2017年6月5日星期一

Benefits of Small Scale Urban Fish Farming

If you love fish, you could easily turn your home into a fish farm. When you are trying to run a business, there is no denying that location plays a very important role. However, when you are trying to start a home-based fish farming business, or any other agriculture based business, living in the city could actually benefit you.

There are a number of customers today who are looking for locally grown organic food. This demand can allow you to enter the food business, without much trouble. You know that food is essential for life, and there will always be demand for organic food in the future.
Fish farming can be done in any place, and when you start your home based fish farming business, you are able to utilize every possible available space in your home, whether it’s your backyard pond, aquariums or fish tanks in your living room, or tubs in your basement.
Urban fish farming is more than just a hobby
Today, many people are starting to grow their own food at home, it gives them food security, fresh organic food, which is healthy and it also improves the environment. But when you start growing food and start enjoying it, you will find that there will be enough food to market it to others and still have some left over to share with your neighbors.
Therefore, urban farming is not just a hobby but it helps the economy and health of individuals as well as communities.

Techniques for raising fish at home
Home based fish farm could be started anywhere, indoors or outdoors. If you use tubs, you could place them in your basement, on your rooftop, balcony or patio. If you have a backyard, you could dig a pond, place your tubs outside, or get some other types of containers like aquariums, or you could even raise fish in a barrel.  
As mentioned earlier, living in the city could actually be beneficial for home based farming business. You are able to grow your own organic food, and also make a little bit of extra money by taking your food to the market. There are many stores, restaurants, and markets in your local community who would love to purchase food from you.

How to get started

To start your home based fish farm, first you need to learn a little bit about your market. Also try to learn about the fish you are planning to raise at home. Some fish do well in shallow water, in room temperature. Some fish like the warm weather and others can thrive during the winter, so determine what you want to raise, who your market is, and where you will raise your fish. It will all depend on your available space, how much time and money you have and the demand for fish in your area. Also consider what type of fish you should raise for maximum profits.

What you’ll need

You will also need a couple more, inexpensive things, such as air pump, lights, and such to get started. Get some containers, aquariums, or tubs. Next, contact a local fishery or hatchery to obtain your fingerlings. Once you get them, let them grow. Make sure they have plenty of air, food and light available. For indoor farms, arrange enough artificial lights and air pumps. They will grow into market size fish in a few months, depending on the species of the fish. Make sure to feed them regularly and according to their needs and check their health.
Small scale farming may not have all the benefits of a full-fledged business, but it doesn’t have all the risks and overheads of a large business as well. You could start small, with as many ponds and as many fish as you want. If you are confidant, you could expand the number of ponds, purchase more property hire more people and start a bigger fish farm.
Even if you don’t plan on selling fish, you could still raise fish in aquariums or tubs for your personal consumption. There is nothing healthier than home grown and raised fish, so be creative with your home based farm. Try to gather as much knowledge about fish farming as you can, and get started.
Remark: this article comes from worldwideaquaculture.com