The commercial chital fish farming business has become popular due to its high price and demand within the market like pabda fish in Asia. Chital fish farming business is extremely profitable and you’ll get your investment within a really short period of your time.
Freshwater fish farming plays a crucial role in rural livelihoods in India, and its production contributes to the livelihoods and employment of millions In India, Bangladesh, and other Asian countries.
Chital fish also referred to as clown knife fish in English may be a great delicacy within the Indian sub-continent. This is often one of the foremost mysterious fishes during this region. Chital fish may be carnivorous fish. They’re generally a fish eater of freshwater. They sleep in the clean water of the river, swamp, etc. It is cultivated like other carp fish species in freshwater commercially. At present chital, fish raising is also happened in tank or tarpaulins pond applying Biofloc fish farming procedure in many countries.
Commercially this species is being cultured heavily in Asia, particularly popular in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malay, Laos, Thailand, and Pakistan. The growth rate of chital fish is extremely fast and that’s why commercial culture is often very profitable.
Commercial fish farming businesses are often a good way of income for the unemployed educated people of the areas where it’s available.
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Importance of Chital Fish
It dwells standing and dozy freshwaters of lakes, floodplains, canals, and ponds. In captivity, it’s however cultured in tanks throughout the greater parts of India. Chital fish is grown alongside carps within the fish-pig farming.
In fact, it’s considered a “source of potassium and phosphorus” and a fish of “high selenium content”. So hake has a minimum of four unquestionable benefits for a healthy diet; it’s low in fat, low in calories, a source of high-value protein, and a significant content of vitamins and minerals.
Chital fish maybe a low-fat top quality protein, crammed with omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins like D and B2. This fish’s flesh also contains calcium and phosphorus and a good source of minerals, like iron, zinc, iodine, magnesium, and potassium.
How to Start Chital Fish Farming
Starting a chital fish farming business is extremely easy and comparatively simple. Even beginners also can raise this fish commercially. Chital fish farming is comparatively easier than carp fish farming like rui, grass carp, silver carp. Here we are describing more information about starting a chital fish farming business.
1. Make a Business Plan
The chital fish farming business is very easy and profitable, but not so much easy to start a business commercially. But if want to start a business commercially then you have to make a well-defined business plan that will be effective and realistic.
A business plan is formed with three parts which are the business model, operation model, and financial projections.
A perfect business model for a chital fish farming business plan depends on many factors, which may define the scope of your business model.
First, if your company is looking for financial help from banks or investors. In this sector, you have to describe everything in detail.
Second, the business model must be associated with some important elements such as the number of expertness of your management team, the land for farming, and modern equipment. The third one is how the chital fish will be sold or the marketing system must be defined.
An operation model of a chital fish farming business plan is designed mainly for structure and communication among the factors of production on the farm. The operation model also shows the available facility and how the facility will be operated to gain an optimum level of output. The number of manpower needed to directly carry out the chital fish farming business.
A well-defined financial projection for a chital fish farming business plan means the full financial affirmations, as well as custom analytic thinking to further understand the risk and profit prospects.
2. Site Selection
First of all, you have to select a really good site or location for starting the chital fish farming business commercially. It’ll be better if the chosen site is free from all kinds of pollution and much from the residential areas.
Availability of full sun is additionally important. Though you’ll use your existing pond for starting chital fish farming business, using modern technology or modern aquaculture system chital fish is cultured in the tank, cage, and even tarpaulin pond applying Biofloc technology.
3. Pond Design and Construction
You have to construct an earthen pond after selecting an honest site. You’ll either use manual labor or machine for constructing the pond. The size and shape of the pond are often any countings on your available land type. But having a pond of a minimum of one acre is going to be good for commercial chital fish farming business.
4. Pond Preparation
You don’t need to think much about preparing the pond. Because the chital fish are carnivorous and that they are eating up external feeds. Just applying lime and a few organic and inorganic fertilizers is going to be enough. Consult an aquaculture specialist in your area for having a better recommendation.
5. Seed Collection
Chital fish lays eggs in a currents water reservoir. But they also lay eggs in pond and swamp. Their breeding period is from June to July. You’ll expect to reap the chital fish once they reach your required size. The rate of growth of chital fish is extremely good and that they become ready for harvesting earlier. You’ll harvest the fish from the pond either by using fishing nets or by draining out the pond.
But you can collect chital seeds from hatcheries at present not need to wait for natural seeds. Some hatcheries and suppliers are supplying chital fish fingerlings. You’ll contact any suppliers for the seeds.
6. Rearing the Fingerlings
In most cases, the chital fish fingerlings aren’t reared separately. Rather, they’re stocked directly into most ponds. If you want to raise it in tank or case then you must follow modern farming methods.
7. Stocking within the Main Pond
You can directly stock the fingerlings into most ponds. Generally, a stocking density of 15,000 to 20,000 fish per acre is going to be good. In case of Biofloc system you can cultivate according to the size of tank or cage.
8. Feeding
The chital fish are carnivorous. They typically eat food from a lower level of water. Their main diet includes various sorts of small fish, snail, shrimp, and aquatic insects. Proper monitoring or water treatment is also needed in modern farming methods. Finally, in commercial farming, you have to conscious of the disease, weight, and growth of the fish.
9. Harvesting
You can expect to reap the chital fish once they reach your required size. The rate of growth of chital fish is extremely good and that they become ready for harvesting earlier. You’ll harvest the fish from the pond either by using fishing nets or by draining out the pond.
10. Marketing
The chital fish are generally marketed live and fresh condition, whatever it local or remote market. So you need to attempt to send the fish within the market immediately after harvesting.
So, these are the common ways of starting and operating a chital fish farming business commercially. Hope you’ve got learned tons from this guide.
Keep Record
As a commercial fish farmer, you must keep a note or record of everything of your farming activities. After calculation profit, you will be able to identify the most possible way to earn more profit. Records also help you to take any decision in farming and farming methods.
