Do you want to start a business that puts food on Nigerian tables and puts good money in your pocket? Catfish farming is one of the best agribusiness opportunities in Nigeria today. The numbers speak for themselves: Nigeria produces about 1.07 million metric tons of fish, but the demand is a massive 3.6 million tons . This leaves a huge gap of 2.5 million tons, meaning your farm will be helping to solve a national problem.

For Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), this is a golden chance. You can start with a small space and grow your business over time. This simple, step by step guide will show you how to start your own profitable catfish farm in 2025.

Step 1: Plan Your Business and Budget

Success in catfish farming begins with a solid plan. You must treat it like a business, not just a hobby.

• Know Your Costs: A clear budget is your roadmap. For an SME, starting with 500 to 1,000 fish is a smart, manageable scale. Let’s break down the costs for a 500 fish setup, assuming you already have a plot of land .
• Understand Your Market: Before you even buy a fingerling, know where you will sell. Talk to local restaurants, market women, and football viewing centers . You can even use social media to reach customers directly . Having a buyer ready prevents panic selling and helps you get a better price.

Step 2: Set Up Your Farm Infrastructure

You don’t need a river or a huge lake to start. SME farmers typically use one of these systems:

• Tarpaulin Ponds: This is the most popular choice for starters. A tarpaulin pond for 500 fish costs between ₦150,000 and ₦170,000 . They are affordable, easy to set up, and can be placed in a backyard.
• Concrete Ponds: These are more durable but also more expensive to build. They are a good long term investment for a stable farm .
• Earthen Ponds: These are dug into the ground and are a low cost option if you have the right soil (clay or loamy) .

Your location must have a reliable source of clean water, good drainage to avoid flooding, and be secure .

Step 3: Source Fingerlings and Manage Stocking

The quality of your fingerlings (young fish) is the foundation of your success.

• Choose the Right Breed: The African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) is the king of Nigerian aquaculture because it grows fast and handles our environment well . A good alternative is the Hybrid catfish, which grows even faster and is more resistant to disease .
• Find a Reputable Hatchery: Always buy from trusted hatcheries. Ask successful farmers where they get theirs. Healthy fingerlings are active and look strong. The cost is typically between ₦100 to ₦150 per fingerling .
• Stock Your Pond: For a tarpaulin pond, you can stock all 500 fish at once. Handle them gently to avoid stress.

Step 4: Feed and Grow Your Fish

Feed is your biggest ongoing cost, taking up to 70% of your operational budget . Managing it well is the key to profit.

• Understand Feed Requirements: It takes about 1 kg of feed to raise a fish to a table size of 1 kg . For 500 fish, you will need roughly 25 bags of feed (15kg each). A bag of quality local feed (like BlueCrown) costs between ₦28,000 and ₦36,000 .
• Reduce Feed Costs: To save money, you can use local alternatives like leftover bread, waste noodles, and farmed maggots or earthworms to supplement commercial feed after the first eight weeks .
• Follow a Feeding Schedule: Feed your fish twice a day. Avoid overfeeding, as leftover food will spoil the water and waste your money.

Step 5: Maintain Health and Water Quality

Disease outbreaks can wipe out your investment. Prevention is better and cheaper than cure.

• Prevent Diseases: Common issues include fin rot and bacterial infections. To prevent them:
  • Maintain Water Quality: Change the water regularly, every 3 to 4 days is a good practice . Wash the pond weekly to remove waste .
  • Keep the Water Clean: Always remove leftover feed from the pond to keep the water clean .
• Practice Biosecurity: Restrict access to your farm. If you get new fish from outside, keep them separate (quarantine) for some time before adding them to your main pond .

Step 6: Harvest, Sell, and Make Profit

After 4 to 6 months, your fish should reach a market size of 1 to 1.5 kg .

• Know Your Market: The good news is that demand for catfish is high all year. You can sell to:
  • Football viewing centers, restaurants, and hotels.
  • Market women who buy in bulk.
  • Individual consumers for personal events .
• Sell Directly: To maximize profits, learn to market your farm products without middlemen. Selling directly to consumers or bulk buyers allows you to keep more of the profit.
• Calculate Your Profit: Let’s assume a 5% mortality rate, which is good management. From 500 fingerlings, you can expect about 475 fish.
  • Total Sales: 475 fish x 1kg x ₦3,500/kg = Approximately ₦1,662,500 .
  • Return on Investment: After deducting your major costs, a profit of several hundred thousand Naira in a 5-month cycle is achievable . This shows how you can turn small scale farming into a family income stream.

For those looking to scale, consider value addition. As one farmer noted, “I sold about 500 pieces of smoked catfish in less than one week… the processed fish sold off faster” . Learning to smoke catfish can open up new and more lucrative markets.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Starting Too Big: Don’t use all your capital on a large farm without experience. Start small, learn, and grow .
• Poor Feeding: Both overfeeding and underfeeding will hurt your profit. Stick to a schedule and the right quantity .
• Ignoring Water Quality: Your fish live in the water. If the water is bad, they will get sick and not grow well.
• Neglecting Marketing: Don’t wait until harvest to find buyers. Build your customer network from the beginning .

By following these steps, you are not just starting a farm; you are building a sustainable agribusiness. The market is vast, and with dedication and good management, your catfish farm can become a thriving enterprise.

Cost Breakdown, 

Where Your Money Goes

Profit Journey, 

From Investment to Profit in 6 Months