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Business plan and Ideas on Ornamental Fish Farming for Beginners

Business plan and Ideas on Ornamental Fish Farming
Written by Medhaavi Mishra

In this rapidly fast world, everything is happening fast only, but the place where people stop to have a look at it is something beautiful and eye-catching similar to ornamental fish farming. Ornamental fish farming has become a hobby for many people as people farm ornamental fishes and exports them to high demand countries. Several statistics show that people want an aquarium in their office and shop because it looks attractive and soothing. And this thinking only has created a huge demand for ornamental fishes and has made it possible for ornamental fish farming as a profitable and successful business plan. 

What is Ornamental Fish Culture?

blue and yellow fish in water

Ornamental fish culture, also known as aquaculture, is a culture of farming attractive, colorful fishes of different characters and are bred in a confined aquatic system. Ornamental fishes are also known as a living jewel. More than 33,600 fish species globally and over 2500 species belong to ornamental fishes. And most of these ornamental fish species survive in freshwater. 

Water culture

For the ornamental fishes, the generally preferred water is soft to hard water as different fishes survive in different water conditions. The average temperature of ornamental fish farming is 15 degrees to 28 degrees celsius with a ph balance of mild alkaline. 

The tanks that can be used in these fishes’ farming are normal cemented tanks, glass aquariums, and earthen pots, as there is no specific tank needed for their farming. 

Major Benefits of Ornamental Fish Farming

Fewer efforts

white and black i am a good girl card

If you are thinking of doing this business, let me tell you that this is one of the easiest businesses one can do as ornamental fishing farming is the same as petting a fish in your backyard but with a large quantity. And the interesting fact is that you need an aquarium to start farming the ornamental fish, and there is nothing else needed except that.

Yes, of course, the fish food also! 

And the easy part for you is that it also does not need a large space because it can also be done in a small space. 

In a survey of how much investment is needed in doing a business, fish farming came up with one of the low-cost investment businesses with huge profits.

Less Workforce

2 men in green shorts walking on beach during daytime

To do ornamental fish farming, you do not need a large workforce because a few workers can easily do this work. And there is no need for any such specific skilled workers as they are doing this business there are no specific skills required.

 Physical work is also needed for very little time only during the transfer of fish, but as such, there is even no need for physical work also.

Demand

white letters on brown wooden table

The demand for ornamental fishes is very high worldwide. The best way to start your business and grow it is by focusing on offices, shops, and restaurants that buy fish to place in their workplace. 

And your business should involve eye-catching aquariums and fish tanks so that people can’t resist buying them and seeing fishes is also very relaxing that everybody likes.

Ornamental Fishes

Types

There are a lot of ornamental fishes, but not all are as good for business purposes, so we have selected a range of ornamental fishes that have a huge demand in the market and which are very popular in this market and can create a great opportunity for doing ornamental fish farming in any part of the world.

Platies

Platies are very popular and are a great community fish. They come in different colors that one could never imagine.

 The platies are very peaceful and are easy to pet fish. These are reasons for them being the most popular choice for ornamental fish farming.

This species of fish loves to be in groups, and they are very small in size. A small tank with the capacity of 30 litres of water is perfect for keeping five fish together. 

Maximum people prefer keeping this type of fish in different colors to keep their place attractive and eye-catching.

Neon Tetra

Image result for neon tetra

Neon tetra or aquarium fish that most people know it as. These fish are very small and are easy to carry; every beginner aquarist prefers this fish. 

This fish’s size is not more than 2.2 cm in length and is mostly preferred in groups. These fishes are a great choice for small aquariums due to their peaceful temperament. 

Oscar

Image result for oscar fish

Oscars are the most demanded aquarium fish because of their intelligence. These fish are the ones that can be trained to do tricks.

They are not the kind of community fish and require a lot of maintenance compared to other fishes. Usually, they are farmed separately because of their predatory nature and the amount of waste they create. They grow very fast and very large in a short span of time.

Zebra Danios

Image result for zebra danio fish

This fish species is easy to care for and can grow up to 5-7cm, and is known as the perfect beginner fish. These fishes know how to jump, so you might be needed to cover the tank to stop them from escaping. These fish are the same as platies who like to be in groups and can be kept in a fish tank with 30 liters of capacity with 5 of its kinds. 

However, they eat a lot of food, and the perfect option for it is to feed them with worms or good quality flakes, frozen or live food. 

Pearl gourami

Image result for pearl gourami

Pearl gourami are one of the easy to keep and peaceful fish, which is the reason for them being preferred by many people worldwide and are usually large. They love to be in a place where it is a little dark with some hiding places, so you want them to be in your office or you planning for this fish’s business with the fish tanks than a fish tank with the capacity of 120 litres will be perfect for them and keeping in mind the dark and hiding places for them. 

The Pearl gourami is omnivorous, so they should be fed meat oriented food, and this fish usually prefers tiny pests with tentacles. These fishes can be kept with other small fishes with a peaceful temperament. 

Guppies

Image result for guppies

Guppies are very colorful and popular fish that can survive in water conditions, which is the biggest reason for their popularity. And if you are not planning for their breeding, you should go for males as they are more colorful and attractive than females.

These fish are easy to handle and are usually kept in sets of three in the fish tank with a water capacity of 5 litres. The water temperature should be consistent where the guppies are kept, and the temperature can vary from 10 to 29 degrees celsius. 

Mollies

Image result for mollies

Mollies are very beautiful small fishes that are easy to care for and breed; they are omnivorous and require both plant and animal food to live. Mollies are generally kept in very few numbers with the same gender because of their fast breeding.

These fishes can grow up to 3-4 inches and adapt to various water conditions and are known for their peaceful nature.

The fish tank’s average size needed to keep them is with the capacity of 60 litres with the pH-balanced water of 7.0 -7.8.

Swordtails

Image result for swordtail

Swordtails are very attractive fishes with a fin extension shaped like a sword; they come in different colors and are known for their beauty. They have a bulkier body and are considered to be the same as platies and guppies. Their different color variations make them perfect for any beginner who wants to pet them. Swordtails are very peaceful and clam fish and can be found in any community tanks. The swordtails can be bred easily and if you are planning to breed them, then make sure to keep them away from their parents as they often eat their newborns. 

Parrotfish

Image result for parrot fish

Parrotfish are named as a parrot because their mouth resembles the beaks of parrots. It is a very colorful fish, and it can vary from blue, yellow, and a few times with the strikes of red. The size of these fishes varies from 12-20 inches. The fish tank’s size should be with the capacity of 90-100 litres as they are considered big in the species of ornamental fishes. 

Angelfish

Image result for angelfish

Angelfish are tall fishes that are very attractive because of their bright yellow and blue color with the stripes on them. These fishes can survive in any water conditions and can grow up to 6 inches long. This fish is also known to be a predator fish.  

The water tank’s capacity should be 50-60 litres, and the more, the better, but if you are planning to have them, then take in mind that the tank is taller rather than wide. 

Bettas

Image result for betta

Bettas are one of the most popular freshwater fish and are easy to care for. They have vibrant colors and are very attractive to be admired. The female bettas are very aggressive towards the males. If you don’t want any problems, then make sure to keep only one male betta, as it is enough. 

These fishes can be kept with other peaceful fishes, and the diet they prefer is of both plant and animal food as they are omnivorous.

The maximum size a betta can grow is 3 inches, and people usually keep them in small tanks because of their size, but you should rather keep them in large tanks as they are very active.

Arowana Fish

Image result for arowana fish

Arowana fish are fishes with elongated bodies and covered with large and heavy scales with mosaic patterns. They are freshwater fish and are predatory, so they need animal food. These fishes can be kept together till they are young as they become very aggressive and dominant after a certain age. The size of the fish tank required for them should be in the capacity of 1000 litres as they are big and need more space. The Asian Arowana is an endangered fish, and it is not allowed in some countries due to its rareness. And this is one of the best fish to keep as an ornamental fish in your tank. 

Business Plan and Ideas

After reading about all these different sorts of ornamental fishes, if you have gotten interested in doing ornamental fish farming and you are planning to do in this field, then we have few ideas that you can use to start your own business, whether small or large and gain lots of profits in this field. 

The ideas and business plans that are good to go in this field for doing business are:

Aquariums

green plant in clear glass fish tank

Aquariums are one of the businesses that you can go in as there is a lot of demand for aquariums that are beautiful in design and have something unique in them to look more attractive. As there are many individuals and offices are required with aquariums that have something unique in their design. 

In this business, you can build from a small flask to keep a single fish to a large custom aquarium in any office or place where people visit more like hotels and restaurants.

Tanks

silhouette of woman standing near aquarium

Tanks for breeding are also a very good and profitable idea you can use if you plan to start your business. As fish farming is very profitable and trending, you can build tanks of brick masonry, cement, clay, and plastic as they are very popular and widely used. 

The tanks will be used to breed different ornamental fishes, and these tanks vary in different sizes as there is a need for more than 4-5 tanks because of different fishes and their nature. The size varies as the quantity of fishes increases. 

Fish Pond

orange koi fish on water

Suppose you are planning to farm a very large amount of ornamental fishes. In that case, making the fish pond is one of the best ideas as in a fish pond you can grow a variety of fishes in a single place in a natural way and an environment like a river or lake only.

The pond’s location is the most important thing as it matters where the demand for the ornamental fish is more, and you can also plan to export the fish in the countries where the demand of that fish is more.

Fish Food

koi fishes in pond

Making fish food is also one of the ideas that you can go for if you are planning to do something in this field as the demand for fish food is very high and getting proper healthy and nutritional fish is very difficult as you have to select from different varieties of things that are good for the fishes. And if you plan to make a plant of all varieties of fish food, it will be a very profitable business and expected to grow much bigger in coming times because of a huge demand for ornamental fishes. 

The main things that you could choose for fish food are earthworms, mosquitoes, daphnia, and many more as they are budget-friendly and very good for feeding fishes.

Ornamental fish farming is among the fastest-growing businesses, which also can grow rapidly soon. If you are also interested in doing this business, there are many ornamental fish farming training centers available worldwide for a beginner in fish farming. Or you can get guidance from a fish farming book and begin to learn about how to improve them as different books in the market teach you what and how to do for fish farming. 

Finally, the demand and the prices of these living jewels are very high in the market, and their trend is increasing rapidly, so be among the early ones to start your fish farm. And I hope all the information I provided was useful to you and for any query, please comment on the post.

About the author

Medhaavi Mishra