HOW TO ENSURE GOOD HEALTH AND RAPID GROWTH FOR YOUR FISH

The cardinal objective of any commercial catfish farmer is to raise fast growing fish that are at the same time healthy. This objective seems easy but for the experienced farmer, it is not. There are a few but important things that you must do; especially right from the beginning. Ordinarily, when properly managed, the fish will be in good health and grow both uniformly and rapidly. In order to ensure these, the following has to be taken care of.

Spacing. Higher than necessary stocking rate can only guarantee one thing and that is failure. The fish need adequate space to grow well and be in good health. Therefore, as a beginner, you need to take seriously the recommendation stocking rate for fish tank, cage and pond. Ordinarily, it ranges from 5.5 fishes per square foot (at 1 foot water depth or better still 1 cubic foot)  fishes for tanks and troughs/vats to 3 fishes for medium to large earth ponds

Sorting and Grading. Sorting and grading should be done at least twice; at the end of the first month of stocking and at the end of third month of stocking.

Others: Water change should be regular and as recommended.

·                     Feeding time, quantity and strategy should be adhered to

·                     Feed fish with a feed whose crude protein content is not less than 40% for the first three months and should not be less than 30% by the sixth (6^th) month.

·                     Snack meals such as animal wastes should be parboiled and given at intervals if available

·                     If you are compounding your own feed, adequate growth promoters such as methionine, lysine, fish premix etc. should be added to the ingredients

Medication: this is another important factor that should not be over looked. Most fish coming from hatcheries are disease carriers; and as such, they will not grow well, irrespective of their feeding. Besides, when there are adverse conditions in your fish tank/pond, they might easily fall prey to disease outbreak. In medicating your fish, there are options that you can chose from but each has its own advantage and peculiarity. Water medication is much common but not as effective as feed medication. Whichever the option, there are procedures that you must follow to make your treatment effective. Meanwhile, the treatment has to take place within the first one to two weeks after stocking.

In our next discussion we are going to consider feed conversion efficiency, feed conversion ratio and how you can monitor the growth of your fish

Please be reminded that the information as contained herewith is based on the climatic and environmental conditions in Nigeria, which is a tropical country. Meanwhile, I will be quick to add that this article is an excerpt from the operational manual for commercial catfish farming titled AN ILLUSTRATED STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO COMMERCIAL CATFISH GROW OUT FARMING, also written by the author since 2003 now updated up to 2015. It will be useful to you; a beginner or an experienced farmer as a working and reference document. The soft copy (to be sent via email) cost 4,000 naira, while the hard copy (to be sent via courier) goes for 6,500 naira. If you are interested please call: 08023620926; 09030301242 or send email to: festus.okpako88@gmail.com; festus,okpako@yahoo,com or foodscienceng@gmail.com

PAYMENT DETAILS: Festus Okpako, first bank current account number 2006146470

Other available manuals:

# AN ILLUSTRATED STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO COMMERCIAL CATFISH HATCHERY FARMING. PRICE: 6,000 naira (soft copy); 8,000 naira (hard copy)

# A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO COMMERCIAL CATFISH DISEASE MANAGEMENT

 PRICE:4,000 naira (soft copy); 6,000 naira (hard copy).

Please be reminded that all SOFT COPIES will be sent via email and HARD COPIES, via courier,