We receive many requests for fish farms which are single statements such as “I want to start a fish farm how much will it cost”
Well this question is so broad it’s like asking how long a piece of string is.
There are many factors that are taken into account before any pricing can be done.
1. Firstly you need to decide on which specie you want to farm and what quantity you aim or can sell per month.
2. The species is dependent on many factors, mostly temperature and market in your area.
3. There are warm water species such as Tilapia and Catfish and cold water species like Trout. Each specie has an optimal thermal range and in most cases water either has to be warmed in winter or cooled in summer.
4. It should also be known that permits are needed to farm with fish and this can only be done/ requested by yourself.
5. Taking this into account it should be remembered that with Aquaculture we are working with lots of fish in a small dam and not like in open water dam’s, lots of water with few fish.
6. Once the specie is determined and the market to whom you aim to sell per month has been determined, we can now start with the design.
7. Now we determine the size of the system by doing the Biomass calculations for expected growth of the specie you wish or want to farm. Fish take a long time to grow and if you want to sell 1000 fish per month at a certain size this then gives us the size and scale of the infrastructure needed to achieve this.
8. There are thus many dams needed with small, to sale size fish.
9. The system layout drawings are done to match the expected Biomass.
10. A bill of quantity is now drafted indicating the cost.
11. Business financials are drafted for you which will aid you in the success of your venture.
I want to start a fish farm, and know I can sell 1000 tilapia every month. We are situated in Lephalale. What is your cost for the time it will take to do the design and pricing for us?
