Secrets of breeding fish in your own pond in the country. Fish breeding business plan

Many male entrepreneurs will be interested in the idea of ​​​​fish farming in artificial reservoirs. Its implementation will require a lot of unique knowledge, economically correct calculations, costs, but in the end, the pleasure from the process itself and the profits made will pay for everything a hundredfold. What percentage of profitability can fisheries bring in Russia? How much money will have to be invested? What kind of cultivation is best to start with?

Despite the fact that in 2014 wholesale prices for live fish decreased by 8-12%, the product remains in demand. Despite the temporary decrease in retail prices for fish, more long term the upward trend continues.

Fish farming as a business has a good profitability. For large farms it is 8-9%, for medium and small farms – 9-10%.

Profitability is facilitated by the ability to pay a single agricultural tax, instead of a number of state taxes.

What kind of fish is profitable to breed?

Among existing species, it is better to choose one that quickly gains weight, is resistant to common diseases, and is in demand by consumers. As a rule, it is carp or trout. The technology of their cultivation is different, and the cost of feed will also be different.

  1. Carp is hardy, undemanding to the quality of food, normally refers to the indicators of many reservoirs. A shallow pond, up to two meters deep, is suitable for it, so that the water in it has time to warm up to 250C. It must be clean without organic and oil impurities.

    How less area pond, the harder it is to create good conditions a habitat. The water in it cools and heats up faster, and it is quite difficult to keep the temperature at the right level. AT big body of water temperature and hydrochemical data are more stable, which has a positive effect on fish health. To get up to 10 tons of adult carp, a rate of about 5 hectares is enough. It should be prudently equipped with a water release system to facilitate catching fish at the end of the season.

    In order for the purchased fry to develop quickly and gain the required weight, they must be regularly fed. If you run them and wait until they grow naturally, you can lose time and a lot of live weight. When using high-protein feeds with protein up to 25% and fat up to 5%, up to 2200 kg of product can be caught from 1 ha, and only up to 120 kg with natural cultivation.

    The difference is noticeable, so the cost of feed is fully justified. 1 kg will cost about 8 - 10 rubles. The amount of compound feed should be 2-3% of the mass of all fish in the rate, with cooling it is reduced to 1-1.5-2%. It is not necessary to overfeed the carp, because the food remains will decompose and worsen the composition of the water, contributing to the poor health of the entire livestock.

  2. Trout requires special knowledge of the breeder, high-quality feed and keeping conditions. For her, you need to find a deep body of water, for example, former quarry 15 m deep, in which even in summer the temperature in the lower layers does not rise high. This condition is due to the fact that trout are cold-blooded and prefer 15-190C.

    If the entire thickness warms up to 240C, it will die. Trout farms are often equipped on the basis of a river, or with the possibility of drawing water from an artesian well. They keep it in special cages 3x3 m, 5 m deep. Their design consists of metal profiles and nylon walls. The cost of a line of cages per 1 km is about 3.5 million rubles. With certain skills, you can make them yourself.

    For feeding trout, you can not use ordinary compound feed. A specialized one with specific components in the form of cartoids (a substance derived from krill) is needed. This additive gives the meat its characteristic red color. High-quality German food will cost about 40 - 55 rubles / kg.

When can you catch and sell products?

The interval from the moment the fry are released into the pond until they are caught is called the cycle. For carp it is 3 years, for trout 2.5. Wherein Weight Limit carp range from 1 kg to 2.7 kg, and trout up to 1 kg. The larger the individuals, the greater the demand for it will be in the market, although exceptions are possible in the case of trout. In restaurants, it is served small, weighing only 300 g. Having a length of 20-30 cm, it fits perfectly on a plate.

In autumn, fish farms begin to catch carp, at this time the three-year growing cycle ends. At this time, the fish market is abundant, the price of the cost price drops significantly. Profitability may be at risk. It is better to keep the fish until the end of December, and sell in batches as demand and prices normalize. But in this case, it will lose a little in weight and decrease in numbers up to 10%.

Financial calculations

The purchase price of carp fry is 70-120 rubles / kg, with a weight of each fish up to 40 g. Thus, 37-45 kg of planting material should be put into a pond of 5 hectares. In three years, they will produce about 4.7-5.5 thousand adults weighing up to 2 kg. If they are sold at a wholesale price of 53 rubles / kg, it will turn out from 500 to 580 thousand rubles.

Trout fry are more expensive, about 300-410 rubles / kg, with a mass of 10 to 50 g. Large material is cheaper, because it will ultimately produce fewer adults than 1 kg of smaller fry. During the cycle, up to 10% of the fish will die, this factor must be taken into account. The remaining 90% will turn into a kilogram fish at 140-150 rubles / kg.

The calculations are correct for a carp farm, which is capable of growing up to 50 tons of goods in three years, selling the entire lot at 60 rubles / kg.

The amount of the initial investment is from 250 to 400 thousand rubles. At the same time, it will be possible to make a profit no earlier than in 2.5 - 3 years. This is the downside of the fish farming business. But there are many ways to generate income earlier.

Ways to get additional revenue

Breeding fish in artificial reservoirs can be more profitable if you resort to the following methods:

  1. By purchasing a two-year-old carp weighing 150-200 g, you can reduce the growing period to 1 year. The cost of the material will be more expensive, but the cycle will be reduced by a factor of three.
  2. If possible, trout can be grown in winter period in the cooling reservoirs of the State District Power Plant, where a favorable temperature regime. If you keep the fish in such water from September to March, then the mass of each will increase up to three times.
  3. Surplus profits can also bring weed fish, which are caught in large quantities when the water is lowered. The same crucian carp can breed and make up from 10 to 50 tons when caught. It can be successfully sold at 10-20 rubles per 1 kg. The entire batch can be sold to the Vietnamese, who make sauce and other national dishes from it. It does not make sense to grow specifically only this species, since the period of its growth is quite long.
  4. Another successful way to sell fish all year round- organization of paid fishing. Moreover, in the ponds there can be caught crucian carp, and growing carp and silver carp or sturgeon specially purchased for demanding fishermen. Thus, you can get about 5-7% of the turnover.
  5. It is worth considering the possibility of processing unsold products. For example, smoking, salting or canning. But this option is more suitable for experienced fish farmers.

Sales issues

To sell their goods, breeders need to have their own fleet of vehicles, with special equipment. After all, you need to deliver live fish to supermarkets and restaurants in excellent condition. To do this, it is necessary to ensure a constant temperature in the tank and good aeration of the air. If you bring a damaged product, it can be returned.

It is possible to sell about 200-300 kg of goods in shopping malls equipped with aquariums. But there may be some difficulties with the establishment of distribution channels. The fact is that the responsibility for the maintenance, purification of water and the aquarium itself falls on the shoulders of the staff. outlet, so not everyone dares to deal with live fish.

Another problematic issue is the delay in receipt of revenue. Chain stores are most often calculated only after the sale of the lot. Such a delay can last up to 30 days, so the fish farm will have accounts payable.

Thus, fish farming as a business has many nuances and pitfalls. The success of the enterprise is possible with the full responsibility of the entrepreneur, the presence of a competent business plan and start-up capital. It is important to constantly diagnose water quality, fish health and development, and attract additional ways to generate income.

To build an artificial pond in your country house is a simple matter. You can do it in a few days if you want. Only here is a pond without under aquatic life- an unfinished project, whatever one may say. After reading the article, you will see that raising fish at home is much more exciting than growing flowers or hilling potato beds.

  1. A place for the future reservoir is chosen on the lowest part of the dacha. A good pond location will be where it is most day will be in partial shade. Shading can be made artificial, since the proximity of trees to a reservoir is undesirable. This is an additional source of water pollution in the form of fallen leaves, in addition, the roots of large trees can deform the pond.
  2. A pit is dug at least 1 m deep, the width and length are formed at their own discretion. The rounded pond looks the most natural. After the pit is ready, the soil at its bottom is carefully compacted and the surface is cemented.
  3. The cement has hardened - you can proceed to the next step. A special plastic film is placed at the bottom of the dug hole and carefully smoothed out. With proper maintenance, it will last more than one year. Now you can fill the pond with water: first, by one third, so that the film under the weight of water has time to finally straighten out. A layer of soil and river sand is placed at the bottom, underwater plants are planted, and only after that the missing water is collected. An excellent bottom design option is mats made of coconut or synthetic fiber. They are quickly entwined with algae, thus masking the coastal edge, which in addition to this can be strewn with beautiful pebbles.
  4. At the end of the technical work, they move on to landscaping the coastal zone of the reservoir with shrubs and grass. They will give naturalness and beautifully frame the pond thickets of reeds or cattails, you can plant a willow. If in the future you want to see not only fish, but also crayfish in your pond, you should provide them with comfortable living conditions in advance. To do this, many pebbles, clay shards from broken pots, and more various pipes are left at the bottom. In them, crayfish will find shelter from fish when they molt.

When a ready-made and landscaped pond is already flaunting on your site, give up the temptation to immediately launch fish there. The water in it must stand for a while in order to acquire the optimum temperature and acquire its own environment for microorganisms. To speed up this process, add a few buckets from a natural reservoir to the man-made pond, and also leave some withered grass at the bottom - so the water will become “alive” faster.

Successful breeding of fish in a pond: the nuances

Even at the stage of creating an artificial reservoir, you need to familiarize yourself with certain rules and try to comply with them:

  • if you are determined to breed fish, the type and depth of the future pond should correspond to the breed of underwater inhabitants to which you have the most soul. Too large a flock will be crowded in a small pond, and the water will not remain clean for a long time - a large amount of food will spoil it in an instant. When calculating the total volume of the reservoir, 50 liters of water are diverted per individual 10-15 cm in length. In addition, do not forget about the quality of water purification, aeration, the area of ​​​​the surface water surface without vegetation;
  • the large depth of the reservoir will allow the fish to winter in it without problems. At the same time, in summer, the water in a deep pond warms up unevenly, which immediately negatively affects the rate of reproduction of microorganisms that feed on fish. A shallow pool with a large surface area absorbs much more oxygen than a shallow but deep pool. A sufficient amount of atmospheric oxygen is perhaps the most important condition for the artificial breeding of fish;

  • you need to ask in advance what temperature the fish you are going to keep prefer. For example, some species of fish do not tolerate low temperatures, while others, on the contrary, feel great at a water temperature of 10 ° C. Changes in temperature and pH levels of water can even kill fish unadapted to such conditions. Measurements of the pH reaction, monitoring of oxygen levels and temperature are carried out regularly, especially often in winter. You can reduce the level of acidity by adding lime to the reservoir or installing lime filters, mills;
  • take the first launch of fish into a reservoir very responsibly, namely, make sure that the temperature of the reservoir and the portable container with fish is the same. If the readings of thermometers differ significantly, they need to be leveled. Otherwise, even a difference of 2 - 3 degrees will play with you bad joke: in a new place, the fish can die on the very first day from the so-called temperature shock. so that the fish can normally survive the winter in the pond, the layer of unfrozen water must remain at least 1 m. Ice holes must be made in the thickness of the ice and covered with straw - this is necessary so that the fish does not suffocate. There is one more tricky way oxygen supply to underwater inhabitants - a bundle of reeds is vertically frozen into the ice, which will serve as a conductor for air. However, the most best results can be achieved using an aerator;

  • with the advent of spring, sprinkle the ice with a layer of earth, peat or coal dust, and you will not have to wait painfully for the ice in the pond to melt on its own. Thanks to your powder, the temperature of the natural heating of the ice crust will increase and the process melting will go faster.

Necessary equipment for fish farming

  1. Gravity biofilter - will protect the water from the products of flowering and pollution.
  2. Compressor - will not allow the fish to die from lack of air.
  3. Ultraviolet sterilizer - will prevent abundant flowering of water in the pond.
  4. Hydraulic pump - will help pump water into an artificial pool.
  5. Feeders for fish.

Breeding fish in the country: who will live in the pond?

Let's look at the most popular fish species for keeping in a country pond.

Carp

The most unpretentious fish that you can find: it adapts to a variety of conditions, it does not need a lot of space, because it is in a small pond that carp gain weight very quickly. The trick is that searching for food in a small area takes very little energy from the fish. Plus, carps are omnivores. This domesticated species of carp loves the sun very much and grows quickly. A sexually mature individual becomes 4-5 years old. The most acceptable for him will be water with a slightly alkaline reaction. There are many varieties of carp: scaly, naked, mirror.

carp

Two varieties of crucian carp, golden and silver, like stagnant water and a variety of vegetation that they feed on. A healthy mature individual of this breed can reach a weight of 1 kg. The normal life of this fish in winter is ensured by a hole in the ice for free oxygen supply.

Before buying future underwater inhabitants, think in advance how many fish will fit in your pond at the rate of 10 - 20 individuals per 1 cubic meter of water. So, a not very large pond will be able to accept several medium-sized carps and 20-25 crucians. The ideal "home" for this fish should have a perimeter of 4 by 6 m and a depth of at least 1.5 m. Such dimensions of the pond will allow the water in it to quickly and evenly warm up to 25 - 26 degrees - these are excellent conditions for keeping carps and crucians. The "jump" of the thermometer mark down to 10 - 12 degrees or up to 30 makes the fish less active, reduces the intensity of its feeding and reproduction.

Tench

In the summer season, he prefers small areas of the pond, where there is something to profit from. Tench is omnivorous, unpretentious in content, immune to changes in the level of acidity of the habitat and fluctuations in the amount of oxygen. In a shallow pond, this breed of fish is the main competitor for carp - they fight for food. Tench can adapt to living conditions in any reservoir, but he will not tolerate crucian carp as a neighbor. Other varieties of fish tench will only be happy.

cold water trout

Summer residents can experiment with keeping two types of trout - river and rainbow. Small waterfowl are the main food for trout, and it will also not refuse feeding in the form of various feed mixtures. In artificial ponds, this fish does not breed, but rather serves as their decoration. The rainbow trout looks especially impressive in the water column penetrated by the sun's rays.

gold fish

Easily refutes the title exclusively aquarium fish. This breed is perhaps the ideal choice for a man-made reservoir. Its decorative qualities are undeniable, in the content it will not cause much trouble to its owner, it is unpretentious in food. For active reproduction of the species, two goldfish are enough.

Decorative Japanese carp - koi

Do not take your eyes off the beautiful color of this scale fish - red, black, white, yellow. The intrigue is that it is impossible to predict the color of future offspring. Koi prefers open spaces and deeper places. Fish eat a lot, including fish smaller than themselves, rapidly gaining mass. Spends a lot of time rummaging through the mud at the bottom of the reservoir. Koi get used to people and not be afraid of them.

What to feed the inhabitants of the pond

Home breeding of fish will be successful only if you take a responsible approach to the issue of feeding your wards. One of the most trouble-free in this respect is the carp, which gladly absorbs everything that it will be treated to. And you can treat him with compound feed for pigs and poultry. Before feeding, the compound feed in the form of loose and loose powder is thoroughly mixed with water until it reaches the consistency of porridge, only then it is sent to the reservoir.

Other breeds of fish will be happy with a mixture of cereals and legumes, which is steamed before feeding to make it swell. The volume of such feed should be above 3 - 6% of the weight of the fish. Feed the fish 1 - 2 times a day, trying to do it at the same time and at certain place pond. It is very convenient to give the fish food on a specially equipped tray table. This device can be easily removed from the water, and then lowered back to the bottom. With the help of such a feeder, it is very easy for the owner of a fish mini-farm to monitor whether all the food has been eaten, whether there are pieces left that will certainly pollute the water in the pond. It's funny when the ringing of a small bell produces a fish conditioned reflex and makes them gather in a flock, notifying the underwater inhabitants that the owner has brought food.

Perhaps every owner of a summer house or a country house dreams of having a personal reservoir for breeding fish on his site. A small one can be a resting place, a source of water for irrigation, and a supplier of fresh fish to your table.

Artificial fish pond

Build an artificial pond for fish small, but sufficient in size and depth, is a technically simple task, but it will also require a lot of effort. You should also be aware that a personal pond and its inhabitants will require constant care of the owner. Many users website have already acquired their own ponds and are happy to exchange experience in their creation, arrangement and breeding of fish. If you are planning to make a pond with your own hands and engage in fish farming in a summer cottage format, use their advice.

Before building a pond you need to decide on its location and size. The optimal size for breeding a small amount of fish is 30-50 square meters. A large pond requires significant investments, a small one requires constant care. But keep in mind that in a pond with an area of ​​​​two or three acres for years to grow fish, leaving it for the winter, it will be too troublesome and costly, such a fish will come out “golden”. The best option- buy fish seed, grow it over the summer, and catch it in the fall - and on the table. Optimal depth small - about two meters, you can swim in such a pond, and the fish will be comfortable. You can grow fish in the so-called cage - fenced off a wall from a grid of a part of a pond.

The fish pond on the site should be placed on open space which will be well lit by the sun in morning time, and by the middle of the day - to remain completely or half in the shade so that the water temperature does not rise much: algae multiply faster in warm water, and fish may lack oxygen. There is a rule: the direct rays of the sun should not illuminate the reservoir for more than ten hours, optimally - no more than six.

It is better to build a pond that will be elongated than to have a rounded or square shape: in such a pond it is more convenient to swim, plant plants along the banks and take water from it for irrigation.

Used to fill reservoirs various sources- streams, high-lying groundwater, wells. And it is worthwhile to preliminarily conduct tests on the suitability of water for breeding fish. Such analyzes are in sanitary and epidemiological services or laboratories of fish farms.

You also need to explore the soil at the construction site of the future pond: how well it will keep the water level. soil with high content(above 30%) clay and loam is suitable for fish farming, but sand will have to be artificially waterproofed, which means serious additional costs, especially if we are talking not about the film, but about the capital, concrete waterproofing.

The relief of the bottom of the reservoir, in which fish breeding is supposed to be, must be complex - with alternating shallow and deep water areas.

After the bowl of your reservoir is filled with water, it should be allowed to stand for at least ten days, and only then proceed with the improvement and planting of plants. It is best to do this in early summer. Underwater and above-water plants in the pond will perform not only a decorative function, but also maintain a natural biological balance in it and serve as a kind of filter for water, especially if concrete was used for waterproofing.

Calculate the number of fish

We count how many fish you cankeep in a small garden pond. For one fish individual 10-15 centimeters long, a minimum of 50 liters of water is required. The calculation is not difficult to make, but it is important to consider that the fish grows quite quickly. In an overcrowded pond, its inhabitants will lack oxygen and food, and the water in it will deteriorate faster, especially if there is insufficient or no filtration.

What types of fish to breed

The answer to this question depends on the geography of your region, climatic conditions, water temperature in the reservoir and many other factors. Among the most popular representatives of the aquatic world for growing near Moscow are carp, crucian carp, tench, grass carp, silver carp. Many successfully grow in their ponds and a predator - perch and pike, as well as crayfish. A frequent inhabitant of summer cottages is koi. This fish is being tried breed not for utility, but for aesthetics: it is different several unusual, very beautiful coloring, and it is always interesting and pleasant to look at. However, like its relative, carp, which actively digs in the bottom of the reservoir in search of food, creating turbidity, that's why if there are a large number of individuals, you can forget about the transparency of the water in your pond.

A fish that lives in a large body of water large quantity plants and microorganisms, most often does not need additional feeding, it already has enough food. But with fish farming using a small pond, if you want to get well-fed products as a result, you will have to feed the fish. But even here it is necessary to strictly observe the measure: the excess feed mixture, which is not eaten by fish, quickly turns sour and spoils the water in the reservoir.

Anyone who wants to build their own a pond in a fish breeding area should remember that even a very small artificial reservoir is a complex ecosystem that requires close attention to all processes and proper care. In order not to make mistakes, it is better to study all the necessary nuances in advance.

The topic of fish farming is very popular on the site, and a lot of materials have accumulated on it. We offer you a guide on the topic, where the entire useful information about all stages of construction and maintenance of reservoirs and fish breeding. Read about what plants can be planted in.

We offer you the data of fish farms in different regions where you can buy fish stock.

In our video - helpful tips for those who dream of becoming the owner of a pond and creating a small fish farm but don't know where to start.

Fish growth continues throughout life. But the increase in body weight occurs unevenly. Juveniles grow faster than adults. In addition, the intensity of growth depends on the season, food supply and characteristics of the reservoir. For example, carp does not grow at all in winter, because at low temperatures it stops eating.

When breeding fish in a pond, these features must be taken into account. Only in this case, the cultivation of fowl will be successful. You will find relevant recommendations in this article.

Growing fish in the country: what types to choose

Each variety of fish requires not only certain feeds and conditions, but also breeding technology.

The easiest way is to populate the yearlings in the pond in the spring and catch them in the fall. But if there is no opportunity to buy grown young animals, the pond is populated with fry and grown according to the method of breeding marketable underyearlings.

When self-breeding carp from fry, it is necessary to equip several types of ponds for spawning, rearing young animals and winter maintenance. Breeding young animals is a great way to save money on the purchase of ready-made planting material.

Note: The most suitable carp breeds are those that are common in the region of your homestead. For example, in the south it is better to grow the Stavropol and Krasnodar varieties, in a temperate climate - the Parsky and Central Russian varieties, and in the north - the Sarboyan and Altai varieties.

Since carp females are highly prolific, only a few males and females are needed for full breeding. As a rule, fish are used for spawning no more than seven years. Producers are kept separately from other fish. In addition, during the spawning period, they need to be intensively fed. Only high-quality males and females without defects are suitable for breeding.

Note: It is difficult to determine the sex of carps. This can be done only in sexually mature individuals and only during the spawning period. At this time, in females, the genital opening increases and turns red, and abdomen becomes soft. During the spawning period, males develop warts on their gills and head.

Spawning productivity depends not only on the quality of males and females, but also on the preparation of the reservoir. Since carp lay their eggs in the substrate, the bottom should be covered with soft vegetation, turf or needles. Sometimes artificial spawning grounds are equipped. The water temperature should be no higher than 18 degrees. Females lay eggs, and males fertilize them. Caviar matures in 3-5 days, depending on the water temperature. An indicator of 18-26 degrees is considered optimal.

For normal growth young animals need to be provided with good protein food: small crustaceans, insect larvae, etc. Since a lot of larvae are hatched from one nest, they need to be seated after growing up, since the natural food supply of the pond will not be enough.

  • When buying fry, you must first hold them a little in the water for transportation, and only then transplant them into a new pond. This is necessary to equalize the temperature. If this is not done, the fry will experience temperature shock and die.
  • Slaked lime should be added to the pond to normalize acidity and prevent disease.
  • Regular application of mineral and organic fertilizers contributes to the formation of a natural forage base. However, when too much manure is applied, the hydrochemical composition of water deteriorates, so organic matter must be supplemented with mineral fertilizers (nitrogen and phosphorus). They must first be dissolved in water. But if the pond is intensively overgrown with algae, fertilizers are not applied.
  • Special ponds should be prepared for wintering. If the reservoir is covered with a thick crust of ice, its depth should be about two meters. Water must be further aerated by making holes or connecting compressors. If possible, clean water can be introduced into the pond. In winter, carps are not fed, because at low temperatures they stop eating. In the spring, carp begin to be fed, and the amount of food brought in in the summer reaches two times a day. In addition, the fish must be gradually caught. Reducing the number of individuals will help grow higher quality products.

Young carp need additional feeding. Food is brought in once or twice a day. The number of feedings increases as the water temperature rises.

Note: You can use the white disc to determine if fertilizer needs to be applied. It is immersed in water to a depth at which it will be visible. If the visibility limit is at a depth of 25-30 cm, fertilizers can not be applied, and if more than 50, the pond is fertilized.

During the cultivation of carp, it is necessary to control the size of the fish by conducting control catches. The fish are measured, weighed and released back into the water. If individuals begin to lag behind in growth, water quality, food supply and oxygen content should be checked.

  • Goldfish

This fish is unpretentious to the quality of water, which can be bred in a wide variety of water bodies. Usually, crucian carp feed on small crustaceans, but the natural food supply can be quickly depleted, so additional mineral and organic fertilizers should be applied. This stimulates the formation of feed, since crucian carp consumes artificial nutrition poorly.

In winter, crucian carp do not eat, and feed consumption begins only after the air temperature rises to 6-8 degrees. Of particular value is the hybrid of silver carp and carp, which is not only resistant to living conditions, but also undemanding to feed.

  • White amur

It can be grown both separately and together with other fish that feed on vegetation. Planting density depends on the amount of aquatic vegetation. If the pond is moderately overgrown, you can grow 1-2 fish per 10 square meters. With a lack of vegetation, artificial feed is introduced, but grass carp eats them much worse.

  • white carp

It can be grown at high density. This is due to the fact that the silver carp eats mainly aquatic vegetation. For full growth, individuals need not only a good food base, but also a favorable regime. The water temperature should be 25-27 degrees, and the oxygen level should be at least 5 mg / l.

It is characteristic that ponds for silver carp should not be deep. The penetration of sunlight into the water column not only contributes to warming, but also stimulates the growth of algae.

  • bighead carp

Unlike the white carp, the bighead carp feeds on zooplankton rather than algae, although the growing regime for these varieties is the same. Considering that there are usually more algae in ponds than plankton, the stocking density of bighead carp should be less than that of white carp. However, it can be grown together with carp without the risk of forage competition.

  • Rainbow trout

It grows and develops rapidly in cool water saturated with oxygen. Optimum temperature is 14-18 degrees. The fish feel good even at lower rates, but if it exceeds +22 Celsius, the trout stops eating and growing.

Trout ponds should be flowing, but they can also be grown in cages or pools. Spawning is artificially stimulated by collecting eggs and sperm. In the future, dry or semi-dry insemination is carried out (Figure 1):

  • When dry, caviar and sperm are mixed, poured with water (so that the liquid covers the caviar), mixed again and washed after 5-10 minutes. After that, the caviar should be left in water for 3 hours to swell.
  • When semi-dry, the sperm is diluted with water and added to the eggs just before insemination. The products are immediately mixed, and when the caviar swells, it is transferred to a special incubation apparatus. It is constantly supplied with water. Hatching occurs in about 5-7 days.

Figure 1. The order of insemination of trout eggs

The incubation apparatus must be covered, as the larvae do not tolerate light well. Fry are transplanted into pools after the gallbladder is completely dissolved. Examples of incubators for breeding trout fry are shown in Figure 2.

  • Peled, pelchir

These are demanding fish, preferring cool waters with oxygen-enriched water. The advantage should be given to flowing ponds, but fish can also be grown in stagnant ponds, however, care must be taken to ensure that the water contains a sufficient amount of oxygen (6-7 mg / l).

  • Sturgeons

They can be grown in small ponds, pools and cages. They must be flowing, and the slopes must be strengthened. Beluga, bester and paddlefish are distinguished by the fastest growth, therefore they are mainly bred in household plots.

Economically profitable is the cultivation of channel catfish. He adapts well to different conditions cultivation, undemanding to feed and growing rapidly. When introducing artificial feed, preference should be given to products rich in protein. In addition to ponds, catfish can be grown in pools and cages, but a more intensive feeding regimen should be provided.

it predatory fish increasing the productivity of water bodies. In the presence of a sufficient amount of feed, pike can be grown together with crucian carp or carp. As a rule, the stocking density is 2 individuals per 100 square meters, but if there is a lack of feed, the stocking density should be reduced.

  • buffalo

Heat-loving fish, reservoirs for rearing which must meet the standard requirements for ponds for herbivorous species. Buffalo feeds on aquatic vegetation, and to achieve good weight individuals need to provide a complete food base.

  • Acne

One of the most valuable species due to its high palatability. In addition, eels are quite easy to breed. Larvae are caught in the coastal waters of natural reservoirs and transplanted into ponds. Planting density can reach 2 thousand individuals per square meter. Here the larvae stay for about a month, after which they are sorted by size and seated in different water bodies.


Figure 2. Examples of fry incubators

When grown in pools, the fish will be ready for sale in 3-4 months, but for this it is necessary to ensure high water flow and good aeration.

  • Tilapia

In temperate climates, tilapia can only be grown in artificial reservoirs with a controlled temperature regime. Under this condition, further breeding of tilapia is not difficult. They reproduce quickly and easily, tolerate transportation well and are not very demanding on feed.

In addition, tilapia can be bred together with other fish that feed on aquatic vegetation.

From the video you will learn how to properly incubate eggs and keep fry.

Do-it-yourself pond construction

If your site already has a small pond, you can successfully use it for breeding fish. But, if there is no pond, you will have to build it yourself. First of all, you need to choose the right place for the reservoir: it should be in partial shade, in the lowest area (Figure 3).

Note: Pond shading can be made artificial, as closely spaced trees will contaminate the water with leaves, and roots can disturb the shoreline.

To build a pond with your own hands, follow these instructions:

  1. The depth of the reservoir should be at least a meter, and the length and width is determined by the personal preferences of the owner.
  2. The soil at the bottom of the pit is carefully compacted and covered with a layer of cement.
  3. After the solution has solidified, a special polyethylene film for artificial reservoirs is laid on the bottom of the pit. It will help to quickly and easily clear the pond of debris.
  4. Next, you can start filling the pond with water. First you need to pour out a third of the planned liquid so that the film at the bottom straightens out. After that, soil and river sand are laid out at the bottom, and aquatic plants are planted. Only after that you can run the remaining water.

Figure 3. The main stages of the construction of the pond

At the final stage, you can decorate the banks of the reservoir with ornamental shrubs, trees and grass. It is not recommended to launch fish immediately after construction: the water should stand for a while so that it has its own environment of microorganisms and temperature. To speed up this process, you can leave some withered grass at the bottom or pour two or three buckets of water from a natural reservoir into the pond.

Breeding fish at home

There are several methods of breeding fish at home. they depend on the type of fish and the way it is fed. Let's consider each of them in more detail.

Extensive system

Special feeds are not brought into the reservoir, and the fish feeds only on the food base existing in the pond. In fact, this is pasture fish farming. Its main advantage is the minimum financial costs for obtaining finished products.

This method can be successfully applied in the southern regions and in large reservoirs, where the natural food base allows you to grow carp along with other herbivorous fish.

Semi-intensive method

The basis of this method is that the need for protein in fish is provided by natural feed, while the energy requirement is provided by special carbohydrate supplements (for example, corn, wheat or barley).

The use of such a breeding system allows you to more thoughtfully use the natural food base and accelerate the growth of aquatic life for further sale.

Intensive breeding system

The forage base is created artificially, by melioration, fertilization and fodder. For this method, it is necessary to equip special reservoirs (examples are shown in Figure 4).


Figure 4. Ponds and tanks for intensive fish farming

The intensive method of fish breeding includes several technologies that are successfully used in modern enterprises:

  1. Traditional: mainly used for growing herbivorous fish(for example, carp). The technology involves the use of several types of ponds for each growing cycle: spawning, nursery, fry, wintering and feeding. If fry are purchased from another farm, nursery ponds may not be equipped. The technology also means different level intensification. If it is high, the fish are fed repeatedly, and several varieties can be in the same reservoir at the same time. In such conditions, up to 5 tons of fish can be obtained from one hectare of a reservoir. However, the effectiveness of traditional technology depends on the quality of running water, aeration and liming of the pond.
  2. Continuous: young animals are grown up to a certain weight (1-2 grams), and then brought to marketable weight, without transplanting to other reservoirs. This method is simpler as it only requires the use of two types of ponds: fry and nursery.
  3. Method of rearing marketable underyearlings: at this method they practice earlier obtaining larvae and their further rearing in warm water. After that, the fish are grown in a sparse landing. During the season, you can get underyearlings weighing up to 500 grams.
  4. high intensity(figure 5): refers to cultivation in tanks and cages. The cages are placed in natural reservoirs or coolers. industrial enterprises. With a high-intensity method, fish farming can be done all year round, breeding heat-loving species in summer and cold-loving species in winter.

Figure 5. Artificial reservoirs for high-intensity fish farming

When choosing a technology, one should focus not only on feeding conditions and water quality, but also on the type of fish. Below are the main features of breeding certain varieties.

Any of the selected methods involves stocking the reservoir with fish. How this process is carried out correctly is shown in the video.

What to feed the fish in the pond

The quality of feed and water directly affects the growth rate of fish. In addition, development slows down after puberty, so young individuals are of particular interest for household plots. As a rule, the rearing period lasts no more than two years, since during this time the fish reach the desired size, but the puberty period has not yet begun.


Figure 6. Requirements for the arrangement of a reservoir for fish farming

In addition, you need to properly equip the reservoirs for breeding. Examples are shown in Figure 6.

Note: When choosing a species for breeding in a homestead, you need to focus not only on the intensity of growth, but also on other indicators: water quality, availability of suitable feed and climate zone in which the farm is located.

All types of fish are divided into heat-loving and cold-loving (Figure 7). The first group includes most popular varieties (for example, crucian carp, carp, etc.). The second is much smaller in number. It includes species such as trout, whitefish, whitefish and peled. For example, cold-loving varieties are demanding on the level of oxygen in the water (the indicator must be at least 9).

Figure 7. Common types of fish to grow in a pond. Heat-loving: 1 - crucian carp, 2 - carp; cold-loving: 3 - trout, 4 - peled

In addition, they require lower levels of nitrogen and organic matter. For example, in a pond for growing carp, the nitrogen content can reach one and a half units, while in ponds for trout this figure should be zero.

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