6 Easy Making Catfish Ponds to Farm

Spread the love

Being aquatic animals’ catfishes are farmed in the water environment, so it can be cultured anyplace where there is freshwater. But after a long time over these researches, practical experiences, and research on the nature of catfish it has made us empathize that they are a furrowed type of fish. Catfishes can be raised in nearly every object that retainable in freshwater in a cone-bearing atmosphere.

This is why at present catfishes are cultivated in ponds, tanks made by concrete, rubber, or plastic tanks, where we can hold water.  At the same time, the choice of pond type to be used mainly depends on components like availability of land, convenience, raising purpose, water resources, and amount of production. In this article, you will learn various ponds type ways of raising catfish with advantages and disadvantages.

Catfish Ponds:

Catfish Farming in Nigeria
Catfish Faming; Image: Ruddra

1. Earthen Ponds 

Earthen catfish ponds are mainly created manually, or mechanically for catfish farming, which holds and replaces water, receives fertilizer or fish feed, and allows for holding, rearing, and finally harvesting of fish. To get better production you need better catfish ponds and their proper preparation. The proper pond preparation and construction of such catfish ponds and their related structures are very much necessary for successful catfish farming.

Good catfish ponds must be budget to construct as we know catfishes are easy to farm, easy to maintain, and efficient in allowing good water and fish management. So with a selected site and high water retention ability or artificial dams, reservoir, or lake dug for various types of fishes in the natural aquatic environment. Though earthen catfish ponds are constructed manually with the use of shovels and diggers, but in recent times technological instruments or types of machinery like excavators are also used to dig ponds.

If you want to construct a catfish pond for commercial purpose then you better use of excavator which works ten times than a man and is more cost-effective than manual construction too. The land for earthen catfish pond must take into consciousness the avail of water and other components that must be considered including soil type, soil texture, and soil permeability.

Advantages of Earthen Ponds

As we all know that fishes grow better in an earthen pond than in every other type of pond. It is standardized to the natural habitat of fishes and maintenance cost is cheaper which can support different kinds of feed as well. You do not need an electric aerator to boost the oxygen level in the pond because it can control pollution naturally and it lets fishes to maturate faster. In earthen pond system production cost is very low. And finally, it allows easy water management naturally.

Disadvantages of Earthen Ponds

A well proverb is every business has its own Achilles Hill.  As we know that earthen catfish pond has some advantages for fish farming but it has some disadvantages too comparing to other forms of a pond. It has been the major reasons are farmer unwillingness and lack of proper scientific knowledge.  The big problem is the buildup of ammonia in the pond as it is easy to detect the quality of water in the pond. 

Another problem is the inability to sort, as most of the farmers do not like scientific fishing culture so after introducing fish in the pond they like to go at the time of harvesting and due to big in size, it is difficult to install fishery types of equipment. 

In these types of catfish pond system, you may not determine the feed intake of the fishes because there are always huge size differences and only bigger fish eat a large portion of feed with the smaller fish are being billed. Moreover, harvesting is not easy in the earthen pond than in others.

2. Concrete Ponds

These are mainly constructed with sandstone and cement and sometimes strengthened to make them stronger. This type of pond is also suitable for biofloc fish farming. Construction of concrete ponds is often maintained by qualified skilled professionals in civil engineering. For any of this type of pond to stand the test of time, it must be better constructed.

Using blocks for the construction of concrete tanks is not usually encouraged for all. Usually, concrete tanks or pond for catfishes must be constructed below or above the earth surface and these are most popular in urban areas where catfish farming is practiced at present commercially.

Advantages of Concrete Ponds

Concrete catfish ponds are easy to manage so there are no difficulties in counting, sorting, sales, and other direction practices. It is better for production not only for fingerlings but also for juveniles. Moreover, it can be built on dry land. It cannot be a flooded and easy manageable surface area as well. As small in size you can detect diseases easily and control them.

If you want predators fish can be kept away or easily. The waste feed can easily be discovered in concrete ponds even you can reuse it as food using some materials. It is very less possible to be affected by weed and chemical pollution and it may not need major maintenance costs. Fishes’ farming process can easily be monitored and it requires less manpower to maintain.

Catfish Pond
Plastic tanks for Catfih

Disadvantages of Concrete Ponds

Concrete ponds are more cost-effective to build and this added up disbursement may be offset to some extent when you think the value a better pond adds to value. The banks are considered of a concrete pond alike to a swimming pool as well as a liner pond similar to a portable pool which is not good for fish farming at all.

A concrete catfish pond is constructed for long-lasting but it very difficult to maintain normal Ph for a long time. So if you want to continue farming then you need to maintain all facilities for fish farming artificially.  

3. Tarpaulin or Synthetic Leather Ponds

These types of catfish ponds are designed like an earthen pond but the walls are made with a form of rubber or leather carpet (waterproofed canvas) to prevent water percolation from the pond. They are usually constructed with a flow-through system.

Advantages of Tarpaulin or Synthetic Leather Ponds

Actually, these kinds of catfish ponds are very useful for raising juveniles and brood stock. They are easier to manage and continue farm culture. It is easy to reduce water waste from the pond. The maintenance cost is comparatively low.

Disadvantages of Tarpaulin or Synthetic Leather Ponds

Tarpaulin or synthetic leather catfish pond also has some disadvantages. It is not long-lasting. As it made with synthetic leather some specialist’s recommends not using it considering health issue. Pond made with cheap tarpaulin will not fish health-friendly at all and at present people do not compromise with quality, they always want quality full product. 

4. Plastic or Rubber Tanks

There has been a great change towards plastic or rubber tanks for catfish rearing. Properly designed this type of tanks with a central waste pipe pretty sloped floor and thoroughly inlet piping take advantage of gravitational and centrifugal forces to keep themselves clean. Some of these tanks are constructed to accommodate as much as of table-size fish also.

Advantages of Rubber or Plastic Tanks

These types of catfish ponds can be used for raising fishes almost everywhere. It can easily be moved from one place to the other and can be used for raising fish before they are shifted to the main ponds. It is safe and secure because and can be used to raise fishes indoor easily. They are cheap and comparatively less expensive to maintain.

Disadvantages of Rubber or Plastic Tanks

Rubber or plastic has a large impact on the environment as we know. Though it is possible to recycle plastic in many areas most people do not do it. Plastic or rubber is not perishable, which means it is impossible for the land to naturally assimilate this substantial back into the soil.

The light breaks down the plastic into small pieces that foul the soil. It is expensive to clean the toxicity that plastic creates. Recycling programs aim to get you to reuse your containers and recycle but you can no longer use it. Moreover plastic has also an adverse effect on your health.

5. Fiberglass Tanks

Fiberare transparent tanks used to raise catfish under a controlled temperature before they are transferred into the outdoor tanks. These allow you to extenuate your problems expeditiously. You may not have an idea to store fish in a place where it can remain fresh. But you have to be careful about the tank material so that it does not react with the water or poison the fish. Fiberglass tanks are the wisest choice of storing fish also.

Advantages of Fiberglass Tanks

Catfish farmers generally like anything which is durable tanks for their businesses and fiberglass pond is like that along with most cost-effective in nature. These are less affected by severe weather conditions.

In a very cold weather condition you may find cracks on other type tanks but in case of fiberglass it not possible in such weather and these are made to stand harsh weather conditions and hence deathly durable.

Disadvantages of Fiberglass Tanks

The price of a fiberglass tank is more than any other normal plastic or rubber form. The installation process is not easy and it required technical knowledge to install and buildup certain skills. Maintenance and management of these types of farms are not easy if you do not have any experience or working skills on it.

6. Cage Tanks 

Cage tanks are normally constructed and placed inside freshwater. These types of ponds are grounded in the surrounding pegs. Most of the time to feed the fishes in the tanks is accomplished with the use of a small boat as these tanks are constructed in the middle of a large water body to replace their water environment in a confined cage.

Advantages of Cage Tanks

As it is placed inside freshwater it can be used to raise a huge number of fishes at a time. It requires less investment and Inspection of fishes and their feeding is much easier. Fishes grow better due to constant freshwater and in these systems water pollution is rare.

It is one kind of natural fish farming. Fishes will feel almost natural environment. Oxygen is available for all times and handiness of other aquatic organisms for fishes as feed.

Disadvantages of Cage Tanks

The oxygen compactness decreases may be occurred at a certain time, mainly in the summer season.  As the surface water remains concentrated with oxygen the fishes are free in ponds to come to the upper layer of water. But the caged fish do not have enough water surfaces usable to them so the chance of caged fish getting mortality because of suffocation.

At the time of feeding a good amount of food devolves out by the mesh, thus there occurs enough loss of food, and maybe for this reason the fishes are to be fed several times in a day.


Spread the love

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top