Fish Farming

[billd766]

I am not sure wich forum to put this in, general or central Thailand which is where I live.

Does anybody have a fish farm?

My wife is interested in starting a fish farm and we need to get some information as to whether it is a good idea and if it is profitable.

I have searched the forum and I can't find much though there is a fair amount on Google fish farming in Thailand.

[bkkmadness]

There is a guy on here who owns a Tilapia fish farm I think, but I can't remember his name, sorry.

[dereklev]

There is a guy on here who owns a Tilapia fish farm I think, but I can't remember his name, sorry.

I think it's Toddy. I certainly remember he has a fish farm.

To OP their have been a few threads on fish farms, possibly in the Isaan Forum.

Chok Dee

[uncle paul]

There is a guy on here who owns a Tilapia fish farm I think, but I can't remember his name, sorry.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think it's Toddy. I certainly remember he has a fish farm.

To OP their have been a few threads on fish farms, possibly in the Isaan Forum.

Chok Dee

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

you can sell your fish to traders for around 30 baht a kilo or sell at the market for a little more.

[udon]

Tornado is a fish farmer......... or was.

[richard10365]

I am not sure wich forum to put this in, general or central Thailand which is where I live.

Does anybody have a fish farm?

My wife is interested in starting a fish farm and we need to get some information as to whether it is a good idea and if it is profitable.

I have searched the forum and I can't find much though there is a fair amount on Google fish farming in Thailand.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are certian jobs in Thailand farangs are not permitted to do.

http://www.doe.go.th/workpermit/eng-royaldecree.html

PRESCRIBING WORKS RELATING TO OCCUPATION AND PROFESSION IN WHICH AN ALIEN IS PROHIBITED TO ENGAGE, B.E. 2522 (1979)

#2 is Work in agriculture, animal husbandry, forestry or fishery excluding specialized work in each particular branch or farm of supervision.

However, my wife is Thai and she can. This is what she did. A friend let her use a fishing hole on his land. It takes 3 months to raise the fish. The fish are bought in Chonburi.

Investment

7200 baht for fish (1.2 baht x 6000 fish)

2960 baht for fish food (8 x 370 baht/bag) July

2960 baht for fish food (8 x 370 baht/bag) August

2960 baht for fish food (8 x 370 baht/bag) September

Total cost to buy and raise is 16080 baht

The Return

7 fish = 1 kilo = 35 baht at the market

6000 fish/ 7 fish = 857 kg

875kg x 35 baht = 29995

Profit

29995 - 16080 = 13915 baht or 4638/month.

If she earns her own money this way, I don't have to give it to her out if my pocket. My Thai friend even feeds the fish for her.

This is just one fish pond. Two fish ponds doubles the investment. If there are 12 fish ponds, it is possible (in theory) to make a profit of 55,660 baht.

I am sitting back and watching the process to see if it auctually works.

[cdnvic]

This is just one fish pond. Two fish ponds doubles the investment.  If there are 12 fish ponds, it is possible (in theory) to make a profit of 55,660 baht.

I am sitting back and watching the process to see if it auctually works.

Hope you have something to keep the birds away. A neighbour of mine went through 3 months of waiting and at the end got 2 trout out of it. Birds got the rest.

cv

[mbkudu]

My wife and I operate a fish farm in the north east. She handles all of it because I am working in the US at the moment. There are 9 ponds total. They are simply rice paddies converted into ponds. I cannot be much help here, but I will try.

The fish she raises are talapia, catfish and 'pla nin,'; I don't know the English name for it. It is not a hugely profitable business, but keeps her financially independent (she can save money in the bank and has bought more land with profit) and it keeps four other people in her village employed, including her younger sister. This year was not particulary good because of a lack of rain.

Her brother in-law is trying to set up an area to raise fry as well. If he can do this, then they don't have to buy new fry after each harvest like they do now; and they could sell the fry as well. When harvest time comes traders come in trucks and haul the fish away.

I wouldn't rely on fish farming as a sole business (get it? Sole, ha!), because it can be very slim pickins in drought years or low rain years. We grow other things as well; rice, mangoes, chilie, ect. A good idea might be to have a restaurant near or at your farm that serves up the fish right there. I look at it as a steady business that will be nice to have when I'm an old codger and out of the rat race.

Edited August 8, 2005 by mbkudu

[RamdomChances]

Bill I put a pond in about 1 month ago and am trying it out now. We've only got 500 Pla duk in at the moment. A friend of mine has a big fish farm 4 ponds the biggest is 5 rai. Anyway here's some things to think about.

Water :- where is it coming from ? Will it actually stay in the pond or drain rapidly away, you will lose some to evaperation anyway. I've been told that a pond will "self seal" over a few years. Fish dont grow that well in "clean" fresh water you need to develope some sort of eco-system in the pond (plants, insects ect) this has the added advantage of providing some of the food for the fish as well. We sell quite a bit of cow manure to fish farms for this purpose. Gov water is not really a viable option for "topping up" the pond.

Fish :- What fish to stock and the stocking rates some fish are carnivors some plant eaters they dont mix that well. Generally the more expensive the fish to buy on the market the more difficult/expensive it is to keep. Low stocking rates give you a better return as the fish can live off the pond ecosystem, but obviously you get less fish to sell. High stock rates mean buying more food and a slower growth rate for the fish. You can buy the fish from 50 satang each IMO its better to get the bigger ones for around 1 Bhat each

Selling :- Large farms usually sell to an agent who will come with a team and catch all the fish (usually the water is pumped out of one pond into an other). Its easy but you get less/Kg than the market. Catch you own and sell on the market, more money but you need to catch them and sell them a local market will only support so many fish you may well find that you supply outstrips demand.

I had to get a pond dug anyway and as my land slopes from the farm the run-off water is very rich (all the cow dung) I'm suffering from a lot of drainage at the moment, but I have plenty of water from my bore hole to top up if nessesary. Since its there anyway I may as well stock it. We are doing low intensity stocking just for selling in the shop and personal consumption, with the the stock rate I have it's virtually free money as the fish dont need feeding much. Mabye next year I'll do more just seeing this year if the water will stay ect.

richard10365

Some good points on your post.

I assume they are 15Kg bags as fish food is around 25 Bhat/kg.

You will get a certian ammount of natural wastage (fish dieing) I've been told this can be as much as 20% so I would 'nt expect to be selling 6000 fish if I was you.

7 fish = 1 kilo = 35 baht at the market

This worksout to about 150 grams a fish! What fish are they? usually they are sold much bigger than that depending on the type.

Bird's are not a problem as far as I'm aware here.

Anyway fish farming probably works but I would 'nt rely on it as a sole income unless you are prepared to go into it in a big way.

Edited August 8, 2005 by RamdomChances

[Tornado]

Tornado is a fish farmer......... or was.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

really?

I own a prawn farm or better still, some land with a hole in it. I stopped them working it as they were putting in to many chemicals.

[richard10365]

This is my first time I have seen fish raising done.

If it dosent work well, I don't think I will do it again. If it works well, I will look at ways of improving the process.

My wife says she could have saved money buy buying directly from Chonburi instead of having them delivered. That might be something she does different next time

I haven't seen any birds cleaning out the pond. It is easy to tell there are many thousands of fish in the pond by the number of fish you can see when you feed them. They are getting quite big as well.

The fish they bought are catfish. My friend was telling me if the catfish get too big, the local people won't buy them. Something about liking to buy smaller fish, put on a stick, and over the grill easier.

There is another fish also in the same pond as well called "Nin". I hope that fish is not a danger to the catfish.

Our technical advisor on this little project is my friends 65 yr old father. He seems to know what he is talking about.

[RamdomChances]

The fish they bought are catfish. My friend was telling me if the catfish get too big, the local people won't buy them. Something about liking to buy smaller fish, put on a stick, and over the grill easier.

There is another fish also in the same pond as well called "Nin". I hope that fish is not a danger to the catfish.

Richard you have the same as me Pla Duk (sp) We were planing on eating/selling at around 300-800 grams. They do usually BBQ them and I have seen much samller ones for sale at the market. Around here though it usually the bigger size. If you are selling through and agent it might be that its the smaller size he wants. Pla Nin is fine mixed in with them, in fact the next heavy rain I get I'm going to stick 500 of them in with mine. I think they sell for more as well. Its a first for me as well, but I know qiuite a few people that do it.

[otherstuff1957]

I heard a similar story to the one who had birds eat all but two of his fish, but the way I heard it, the "birds" were actually the wife's relatives!

[TizMe]

When I was in Oz a couple of months ago, I visited a Barramundi farm just outside of Robe in South Australia.

They harvest between 300 and 350 tonnes each year from 56 tanks.

Each tank holds upto 5000. They are all in two big sheds.

As barra is a tropical fish and south Oz is cold, they use warm water pumped up from artesion bores.

They start with tiny 80-millimetre long fingerlings from a hatchery and grows them in a nursery before transferring them to the bigger tanks and then harvest them 8 months later at 600-800 grams.

It certainly looked like a profitable operation in Oz.

[Thaicoon]

http://www.scandasia.com/oldscandasia/Oldd...chickenfarm.php

Try the above link, this is a mate of mine he is well into his Chicken farming and now has a massive fish farm, the numbers he is talking about with the fish have now more than doubled, he is just outside Buriram.

[uncle paul]

This is my first time I have seen fish raising done.

If it dosent work well, I don't think I will do it again. If it works well, I will look at ways of improving the process.

My wife says she could have saved money buy buying directly from Chonburi instead of having them delivered. That might be something she does different next time

I haven't seen any birds cleaning out the pond. It is easy to tell there are many thousands of fish in the pond by the number of fish you can see when you feed them. They are getting quite big as well.

The fish they bought are catfish. My friend was telling me if the catfish get too big, the local people won't buy them. Something about liking to buy smaller fish, put on a stick, and over the grill easier.

There is another fish also in the same pond as well called "Nin".  I hope that fish is not a danger to the catfish.

Our technical advisor on this little project is my friends 65 yr old father. He seems to know what he is talking about.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

There are a few things you have to sort out!

top quality fish feed costs around 250 baht for 25 kg: you have to know where to get it.

pla nin are fine to sell at the market: watch out for the sharp bits.

you should look at carp as the grow quick and can be kept in harsh water conditions.

there are also some nice books available from the un concerning fish breeding

[Dakhar]

This all sound fun. My mother-in-law has a few fish ponds, one rather large one... probably around 6 acres or so. She at one time had a large checken house above her largest pond... But now due to the bird flu, she does not mess with the chickens.

As far as profit, I can not tell you much about that.

[billd766]

Thanks to everybody for the information.

I will go through it all with my wife when I get back at the end of the month.