Chital fish farming in freshwater pond is becoming popular gradually, mainly because of it’s high price and demand in the market.
Commercial chital fish farming business is very profitable and you can get your investment within a very short period of time.
Commercial chital fish farming is popular in some South Asian countries. Commercial culture is especially popular in India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malay, Laos, Thailand and Pakistan.
Growth rate of chital fish is very fast and that’s why commercial culture can be very profitable.
Commercial chital fish farming business can be a great way of income for the unemployed educated people of the areas where it’s available.
How to Start Chital Fish Farming Business
Starting chital fish farming business is very easy and relatively simple. Even the beginners can also raise this fish commercially. Here we are describing more information about starting chital fish farming business.
Site Selection
First of all, select a very good site or location for starting chital fish farming business. It will be better if the selected site is free from all types of pollution and far from the residential areas.
Availability of full sun is also important. Although, you can use your existing pond for starting chital fish farming business.
Pond Construction & Size
You have to construct a pond after selecting a good site. You can either use manual labor or machine for constructing the pond.
The size and shape of the pond can be any depending on your available land type. But having a pond of at least one acre will be good for commercial chital fish farming business.
Pond Preparation
You don’t have to think much about preparing the pond. Because the chital fish are carnivorous and they are fed on external feeds.
Just applying lime and some organic and inorganic fertilizers will be enough. Consult with an aquaculture specialist in your area for having better recommendation.
Seed Collection
The chital fish seeds are both produced in the hatcheries and also harvested from the wild. There are many suppliers who are supplying chital fish fingerlings. You can contact with any suppliers for the seeds.
Rearing the Fingerlings
In most cases, the chital fish fingerlings are not reared separately. Rather, they are stocked directly into the main pond.
Stocking in the Main Pond
You can directly stock the fingerlings into the main pond. Generally a stocking density of 15,000 to 20,000 fish per acre will be good.
Feeding
The chital fish are carnivorous. They generally eat food from the lower level of water (although they consume food from other water levels as well). Their main diet includes various types of small fish, snail, shrimp and aquatic insects.
Harvesting
You can expect to harvest the chital fish when they reach your desired size. Growth rate of chital fish is very good and they become ready for harvesting earlier. You can harvest the fish from the pond either by using fishing nets or by draining out the pond.
Marketing
The chital fish are generally marketed live and fresh. So try to send the fish in the market immediately after harvesting.
These are the common ways for starting and operating chital fish farming business. Hope you have learned a lot from this guide! Good luck & may God bless you!
