₦airaland Forum

Adeymorla:
Yes I do. Its a lot of work but it usually pays off when you see the fish performing. And I get good FCR too.

That is good decision.

Let me also state some fact that makes farmers get into problem.

1. Most standard company produce feed for annual production.
With their feed your fish is expected to reach maturity between 10 to 12 months. But when you use thier feed and expect result in 5months you run into problem.

2. Their feed is composed using the standard spacing model for effective FCR. However most of us stock more than thier specification and expect the same result.

3. Palatability is not the sole determinant of quality feed. Your fish can consume 10kg of imported/Nigeria floating while other farmers' consume 7kg of local and still get better result. Concentrate are attractant that enhances feeding and not nutrient that make fish grow.
Farmers are always overjoy when they see fish frenzily consume floating feed not knowing that most of it ended as waste in the water. The fact remain that quality fish feeding is based on fish amino acid requirement and not on the concentrate input. The fact that children like sugary [attractant] items does not mean those items are the best for growth

4. You will be surprise that some Nigerian floating pollute water more than local feed yet there is general believe that local feed pollute water easily.

If i have gone too far please pardon me, i dont mean to run any business down but to state the fact

Etranshub:
@micgray100 used 63bags of feed which amounts to 945kg of feed and got weight of 800kg at point of sales (according to his explanation) that I must confess is a fantastic FCR i.e 1:0.85.

His loses (not lose per say but wasting of profit to be made) started from the cost of seeds to cost of feed and cost of management BUT mainly the cost of feed.

Also FCR of feed does not depend on the feed only but also in other factors like quality of seed, water management amongst others but from his result I want to assume other management factors were good. Also a feed with low FCR will cost less than a feed with less FCR therefore on other to make profit you have to ensure you know the quality of your feed and the cost of getting that feed is worth the feed and not on the high for the quality of feed

Sir, i dont think he wasted money on feed and if he is a newbie then he has no choice but to pay the price.

The fact remain that Feed price are too expensive even if the FCR is 1:1. You will discover that there exist little profit.

I remember raising that concern in one of my previous post and called on experts on this platform to come up with a solution to help the upcoming but less attention was paid to it. How can you buy feed at N500/kg with FCR of 1:1.5 and expect any tangible profit, Or buying feed that claim 40%CP when you can produce 48% with the same amount.

Sincerely it doesnt cost more than 350 to 400 to produce similar quality they sell at 500naira/kg. Now calculate different of 150 multiply by 900kg equals 135,000 add that to your profit and see the different

The only solution is outright local, supplemental model or combination. However to achieve this requires reasonable investment

Adeymorla:
You Are very correct. FCR depends not only on feed quality but also on water management And oxygen uptake by the fish. That where aeration comes into play. Most fish farmers don't aerate their ponds. There is not way u can get low FCR without aeration.

As for local naija floating feed, Most of the are made with spent grains that have had all the nutrient removed. Its all chaff, no nutrient for the fish to use.

You are on point bro. I only use Nigeria Floating for convenience sake and nothing more and rather depend result from my local feed. I wonder whether some people understand and have record of their input when you see them claiming these feeds are the best.

The fact remains that most ingredients that makes feed float contain lesser nutrients.

MOST NIGERIAN FEEDS ARE MAINLY FOR CONVENIENCE SAKE AND NOTHING MORE COMPARE TO ITS PRICE

Sir, do you produce your feed?

Adeymorla:
To make better profits, its really not about the type of feed used, its more about its conversion to flesh when the fish consume it. We call it the feed conversion rate. Some expensive foreign feeds/ naija local floating we buy have low FCR so buying them is just like money down the drain. The fish will eat it but they will not grow fast. To reduce cost u have to increase FCR. Thats the only way

Can we tie down FCR performance only to feed quality?

Please explain in detail to the house your opinion about increasing FCR

I agree that some expensive foreign feeds/Nigeria Local floating are out there claiming what they are not, but is there fish no farmers association in Nigeria? What about Standard Organisation of Nigeria? What about numerous Research Institutes in Fisheries and Aquaculture in Nigeria? Where do we see their result of research on different fish feed?

Unless there is a movement among different fish association to carry-out test on all popular feeds in Nigeria and publish the result for fish farmers to consider before making his decision and see that SON take appropriate action against Feed companies that has been deceiving young entrants, the loss will continue.

olaolu89:
Thanks alot to everyone who showed concern nd advice. I finally achieve success with my fries, the mortality was caused by the feed I was using. I was told to start directly with German wean 0.2 by the consultant I called. And I did my first sorting yesterday as I have some at fingerling stage already after 2 weeks 5 days.They are responding rapidly now. Am highly grateful for the assistance, God bless everyone nd the OP.

It's called Gemma wean and is produced by Skretting

oscarvicto:
Solar aerator

What is the wattage?
And price[s].

You can drop the info @ goldgate2003yahoo.com

lilly400:
pls I bought 1mm skreeting feed for my fingerlings yesterday but when I gave them the feed I noticed that it wasn't floating is it normal or is the feed bad?

Yes, it is a slow sinking feed. There's nothing wrong with it

kingsweb04:
Please give me your contact otherwise write me an email at kingsweb04@yahoo.com

goldgate2003@yahoo.com

You are not picking your calls.
I am interested in solar water supply. Can you please explain the detail on the component installation, operation and the cost. Picture of recent installation your company carried out and address of location/farm would be appreciated if included

opes:
With the price of fish now,shifting to durante sinking pellet (it cost 350/kg) after two months will still give good result instead of the stress of pelletizing..most of the local ingredients are not even pure again..

That is why you need do your SWOT analysis. What works for you might not work for me

O.k

Sarahdd:
Sir, what of 1kg table size? Thanx!

Between 680 and 800naira

Sarahdd:
Gud aftanun my fellow farmers, I ve bin a guest follower of dis topic for a year now n ve bin blessed. We got a little fishfarm that we are learning tru. We got runts as juveniles which didnt grow afta 6months of stocking. We hope to dispose them of next week with plans to restock. I wish to know d following from Abuja farmers:

How much is a kilo of table n mellenge sizes sold?

what is d prices of post fries, fingerlins and post fingerlin?

How much is 5okg scale machine sold?

tanx n blessings to all.

Melange is between 570 and 680. It could be more.
Fingerlings betwen 12 and 15naira

stevo78:
@Ttalk can we talk please. I need good juvelines like 6000. Do you have and can u supply to the farm in Lafia, nasarawa state and how much do you sell? Can i come to have a look at your farm. Am based in abuja but farm is located in Lafia.

You are free sir. e-mail goldgate2003@yahoo.com

Sholaystar4me:
bLESS YOU BOSS, REALLY APPRECIATE, I WILL DO AS YOU HAVE ADVISED, DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE IDEA ON HOW I CAN MAKE THEM EVEN BIGGER, COS MAKE I NOR LIE, DEM DEY CHOP, AND NA D HAPPINESS B DT.... BUT THIS THEIR ATTITUDE TOWARDS LOCAL FEEDS IS OF MAJOR CONCERNED....ESPECIALLY NOW THAT FOREIGN FEEDS(AND EVEN LOCAL) PRICES ARE SKY ROCKETING EVERYDAY, AND THIS CREATURES HAVE TO EAT WELL AGAIN

How often do you sort? What is the size and number of fish in each pond? Do you use aerator or do flow through? What is the average size of the fish?

uyijob:
Please I'm new in this business. I just completed my concrete bond and I was advice to soak the pond with salt and water for four days to one week after which I'll do final washing before stocking. is this method ok? Please any advice on this will be highly appreciated.

It is O.K sir

celloman:
Is it possible to feed fish with local floating in the morning and use foreign feed in the evening for same fish. Hope it wont have any bad effect?

What do you want to achieve with that practice? To reduce cost, increase feed consumption or increase weight?

MrMcJay:
Tinubu is a very smart politician. He wants Osinbajo as president but won't come out to reveal that as it would redirect the attacks to Osinbajo.

He has simply tossed a red-herring to scatter the North and make them say what they are thinking. Meanwhile, Osinbajo is going from Aba to Warri to Akwa Ibom, stealing the heart of the SE and SS. He's not making the mistake of Gej and OBJ who did everything to pacify the north at the expense of their own people.

In 2019, if the south presents one single candidate, the North is finished cos that can't stand that. They always scatter the south prior to elections, but can't believe the same dish would be served to them this time.

They would fight Tinubu from now till 2018 only for them to discover in 2019 that Osinbajo is the main guy. By then, it would be too late.

Interesting days are ahead.

You are very intelligent. You analysis is apt

[quote author=Sholaystar4me post=54250101]HI Greatminds, I have a question, and swift response will go a long way in saving my farm.the question goes like this;

i am trying to switch to local feeds, but i noticed that my fishes are not eating the feeds, but each time i give them foreign, they dont keep calm at all, they finish it in no time, I do not know if it is the weather that`s affecting them or they just dont want to adapt to the local feed, cos i reasoned that if it was the weather, they would have rejected the foreign too. what could I possibly do to increase their appetite for the local feeds...it is an earthen pond, the foreign(Durante) they are taking is 4mm, and the local is 2mm, by 10th of march they will be 3months in the pond..

Changing from forein feed to local requires a lot of patience.
First the fish that has been eating foreign feed from birth are going to be resistant to local for somretimes. This is because they are used to that particular taste.
On the other hand, most locals are not shape the way foreign feed are shaped that enhances easy picking. Also foreign feed are externally coated with fish oil and it act as attractant and fortified with other appertiser and the extrusion procees also make the feed palatable.
Let me explain that it takesat least 2weeks for catfish to naturally adjust to local and their size at the time of changing determine their quick response to local.
In melange production, time is very important, so waiting for as long as 2week could affect lenght of your harvest. What you need to do is to introduce your local gradually alongside your foreign and start to reduce your foreign as time goes on.
Other method is to fortified your first local with fishmeal like 40% inclusion in your feed and gradually reduce the fishmeal percentage in your formulation. This is excellent method when you target tablesize.
Note that i deliberately did not recommend any multivitamin or appetite booster because the situation on ground is natural anddoes not require that

kaze4blues:
how long does it take on average for fish to reach 1kg weight assuming there is absence of d infections, there is good water management and the fish are fed adequately three times everyday on foreign feeds?

pls my bosses in here I need answers

Between 4 and 6 month provided the seed and temparature is right

idee91:
I would give it a shot soon, thanks very much sir. New tested ideas are always welcome. .....Cheers !!

You are welcome bro. Pls come back to share your experience.

This reminds me of fingerling i bought from our own Robonski himself. The set are the best u ever got though it was delivered late. Better than what i got from an Israelis. The growth were like miracle. That was when i discovered that melange production could be a treasure.
Then wonder when there arose complain about fish mortality and and stunted growth from some of our colleague. The concern might be genuine but the outpouring was so demoralising.
The point is we should have confidence in ourselves through genuine critisism and not outright codemnation

excelsiorfarm:
bro Ttalk well done

bacteria differs,under every condition,there are organisms that strive in them,even when oxygen,light etc. are absent.

My oga, i remain loyal sir

Let me explain how one can use cement to treat pond.
Mix with water, spinkle on the wall and on the ground of the pond. If there cracked area, screed with cement allow to dry then wash with fresh water.
This work on abandoned ponds and others where there is history of mortality.
@ Excellesior i understand your point but for the sake of newbie the use of filling pond with water especially old ponds with no knowledge of the present or otherwise of pathogen could be dangerous. And since we all agree that pathogen and bacterials are integral part of pond environment, any thing that would reduce their population is welcome. Mind you there are fungi and bacterial that trives in fresh and clean well oxygenated water. Research on Columnaris and Saprogenia will give us a clearer idea on this

[quote author=excelsiorfarm post=54173586][/quote]In fish farm management there are lots of trial and error and we blame it on the farm management. The use of ordinary water is one of it. Its efficacy is not guarantee but the use of cement do

This is a proven method that works. What used to be the practise is rapidly changing but Africa have refused to change. We play by the rule and observe the standard failing to realise that the rule has changed

micgray100:
BROS... THANKS FOR YOUR CALL AND ADVICE ON THE MY 3MM VITAL FEED AVAILABILITY PROBLEM... REALLY APPRECIATED..

ON THIS ISSUE OF CEMENT... I AM CONFUSED AGAIN O..

I AM AN ENGINEER BY PROFESSION. A REGISTERED ENGINEER WITH NSE AND COREN..

I READ ON THIS THREAD WHERE SOMEONE SAID ALL CONCRETE / BLOCK PONDS MUST BE FERTILIZE BEFORE STOCKING WITH FINGERLINS..

MY THOUGHT WAS THAT THE FERTILIZATION MEANT WAS TO REDUCE THE CEMENT CONTENT IN ANY CONCRETE / BLOCK POND...

NOW USING SAME CEMENT TO FERTILIZE AGAIN IS MAKING ME CONFUSED..

MR EXCELFARM... THIS IS NEW I MUST SAY... COS I HAVE NEVER HEARD OGA ROBONSKI MENTION ANYWHERE IN THIS TREAD THAT ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT CAN BE USE TO FERTILIZE ANY FORM OF POND...

Sir, treatment of pond and fertilization of pond are two different things but closely related while the former is meant to treat the pond of diseases, the later introduces micro organism that the fish feed on.

This bring about another controversial issue about FERTILISATION and my question is how do you separate harmful micro organism from the beneficial ones?
Yes you could achieve a head start compare to who does not fertilise his pond but you risk a higher outbreak of disease because what it takes is just a trigger caused by stress and there would be an outbreak of disease.
To me the odds are much on the side of fertilised pond

Today is the first day of March and it brings about new temparature as the average temparature for the day is over 30degree celsius in Abuja and its environs.
What does this mean to fish farmers?
This is indeed when the consumption rate of fish increases and lead to rapid growth if you take advantage of the season.

This could make shrewd farner reduce or eliminate some attractant which could be a burden on his purse and not affect the overall performance of his production. CAUTION: This is also the season of disease outbreak because of high growth of harmful agae anh high realease of ammonia and depletion of oxygen.
Take every necessary precautions and you ll have a good testimonies

excelsiorfarm:
WHAT MAKES IT NEW??

It might not be new to you but sincerely it is to thousand of newbie who come here in quest for knowledge.

There is this anxiousness in newcomers to fulfill all rightousness thereby incuring unnecessary expenses at this time of recession. This is just one of many new ways of doing things in economic downturn instead of the standard rules and norms
Do you need formalin when cement would do the trick and still add value to your pond?

Note: I have not seen anywhere in this thread where the use of cement was recommended

NEW DISCOVERY:
It is a general standard that pond should be treated before stocking in other to kill the pathogen and bacterials in the pond, failure of which could result in high mortality.
The use of formalin, industrial lime and other chemicals become necessary but at a cost.
This is to inform all concrete pond users that you dont need all that except the use of ordinary cement. This could be applied by screeding existing pond with cement and wash with water and you are good to go.
This would save you cost of treatment of pond and add solidity to your pond

micgray100:
hello guys... 3mm vital feed very scarce to get in Zaria now...

Ttalk or any fish farmer in Abuja of Kaduna.. can you send some bags (5) 3mm down to Zaria from Abuja or Kaduna..

07032728941 is my number

I would check in the morning and get back to you

PhardFarm:
Thank you sir, I bought from Kado

A trial will convince you. Patronise us and experience the difference

PhardFarm:
please I need juveniles in Abuja and environ

How many sir? We supply quality fingerlings and juvenile in and around Abuja.

Good news. Sign of good things