Catfish farming in Nigeria with plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds

Plastic tanks used in growing catfish come in various sizes and capacities from a volume of 1000 litres through to 20,000 litres. Used chemical storage tanks like IBC (Intermediate Bulk Containers) can be repurposed to serve as fish tanks. Tarpaulin material is also wrapped around rectangular frames and used as ponds to grow catfish.

Plastic tanks can be bought from manufacturers of water storage tanks and their retailers. Tarpaulin materials can be bought from markets that deal in related plastic and chemical products and used to construct the ponds. These types of ponds are temporary and used mainly in residential areas to grow catfish. On a larger scale tarpaulin materials can be used to line earthen ponds.

Plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds have plumbing systems to channel fresh water into the ponds and wastewater out of the ponds. A pit is necessary for the waste water. Equipment you will find in a catfish farm that uses plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds to grow fish include water well, pumping machine, nets, plastic containers or bowls, water storage tanks, weighing scale and a store room.

Advantages of growing catfish with Plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds

i) They are easy to set up, assemble and disassemble.

ii) They are the least costly to set up of the three common types of artificial fish ponds used in growing fish.

iii) Leakages are easy to spot and fix.

iv) It can be set up in residential areas where they can be secured and easily monitored.

v) It is easy to monitor and observe the growth of the fish grown using plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds.

vi) They are suitable for use in hatching or spawning catfish fries because they can be set up inside a building where the ambient temperature can be controlled. 

vii) If the farmer changes his or her mind about catfish farming it is relatively easy to disassemble the system and resell the component parts of the plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds to other fish farmers.

viii) They are easy to maintain.

ix) They can be set up very close to the market for catfish in urban areas.

x) It is suitable for people who want to start small or who want to experiment catfish farming.

Disadvantages of growing catfish with plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds

i) The component parts have relatively short lifespans of about 3 – 5 years.

ii) They break easily leading to leakages that must be fixed.

iii) They require frequent cleaning to control the slimy layer of plankton growth and bacteria colonies along the walls of the plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds. 

iv) They have the most artificial environment among the common artificial methods of growing catfish. 

v) It is usually impractical to scale beyond a 20,000 capacity fish farm when exclusively using plastic tanks and tarpaulin ponds to grow catfish.

vi) The setup and look of a plastic tank and tarpaulin ponds system can easily get clumsy and cumbersome as it scales beyond a capacity of 5,000 catfish.

NB: Are you thinking about starting a catfish farming business and you need consulting services to help prevent making costly mistakes? Then consult with us. We are Divine Fish Farm and Gardens. Call +2348077776861, Email: info@divinefish.com.ng. Website: https://divinefish.com.ng.