Is tilapia farming right for you?

The decision to become a tilapia farmer isn't one to be taken lightly. It is easy to think of fish as something other than livestock but livestock they are. You have to be committed, day in and day out until they are off to market or on your dinner plate.

With other animals there is a constant reminder as you see them on your farm or homestead. Because fish aren't usually seen until you are feeding them, it can be easy to think, “oh, I will feed them tomorrow.”

If you wouldn't treat you dog/cat like that, then don't treat your fish like that. 

There is an exception to this and that is delayed feeding which I have written about previously.

So back to the original question, is tilapia farming for you. You have to ask yourself some questions.

• How many do you plan to raise. Is this for your own consumption or to sell?
• Have you calculated how much it may cost you to feed the until they are ready? (use the chart)
• How are you going to remove the build up of excrement from  the water?
• Do you have measures in place to heat or cool the water if need be?
• What is your intended time frame?
• Where are you going to keep them?
• Who is going to be responsible for the feeding and buying of food?
• Who will be checking the water quality.
• How will you harvest them.
• If you plan to sell, who will buy them?

All of these need to be taken into consideration before you put your money on the line to purchase your fish. You might have the goal but you need to do some prep work first.

Getting these straight from the outset will save you headaches down the road.