African Clari catfish is a fish that is popular with many fish farmers. With the proper preparation of a business plan, the acquisition of all necessary equipment, including food and fry, such an activity will bring excellent profit, because the cost of one kilogram of marketable fish is high.
History
The first catfish farms appeared in 1980 in the Netherlands. By 1986, their number was more than 60 farms producing about 300 tons of fish.
In 1992, the production of African catfish increased to more than 1235 tons, while 71.3% of this indicator, that is, 880 tons of fish were produced in the Netherlands on 8 large farms.
Description and appearance
Outwardly, African catfish is similar to the common species living in the rivers of Russia. The African catfish (sharmut) has an elongated body, slightly compressed from the side. African catfish is a tasty, unpretentious fish that grows very quickly. The biology of fish is designed so that they are able to live without water for about 48 hours, breathing ordinary air. This is evidenced by the presence of both gills and lungs.
African catfish is a strong and smart fish. In Africa, catfish can go on foot up to 1 kilometer when water escapes from spilled rivers. From the pits with water where the fish gets, it can jump up to 2 meters in height, then crawl in search of water.
The African catfish has a large, slightly constricted head and small eyes. Narrow and angular process of the occipital bone. It is characterized by a pointed, narrow collarbone with longitudinal ribs. The fish has a large and terminal mouth, over which there are 4 pairs of antennae. It has a long dorsal and anal fins. Caudal fin prevails roundness. The color of catfish varies from sandy yellow to gray with olive and greenish-brown marks. The belly of Sharmut is white.
Habitat
African clari catfish lives throughout Africa. You can meet him in Israel, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, in several countries of Europe, Asia, South America. Fish lives in streams, rivers, lakes, swamps and swamps, which often dry up.
Clari catfish are located in swamps and floodplain backwaters. From large pools where they live and grow up to 1 year old, they migrate to temporary coastal water bodies and multiply there.
Conditions of detention
African catfish is considered unpretentious in keeping fish, but nevertheless, for its breeding you have to adhere to some conditions, which are very important to observe. The farmer must know what temperature of the water is suitable for the fish, how to feed the catfish and in what reservoirs to grow.
Fish perfectly tolerates water temperature of 18 degrees. The fish is able to get along in water, where the temperature varies from 8 to 35 degrees. But the process of reproduction is possible only at a temperature of more than 18 degrees, for feeding above 25 degrees.
It is undesirable to use water from lakes and rivers to fill artificial ponds with fish, because it is very simple to infect such water, which the catfish will not be able to cope with. For these reasons, it is prudent to use ordinary well water. It is acceptable to use special installations that are designed to reduce the alkalinity of plain water.
Feeding regimen and rules
Breeding of African catfish is a simple matter, in addition, its nutrition does not require anything complicated from the farmer. The catfish is not only unpretentious to the conditions of detention, but also is almost omnivorous.
In conditions of industrial production, African catfish are fed exclusive feeds, the cost of which is quite high. But the advantage of such nutrition is the fastest possible weight gain of fish.
In home gardens, African catfish are fed various weed fish, including a gerbil, tyulka, and ruff. It is allowed to feed them with frozen fish. Such feed is pre-crushed for young animals. But after reaching the age of 10 days, there is no need to do this.
The daily rate of such feed is 3% of the total weight of the fish. Throw fish food into a pond with catfish three times a day, distributing it over the entire surface of the pond - this contributes to an even set of mass.
Violation of the diet is unacceptable, otherwise it threatens with cannibalism. With a lack of food, African catfish can begin to eat each other.
Reproduction
The technology for producing offspring of African clary catfish in artificial conditions has been developed in some countries of the world, for example, Israel, Germany, Egypt. But the technology is under patents, and is not thoroughly published in the public domain.
In the CIS countries this technology has not yet been fully developed. Accordingly, all planting material is brought from foreign countries, because of which the cost of marketable products increases by 15%. Today, one small fry of African catfish weighing 10 grams on the market costs 50 cents or 1 Belarusian ruble.
Broodstock
Producers of African catfish are raised separately from young stocks. For the formation of broodstock, the best fish are selected, after which they create the most comfortable conditions for them, well fed.
Clary catfish are able to spawn every month if uterine stimulation is performed. The eggs obtained from the uterus are fertilized with the sperm of males artificially, then placed in aquarium type incubators. After the fry are a little older, they are transferred from the incubator to the pools. This technology of sharmut breeding is characteristic of large fish farms.
Getting fertilized eggs when breeding catfish in a personal plot is a troublesome business. Because of this, many summer residents who are engaged in the cultivation of African catfish, just buy caviar in fish farms.
When does spawning occur?
Successful maturation of eggs will ensure the maintenance of females in water with a temperature of at least 25 degrees until spawning. Ovulation completely disappears 12 hours after the injection of the pituitary gland injection. African catfish is called a nervous fish, which is why fish farmers have to euthanize females for trouble-free production of eggs. An anesthetic is injected into the fish, most often it is “Propiscin”.
Caviar is obtained separately from each female. The norm is when the mass of caviar is at least 20% of the weight of a particular fish. After the procedure, the females are placed in a KMnO4 solution for 1 hour. The drug is diluted at the rate of 0.5 grams per 100 liters of water.
Getting Fertilized Caviar
After receiving the eggs, the fish farmer divides it into three parts, while not mixing the eggs of different females. The weight of each serving reaches about 300 grams. Next, 3 ml of milk is taken. Efficiency will be higher when taking milk from different males - this helps to stimulate the fertilization process. So, it is advisable to take 1 ml of milk from three males. Milk and caviar are dipped in water and mixed well for 5 minutes.
Growing Stages
The first stage is 20-25 days. It occurs when the African catfish begins to breathe atmospheric air. During this period, about 100 larvae are planted per 1 liter of water. Gradually, oxygen is saturated with water, which helps to establish exchange in the pool.
The feeding of the larvae at this moment consists of a tubuloma or decapsulated brine shrimp. After 7 days, starter feed is gradually introduced into the diet. Adhere to lighting requirements - it should be muted or twilight. Due to the fact that the larvae are prone to cannibalism, at the end of the first stage, out of 100 neglected individuals, about 25-50 young catfish will survive.
Future fish are sorted in the third week. Intervention in personal space can lead to the fact that the fish will be stressed, so sort the fish very carefully. Then the fish are left in the antibiotic solution for 1 hour.
The second stage is 35 days. Initially, the fish farmer fills the pool with sorted larvae, the amount of which is about 300-500 mg. Sorting of larvae is carried out from the division into two parts: small and larger. Catfish fry are planted taking into account the individual mass of fish and the volume of the pool. It is necessary to feed the fry three times a day, the amount of food is about 5% of the weight of the fish.
The third stage lasts several months. During this period, the weight of the fish is 130-200 grams. The growth rate of the fry depends on the density of planting. For a pool of 5,000 liters, the landing density is 2.5 pieces per 1 liter. Water temperature should be around 27 degrees. At this stage, the fry are given “floating” food. The feeding process is carried out manually or automatically. Water is changed every two hours.
Productivity indicators
When the African catfish turn 6 months old, they are ready to catch for further sale. Already during this period, the marketable mass of fish is about 1 kilogram. Clarium catfish productivity is related to quantity and quality of nutrition.
African catfish is considered a fish that strictly gains weight according to plan, due to which a businessman can independently calculate how much fish will add in weight when feeding a certain amount of feed. Accordingly, the calculation of the percentage of estimated profits is also possible.
Disease and Control
African catfish is prone to various parasitic, fungal and bacterial diseases. Some of the most important pathogens are presented in the table:
Disease | A type | Symptoms | Treatment |
Gill and external parasites (Trichodina maritinkae) | protozoa | White spots appear on the skin and gills. Fish become irritable, unstable, their activity decreases, their appetite disappears. The gills turn pale and very swollen. | To combat parasites, baths with salt or formalin are prepared for fish. |
Parasites (Cysticerca sp.) | nematodes | The worm infects the mucous membrane and internal organs. Usually prevails in water. The fish does not show visible signs of damage by this parasite. | There are no methods to combat the parasite. |
Parasites (Gagtylogyrus sp.) (Gyrodactilus sp.) | trematodes | The fish is located on the surface of the water in an upright position or nervously jerks its head, body to the bottom. A thin whitish-gray mucus appears on the skin. Massive pestilence is not excluded. | Eliminate the symptoms of "Formalin" 25-50 mg / l, "Diptereks" 0.25 mg / l. |
Parasites (Henneguya sp.) | protozoa | The young of the African catfish hybrid encounters white spots on the gills and skin. | To eliminate the problem, antibiotics added to the feed help. Use "Oxytetracycline", "Terramycin" or "Chloramphenicol." |
Parasites (Costia sp., Chilodonella, Trichodina | protozoa | The same symptoms are observed as with infection with trematodes. | Eliminate the symptoms of "Formalin" 25-50 mg / l, "Diptereks" 0.25 mg / l. |
Water mold | Gray or white shreds resembling wool appear on the fins, gills, skin, and eyes. Caviar suffers from water mold. Usually, infection spreads rapidly throughout the body and gills. | For the treatment of infected fish, they are placed in baths with malachite green (5 mg / l for an hour) or sodium chloride (5% for 1-2 minutes). It is required that the fish are not exposed to stress and mechanical damage. | |
Septicemia by mobile aeromonads (Aeromans sp.) | bacterium | Fish eyes bulge, their stomach stretches, deep bleeding ulcers with inflammation appear on the skin. | Fish protect against stress, use feed mixed with trimethoprim and bactrim for 10 days. |
White Kidney Disease (Myxobacteria) | bacterium | The fish swims near the surface of the water, located vertically. Swims sluggishly, not active. White spots appear on the skin near the mouth and gills. | To combat the bacterium, antibiotics are added to the feed: Oxytetracycline, Terramycin, or Chloramphenicol. |
Septimcemia aeromonas (Aeromonas hydrophilla) | bacterium | Catfish fins blush and ruffle. Fish lose their bright color. Ulcers appear on the skin. | Oxytetracycline, Sulfamethoxin, Ormetoprim are added to the feed. |
Head deformity | The skeleton is deformed, the appetite disappears in the fish, it becomes lethargic and dies with swollen tissue on both sides of the head. Typically, this problem occurs in fish whose length is less than 10 centimeters. A dead fish has a thickened and curved skull, which indicates the formation of cracks. | So that individuals do not encounter head deformation, they are regularly supplemented with vitamin C. | |
Bowel injury syndrome | The stomach swells, on the ventral side the color is darker, and the anal area acquires a reddish tint. At the final stage, the abdominal wall is damaged. Fish have lethargic behavior. | A balanced and well-digestible food will help to solve the problem. | |
Peptic ulcer | African catfish with the disease are covered with red or white ulcers on the skin of the lower and upper jaws, on the surface of the caudal fin. The behavior of the fish becomes lethargic. | To prevent peptic ulcer, the fish farmer needs to control the quality of the water, do not forget to change it regularly. |
Is it possible to make money on breeding African Clarium catfish?
Beginning entrepreneurs use an extensive or semi-intensive method of growing, and businessmen with good starting capital prefer an intensive method.
The business plan for organizing a business is based on the calculation of estimated costs and annual profits. It will be necessary to invest in the construction of a small reservoir with the necessary ecosystem.
Do not do without the installation of auxiliary equipment, including filters and lighting systems. It will be necessary not only to obtain the required permits, but also to calculate the cost of purchasing feed and fry, to establish relations with the supplier. Also, to promote the business, the entrepreneur will not be prevented from attracting customers by means of advertising.
Room requirements
For breeding catfish, it is recommended to use a large area, this will more likely cover costs and start making a profit. To produce 100 tons of fish per year, choose an area of at least 0.06 hectares. To create comfortable conditions for fish, water in tanks should be changed regularly, powerful filters are installed in the pools.
Main expenses
Before assessing the real profit from the African catfish breeding business, they consider the main expense items, including the construction of a pond, the cost of which will cost 50-100 thousand rubles. It will be necessary to install heating, filtration, ventilation and lighting systems, which will cost about 300 thousand rubles at a price.
What else will have to be spent:
- Buy caviar or fry. Often preference is given to fry of catfish, the cost of which for 5 thousand individuals is up to 1,500 rubles.
- Fish food. For extra-class food, an entrepreneur will have to pay about 150 rubles per 100 kilos. The same amount of premium feed will cost about 250 rubles. At the same time, the cost of a kilogram of marketable fish is about 150 rubles for wholesale.
- Equipment and workwear. It will take about 60 thousand rubles.
Total costs can be up to half a million or more rubles. At the same time, in order to cover investments and make a profit, it may take a year or more.
Home breeding
Growing African clary catfish at home provides several ways:
- Breeding in the pool. Fish are grown within a certain limited water area, that is, they are settled in a pool located on the territory of a summer cottage.The preparation of the area and the purchase of equipment cost a large amount, and there is no need to create climatic conditions - a closed water supply system, the presence of water heating. This option is ideal for fish farming in cold areas.
- Cage cultivation. The method provides for keeping fish in specialized cages, where fry and adults are kept separately. In closed conditions, it is possible that adult fish will begin to eat offspring.
- Feeding breeding. When choosing this option, African catfish are kept together with other fish species, but of similar size, in order to exclude the possibility of aggression and attacks.
- Pond cultivation. In the summer, on young plots, young animals are launched into the pond. Preparing for such a method is simple, but the growing process itself can lead to some risks. Pond breeding of catfish is suitable only for the southern and warm regions of the country.
Catfish can be grown in an extensive way, because it does not require large investments in the construction and arrangement of the pond. So for the fish will be available natural food found in the water. During cage cultivation, the entrepreneur will have to purchase feed and special constructions for arrangement.
Many people recommend growing catfish in an intensive way - they create the most favorable conditions for fish: they set the optimum temperature for weight gain, establish a feeding regime and so on.
It is acceptable to use catfish as a "nurse" in a pond when it is raised with other species of fish. But due to the fact that Clari catfish is a predatory fish, carp and trout of the same size are carefully selected for joint breeding so that the catfish does not eat them.
Home breeding of African catfish involves the release of fry into the pond at a water temperature of 15 degrees. The most optimal temperature for fish growth is 25 degrees. A reservoir with a capacity of about 2 thousand liters accounts for about 60 fry.
Feed the fish at least three times a day, using ready-made feed and compound feed. Catfish eats plant food, due to which, as a complementary food, fish is fed with chicken offal, various insects, and earthworm. The amount of feed is calculated based on the weight and age of the individuals.
By 2 years, fish reach puberty, so they are used for breeding.
For a profitable business, it is necessary to provide the fish with an indoor pond for wintering, otherwise growth will slow down and young growth may die. For winter maintenance, you can not do without a pump for supplying air and a device that will maintain a stable temperature in the pond. A prerequisite for breeding is to provide dim lighting.
The main problems with cultivation and breeding
African Clarium catfish is grown by individuals using systems that meet environmental standards. In traditional floodplain ponds, farmers have had to debug the practice of persistent fish farming for decades. Their self-organization within local communities was dictated by the customs and recommendations of non-governmental structures in order to preserve fish lands.
Due to the recent collapse of the African Clari catfish market in South Africa, lowering the cost of production, including maintaining competitiveness, has gained particular importance. This makes it possible to improve the ecosystem of ponds rather than leading systems of increasingly intensive cultivation and improvement of feeding technologies.
African catfish are especially appreciated for their interesting appearance, increased resistance to diseases, unpretentiousness to the conditions of detention and omnivorous. Today, many fish farmers are engaged in the breeding of this fish, correctly drafting a business plan, taking into account costs and potential profits.
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Ukraine. City: Kryvyi Rih
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