go through the ropes but they believe it just about building a pond and having fishes in the water.

That's good. You are paying fo value

windvane:
true,I started same way but I had teachers I was giving feedback,I had to always bribe them before they would come check my farm out.5000 fishes is a big lot,space can kill them fast,pH level of water,over feeding kills too.but I don over sabi now

Brilliant [[sup][/sup]quote author=Wealthyonos post=139450653]There is nothing like theoritical mentorship when it comes to fish farming. You must learn the hard way several times before creating your own pathway and procedures. I started fish farming with 330 fingerlings[/quote]

This is why it is advisable to own the value chain....I do 6weeks on a very small scale, I have outlets to sell the frozen, I am also planning doing smoking as well. I advised the same for fish farmers. The market is never stable, it is better to prepare for the unexpected

Counterigbolies:
There are 2 businesses I can never do with anyone once agriculture is involved, though I don't know about the rest but fish farming and rearing boilers for 6 weeks to sell....

Those two ehn, I can never never never never do them because I was a farm manager from 2018 till 2022 n I had first hand experience of how the two can make people cry....the reality is that only few people smile from those 2 businesses I mentioned above.


Let me explain fish farming to u, u must have enough time for them at least twice a day n u must b very observant.

U must b observant in d sense that u must understand when they eat n when they don't, as if that isn't enough u must always do sorting to reduce cannibalism cos u can't avoid it.

Water pH, soil density (too much mud reduces oxygen) and so on n so forth, one little mistake might cos u your pond especially if it's an earthing pond n water from other ponds enter it...

I see men cry at pond side so even if I become dangote tomorrow, I can't try fish farming.

As for 6 weeks rearing of boilers to sell, just know that if u don't have a sure plug u will lose big time because once u have left overs that weren't bought, the profit u made from the previous sales will b used in feeding them n the buyers don't send u....it get worse when your sure plug (eateries, hotels n co fold up or they get another customer that sells cheaper)...u will just get stranded

That's when u will see a poultry farmer sell birds worth 25k for 15k simply because he needs to buy feeds

Thank You . That's the word; sweet talker

ElevationD:
First you must learn.

Second you must understudy a successful farmer.

As a beginner, do not aspire to start off big. For example, do not aspire to start off with 5000 fingerlings/juveniles/sub adults. Preferably you should start with 500 pieces of whatever size.

Understand management of a fish pond.

Ensure that you have money available.

Do not listen to motivational speakers who tell you to make your feed by yourself.

As a beginner, please ensure to use imported feed up till table size. Once you have the required weight, you can use local feed for a few days while you source for buyers. Table size gives you advantage when buyers come.

Ensure that you have access to good water.
If you use concrete ponds, please ensure that the environment is safe for fish. If you use earthen ponds, ensure that predators do not have access. They can be frogs, snakes, alligators, birds, humans, etc. Ensure to cover the top with nets.

When they tell you about drugs, be careful. Good feed and good practice are your drugs and safety nets.

Do not count your eggs before the hatch.

If you use earthen ponds, please be alert during the raining season because of flooding.

Constant missing of feeding schedule will lead to stunted growth and loss when you are ready to sell. Ensure proper feeding, not over feeding or under feeding.

Cannibalism is nothing to fear please. It only happens when there's hunger and it's not widespread in the pond.

Injured fish to be removed without delay. Fish go after blood.

Commit your time and efforts. Livestock need constant attention.

Oops! I forgot to mention overstocking of your pond, when you talk about cannibalism. The failed farmer probably operated in a single pond that was incapable of carrying 5000 fish. That’s quite huge and fish of such quantity need adequate space and adequate water, especially if your are operating a concrete pond. Even if you operate earthen ponds, you must ensure proper stocking in adequate ponds. If you fail to do so, expect fish to easily run into each other, causing injury and cannibalism. The same should go for those who use tarpaulin.

In all, please beware of sweet talkers. They cause confusion.

Cheers.

Yommiefish:
Thank You . That's the word; sweet talker

A failure identifies himself openly.

Hello brother. I have a space in my house. It is a duplex of twin 2 bedrooms but it hasn't been finished. Just roofed and plastered with windows. No does yet. I have a space of 3m by 20m in the compound and I intend to use it for fishery. How feasible is this and what do I need to do via the budgeting. Also can I use the rooms as part of the farming? I also intend to get the smoking machine

LordBiden:
To succeed in fish farming you need to be in an area with steady NEPA 24hrs power or use a solar that can power borehole.

Don't borrow to start it.

Learn how to hatch your own fishes instead of buying from people.

Earthen ponds is best but you can still use concrete ponds.

Learn to use local feeds to save cost or learn to produce your own feeds cheaper.

Get training first in proper fish mgt especially how to prevent cannibalism in fish.

With this even if your village people is doing you,you can still make millions from it

Coming from a millionaire fish farmer.

Cashio:
Hello brother. I have a space in my house. It is a duplex of twin 2 bedrooms but it hasn't been finished. Just roofed and plastered with windows. No does yet. I have a space of 3m by 20m in the compound and I intend to use it for fishery. How feasible is this and what do I need to do via the budgeting. Also can I use the rooms as part of the farming? I also intend to get the smoking machine

You can chat me up,I have my number down there.