Here’s a secret to rearing healthy ornamental fish

Samuel Karunditu a fish breeder shows off an ornamental brooder at his farm near Sagana town,Kirinyaga County where he specialises in breeding and selling of both ornamental and cat fish fingerlings. [Munene Kamau/Standard]

When Samuel Karunditu retired, like other retirees, he did not fumble on what to do next.

He immediately took up fish farming because it was something he was already doing while employed.

“It was easy to settle into fish farming because I was doing it on the side from 2001. But since it was not my core work, I barely had time to concentrate on it due to lack of time. But upon retirement, I had time in my hands,” he says.

Lucky for him, while he was still employed he interacted with various NGOs from outside the country on modern fish breeding. The NGOs were from Belgium, Canada and Austria where aquaculture is practised using modern scientific methods.

Why cat and ornamental

Though he is now settled, it has not been easy with collapse of the Economic Stimulus Plan that rooted for fishing as an economic activity. He is among the few farmers still standing after collapse of the programme. 

The close proximity of his Shamba to the Sagana Aquaculture Research Centre, has helped him stay in business.

He says since his hatchery has been certified by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, farmers keep flocking there from far and wide.

He has 30 ponds besides raised wooden ones where he breeds ornamental and cat fish species at his one acre farm in Kirinyaga. The breeder   keeps four species of the ornamental fish which include Coy, Gold, Yellow Comet, Shubukin and the fantail whose fingerlings are available to potential farmer.

Perhaps of interest is the method he uses to breed the cat fish. He maintains the water at a temperature between 25- 28 degrees centigrade. To maintain these temps, he has been using locally available material and constructed a reservoir which is solar heated. The 8x7 feet reservoir with a translucent roofing enables sun rays to warm water stored underneath while the under surface is covered with black liners to maintain warmth and prevent seepage. The water is then piped into a breeding room where he has constructed wooden ponds covered with the liners to ensure the temperature is ideal for hatching the eggs.

Pond care

“In these ponds I bring in a female with mature eggs and a healthy male for mating after which I dip in some cucuburns (grass like material though in nylon form), where the laid eggs stick on to avoid sinking,” he says.

The breeder says after two days, the eggs start hatching and a special diet for fingerlings must be fed to them.

“These fingerlings must remain under this temperature for a week before being transferred into an open pond which must have clean water and well covered to prevent predators like back swimmers and frogs,” the breeder says.

Manage costs

After a month, the fingerlings are ready for sale to interested farmers at Sh30 for an inch long or Sh50 if it is two inches. Though getting fish feeds can be a challenge in the county, for him, he sources this from the Sagana Aquaculture Research Centre. They also taught him affordable feeding options to manage production costs.

“For the fingerlings, I beat an egg and feed it to them. It is rich in proteins.”

Unlike cat fish, the ornamental fish breeding is the opposite. It requires very cold water for the males and females to mate.

“Having mastered the art and skills of breeding these coloured amphibians, I have set a special pond which I pump in cold water early in the morning and also place the cucuburns strategically where the fertilisation takes place before the female lays its eggs on them,” he says.

Just like the cat fish fingerlings, the ornamental ones require the same special attention.

Within a month after hatching a farmer can place his or her order from between Sh100- Sh300 per each depending on their length and age.

“My market is local and international and I am happy to have provided five young men with permanent employment. I urge other farmers to venture into this high profit making venture and which keeps me busy from 6 am to 6 pm daily, except Sundays,” Karunditu says.

He says since most parts of the country have water, farmers should keep fish even if it is on the raised wooden ponds which are less labour-intensive.

“But I must caution farmers that they must clean their ponds regularly since fish species like the cat fish are heavy feeders and unless high standards of cleanliness are observed, the waste from these creatures can easily get contaminated by the algae that forms on top of the pond.  

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