Fish Farming ... When It Goes Belly Up

[RedBullHorn]

Ray: I think that RBH program for growing catfish is the only way you can make money at this game. Once I harvest these fish I will talk again with him. He has stated that I should consider 10,000 in my larger pond. RBH can supply me with food and fry. He can arrange to have the fish harvested. Basically all I have to do is feed the fish. This way he makes some extra money and I can also.

A big goal for me is to get the pla nin out of both ponds. They are a curse because they reproduce so fast. Hoping that a good shot of lime will do this.

Forget the lime Donald, just poison them or you will end up in the same predicament.

My thought exactly...

DB, you need to do it once and do it right. Relocate your pet geese and ducks.

[slapout]

prima cord time???? I forgot where we are, sorry.

[RedBullHorn]

I think that RBH program for growing catfish is the only way you can make money at this game.

RBH has a great plan for making money ... he's got it down to a fine art ...

BUT ...

Thousands of Thai Fish Farmers ... my gf's parents for example ... the Farm I wake up everyday at when I'm in Thailand ... turn a profit.

The Farm Parents raised 3 kids, put one of them through University.

It can be done ... but not if you think like a westener.

Our input costs are way to high.

I've suggested the link to that story more then once ... up to you if you have taken the time to read it or not.

That said, I look forward to meeting OD and examining his approach to Farming because his input costs are less then the Traditional Thai method because of the different feeding regime.

I mentioned this too. When i started off in catfish farming, i was following the LIMITED guidance of the local head honcho. 3 years into game, i beated his harvest yield results.

The local group of catfish farmers whom i am associated with are all making good profits and they are Pros...

Me ? They called me nicknames...Doctor, Expert or Professor...

Because i have the eye for details and was able to refine the art of rearing by tweaking some details in farming technique and upgrade my skill level.

Developing farming skills/technique are essential, it is the first step......then comes the control of prices (for everythings)

If i could survive the life style of eating Nam Prick and Khao Nuea... I don't need the ฿1 million plus income, ฿2-300'000 per year is sufficient.

Thais are producing hundreds millions tonnes of catfishes and other fishes combined each year, they're doing great. Yes, there is profit to be made and they were making it even before my arrival. Somewhere out there, there are people just like me, who knows just how to make it better......

Edited November 6, 2013 by RedBullHorn

[DonaldBattles]

I fear that at my age of 80 and only having help from my wife that I can't be a true competitor. I grew beef cattle for years in Ratchaburi Province and did ok at a younger age.

[ozzydom]

I have geese in ducks that stay mostly in the lower lake. I am afraid of putting cyanide in for fear that they will drink the water from the upper lake.

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How did cyanide get into the equation Donald ,it is almost impossible to get here.

Rotenone which is a natural plant extract is freely available ,and easy to use.

[ray23]

...I'm at this juncture trying to figure out how to slavage something from this mess. Till I can try RBH's method with cat Fish.

Any thoughts?

Ray23 ... didn't you turn the Farm over to your BiL ... or have I got either the wrong member or misunderstood the Plan?

No your correct. But, I still tinker around out there and try help him along, with what I have learned. Hopefully he will miss some of my mistakes. I want him to be succesful, which I beleive will really come from the Plarooms. I still enjoy a nice Ice Tea and fishing pole, on the deck. He really has no experience. so a little helping hand doesn't kill me.

It's ride seaon again and i'm off and about as much as I wish

[ozzydom]

So far, OD and RBH are the only ones on this forum that are showing profits. OD uses the algae approach to reduce his food cost and RBH is only growing cat fish. Seems like one of these approaches are the only ones that can succeed.

You may find that others are showing profits but only RBH and I are prepared to share our experiences and knowledge with forum members..

Dont forget that over the years of learning ,we have had our share of trials and tribulations ,successes and failures and now try to assist others in dodging potential bullets.

Accepting our guidance or not is up to each individual.

[DonaldBattles]

Cyanide got into the equation as RH says that this is what he uses. Rotenone I don't know about but will try to find out. Where do you buy it?

[DonaldBattles]

The guidance of successful people is the only guide that I have and I really appreciate it.

[RedBullHorn]

To obtain Cyanide tablets, you need to be a registered user and it's not cheap. Try Rotenone as mentioned by Ozzydom.

(I Do Not Know Where To Buy It.)

[DonaldBattles]

Ozzie, Where would you buy Rotenone?

My fish Pla Tab Tim and Play Suway are now 4.5 months old. I have changed the feed to 16% CP 9333. Hope I am not making a mistake. It reduces my cost by about 2k per month. Any thoughts on this?

[ozzydom]

Ozzie, Where would you buy Rotenone?

My fish Pla Tab Tim and Play Suway are now 4.5 months old. I have changed the feed to 16% CP 9333. Hope I am not making a mistake. It reduces my cost by about 2k per month. Any thoughts on this?

Donald,Many shops that sell farm chemicals ,stock Rotenone,although they wont know it as that name ,its just a matter of getting the message across that you want to kill fish in your pond.

It comes in 10kg bags and looks like sawdust and fine wood chips.

The experts claim that feeding Tilapia (and Tab Tim )less than 20% protein food is folly, and they may be correct .

Most large growers with plain water ponds including river nets feed 25% pellets with good results so feeding 16.5% in unimproved ponds will give slower growth rates for sure.

It all comes down to what you as a grower want to accomplish ,if you want quick growth then you must feed higher % protein food and plenty of it, but at much higher costs.

If time is of lesser importance ,then the green water method and supplemental feeding of lower % protein food is much cheaper .

[DonaldBattles]

I will double up on the feeding and get rid of the 10 bags of 16% that I have bought and go back to the 25%. I noticed that the pellets in the 25% are about 25% smaller which is also better.

My goal is to harvest at the end of April. Most likely I will feed the 16% to the Pla Suway as I am in no big hurry with them. Will go back to 25% for the pla ta tem. I really appreciate the advice.

[ray23]

This year I fed 16.5%, Last year I used 25% I have noticed a difference in growth. Not so sure it would off set the cost though.

Last year we were catching 1/2 kilo fish by the time of year. But with the fry problem this year, no way of telling that the 25% made much difference.

We will pump the pond in March. that shoud put us in the nine month area this time next year.

As hobby's go this one is not to expensive. worst year we lost a 1;000 baht a month. The challenge for me is to break even and have a free hobby. Right now i have the bike rides, to break things up a bit. But, it will get to hot an the rain will start. I've ridden all that before.Not what I have im mind.

So the farm will help me keep active. Especially now that I can pick and choose what I do.

I tried a week or two of not going there, bored to death. So it belongs to the brother. But, I will still be playing.

[DonaldBattles]

Ray, I think your approach is a good one. At my age I can't do anything serious because I am not half the man I used to be. I enjoy fish farming and at the end of the first year if I can break even it would be OK. Next year I can use what I have leared from you guys plus my own learning and maybe make a few Baht. I don't think I want to bother with Pla Tab Tem any more. They are a strange fish and risky.

[ozzydom]

The Tea seed powder is the residue of tea seeds (also named camellia seeds) after camellia oil extraction. Tea seed powder is a natural pesticide, which is widely used for cleaning the pond and killing the snails, earthworm, clam, tadpole and other pests. It can accelerate the growth of algal according to decompose organic fertilizer. And it can be used as nature organic fertilizer because of high content of protein.

Applications:

1.) Killing snails with high effect and no toxic residue

Tea seed powder can be used in paddy field, vegetable field, flower field and golf court to kill apple snail, golden apple, Amazonian snail, earthworm and so one. And it won’t bring harm to the rice, vegetable, flower and grass.

2.) Cleaning pond with no pollution

Tea seed powder can kill the unusable fish, loach, tadpole, frog-spawn and other aquicolous insects. It also can accelerate the growth of aquatic-gross and fasten the exuviations of shrimp and crab, but never threaten them.

3.) Natural organic fertilizer

Tea seed powder can adjust the soil trace elements and promote the growth of plant roots. It can get rid of the pests, diseases, virus, and even enhance the resistibility to the pests and diseases.

Donald, this info came from fisheries dept today, they say it is widely available in Thailand so check your area.

[David48]

OD ... great info ...

[ray23]

OD ... great info ...

Hmm That would be very hekpful, I will try to find some. I got penty of snails. Maybe soem day I will find soem shrimp to try, now that is somehitng I would enjoy eating.

Did the article give a Thai Name.?

On our trip this weekend we rode over a very Large dam. on the river side a ton of floating fish farms. Man that could slove a lot fof problems along wth creating few I imagine.

[DerkMR]

Maybe soem day I will find soem shrimp to try, now that is somehitng I would enjoy eating.

South of Kut Chap near the large dam for the reservoir is a branch of the fisheries department which is a lot bigger than in Udon.

When we asked in January they told us they would have shrimps starting in May. It may be worth a visit but I think the season may have been...

On the other hand fisheries department should propagate Macrobrachium rosenbergi now as the coastal shrimps are in trouble...

Bye,

Derk

[ozzydom]

Maybe soem day I will find soem shrimp to try, now that is somehitng I would enjoy eating.

South of Kut Chap near the large dam for the reservoir is a branch of the fisheries department which is a lot bigger than in Udon.

When we asked in January they told us they would have shrimps starting in May. It may be worth a visit but I think the season may have been...

On the other hand fisheries department should propagate Macrobrachium rosenbergi now as the coastal shrimps are in trouble...

Bye,

Derk

The fisheries station at Kut Chap only supplies M.rosenbergi,the problem is that these shrimps breeding phase is subject to a few factors so the supply window is hit and miss.

We ordered last October (2012) for December supply ,then they said the weather was to cold for breeding so delivery would be May (this year), in the end they rang end of March to say my order was ready.

When farming shrimp and Tilapia together, the shrimp should go in 6-8 weeks before the Tilapia fry but supply of the shrimp after stocking Tilapia fry meant a 20000 shrimp buffet for the Pla Nin.

Wont know if any survived for a couple of weeks.

[ray23]

Thanks guys, Dom I thought yuo got some to eat the last time you tried?

Edited November 26, 2013 by ray23

[ozzydom]

Thanks guys, Dom I thought yuo got some to eat the last time you tried?

We did, this is the second try at them.

[David48]

We have just a little experience with the Shrimp/Prawn Market ... there is maybe 6 or 7 items of interest for you.

[DonaldBattles]

Today I reverted to the 25% protein. I feel that in order to make my deadlines of April and May I don't need to take the chance with the 16%. I still have a lot of fish around 125-150 grams that have a long way to go. The competition from the plan nin is really bad. Can't wait to get rid of them.

[jayci]

Today I reverted to the 25% protein. I feel that in order to make my deadlines of April and May I don't need to take the chance with the 16%. I still have a lot of fish around 125-150 grams that have a long way to go. The competition from the plan nin is really bad. Can't wait to get rid of them.

Any chance of letting a fella pole fish for some Pla nin?

[DonaldBattles]

Help yourself to pole fishing for pla nin. We open the bar on Saturdays with BYOB.

[jayci]

Sounds great, next time I am in the area ill give you a call.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[DonaldBattles]

Does anyone know where you can buy the pla buk fingerlings. Next year I want to stock them for sport fishing. Bo Saeng in Chiang Mai has them in their lake and many are 50 kg in weight. These are supposed to be Mekong type Catfish.

[Chao Lao Beach]

Help yourself to pole fishing for pla nin. We open the bar on Saturdays with BYOB.

Chiang Rai ?

[ray23]

Well we pumped the little pond and I think I know where the catfish that were missing went and some Pla Mor as well. We found two of the rice field fish in the pond. They were huge fight buggers so they had be eatin well.

Have no idea how they got in there, the drains for the ponds are covered. We rainsed the s dirt a meter high and a block wall all around it. Unless we pumped egss in from the other ponds when we added water. If that is the sase got to be some in the big pond as well.

I'm letting the little pond dry. I will cement the botom. Make it easier to catch them instead spending hours muncking through the mud, Hopefully it will retian water better, No way I can take the mud out, othre then buckets and shevels.

When we pump the big pond in March, I will use if for a holding tank for the sellable fish and kill the little ones. I think this year I will just wait for Budha to fill the big pond.

I may just have to put a bore hole in and pump water from under ground, probably in the long run the least expensive way to do that, is to sit a solar pump system. More money up front but, less espensive to opearate adn w coudl use it n the mushrooms as well. We know the water level starts about about four meters we hit when we dug the big pond. Good fresh water not a salty,

In the end we need a better water supply. Lost the big pond we were pumping from, still hae two small ponds to use. But those fish came from somewhere and my best bet is from the ponds we were pumping from.

Interesting hobby.