HOW TO MAINTAN WATER LEVEL IN THE POND

FILLING THE POND

Fill the pond with water after properly screening the inlet and stock it within 7 to 10 days of filling. However, ALWAYS check that the water quality is suitable for fish production before stocking, especially if treatments have been applied to the pond. If no water quality test kit is available, place a few catfish in some netting material for a couple of days before the intended stock date. If the fish do not die, then most probably the pond water quality is good enough. The pond can then be stocked. If the fish die, wait for a couple of days and try again. Stocking the pond as soon as possible after it has been filled, gives the stocked fish a head start before other animals, such as frogs and predatory insects establish themselves. Frogs can tell when fish are in a pond. Frogs search for ponds with water but no fish to lay their eggs. When unwanted animals become established in ponds, they:

i.    Can predate upon the fingerlings,

ii.  Consume some of the fish feed, and

iii.              Compete for dissolved oxygen

This results in reduces fish survival, increase FCRs, and a slight reduction in carrying capacity due to competition. Consequently, depending on the severity, yields obtained are lower than would be expected. A pond full of tadpoles is especially disastrous if you are going to stock very young catfish fry.

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POND FERTILIZATION

FERTILIZING THE POND

    There is no need to fertilize ponds for catfish grow-out if the fish are fed on nutritionally-complete pellets. This is because all their food requirements are derived from the feed. Catfish grow-out monoculture pond fed nutritionally complete pellets only need to be limed if:

a.  The pond soils are acidic, pH 5 and below. In this case, lime with agricultural lime, preferably in the fine powder form by spreading uniformly over the pond bottom or pond.

b.  The pond cannot drain completely. In this case, lime the remaining puddles with builders lime (Ca (OH)₂) or quick lime (CaO) until the water pH increases to 11. The objective of attaining such a high pH in this case is to kill off any fish frogs, potential diseases or parasites that might remain within the pond. Spread the lime over the pond bottom while paying extra attention to potential hiding places. This is necessary because any catfish left in a pond from a previous cycle can easily literally predate on all the new stock. After liming, the pond can be filled with water the following day but only stock it when the pH has decreased. 
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MEDIUM SCALE PRODUCERS IN FISH FARMING

       MEDIUM-SCALE PRODUCERS

       These producers usually produce and sell more than 20 000 fingerlings during a production season. In most cases, there are hatchery facilities complete fry rearing and nursery pond. Often the volume of production in a particular season is dependent on the level of management and competence of the fish breeder and hatchery manager. Almost all the farms and hatcheries are operating below installed capacity, at best between 20-25 percent production levels. In effect, a hatchery that produces between 50 000-100 000 fingerlings could easily have produced up to 500 000 with capacity utilization. Factors responsible for low-capacity operation include amongst others:

i)             Lack of enough good broodstock supply throughout the year

ii)       Unreliability of year round high quality water supply to the hatchery

iii)     Poor handling and management of hatchings and frys

iv)     Lack of enough space to hold the frys coming out the hatchery e.g. rearing and nursery ponds

v)       Lack of adequate operating capital.

Usually investment in seed production infrastructure at this level can range from N 250 000 –N 5 million (i.e. US$ 2000 – US$ 40 000) depending on the facilities available n the farm. Most government fish farms before abandonment fall into this category of producers. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR) at this level also varies so widely that it is very difficult to generalize. There are about 200 medium-scale seed producers in Nigeria, mostly private entrepreneurs and are collectively responsible for about 60 percent of all the fish seed supply in the country especially catfish fingerlings. Most of these hatcheries are situated in the south-south (especially Delta State) zone and couth-west zone. Many of them also use the flow-through system.

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SEED INDUSTRY IN FISH PRODUCTION

SEED INDUSTRY

The seed industry in Nigeria may be classified for convenience into:

·  Small-scale producers

·  Medium-scale producers and

·  Large-scale producers

Each scale of production is defined by level of investment available facility, technical competence of manager and consequently the quantity of seed produced. In this way a combination of all these factors will be used to categorize each seed producer. For instance, a farm or hatchery with high investment in infrastructure but with an incompetent and poorly remunerated manager with resultant poor production will only qualify as a small-scale producer while a modest hatchery with high capacity utilization in term of high production may be a medium- or even a large-scale producer.

3.5.1  SMALL-SCALE PRODUCERS

Seed producers who are able  to at least produce enough to satisfy their own immediate needs, and depending on the size of their own farm may have up to about 20 000 fingerlings for sale to other farmers, during a production season, could be classified as small-scale producers. These categories of producers do not always have an indoor hatchery, but may have, in most cases, few outdoor concrete tanks, usually for spawning and rearing of fry. These may also be completed ponds can also double as breeding ponds.

       These ponds are usually between 100 m² and 200 m² and not more than three or four in number. The species could be single species (monoculture) or mixed (polyculture). There are about 1 500 of these small-scale producers in Nigeria mostly in the southeast and north central zones and are responsible for about 20 percent of total seed supply to the system. The average annual investment for this seed production system is usually less than N100 000 (US$600.00). This investment can be recovered form the proportion of the fingerlings sold out to other farmers.

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CURRENT STATUS OF AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

CURRENT STATUS OF AQUACULTURE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

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          The characteristics feature of the current phase of aquaculture development in Nigeria is the emergence of investment from the private sector as the driving force. This is also complemented with the government policy of transferring its farms to the private sector. Most re cent investment in aquaculture has been targeted towards catfish farming.

Presently live catfish attracts premium price in Nigeria, with a high ROI (Return On-Investment) ranging between 30 to 40 percent in some very successful enterprises (e.g. IFC, Technoserve 2003). This is now a major attraction to private sector investors in Nigeria. Currently about 90 percent of farmed fish in Nigeria is catfish; during last four years almost all targeted towards catfish production. It is estimated that within this period fish seed production has jumped from 3 million in 2000 to about 30 million in 2005, and 55 million in 2007. The emergence of high volume producers who have invested in intensive recirculating and flow-through fish production systems have been largely responsible for the phenomenal increase in the volume of production of both fingerlings and table fish.

       The estimated total current investment in aquaculture including hatchery facilities and equipment in Nigeria is about N10 billion (US$75 million). There are about 30 small-, medium- and large-scale intensive, closed recirculating and flow-through systems especially in the southwest and south-south zones where over 77 percent of all fish farms and hatchery infrastructures are located. Investment is still growing, especially with the renewed awareness being created by the government through the Presidential Initiative on Fisheries and Aquaculture and 642 private fish farms that have been inventoried by the Aquaculture and Fisheries Project (AIFP) in December 2004, while an estimate of 500 farms are at commercial level, most of them are poorly managed. More than half of these commercial fish farms have small- to medium-sized hatcheries built beside them and again most of these are either abandoned and at best under producing (at times on more than 5 percent of installed capacity). Abandonment has been due largely to the technical incapabilities of the hatchery managers, as most of them are either poorly trained or inadequately remunerated and in other cases, both. That is why this trained manual came to being in order to equip you in things you need to know before embarking on this lucrative venture and to guide you of add more knowledge to what you must have seen to know if you are already into the business so as to be better equipped.

Presently, seed supply from government and public sectors, hatcheries (including research institutes and universities) are about 10 percent of the total. The current picture of freshwater fish seed supply in Nigeria is presented in Table.

Table 3.1 Freshwater fish seed supply in Nigeria

Source	Percentage	Seed production
Private sector (ponds and hatcheries)	80%	44 million
Public sector (government fish farms, hatcheries, universities, research institutes)	10%	5.5 million
Wild collection	9%	4.55 million
Importation and other source	1%	0.55 million

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EXPANSION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF DEMONSTRATION FISH FARMS

                  EXPANSION AND ESTABLISHMENT OF DEMONSTRATION FISH FARMS

       From 1970 to 1992, bold attempts were made to reduce major constraints concerning fish seed for aquaculture development. During this period there was remarkable increase in the number of fish farms built by both federal and state government agencies, research institutes, universities and some private sector investor. Most of these fish farms were supposed to be commercial farms and many of them were complemented with small- to medium-sized hatcheries, at least to cater for the immediate needs of the provide some excess to sell to other from the wild. They importance, desirability, reliability and inevitability. During this phase seed supply could be broken down as follows;

(i)                Wild collection – 60 percent

(ii)             Natural spawning in ponds – 30 percent; and

(iii)           Hatchery production – 10 percent

The introduction of mordern hatchery infrastructure and facilities was facilitated by an US$1 million grant from Italian government in 1988 and subsequent construction of the hatchery at Oluponna Fish Farm in Osun State (southwest Nigeria) with a capacity to produce 10 million fingerlings. Since then, the model had been replicated in smaller versions in many other places in Nigeria today which has boosted tremendously hatchery-produced fish seed in the country.

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DESCRIPTION OF THE GENUS OF CATFISH \ AFRICAN CATFISH

GENERAL BIOLOGY OF AFRICAN CATFISH

2.3.1                DESCRIPTION OF THE GENUS AND SPECIES

            The catfish genus can be defined as displaying an eel-like shape, having an elongated cylindrical body with dorsal and anal fins being extremely long (nearly reaching or reaching the caudal fin). Both fins containing only soft fin normally has six soft trays. The head is flattened and highly ossified. The skull bones (above and on the sides) forming a casque and the body is covered with a smooth scaleless skin. The skin is generally darkly pigmented on the dorsal and lateral parts of the body. The colour is uniformly marbled and changes from grayish olive to black according to the substrate. On exposure to light, the skin colour generally becomes lighter.

            They have four pairs of unbranched barbells, one nasal, one maxillar (longest and most mobile) on the vomer and two mandibulars (inner and outer) on the jaw. Tooth plates are present on the jaws as well as on the vomer. The major function of the barbles is prey detection. A supra-bronchial or accessory respiratory organ, composed of a paired pear-shaped air- chamber containing two arborescent structures is generally present. These arborescent or cauliflower-like structures located on the secondhand forth bronchial arcs, are supported by cartilage and covered by highly vascularised tissue which can absorb oxygen from atmospheric air. The air chamber communicates with the pharynx and with the gill chamber. The accessory air breathing organ allows the fish to survive for many hours out of water or for many weeks in muddy marshes.

 

2.3.2    HABITAT

            Clarias spp. Inhabit calm waters from lakes, streams, rivers, swamps to floodplains, some of which are subject to seasonal drying. The most common habitats frequented are floodplain swamps and pools in which the catfish can survive during the dry seasons due to the presence of the accessory air breathing organs. In nature, the Africa Catfish (Clarias gariepinus) tends to live in calm waters with vegetation. Living conditions in such an environment can be harsh. There is often a lot of organic matter in the water. In addition, in several of these locations (for instance, in flood plains), the water levels fluctuate seasonally, going up during the rains and receding during the dry season. In several of the clarias catfish natural habitats, the water levels drop to the point whereby the water-way almost dries up. The relatively large amounts of organic matter in water coupled with the relatively slow water flows through such habitats result in low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water for prolonged periods and increased acidity of the water. In order to overcome these environmental challenges, the fish have adapted in the following ways:

1.     Low Oxygen Level – Catfish have developed in addition to gills, an accessory cauliflower like organ (the arborescent organ) that enables the fish to obtain oxygen from air when the oxygen levels are too low in water or the swamps have dried out. However, this organ is largely functional in adults. More than 90% of juvenile catfish oxygen consumption is from dissolved oxygen in water whereas in adults, 40% to 50% of the oxygen uptake is atmospheric.

2.     Body Shape and Features – The fish have no scales, but a relatively thin skin and protective layer of mucus over the skin. Their long cylindrical shape also allows them to easily burrow into the mud when water levels drop to keep themselves moist and cool. They can only survive in burrowing if there is an air-water interface. In addition, it has barbells that enable it sense its food even though visibility is poor in the swamp. Its flattened mouth is designed so that it can ingest food off the pond bottom.

3.     Feeding Habits –The fish is also an omnivore, meaning it can literally eat almost anything although in the wild adults preferably eat other fish, insects or other forms of aquatic animals. Adults have a diel (twenty four hour cycle) feeding pattern, meaning that they need to hunt once a day, subject to food availability. Consequently they have a relatively large stomach capable of holding quite a bit of food, unlike the Nile tilapia whose stomach is relatively small because it is naturally a browser and feeds several times a day.

4.     Social Behaviour –Catfish are extremely social. They tend to live, hunt in tight groups. Hunting as a pack is among their natural feeding strategies. They tend to dwell at the pond bottom.

5.     The fish are able to withstand slightly acidic water.

6.     The catfish also grows fast and does not become sexually mature until it is about a year old (about 600g) depending on feeding.

          Females become mature earlier than males. The above mentioned attributes, make the catfish a good candidate for aquaculture. However, these biological characteristics affect the fish’s production requirements and potential in the following manner:

1.                 Low Dissolved Oxygen Levels –Where the water has adequate levels of dissolved oxygen, catfish obtain their oxygen from the water through their gills. Aerial respiration in catfish is largely a compensatory mechanism for the periods when the dissolved levels of oxygen in the pond are low. However, in order to survive the periods of low dissolved oxygen, the fish must have access to air otherwise they will die. In addition, the fish spend more energy obtaining oxygen from the air than they would do, when they can obtain it from the water. 

In fish farming, the initial limiting factor to production as far as water quality is concerned is oxygen. Because adult catfish have the ability to overcome this by breathing air, higher carrying capacities and feed input level can be accommodated in catfish grow-out ponds as long as the buildup of metabolic waters (ammonia) in the water are kept under control and fish can access the water surface.

However, because more energy is spent when the fish obtain air from the atmosphere, Feed Conversion Rations (FCRs) tend to increase, which in turn affects the profitability of the enterprise. Therefore, just because clarias catfish have the ability to withstand situations of low dissolved oxygen is not a reason to compromise water quality. For profitable production, water quality parameters should as much as possible be maintained within the recommended ranges. A minimum amount of oxygen within the water is required for the breakdown of metabolic waters. Having more oxygen dissolved in water improves the efficiency with which the gills function which is more energy-efficient for the fish and results in better growth rates.

2.                 Body Shape and Features – Because the catfish have no scales, the thin layer of mucus is the only first line of defense against infections whose port of entry into the fish is the skin. Consequently, removal of this layer of mucus through poor handled with care during routine production operations. Because catfish are bottom dwellers, most of the time within the pond they will be at the bottom unless there is a reason for them to come up, for example, to feed or gulp air to obtain oxygen.

Consequently, they tend to stir up the pond bottom which makes the water in catfish grow-out ponds muddly (i.e. turbid). Coupled with their burrowing behavior, they also dig into side of the pond, creating what is termed as the ‘catfish highway’. These result in breakdown of pond levees, especially when they are not constructed as recommended and in addition increase levels of pond turbidity (see sections 4.1.1, 3.1.2 and 5.2.5. for more details respectively). Their body shape and the catfish highway they create in the pond enable them to easily escape seining when nets and relate techniques are poor. They are able to pass under and around the nets. When there is a hole at the bottom of the seine net and one catfish finds it, because they move n hordes like sheep unlike tilapia, all the others shall be informed and they will all escape in a stream through the hole. Therefore, seine net specifications and seining technique are important; otherwise one can easily come out with an empty net.

3.                 Feeding Habits – The clarias catfish is omnivorous. This means it can consume a wide selection of food items that allows for a range of options in culture to provide for its nutritional needs. Because of their social hunting behaviour, it is preferable to feed them in ponds from a single place as doing so induces a feeding frenzy that results in the complete consumption of the feed, improved FCRs and reduced feed wastage. This is an important fact as above 60% of production costs are the feed cost.

4.                  Social Behaviour – Pack hunting is a natural feeding strategy in Clarias catfish. Keeping the fish at high densities, consequently results in reduced stress and aggression while stocking at low densities results in the such that:

(i)                They are high enough to the point whereby territories are not established, aggressive behaviour is reduced, feeding response is high and feed consumption time is reduced.

(ii)             Management requirements to sustain the biomass in the pond not reach the pond’s carrying capacity limits for the specified management level (see sections 5.3. and 9.2.6. for more details). 

5.     Most healthy fish tend to swim against a current. Therefore, they will tend to aggregate and swim out of the inlet water is flowing into the pond during the production cycle. Thus, most escapes of catfish from ponds actually occur through the inlet.

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NATURAL GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF AFRICAN CATFISH

NATURAL GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

            Clarias gariepinus, which is considered to be one of the most important tropical catfish species for aquaculture, has an almost pan-African distribution, from the Nile to West Africa and from Algeria to Southern Africa. They also occur in Minor-Asia (Israel, Syria and South of Turkey). Clarias anguillaris has a more restricted distribution and is found in Mauritania, in most West Africa basins sympatrically with C. anaguollaris.

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CATFISH FARMING BUSINESS

THE CATFISH BUSINESS IN NIGERIA

          Recent records of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) indicate that Nigerians consume 1.5 million metric tons of fish worth $ 1 billion annually. Available statistics also has it that Nigeria’s total sea food imports in the year 2006 were estimated at $570 million (N75 billion).

Catfish farming is the leading fish farming industry in Nigeria as in the United State of America. In the United State, commercial production of catfish has totaled about 7700 million dollars (about 35 million kg). In Nigeria, the production and consumption of catfish have on the increase since 1976. Nigeria imports 700 000tonnes of fish per annum and an annual deficit of almost half a million tones still exists if the demand supply gap were to be bridged. Current demand for catfish stands at about 3 million metric tons per annum with current production of about 0.8 million metric tons leaving a deficit of about 2.2 million metric tons that are yet to be exploited. This is quite a big vacuum that needs to be filled and that makes the business potentially very promising.

          The wide gap between demand and supply shows a lucrative investment opportunity in catfish farming in Nigeria and Africa in general. The consumption of catfish now in the country is very low because of the high cost of procurement. Supply is therefore reserved for the rich. Catfish consumption now appears in Nigeria to be a delicacy unlike in the mid 1980’s when fish consumption was regarded as being for the poor who could not afford to buy meat.

          Today, the present number to fish farmers is not enough to meet the daily demand of consumers. That makes the catfish business a potentially very promising one with low risk and labor and yet pays off well. It is most certain that fish consumed in this country are mostly imported as frozen fish and those harvested from the sea. “Unfortunately, chemicals used in preserving the frozen fish have harmful effects to the body compared to catfish which you can “point and kill” whenever you wish.” Besides, most wild fish are exposed to toxic materials which may be bio accumulative. When taken by man such toxins keep accumulating in the body system (where although they may be quantitatively small, they may have a negative impact on our lives after long accumulation of these toxic substances due to increase in their concentration after a long period), hence exposing our health to danger.

          The high demand for fish which cannot be met by local production and import has pushed the market price of catfish beyond the reach of ordinary Nigerians, coupled with the attractive taste for fresh fish. Therefore, catfish farming in Nigeria is the proverbial “gold mine” that can guarantee 100 per cent return on investment within 90 days following payback (for fingerling producers).  Despite available local market for the product, great opportunities exist for export of the fish, and its associated product lines, namely: the floating fish feed and smoked fish. Target markets for fish include hotels and restaurants, pepper soup (point and kill) joints, live-fish sellers in market places, cold room operators, supermarkets, boarding schools and other training institutions and private homes. Engage in fish farming business today and make it big.

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AQUAPONICS IN FISH FARMING

A mini aquaponic system is an excellent means of demonstrating aquaponic principles and the nitrification cycle in a recirculating aquatic environment. Following are instructions for building a small system that is ideal for a teacher, students of hobbyists who wants to get a start in aquaponics.  If you are looking for a complete kit, be sure to check out our Clear Flow Aquaponic Systems®

AQUAPONIC DEMOSTRATION BY KINGSWAY AGRO SERVICES.

Following is a list of the parts you'll need to build an aquaponic system. The next section, Components Explained, describes and explains each of these components and includes recommendations for alternative items and specific products.

• A tank for the fish: 3-20 gallon, glass or plastic container ($5 - $20)
• Gravel - 2.5 lbs./gravel for every 5 gallons of water in the fish tank ($2 - $5)
• Water pump - 3-4 watt pump capable of lifting 18” - 54” at 30 - 100/gal/hour (small circulation or fountain pump is ideal) ($19 - $40)
• 3 ft. of plastic tubing that fits the outlet on your water pump ($1 - $2)
• Aquarium air pump sized for the number of gallons in your fish tank ($8 - $16)
• Air stone (1” - 3”) ($1 - $2)
• 3 ft. of air tubing to connect the air pump to the air stone (must fit the air pump outlet) ($ 1)
• Grow Bed - must sit on top of fish tank and be 3” - 8” deep ($ 5 - $20)
• Growing Medium - enough pea gravel, perlite, coconut coir, expanded clay pebbles or peat moss to fill the grow bed ($2 - $5)
• pH test kit and, depending on the pH of your water, pH down or pH up ($5 - $15)
• Fish and plants

Tools Required

• Drill with 1/4” or 3/16” bit and 1/2” bit
• Scissors
• Electrical tape

Component Explanation

A tank for the fish

The fish tank can be a glass or plexi-glass aquarium or you can use any other clean container that holds water, for example, a plastic tub, bucket or barrel. We recommend anything between 3 - 20 gallons, although, you can go with a larger tank if you have the space. Small, clean plastic amphibian cages, available in most pet shops, make an excellent mini-system. They hold about 3 gallons and are quite inexpensive.
The standard sized fish aquariums of 10 and 20 gallons are also reasonably priced. The larger the tank, the larger grow bed area you can support. As a general rule, you can support 1 - 2 square feet of growing area for every 10 gallons of fish tank water.

Gravel for tank bottom

The gravel serves as a home to the nitrifying bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite and then to nitrate, which can be used by the plants. Most pet stores carry natural or colored aquarium gravel. The individual pebbles are about 1/8” in size. Be sure to wash the gravel thoroughly before using it because it is often dusty. Unwashed gravel will cloud your tank water.

Water pump and tubing

A small water pump is used to pump the water from the fish tank to the grow bed. After the water is pumped into the grow bed, it gravity-feeds back to the fish tank. You'll need enough tubing to go from the outlet on the pump to the top of your grow bed and form a circle within it.

Air pump, air stone and tubing

You need an air pump to blow air into the tank water for both the fish and the plants. Tubing connects the air pump to an air stone at the bottom of the tank. The air stone breaks the stream of bubbles coming from the air pump into micro-bubbles, which greatly increase the oxygenation in the water.

Grow bed

The grow bed, which sits on top of the tank, must be slightly larger than the length and width of the fish tank. The grow bed is filled with a growing medium that the plants grow in. A plastic Rubbermaid container, a garden planter or other container that will sit on top of the tank will work fine. The container should be between 3” - 8” deep.
You can use a plastic tub or, for a very nice looking unit, build one out of plexi-glass and seal it with a non-toxic, silicone glue. If you build the grow bed, you can accommodate an aquarium light by making a cavity in the grow bed that the light can slide into. If you are using some other kind of container, a light can sit just behind it if there is room.

Growing medium

A growing medium is a porous, chemically inert material that holds the plant roots and maintains moisture. Examples include: perlite, expanded clay pebbles, peat moss, pea gravel and coconut coir. You need enough to fill your grow bed.

Fish and plants

In an aquaponic system, the fish provide the nutrients the plants need and the plants purify the water by consuming those nutrients.

Optional Components

Aquarium heater (for tropical fish)
Most gardeners or aquarists setting up an aquaponic system choose ornamental fish for the tank and most ornamental fish originate in tropical waters. A tank temperature of 78 degrees F will need to be maintained for tropical fish. Two kinds of aquarium heaters are available, submerged and tank-side mounted. Either will work, but be sure the heater you choose is sized for the number of gallons of water in your fish tank. If the aquaponic system is placed in an area where the air temperature is maintained between 70 - 76 F or, if you choose cool water fish goldfish, you do not need a heater.
Light for fish tank
Most aquariums have a florescent light so you can see the fish and monitor their health. You can add one if you'd like but it is not a necessity.
Grow light for the plants
If you establish your system in an area with low light levels, you may need to add artificial light for healthy plant growth. Keep in mind that bright light will quickly encourage algae growth in the fish tank. You should try to point an artificial light in a way so that it does not directly penetrate the fish tank. If you do have rapid algae growth, you can scrape the interior walls of the fish tank or buy a plecostomus, a fish that eats algae. If the grow bed is in a windowsill with bright sunlight, in a greenhouse or planted with plants requiring low light levels, a grow light isn't necessary.

Assembly Instructions

Step 1

Thoroughly wash the gravel and place in the bottom of the fish tank.

Step 2

Drill 1/8” or 3/16” holes in the bottom of the grow bed every 2 square inches so the water can drain into the tank. In one of the back corners of the grow bed, drill a 1/2” hole for the tubing from the water pump to pass through.

Step 3

Place the water pump in the fish tank then set the grow bed on top of the tank. Feed the tubing from the water pump through the 1/2” hole. Leave enough tubing to extend about 3/4 the height of the grow bed and to loop around the inside of the grow bed. Cut off any excess tube and fold the end over. Seal the folded piece with electrical tape.

Step 4

Fill the grow bed with the growing medium to just under the top of the tube.

Step 5

Puncture small holes every 2 inches in the section of tubing that loops in the grow bed.

Step 6

Cover the loop of tubing with an inch or two of growing medium.

Step 7

Fill the fish tank with water. Plug in the pump to ensure that the water is pumped into the grow bed, trickles down through the growing medium and continuously back into the tank. Depending on the size of your tank, grow bed and pump, you may have to adjust to flow.

Step 8

Connect you air pump to the air stone with the air tubing. Place the air stone in the tank and plug in the air pump. A steady stream of bubbles should rise through the water, providing fresh air

Step 9

Check the pH of your water using litmus paper, a pH test kit or pH meter. Limtmus paper and inexpensive pH test kits are avilable in most hardware pool supply stores. The ideal pH is 7.0 for an aquaponic system. If it is higher than 7.2 you should lower it with a “pH down” product and if it is lower than 6.8 you should raise it with a “pH up” product, both of which are available from aquarium stores.

Step 10

Allow the unit sit for 24 hours to be sure all chlorine has dissipated from the water. If you want to stock you fish right away, you'll need to add a chlorine remover, which is available from aquarium shops and pet stores.

Step 11

Add your fish to the fish tank. Initially, you should lightly stock your tank with no more than 1/2” of fish per gallon of water. Once your system has been established for over a month you can increase to fish density to 1” per gallon of water.

Step 12

Ideally you should wait approximately 4 weeks to add plants to your system, but if you are eager to plant it, add just a few plants or seeds and increase plant density in a month or so when your system is well established.

Fish and Plant Selection

In selecting your fish, choose hardy species like goldfish, guppies, angelfish and other common varieties available from your local aquarium or pet store. Most desktop aquaponic gardens do not include food fish because there isn't enough space to grow them to maturity. If you do want to raise food fish or a local species, be sure to provide adequate water temperature and feed.
A desktop aquaponic garden will support most varieties of house plants, lettuce, spinach and herbs. Ideally, you should start your plants from seed in a grow cube (also called jiffy cubes) or loose in the growing medium in your grow bed. Very small seed can be sprouted by placing them between two paper towels that are kept warm and most. You can also transplant plants from an existing hydroponic system with good results.
If you must transplant from soil, thoroughly wash away all of the dirt surrounding the roots and wash the leaves being sure to remove any pest insects.
You will have the most success with leafy vegetables like lettuce, spinach and herbs or houseplants such as anthodium, dracaena, dieffenbachia and philodendron.
You can also plant aquatic plants in the fish tank. They will provide a more natural habitat for the fish and aid in purifying the water.

Nitrification Cycle

Fish excrete ammonia in their wastes and through their gills. In sufficient quantities ammonia is toxic to plants and fish. Nitrifying bacteria, which naturally live in the soil, water and air, convert ammonia first to nitrite and then to nitrate. In your aquaponic system the nitrifying bacteria will thrive in the gravel in the fish tanks and in the growing medium in the grow bed. Nitrate is used by plants to grow and flourish. The plants readily uptake the nitrate in the water and in consuming it, keep the levels safe for the fish.

System Maintenance

The only daily input in this system is fish food. With any aquarium, frequent small feedings are better than fewer large feedings. Unless you have a really large tank, a pinch of food is all it takes. You should never feed more than the fish can completely consume in 5 minutes. Most tropical fish will be fine with a dry flake fish food but occasionally varying their diet with brine shrimp or blood worms will definitely keep them healthier and happier.
The water level in the tank will slowly decrease as some water is absorbed by the plants and some evaporates. Every few days you should refill the tank to the top. About once a month a 10 - 15% of the tank water should be siphoned out and replaced with fresh water.

Experiment Ideas

An aquaponic system is an excellent tool for experimentation and proving or disproving a hypothesis. Following are four theories and experiments that can be done to prove each.

Theory 1

Although an aquaponics system will produce good plant growth, the hydroponic system with precisely measured nutrients will produce faster growing, higher quality plants.

Experiment 1

Set up a hydroponic system and an aquaponic system. Monitor and document which one best supports plant growth.

Theory 2

A healthy aquaponic system has ample nutrients for leafy crop growth, but fruiting plants will be lacking sufficient quantities of certain elements.

Experiment 2

Plant a leafy crop such as lettuce and a fruiting crop such as tomatoes and monitor to see which one does best in aquaponics.

Theory 3

A pH of 7.0 is the best for an aquaponic system. At a lower pH, nitrification slows down and the water quality will be reduced, stressing the fish, and at a higher pH the plants will be stressed.

Experiment 3

Set up three aquaponic systems. Run each at a different pH, one at 6.0, one at 7.0 and one at 8.0. Observe and document the plant growth and fish health at varying pH levels.

Theory 4

Denser fish populations will support more plant growth due to increased fish waste and nutrients in the water.

Experiment 4

Set up two aquaponic systems, stock one with 1” of fish/gallon of water and the other with 1/2” of fish per gallon of water. Observe the difference in plant growth.

PREPARED FEASIBILITY STUDY ON FISH BUISNESS ON 5,000 CATFISH

In fish farming the first culture chamber used was the earthen pond, and because of the requirements about the quality of soil which must have 75% clay and retain water. Other qualities which disqualifies other farm sites brought about a concrete pond in which one can culture fish in any farm site even in the compound. But because of some problems in concrete ponds brought about the latest pond designed which is tarpaulin pond, this pond is mobile and does not need one going into any form of constructions.
 LIMITATIONS OF CONCRETE PONDS
1. The chemical from the cement affects the fish all year because of the reaction with water.
 2. The concrete pond is prone to be plastered every season because of the cracks as a result of reactions with water and cement.
 3. The cost is high.
 4. The growth rate of the fish is not encouraging.
 5. A lot of treatment is needed before the pond can be used after construction
. ADVANTAGES OF TARPAULIN POND
1. You can culture fish even inside your compound.
 2. You can use a temporally site to start your fish farm.
3. It is the ideal replacement for earthen pond.
 4. It enhance faster growth of fish. 5
. It makes the fish to feel as if the environment is natural.
 6. It is cheaper and does not need servicing all season.
 COST IMPLICATION IN USING A TARPAULIN POND.
 A pond of 10ft by 20ft will cost N50,000 and galvanized pipe used for the stands for the 20ft by 10ft by 4ft is N18,000, making the total cost of the pond to be N68000.
 COST OF POST FINGERLING OR THE FISH SEED.
 We have three breeds, and their prize on growth rate differs, we have one of N10, N20 and N35 respectively.
 And after six months of culture their growth rate will be 1kg, 1.5kg, and 2.5kg respectively.
So the cost for N10 is N50,000
 N20 is N100,000
 N35 is N175,000
 But the size of the fish determines the market, if 1kg of fish is sold at N400 the 2.5kg will be sold at N1000 plus.
 COST OF FEEDING
 In fish farming the cost of feeding goes up to 75% of the money spent in fish farming and that is why is good that one must culture the breed that will grow well.
 N1000 fishes will consume 40 bags of feed and a bag is sold at N4500 40x5 ponds = N200 bags in all 200x4500 = 900,000
 WATER TREATMENT= This treatment is done in water before stocking fish to prevent shock and any form of bacterial in the water. Each pond will cost N5000 5000x5 ponds = N25,000
GROWTH BOOSTER= This is a multi mineral supplement mixed together with the feed everyday to boost its growth
 PLUMBING= The outlet and inlet connection of the ponds will cost N40,000.
THERE ARE MANY WAYS OF REDUCING THE COST OF FEEDING, AT LEAST SAVING 20% OF THE COST OF FEEDING. THE BENEFITS IS FOR THOSE AM CONSULTING FOR TOTAL COST
 Cost of Ponds : 68,000x5 = N 340,000
 Cost of fish seed : = 175,000
 Cost of feeding: =900,000
 Cost of water treatment =2 5,000
 Cost of booster : = 80,000
 Plumbing: =40,000
 TOTAL: = 1,560,000
COST OF INPUT = N1,560,000
 OUT PUT
When the good breed is culture and fed well the average weight of the fish will be 2kg. And at whole sale price will be at N700 and if 4,800 fishes survives the out put will be 4,800xN700
which is = 3,360,000
 Gain = output – input = 3,360,000 – 1,560,000 = 1,8000,000 profit
 OUR SERVICES Our consultant services covers the farm set up and weekly or monthly check ups on the welfare of the farm to ensure that the fishes are doing well. Our charge for consultancy depends on what the owner wants such as full service or short services. CALL US ON 08032861326 +2348032861326 for help and consultancy.

HOW TO SETUP A MOBILE POND IN NIGERIA

Mobile pond (e.g) tarpaulin is the most cheapest and long lasting pond first used in advanced countries like china and other countries that have advanced in fish farming.
Nigeria as one of developing countries in fish farming has a very nice weather condition that fits the mobile pond. The fixing and management is very easy. see the picture below.
Call us 08032861326

FISH FARMING IN NIGERIA

WHY YOU NEED A GOOD POND

          A commercial fish pond is one of the several production units used in fish farming. A pond must be able to hold water and sustain favourable conditions for production. One should also be able to undertaken the required pond management activities (such as harvesting and feeding) effectively, with relative ease and safety. The physical attributes of a pond, therefore, have a direct influence on achievable level of production and returns. Consequently, poorly constructed ponds, give poorer production yields and returns. This is because additional management efforts and associated costs are required to achieve comparable yields. Paying attention to pond design and construction derail is, therefore, the first step to successful pond production.

For easy and high growth of fish with long lasting, start up your fish farming using our mobile pond. 

Is easy and last longer. Is  durable and grows fish faster.
CALL 08032861326 FOR SUPPLY, HELP AND CONSULTANCY.