How to Make Money from Catfish Farming Business In Nigeria

Catfish farming business is a lucrative business that can never faze out in years to come. It’s very profitable, but like every other business you need to understand how it works before jumping into it, otherwise you’d run at a loss.

Do you know how many catfishes are being slaughtered everyday for pepper soup, barbeque and smoking? Do you know the quantity of dried catfishes being exported outside of Nigeria everyday?

Catfish farming is one of the most popular forms of aquaculture in Nigeria. The growth in popularity of catfish farming has been driven by the high demand for fish in Nigeria and the rising awareness of the health benefits of consuming fish.

The demand of this fish is far greater than the supply, the market is very big that anybody with experience can tap into it right away, so you have an opportunity right now to milk this market.

In this article, I will give you first hand information about everything you need to start and grow your own catfish farming business in Nigeria.

Requirements for Catfish Farming in Nigeria

The first requirement for catfish farming is access to water. Catfish can be grown in a variety of water sources, including ponds, tanks, and concrete basins. However, it is important to note that the water source must be free from pollutants and other contaminants that can be harmful to the fish.

The next requirement is the right fish breed. There are several types of catfish breeds that are suitable for farming in Nigeria, including the Clarias gariepinus, Heterobranchus bidorsalis, and the hybrid catfish.

The choice of breed will depend on factors such as the farmer’s budget, the size of the farm, and the market demand. [We’d discuss this further at some point in this article].

Another essential requirement is fish feed. Fish feed accounts for a significant portion of the cost of running a catfish farm in Nigeria. The feed must be of high quality and contain the right mix of nutrients to ensure that the fish grow well. There are different types of fish feed available in Nigeria, including pellets, extruded feed, and locally made feed.

There are different methods of rearing your catfish, these fishes can be reared in different environment. At the end of explaining these methods, I will tell you which of them is the best so you can make an informed decision.

The 3 methods involve using 3 different kinds of ponds, they kind of ponds available are;
1. Tarpaulin pond
2. Concrete pond
3. Earthen pond

1. Tarpaulin Fish Pond:

As the name implies, this involves using tarpaulin to create the pond. First you have to create the wooden frame work that will hold the tarpaulin. Before you do this, you need to plan properly so you don’t make mistakes.

The tarpaulin would be neatly placed inside the wooden frame work. Ensure that the tarpaulin do not have leakages otherwise you’d end up loosing water all the time. I’d advice that you engage the services of a professional before you do this.

Most of the people that use these kinds of ponds are people who want to have their own fish pond in their houses. Some do this for personal consumption while others do it for both personal and commercial.

The tarpaulin pond usually has two openings, one of them is to allow for flow of water into the pond while the other outlet is for flushing out the water. Usually, these two openings should be covered with a mesh so the fishes [especially the juveniles] don’t find their way out of the pond.

Pros of Tarpaulin Pond:

• It is flexible, water can adjust itself inside the tank.
• Management of ammonia is easy to compare to cement tanks.
• Very less amount of water needs to be rotated/replaced as compared to RAS.
• Easy to develop bioflock.
• Easy to harvest fish.
• It is transferable.

Cons of Tarpaulin Pond:

• It can easily tear
• Because of its flexibility, heavy wind, rain/flood can quickly destroy the pond
• Tarpaulin ponds can be disassembled and stolen easily

2. Concrete Pond:

This kind of pond is obviously made of concrete, the brick layers would have to lay the blocks to make a rectangular shape; the dimension depends on your space and what you intend to achieve.

The concrete pond is also designed in such a way that there are holes for inflow and outflow of water. The water in the pond has to be flushed at least twice a week to keep it clean and also for the health of the fishes.

Some people go ahead to tile the inner walls of the pond to make it look neater. The concrete pond is used by most people for personal product and also for public production. If you have your own house, you can create a concrete pond in it.

However, most people prefer the tarpaulin pond to the concrete pond for home production. The tarpaulin pond is an easily detachable structure while the concrete pond cannot be easily detached because it’s a casted structure.

Water Management

Both the concrete pond and the tarpaulin ponds require good water management. You need to have a borehole and electricity to pump water into the pond when required. This means that you’d be spending more money on electricity to run your ponds.

Without proper water management, you will have unhealthy fishes and more casualties. A good and experienced plumber should be able to set up the connections appropriately.

Now let’s talk about the last type of pond, I saved it for the last…

3. Earthen Pond:

The Earthen pond is a kind of fish pond where the fish exists in its natural habitat. Unlike the tarpaulin and the concrete pond, the earthen pond doesn’t need to much fabrication. All you need is to get a piece of land that’s close to a river or stream.

Then you dig the ponds with a depth of 4ft, once that is done properly water starts flowing in the pond. The pond can be protected by having wooden frames around it and a net above it to protect it from birds and other animals. The benefits of using an earthen pond as opposed to others are numerous. 

• The earthen pond is a natural habitat.
• Fishes that are reared in the earthen pond are usually stronger and more mature than those reared in the tarpaulin and the concrete ponds.
• Depends on the size of the land, you can have more fishes per pond unlike the other two ponds.

CONSTRUCTION OF AN EARTHEN POND