If you are a young aspiring entrepreneur who is looking for a profitable type of business in the field of breeding, then I bring to your attention a great idea for making money - shrimp farming as a business at home.

In today's article, we will take a closer look at all the pros and cons of this type of income, and also draw up detailed business plan for breeding shrimp at home.

Pros of a home shrimp farming business

• Great demand for products. Seafood is very popular among the population. Excellent taste, useful properties and affordable price make these products in demand. Fish and seafood should be present in the diet of every person, because they are rich useful properties. Shrimps have been and remain a useful, tasty and affordable delicacy.
• Breeding at home. It is quite possible to grow shrimp at home in an aquarium or piece pond. Low costs and quick payback make this business even more attractive for beginners.
• Competition. As for competition, in this area of ​​business it is not too big, despite the fact that the demand for shrimp is simply huge. Why buy foreign delicacies if you can buy cheaper and no less high-quality domestic products.

Shrimp farming as a business at home

Shrimp farming options

Crustaceans can be grown both in open water and in an aquarium. Choose for yourself the most affordable and acceptable way, having studied all the features of shrimp breeding.

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Breeding in an artificial reservoir

You can rent a pond or equip it yourself on your own territory, it all depends on financial capabilities. Be sure to install high-quality artificial lighting. The depth of the pool should be about 1-1.5 meters. For a comfortable stay of shrimp, you need to take care of shelter for them at the bottom of the reservoir. To do this, use tile tiles, pieces of slate, pipe fragments, and more.

Be sure to observe temperature regime the number of surviving offspring and success in breeding crustaceans depends on this. The optimum temperature for reproduction and habitation is from 22-28 degrees with a plus sign. Thus, breeding of crustaceans in a reservoir during the cold season, and in regions with a harsh climate in open reservoirs is impossible.

Breeding shrimp in an aquarium

This option of growing shrimp is not intended for their mass sale. Crustaceans are grown in aquariums for other purposes, as pets, as well as ornamental fish. The conditions of keeping in an aquarium are not particularly different from breeding shrimp in a piece pond. Observe the temperature regimes and adhere to the rules of feeding, and the offspring will be healthy and strong.

Shrimp nutrition

Reproduction features

Having equipped the reservoir, you can proceed to the next equally important stage - the purchase of young animals. You can buy shrimp in special farms that breed crustaceans.

The development of the larvae goes through several stages, each of which ends with a molt. Particular attention should be paid to caring for shrimp during this period, then it may die the largest number offspring. Be sure to adhere to the required temperature conditions for keeping and feeding.

Crustaceans grow quite quickly, after a year, subject to all the nuances of keeping and feeding, they reach a weight of 100 grams. Therefore, after a short time after the settlement of shrimp in the reservoir, you will already be able to sell the first batch of crustaceans and get a decent income.

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Sales market

Shrimps are a delicious delicacy. Seafood is in great demand among the population at any time of the year, so you will not have problems with the sale of products.

Supermarkets, shops, restaurants and sanatoriums can become your customers. It is very important to conclude agreements with retail outlets at the initial stage in order to be sure of the quick sale of products.

Alternatively, you can open your own outlet and sell products there. This will help you skillfully compiled with calculations.

Be sure to monitor market prices, analyze demand and competition in this business area, in order to be sure of the relevance and prospects of your business idea for growing and breeding shrimp for sale.

The price of shrimp will depend on the type and size. They must first be sorted by weight and size. The average purchase price is about 6-10 dollars per kilogram. Already in one or two seasons you will fully recoup all investments and will receive a stable income from the business

You can also breed rare species of crustaceans for sale. Keeping them in aquariums as pets or for collection is very popular today.

Thus, we can conclude that the business of breeding and growing shrimp is profitable and promising. I wish you success in all your endeavors and quick profits.

- The task is the most difficult and most responsible. From her right decision depends final result. Particular difficulties arise when you know for sure that you want to produce something, but you cannot understand what. Shrimp farming as a business is gaining momentum, especially since it has long been possible to grow them in fresh artificial reservoirs.

What are the benefits of growing shrimp?

Shrimp belong to the crustacean family. They usually live in salt water, but some representatives of this species feel quite comfortable in fresh water.

There are many advantages to this line of business:

• unquenchable demand. The seafood trend is at its peak, and the population's commitment to a healthy diet will help it stay there. Today, every family strives to ensure that seafood is always present on the table, since it is they who fill the body with useful microelements that cannot be found in other products;
• It is quite possible to breed shrimp at home. This will not require big investment, and payback is achieved fairly quickly;
• no big competition. Despite the great variety of different types of shrimp, few people dare to engage in their production.

In addition, the high demand for this product is ensured by its taste and ease of preparation.

How to breed shrimp?

At the very initial stage, if you also decided not on an industrial scale, you will not even need to register an enterprise. You can move on to larger volumes only when you thoroughly study all the intricacies of breeding, feeding and keeping crustaceans.

Raising shrimp in a pond

You can create a reservoir on your own site, or you can rent a nearby one. This aspect will depend on the funds available to you. For a pool or pond you will need:

1. Good artificial lighting.
2. Depth - 1-1.5 meters.
3. Shelter for your charges at the bottom of the pool. Tiles, slates, pipe fragments are quite suitable here.
4. Strictly established temperature regime - 22-28 degrees with a plus sign.
5. The water should be slightly green, with a little fertilizer added. Make sure the pH does not drop below 9.0. Otherwise, all individuals will simply die.

Don't forget that shrimp don't like the cold. Therefore, it makes no sense to breed them in cold regions. Given the temperature regime, this business can be called seasonal, unless you provide artificial heating for your reservoir.

Don't forget about food. It must be exclusively natural, animal or vegetable origin. With normal nutrition and maintenance under the described conditions, one individual per season will be able to gain 20 grams of weight.

Growing shrimp at home

Breeding shrimp at home as a business is convenient because you can do it all year round. Everything described in the previous section is quite suitable for this way of doing things. For home production you will need:

• plastic buckets;
• garage;
• sponge filter.

The last one you can easily make yourself. If the goal of your business is to breed shrimp for sale to aquarium animal lovers, then it is better to breed females, and it is better to sell when they are already pregnant. And be sure to keep an eye on the population density in your aquarium. It shouldn't be too high. This will lead to the fact that individuals will begin to eat each other.

In general, the diet should be rich, especially during the breeding season. Do not be afraid to overfeed the shrimp, this is not typical for them.

You can buy young animals on special farms. The development process of the larva has several stages, each of which ends with a molt. Do not forget that it is at this moment that shrimp are most susceptible to mortality. That is why it is necessary to monitor the quality of water, food and temperature especially closely at these stages of their life.

Technology for growing freshwater shrimp

For rearing freshwater shrimp, including giant freshwater shrimp(Macrobrachium rosenbergii), suitable shallow waste water bodies (ponds) in the south of Russia (Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Rostov and Astrakhan regions, the Republic of Dagestan) with a long (until September) growing season.

The most stable results are obtained by the "green water" method, which has made it possible to achieve success in the mass cultivation of shrimp. With this method, part of the water in the container with the larvae is regularly replaced by "green water" with a high content of phytoplankton (about 1 million cells per 1 liter), consisting mainly of green algae, in particular marine chlorella. To cause water to bloom, it is fertilized with superphosphate, urea and fish feces or four parts of urea are applied to one part of complex mineral fertilizer (nitrogen: phosphorus: potassium 15:15:15), other methods of fertilization are possible. Sometimes a monoculture of marine chlorella is used, in this case, to prevent the development of other algae, a 0.5% solution of copper sulfate is added once a week to a container with larvae. The use of "green water" improves water quality due to the rapid absorption of ammonium by algae, even if it is present at concentrations that are dangerous for the larvae (0.6 mg/l).

Shrimp larvae cannot digest phytoplankton, even if they swallow it, but algae can serve as food for Artemia nauplii, which the larvae feed on. It is hypothesized that "green water" may contribute to a better uptake of food by the larvae. The addition of diatoms does not affect the content of ammonium, nitrates and nitrites, but significantly increases survival and accelerates the development of larvae.

The main function of "green water" is the purification from harmful substances, if this purification is carried out in a different way, it is possible to do without the use of phytoplankton. For example, in Hawaii, most nursery farmers use a "semi-flow" larval rearing system. There are separate tanks for clean water, "green water" and rearing of larvae, water salinity is maintained at 10-15%about. Immediately after hatching, the larvae are placed in containers (planting density - 160 pcs/l), then, after about half the period of larval development, they are thinned out (planting density up to 40 pcs/l). In one of the nurseries, half of the water in containers with larvae is replaced with “green” water every day, in others, part of the water is replaced with “green” water on certain days at the early stages of larval development, and then clean water is added. For example, between 3 and 6 days, 30% of the water is replaced with "green", then between 7 and 9 - 40, between 10 and 13 - 50% of the water is replaced with clean water, after which another 100% of "green water" is added. Thus, the total volume doubles, and the stocking density decreases on the 14th day after the larvae are planted from one container into two of the same ones (the planting density is reduced by another half), the water level in the containers decreases by 50%, and they are topped up to full volume with clean water. Such water changes continue until the end of the larval period. Another farm uses a constant small flow - about 50% of the water is exchanged in one day. Thus, a high level of water quality is maintained in the farm shrimp hatcheries in Hawaii in several ways: water changes, siphoning, and the addition of phytoplankton.

With this water treatment system, there are no dangerous levels of inorganic toxins, pesticides or heavy metals. Also, the main metabolic toxins: ammonia, nitrates and nitrites do not have time to accumulate to dangerous levels (10 and 2-3 mg / l, respectively) due to timely water changes and the vital activity of phytoplankton. In addition, in this way the pH is maintained within the optimal range for the larvae. The survival rate with this method of cultivation is usually 50-70%, for every 100-500 postlarvae grown, about 1 m 3 of water was used, the average production of postlarvae is 30 pcs/l.

At present, in many countries, the "clean water" method has replaced the "green water" method. This usually happens in two cases: either the larvae are grown by a simpler and cheaper method in small volumes, or more intensive methods of water purification are used using high-power mechanical and biological filters and strictly control all parameters of its quality.

The larvae are kept in pools, the water level in which is 25-75 cm, salinity - 12%about. From the tenth day of cultivation 102 Change 10-50% water daily. The survival rate of larvae is 10-50%.

The method of intensive rearing of larvae in clean water was developed at the Center for Oceanology in Tahiti based on the technology of rearing larvae of marine shrimp. Compared to the commonly used methods of rearing giant freshwater shrimp larvae, this method allows the maintenance of larvae at a density of 100 pcs/l and a postlarval yield of 60 pcs/l versus no more than 50 and 30 pcs/l, respectively, with traditional methods. This technology requires strict control of all the most important growing parameters - temperature, light, water quality, feeding conditions, disease prevention and maintaining them at an optimal level, regardless of fluctuations in external conditions. environment. Cultivation of larvae is carried out indoors, where containers are located in well-lit places. Brackish water is prepared and stored in four polyethylene tanks with a capacity of 10 m 3 . Pools for growing larvae in the early stages have a cylindrical shape, volume - 2 m 3, for later stages, V-shaped long pools with a capacity of 5 m 3 are used. All pools are made of fiberglass, stand on metal racks and are painted in a dark color, which is necessary to improve the nutrition of the larvae. Air diffusers are located on the bottom to mix water and food particles to reduce cannibalism. Air is supplied to each pool in a volume of 2.6 m 3 /h, the size of the filter cell at the outlet corresponds to the size of the larvae. The larvae could be collected at the outlet of the pool into a 10-liter tank.

Cylindrical containers with a capacity of 2 m 3 with a flat bottom are used to keep spawners and postlarvae. For mechanical and biological filtration in the operation of a closed system with a capacity of 5 m 3, the following components are used: 1) mechanical filter - plywood box (1.3x0.7x0.5 m) with a sand layer 0.1 m thick (diameter of sand grains 0.1 mm) and a backflow system for daily sand washing; 2) a biological filter - a partitioned box (1.3x0.65x0.6 m) with coral fragments 0.15 m thick (0 3-5 cm), which, with the help of bacteria, utilize waste products (the efficiency of this material in biofilters is very high due to for its strong porosity and buffer qualities).

Water circulation is provided by a pump that supplies water through a sand filter to a biological one, and water flows into a container with larvae by gravity. The salinity of the water is 12%about. In an open system, the water is renewed at the end of the day to ensure the best quality at night when the larvae are molting and are most vulnerable. The temperature is maintained within 30-31°C. Salinity is controlled by adding sea water, which is chlorinated, settled and passed through a silica sand filter. Since there are no chemical discharges in Tahiti, the water does not contain such harmful substances as pesticides, salts of heavy metals, etc. Before a water change, the ammonium concentration in the tanks reaches 1.5, N^ - 4 mg/l, but this level does not have a noticeable effect on the growth and survival of the larvae.

It is important to ensure that all free chlorine evaporates from the water, as even a small concentration of it has a harmful effect on the larvae.

In a closed system, water circulation occurs no more than once per hour. The residual concentration of ammonium and nitrite is less than 0.1 mg/l. At the end of the growing period, the nitrate level should be no more than 5 mg/l N-N0 2 and the pH changes very small (7.8-8.2). No adverse effects of these factors on the larvae were observed.

The larvae are fed with brine shrimp nauplii and dry food prepared according to the technology developed for marine shrimp. For the first ten days, granulated food is given twice a day and its amount is adjusted according to apparent consumption. Just released brine shrimp nauplii are given in the late afternoon from the second day. At the time of feeding with brine shrimp in a closed system, the circulation of water stops.

The number of Artemia nauplii (Table 26) is calculated in such a way as to ensure the most rapid and complete metamorphosis (any decrease in the number leads to a slowdown in metamorphosis and further to low survival). Granulated food cannot completely replace brine shrimp, but it helps to save some of it.

Change in the daily amount of feed per larva during the rearing period

An improved version of this technology is used on French Polynesian shrimp farms. The larvae are reared in a closed system, the yield of postlarvae is 80 pcs/l.

Thus, maintaining water quality at the proper level is the most important and difficult moment in rearing freshwater shrimp larvae.

Another equally important issue is nutrition. The larvae are not capable of active search food, but can only grasp food objects in direct contact with them, and the size of food particles should not be less than the distance between the grasping legs of the larvae. Therefore, a high concentration of food particles of suitable size and quality must be constantly maintained in the container with larvae. Best of all, Artemia nauplii meet these requirements. Most often when industrial cultivation larvae feed 3-4 times during the day with various inanimate foods and once in the evening, after a change of water, with brine shrimp nauplii. The latter are given at a concentration of 115 pcs / ml, depending on the growing system, or calculated based on the number and age of larvae.

Feeding non-live food is simpler and cheaper, and most larval producers use various types of such food to partially replace live ones. It has been proven that the combination of brine shrimp and artificial feed yields better rearing results than brine shrimp alone. The most commonly used is pureed fish meat, the particle size of which increases as the larvae grow. This food is given to the larvae from the second or third day. Other suitable foods are cephalopod meat, fish roe, egg paste or powder, wheat or soy flour, skimmed milk powder. The larvae feed 4 times a day every 3-4 hours, alternating minced fish and egg paste. At night, on the fifth feeding, they give Artemia nauplii. Inanimate food is prepared once every two to three days and stored frozen. They are given by diluting with water in a ratio of 1:1 and a concentration of 0.042-0.21 ml / l of feed per day. In nurseries in Tahiti, larvae, in addition to brine shrimp nauplii, are fed with artificial granular food from the 12th day. The granules are prepared from fresh raw materials (Table 27).

Table 27

Composition of granular feed for larvae

The wet mixture is finely ground to achieve a homogeneous paste, then the algae is added, the mixture is dried, ground and sieved, obtaining dry, well-stored and 106 easy-to-use granules. These granules are given during the day several times, and in the evening feeding - Artemia nauplii. It has been shown that the addition of vitamin C to the feed at a dose of 175 mg per 100 g increases the survival of larvae by 40%.

Most of the diseases of the larvae are due to their overcrowding, poor water quality, low temperature, insufficient oxygen content, and unsuitable food.

Growing postlarvae

The first post-larvae of shrimp usually appear on the 25th day of rearing, and within about a week, 90% of the larvae undergo metamorphosis. In commercial cultivation, it is not profitable to keep the larvae longer than this time, and on the 30-35th day of cultivation, farmers collect post-larvae.

The division between larvae and postlarvae is based on differences in their behavior - the larvae swim in the water column, while the postlarvae spend most of their time at the bottom. The larvae are usually scooped out of the upper layers of water, and the postlarvae are poured together with the bottom layers of water (Fig. 14).

Rice. 14. Device for separating postlarvae from larvae: 1 - dark inner container; 2 - light outer container, 3 - passages into the inner container; 4 - direction of water flow

After separation of the postlarvae from the larvae, they are usually adapted to fresh water within 12 hours, and then placed in earthen ponds for rearing or reared in special containers. It is necessary to ensure that the reaction of the medium in the pond was below pH 9, and the density of postlarvae planting did not exceed 10 thousand/m 3 . Excess density leads to high mortality after the next molt. The postlarvae are transported to plastic bags at a density of 300 pcs / l, if the transportation lasts less than a day, and 100 pcs / l - if longer than a day, while aeration or filling of part of the bag volume with oxygen is desirable.

Usually, in countries with tropical and subtropical hot climates, postlarvae are placed immediately in earthen ponds for commercial rearing, while at first a rather high mortality is noted, which can be reduced if optimal growing conditions are observed.

In temperate countries where the rearing season is limited to a few months, postlarvae are reared under controlled conditions for one to three months. In this case, the initial stocking density is usually 10001500 pcs/m 2 , as the juveniles grow, it decreases to 300500 pcs/m 2 . The optimal depth of water for growth and survival in trays containing shrimp is 30-40 cm. Cannibalism is a significant problem with such a high stocking density. To reduce it, it is recommended to use excess feeding with complete feeds, but the main thing is the presence of shelters. As shelters, bundles of threads, green or brown fishing line can be used. In a container with rows of strips arranged vertically and horizontally alternately, you can contain up to 220-260 pieces/m 2 , or 35803719 pieces/m 3 .

Usually, for planting in ponds, young shrimp are grown to a weight of 1-3 g. With such sizes, mortality during rearing usually does not exceed 10%. In a temperate climate, postlarvae can be immediately transplanted into ponds without preliminary rearing, provided that the water temperature is favorable (not lower than 20 0 C), and the reservoirs are characterized by high biological productivity.

Growing in ponds and other containers

For commercial cultivation of shrimp, earthen ponds with an area of ​​0.1-1 ha and a depth of 0.7-1.5 m are usually used. 108 amount of feed and fertilizer. Higher aquatic vegetation should not occupy more than 20% of the pond area. The presence of shelter at the bottom of the ponds in the form of bundles of branches contributes to a better survival of shrimp. It is also possible to grow shrimp in ponds with a hard bottom, but in this case the natural food base does not develop, so the amount of artificial food should be increased. Shrimps grow best with a small amount of water flow, but rearing in stagnant ponds with replacement of evaporated water also gives good results. The water temperature should not fall below 20°C, otherwise the shrimp feed stops and various diseases may occur, and at temperatures below 13°C their mass death is observed. The upper temperature limit is 36°C, and the optimum temperature for the growth and development of shrimp is 28-32°C. The content of oxygen dissolved in water should be at least 5 mg/l, the level of nitrites and nitrates should not exceed 0.2-0.3 and 1-3 mg/l, respectively.

In addition to ponds, shrimp farming is possible in small ponds, canals, paddy fields with or without rice, and cages.

The giant freshwater shrimp is considered to be the most suitable species for paddy paddy farming, with higher yields if farmed at the same time as rice and suitable fish species. Thus, in a polyculture with Indian carp in rice fields, a shrimp yield of 220–260 kg/ha was obtained without the cost of feeding it.

The most intensive methods of growing shrimp in Russia are possible in farms when they are cultivated in thermal farms using cooling ponds of thermal power plants or warm waste water from thermal power plants and other enterprises, as well as geothermal water.

In tropical, subtropical, arid regions, shrimp are most often grown in monoculture at a high stocking density - 60-100 thousand pieces/ha. Ponds are not drained, regular selective fishing is carried out and post-larvae are periodically planted. Shrimps are fed with various artificial feeds with a protein content of at least 30% and lipids of at least 5%. Feeding rate up to 30 kg/ha per day. Productivity increases in the second and third years of operation of the pond (compared to the first year) due to the increase in the fertility of the bottom soil and the development of the natural forage base. The yield with this method of cultivation ranges from 500 to 4000 kg/ha.

In countries with a temperate climate, shrimp culture systems are commonly used, similar to the system developed for South Carolina (USA):

the broodstock is kept from October to May indoors;

from mid-January to May, larvae are obtained and reared in a closed system with sea water;

from mid-February to May, post-larvae are reared indoors;

From May to October, intensive pond farming of shrimp to marketable size continues.

Thus, when the rearing season is limited by water temperature, already grown fry are usually placed in ponds at a stocking density of 20-50 thousand pieces/ha. The catch is carried out once at the end of the season, while lowering the ponds, but sometimes selective catches are also practiced. The rearing season can last from three to six months when using stocking material of 1-3 g. During this time it is possible to obtain commercial-sized shrimp, but due to the uneven growth inherent in this species, some part of the population does not reach marketable weight. Growth unevenness is affected by short growing periods and high planting density. There are several ways to achieve an increase in the number of large shrimp.

One way is to increase the length of the growing season for juveniles under controlled conditions before planting them in ponds. But keeping juveniles for more than three months becomes too expensive, as it requires large volumes of water and indoor areas, so the planting material is grown to a mass of no more than 1-2 g.

Another way to increase the size of shrimp during the catch is to reduce the stocking density, but at the same time the total yield also decreases, since the biomass is directly related to the stocking density in a closed system (Table 28).

Effect of Stocking Density on Shrimp Growth and Survival

The most cost-effective stocking density must be calculated for each specific case, taking into account factors that affect the profitability of production (higher price for large shrimp, reduced feed costs at low stocking densities, etc.). During the growing period of 104-118 days and when fed with artificial feed, the planting density of 20 thousand pcs/ha turned out to be the most economically viable.

Sparse stocking of shrimp is more beneficial in polyculture with various types fish. Actual stocking density is reduced by using additional substrate (shelters) in the water column. Thus, in ponds where old nets were placed in the water at different levels, the yield of marketable shrimp was 24% higher, the survival rate was 10% higher, and the proportion of large specimens was 18% higher than in the same ponds without additional substrate. This is due to a decrease social interactions and suppressing the growth of small shrimp by larger ones. In the same way, selective fishing reduces the suppression of small individuals, when the largest specimens are removed from the population. The growth rate of the remaining ones increases, which leads to an overall increase in yield.

polyculture

With the monoculture of shrimp, problems of ecological instability in ponds arise - often there is an excessive development of planktonic algae and threadbait, as a result of which the oxygen regime deteriorates. When feeding, shrimps use only the bottom of the pond, and the entire water column remains unoccupied. In addition, at the high stocking densities used in monoculture, a significant proportion of the shrimp do not reach marketable size. These problems can be solved to a large extent by rearing shrimp in polyculture with fish of suitable species.

When selecting fish and invertebrates for this purpose, it is necessary to take into account their food spectrum, ecological niches,

dimensional ratios and the need for their introduction into polyculture.

SEA FARMS AND MARICULTURE

For many centuries, invertebrates served man as food, technical raw materials, and the shells of valuable mollusks served as decoration and even money. To date, the catch of many food hydrobionts is the limit, and further expansion of the fishery may undermine their stocks. The ever-increasing pollution of water bodies with industrial, agricultural and household wastes adversely affects the stocks of aquatic organisms. The created situation has forced many countries of the world on aqua farms to breed and grow aquatic organisms under controlled conditions. Modern mariculture of valuable food aquatic organisms is a rapidly developing branch of science and technology.

8.1. The main objects of mariculture Shrimps

Shrimp are an integral part of seafood dishes and the sushi range. Resting at seaside resorts, you always want to try shrimp, and different and, of course, large sizes, for example, tiger and giant freshwater shrimp. About 75 thousand tons of shrimp are grown in the world. Thailand is the leading shrimp producing country. In addition to Thailand, the largest producers are China, Brazil, Pe- 112 ru, Mexico, Venezuela, Vietnam, Honduras, Cuba and America. Grow marine and freshwater shrimp, small and large, in marine cages and ponds. Of the cultivated species, black tiger shrimp (Panaeus monodon), western white shrimp (P. vaunamei) and freshwater giant shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) are considered valuable (Fig. 15-17).

Rice. 15. Giant freshwater shrimp

Rice. 16. Freshwater shrimp 17. Grow Ponds in Peru

Shrimp farming is on stream, it is a very large area of ​​mariculture. For shrimp, dry food of complex composition is made, spawning is carried out, and floating larvae are obtained, which must overcome several stages of development and molts. Growing commercial shrimp, they get up to two or three crops per year. Today shrimp farms provide most seaside resorts with their products.

If you are going to organize small business with high profitability, take up shrimp farming. Cultivation of crustaceans does not require much time and effort, and all the necessary equipment can be easily and for little money purchased in almost any city. On the other hand, shrimp farming as a business is a very profitable venture due to the high price of shellfish and good demand from supermarkets, HoReCa and, of course, resellers.

Shrimp farming technologies

Every modern shrimp farm, regardless of scale and productivity, uses one of two growing technologies that are popular today:

• Biofloc;

Biofloc is a rather complex technology, shrimp cultivation, according to which, it is produced in a special aquatic environment filled with nutritious algae, bacteria, protozoa, carapaces and other organic particles. The quality of freshwater water is controlled by aeration and agitation to keep the active flocks in suspension. The system alone provides two critical functions: balanced shellfish nutrition and ammonia removal. In addition to the complexity of maintenance, Biofloc systems have a significant drawback associated with the gradual development of pathogenic microflora in the sludge.

Shrimp farming in Russia is most often done using RAS technology, which is characterized by sustainable water quality. It allows to provide acceptable conditions for the development of mollusks in areas with increased bacteriological hazard and low water quality. At the same time, not every start-up shrimp farm can afford such a system.

Shrimp farming as a business

First of all, to open your mini-aqua farm, you will need a spacious room with an area of ​​​​at least 150 square meters. m. An important condition is the presence of a ventilation system, since fresh air is necessary to maintain an optimal microclimate and reduce the risk of developing dangerous microflora.

The next step is to select the equipment. As mentioned above, for growing shrimp at home and on an industrial basis, artificial reservoirs and recirculating water supply installations are most often used. They consist of a shellfish tank, an aqueous solution filtration system and piping.

Initially, you do not need to choose a giant pool and expensive equipment for growing shrimp, as it will not be easy for a beginner aqua farmer to cope with a large shrimp farm. Entry-level systems, the cost of which does not exceed 20-25 thousand euros, will not require serious labor costs and will allow you to quickly master the growing technology.

After installing the equipment, all that remains is to purchase shellfish and food for them. It is recommended to buy feed from large suppliers, as cheaper offers from unknown companies can result in diseases and even death of the population.

What kind of shrimp to breed?

After the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bbreeding and keeping shrimp arises, the next question will be: “Which variety should I choose?”. Let's say right away that a novice farmer should choose freshwater species of mollusks. Growing this type of shrimp does not require the purchase of expensive equipment, and their resistance to external factors significantly higher than in marine species.

Next, you need to choose between ornamental and edible shrimp. Breeding shrimp for food is considered the most promising direction. The farmer is guaranteed to receive a wide market, even if the farm is located in a small town. In Russia, tiger and king prawns are most often bred on private farms, which are well known to the consumer and are considered the most popular commodity.

Breeding and keeping ornamental shrimp is advisable if you have already established contacts with dealers interested in purchasing such products. In this case, you will grow mollusks that will become decorations for aquariums and other ornamental ponds.

As practice shows, even at the initial stages shrimp business will be able to bring you about 2.5 million rubles. per year, provided that the annual shipments will be at least 5 tons. In the future, it is possible to increase the scale of shrimp farming and conquer new heights of profitability.

Breeding shrimp at home, if everything is thoroughly thought out and calculated, can bring good profit, i.e. become a good business.

The demand for products is great, shrimp are unpretentious in care, and you don’t have to spend a lot of money on the purchase of equipment.

Having decided to do this business, you first need to familiarize yourself with all the options for breeding and selling shrimp.

Growing shrimp at home shrimp as a business, unfortunately, is not very common in our country. Although in many countries a shrimp lunch is a common dish. But on the other hand, for beginners, this is a big plus, because. there is practically no competition.

Let's try to figure out what more profitable organization large farm or home business?

Approximate business valuation

• initial investment of about 50 thousand rubles (due to inflation, the amount may be different);
• competition is low;
• high cost of production;
• difficulty of opening 7 points on a 10-point scale.

Is registration required

If you are just starting growing, then registration with government agencies can be delayed. However, difficulties may arise when signing contracts with enterprises. for them, purchasing products from private individuals may be considered a violation.

When planning to grow in large volumes, you need to take care of registration at least as individual entrepreneur. In this case, permission from such bodies as Rospotrebnadzor and SES may be required. But it's not as difficult as it seems, and all this will take you no more than a few days. Finished products, before implementation, in turn, will be tested by special authorities.

From the experience of entrepreneurs already working in this segment, we can only say that it is not difficult to start growing and legally selling farmed shrimp and you will not need a lot of money. Some special conditions government agencies not in this question.

What breeds are best to breed

Before starting shrimp farming, first of all, based on your own capabilities and preferences, you need to decide which direction of business you will follow.

There are two main options:

The first is breeding for food. This direction can be called the most profitable, primarily because the demand for these products is large, and the market saturation with it is low. It is no secret that most of this product is imported from other countries, so there will certainly be interested buyers. For this option, we advise you to pay attention to breeds such as royal and brindle.

The second option is breeding for keeping in aquariums. In this case, you will sell rocks that will decorate aquariums, they are not suitable for food. Usually these are small individuals that look much more spectacular than their meat counterparts, in future articles we will dwell on them in more detail.

In any case, regardless of the direction, choose shrimp, a habitat that freshwater bodies of water (at least at first), because. the organization of the required conditions for marine rocks is quite difficult.

Where to buy

It is rather difficult to find good individuals for breeding in our country. When choosing individuals for breeding, you need to collect as much information as possible about the seller and his farm. It is necessary to find out in what conditions the shrimp are kept, whether they are infected with some kind of fungus. As an option, it is possible to advise the acquisition of not adults, but larvae. However, this is quite difficult for beginners, who have not yet thoroughly mastered all the subtleties of keeping these animals. To grow adults from larvae, it is necessary to create special conditions.

Well, if you find specialized firms nearby. Otherwise, their transportation over long distances can be associated with significant costs, because. special containers are required.

Where to breed

Organizing a farm in an ordinary pond is not the best option. First of all, because most species are thermophilic and in our water bodies they will simply die out with the onset of cold weather.

It is better for entrepreneurs to choose a specialized pool, or large aquariums. Both the first and second methods have their pros and cons.

Video "Aquarium breeding"

How to breed shrimp at home in an aquarium. Grown individuals can be successfully sold.

Breeding in the pool

A small pool can be placed either in a special room or in the house. Required condition This is maintaining a stable temperature not only of water, but also in the room itself. If you can organize such conditions, then you can breed all year round. It is desirable that the depth of the pool be 1-1.5 meters, special attention should be paid to the quality of the water. It may be greenish, pH around 9 or even slightly higher. The bottom of the pool should not be empty. Shrimp love hiding places, so you need to take care of their device. It can be fragments of tiles or stones. To minimize labor costs, you need to purchase special equipment necessary for shrimp farming, these are filters, heaters, lamps, compressors, etc. In this case, the required temperature will be constantly maintained and other conditions will be met.

Breeding in an aquarium

This is the easiest option for growing shrimp and it is with it that we recommend starting a shrimp farming business at home.

The technology of shrimp breeding in this case will practically not differ in any way from pool cultivation, and the difference is only in scale. The volumes of products grown under these conditions will be small. And rather, this method can be called educational, in order to master cultivation in all its subtleties.

In this case, we recommend growing decorative breeds for keeping in aquariums, but not for food. To get started, you only need one aquarium and its equipment, which is currently sold in a large assortment and is inexpensive.

Breeding Features

Shrimp farming as a business will be profitable if you can arrange the necessary conditions for your own wards.

Before starting a business and spending money, it is advisable to visit an already operating farm or experienced farmers who have managed to achieve good ones. There are many nuances in shrimp breeding, so if you are a beginner, then without outside help you will have to be quite difficult.

Peculiarities of cultivation in recirculating water supply systems (RAS)

For shrimp, a temperature of 22-28 degrees is the most suitable.

In no case should overpopulation of the reservoir be allowed. This will primarily affect their growth rate and size, as well as fraught with cannibalism and constant skirmishes.

On the day, shrimp eat a lot of food, so it must be available constantly. It has been observed that young shrimp are especially voracious; larvae. You can buy shrimp food, or you can cook it yourself. Both the first and second options for shrimp food have their positive and negative points. In the case of a purchase, time is saved, labor costs are reduced, in addition, the purchased feed contains all the required elements in its composition, which guarantees rapid growth and weight gain.

The second option saves money, and therefore reduces the cost of production.

Also, do not forget about the periodic molting of shrimp at this time, many individuals often die. In order to prevent this, you need to carefully monitor the temperature first of all. If set automatic system controlling the temperature in the water, then this problem will be solved by itself.

With the right content, during the year one individual is able to gain up to 100 grams of weight and grow to its maximum size. It turns out that after a year you will begin to receive the first income.

Sales

Practice has proven that the profit from growing shrimp can be quite significant.

In order for your enterprise to bring stable income, you need to establish distribution channels for products in advance. There should be no particular difficulties in this matter, since shrimp are in demand not only among beer lovers, but also among housewives who cook amazing dishes from them.

When drawing up a shrimp farming business plan, be sure to find out which trading companies or stores buy them, at what price and in what quantities.

Potential buyers:

• supermarkets,
• shops selling fish products;
• catering establishments.

Initially, it may be difficult to conclude contracts with large trading companies. Most likely you will have to deal only with private traders. When your farm gains momentum, you can open your own shop or rent a department in the market.

Profitability

Profit will largely depend on the volume of your farm. However, there is no need to rush, rarely, who gets everything at once, you need to invest in equipment and breeding stock.

To install a reservoir and start breeding, you need approximately 300 thousand rubles. You will also need refrigeration and freezing equipment, containers for transportation.

To start breeding shrimp at home, you will need an aquarium and 20-30 shrimp, which will cost you about 50 thousand rubles.

The payback period for RAS, if you can find regular customers, is about one to two years.

The purchase price for shrimp is from 200 to 400 rubles per kilogram (taking into account inflation, the sum may be different). If we talk about volumes, then if you have a capacious pool, you can grow about 1500 kg during the year. shrimp.

Good luck, good profits and for lunch shrimp with spicy sauce!

This video shows step by step how to start a shrimp farming business at home.