Breeding shrimp at home. Seafood business

Many novice entrepreneurs are wondering what to do so that the invested money not only does not go to waste, but also brings a good profit. Food production has always come first because the need for fresh and healthy food is basic for every person. A separate line today is the breeding and sale of marine life. The demand for seafood is growing every day, with marine crustaceans being the most in demand. It’s quite simple to explain: shrimp and crayfish are tasty and healthy, and also have an affordable price compared to other marine life.

Crustaceans in action

However, today we want to talk about shrimp not from the consumer’s point of view, but consider them as an option for running a profitable business. You'll be surprised how easy shrimp is to grow. Breeding these crustaceans does not require large start-up capital. In just a few months, you can turn into a successful entrepreneur.

First question: business registration

Indeed, many are afraid to enter the food production market because they fear difficulties with obtaining the necessary documents and permits. The life activity of the shrimp itself raises no less questions. Breeding must comply with certain rules and regulations. However, this business cannot be called a new trend. People first took up this type of fishing in the 70s. It was then that shrimp farms began to appear throughout Europe. Russia did not stand aside either, and here freshwater giant shrimp has become the most in demand.

For the home and for the soul

Each of you can try yourself as a shrimp breeder. Breeding crustaceans at home does not require registration of a private enterprise with the tax office and may well bring good profits. And if you understand that this is really your life’s work, then you can safely increase the scale of production and open an industrial farm.

Types of shrimp

The next question is: who will be your end consumer. The fact is that there are different shrimps, the cultivation and sale of which are fundamentally different.

We buy breeding shrimp

Having decided what type of crustacean you want to breed, you need to carefully study the features of their life support. The cultivation technology can be found in specialized literature, but it would be best if a person who already has practical experience in such breeding talks about the main difficulties. It is according to the recommendations that you need to look for a retail outlet where you can buy shrimp for farming. It is advisable that it be located close to you, as this will save on transportation. This cannot be done in a simple bag; you need special mobile containers that will maintain the viability of the shrimp. For beginners, it is best to enlist the help of experts who will check the condition of the crustaceans.

You can take the path of least resistance. This is especially important if this is your first time keeping shrimp. The reproduction of these crustaceans is fraught with great difficulties, since in Russia it can be difficult to create optimal conditions for them. In Europe it is possible to set up “corrals” right in familiar bodies of water, that is, the natural habitat. Therefore, you can buy fry from a special farm and raise adult crustaceans from them. After the life cycle ends, it will be possible to purchase new young animals.

Species that are resistant to diseases can be successfully bred. For example, the tiger gets sick very often during the breeding season, and the survival rate of the young is relatively small. But the “Rosenbergs” are more stable.

Where to breed shrimp

Do not delude yourself and think that serious preparation will not be required from you. First of all, you need to prepare a place where the shrimp will live. Reproduction and subsequent rearing will be successful only if conditions suitable for these creatures are created. That is, immediately after you have decided on a supplier of live crustaceans, you need to equip a place for their placement. Since climatic conditions in Russia do not allow for the possibility of breeding marine life in natural bodies of water, there are several opportunities for a novice entrepreneur.

Aquarium or swimming pool?

The choice is most often made based on the usable area. The larger it is, the larger the enterprise will be. There are two options to consider:

Arthropod nutrition

Shrimp food will have to be purchased from specialized stores, so you should also look for suppliers in advance. It is extremely important to provide them with a healthy diet. For normal life, large shrimp need a lot of food with an increased protein content. We must not forget that these creatures can eat each other if they are not provided with the necessary amount of food.

It is better to buy shrimp food only from trusted manufacturers. The fact is that this creature is very selective. It waits until the food swells well in water, and then selects the most tasty morsels from it. Therefore, manufacturers of elite mixtures make it of such density and with such components that the shrimp eats as much as possible. You should not try to make feed mixtures yourself; this can negatively affect the growth and development of young animals.

Equipment and optimal conditions

Raising shrimp is a process that requires attention to detail, and therefore it is best to start with one or two specimens to ensure that the conditions you create are truly ideal. Experts say that you need to follow a number of rules, otherwise your business will begin to make losses.

In order for crustaceans to grow well, it is necessary to maintain an optimal water temperature - +22-28 degrees, because the shrimp is extremely heat-loving.
You cannot keep too many individuals in one pool. Overpopulation will cause them to start eating each other, which will negatively affect business.
If you have a very busy work schedule, consider who will care for your pets during the day. It is extremely important to constantly feed them (and especially the larvae) so that they do not feel hungry. They buy special, balanced food for them. After all, it is in your interests that crustaceans grow well and gain mass.
The molting period is the most important period in the life of a shrimp. Poorly regulated temperature conditions at this time will cause mass death of your pets. Therefore, you cannot save on a system for maintaining the temperature of water.

By following these simple rules, you can achieve stable growth and development, as well as active reproduction of crustaceans. In 12 months, each individual can reach a weight of 100 g.

We purchase equipment

First of all, you will need to find capacious aquariums or pools. If you want to have a stable supply of shrimp to stores or restaurants in a year, then it is advisable to immediately purchase at least 12 of them and stock them at intervals of a month. Then in a year you will be able to empty them one by one and populate them with young animals. Equipment for shrimp farming includes a system for maintaining optimal water temperature.

In addition, each aquarium or pool will require a separate oxygen circulation system. It is very expensive, but if you want your pets to grow healthy, gain weight well and reproduce, then you shouldn’t skimp.

Habitats for crustaceans must be covered with special soil. Its quantity must be calculated based on the following proportion: for a 50-liter aquarium - 9 kg of coarse soil. A shrimp farm cannot do without the arthropods themselves. It is advisable to have four females per male.

Preliminary calculations

Of course, if you start with a small pool to meet your family's need for seafood, the costs will be completely different. However, industrial shrimp farming is a business that requires significant investment. In order to quickly take a place in the market, it is necessary to ensure solid production capacity. In this case, it will cost you about 700 thousand rubles to purchase special equipment. A ton of arthropods or their larvae is another 35 thousand rubles. It will take approximately 120 thousand for fattening. In addition, you will need a premises for which you need to pay rent and utility bills, as well as employees who will care for the shrimp. That is, it will take approximately 1,350,000 rubles to start a business right away with good momentum.

Why you should pay attention to this business

Shrimp farming has a number of benefits. The demand for crustaceans never falls; on the contrary, prices only rise. How could it be otherwise, because it is a delicious and healthy, and also a dietary food product. Shrimp cooks quickly and goes with any side dish, suitable for baby food.

Growing arthropods at home is an opportunity to enter a business with a small investment and fully recoup it in about a year, after which you will begin to make a profit. By the way, shrimp farming as a business is a unique idea of its kind, because you will not have competitors. This is an extremely popular product, and if you are ready to provide competitive prices, you will become an entrepreneur who sells high-quality and cheap domestic products.

Sales market

Shrimp is in great demand, so finding a consumer is not the most difficult task. However, from the first days it will most likely not be possible to conclude a supply agreement with large shopping centers, restaurants and specialized fish markets. However, this is not a problem, there are a lot of small stores that will be happy to buy goods from you. By creating a name for yourself, in about a year you will be able to fully return the money invested and, for example, open your own branded seafood store.

Juicy, tender shrimp meat has long been familiar to everyone; it has a lot of microelements, including potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium and a large amount of protein. Shrimp fit perfectly into the diet of those who are on a diet, as they have low calorie content.

Imagine that you can breed shrimp in your own garden! In addition, you can build a small business on this, since the demand for shrimp has never fallen before, because they are not as expensive as many fish, and it is considered that this dish is a delicacy.

Shrimp are also very popular among those looking for ornamental fish to add variety to their aquarium, but they are not intended for human consumption. It is quite possible to breed them in your apartment aquarium.

Features of breeding ornamental shrimp

First, let's look at the features of breeding ornamental shrimp, since this is one of the easiest ways to breed them at home. To do this, it is enough to have an aquarium at home.

The first thing you should know about this is the sales market. It’s worth establishing relationships with pet stores or developing your social networks to find customers. For this you will need an SMM specialist and an SEO specialist. On average in Russia, an SMM manager charges 15,000 rubles for his work, and an SEO specialist – 20,000 rubles. Total – 35,000 rubles. But now, when social networks have become an integral part of life, such work does not look pretentious and incomprehensible. Many home entrepreneurs are able to do this themselves, saving a lot of money.

Decorative shrimp come in different varieties, and the most popular varieties are cherry, yellow, snowflake, blue, tiger and red crystal.

Breeding such shrimp is quite profitable due to its unpretentiousness. Some aquarists manage to grow them in ordinary plastic buckets. In one 50-liter container, be it an aquarium or a bucket, you can plant 100 shrimp, of which 70 will be females. Under favorable living conditions for a shrimp, a female will carry an average of 20 fry every month, and 70 females will carry 1,400! The price for decorative shrimp varies from 10 to 150 rubles depending on the class. We believe that if you establish a sales market, this is a very good type of business.

Let's move on to the most important thing: living conditions and nutrition.

Equipment in addition to buckets or an aquarium will require filters (approximately 400-1,400 rubles per piece), compressors for oxygen saturation (100-600 rubles), lamps (from 353 rubles) and ADA soil (about 1,800 rubles for a 9-liter package ), which makes the water soft.

By the way, soil is a particularly important factor for shrimp farming. This is necessary to create almost natural living conditions, only in which the shrimp can feel well enough and reproduce quickly.

Caring for shrimp, as mentioned earlier, is not difficult. It is necessary to change the water once a week, and only by 10% of the total volume. You should feed only 1-3 times a week. If done more often, it threatens infertility and death of the livestock.

Shrimp are omnivores; in nature they feed on carrion and plants, as well as in an aquarium. Aquarists bring shrimp in so that they eat the filament algae that covers the walls of the aquarium and at the same time clean the aquarium. And, of course, they eat carrion, and this is a whole feast for our little shrimp. But if we talk about specialized food, then they eat the same thing as regular fish - tablets, granules and flake food. Also in stores there are feeds designed specifically for shrimp; they contain microelements that are not found in regular fish feeds.

How much can you earn

The payback of such a business with a small start-up capital will be in 1-2 seasons. The starting investment is estimated at approximately 40,000 rubles, this amount is small, but this already includes an aquarium and all the necessary equipment and food.

Initially, no documents will be required, but it is still advisable to register as an individual entrepreneur, since many retail outlets prefer to work with legal entities. Permission to open will be required only in the case of mass implementation of contracts with sales representatives. To do this, you need to have permission from Rospotrebnadzor and SES. Finished products must be checked for compliance with quality standards by supervisory authorities before sale.

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

Shrimp cultivation 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 for growing shrimp, according to which it is produced in a special aquatic environment filled with nutritious algae, bacteria, protozoa, carapaces and other organic particles. Freshwater water quality is controlled through aeration and agitation to maintain active flocs in suspension. The system independently provides two important functions: balanced nutrition of shellfish 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 sediment.

Shrimp cultivation in Russia is most often carried out using RAS technology, which is characterized by stable water quality. It allows you to provide acceptable conditions for the development of mollusks in areas with increased bacteriological danger and low water quality. However, not every beginning shrimp farm can afford such a system.

Shrimp farming as a business

First of all, to open your own mini-aquafarm 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 equipment. As mentioned above, for growing shrimp at home and on an industrial basis, artificial reservoirs and closed water supply installations are most often used. They consist of a shellfish tank, a water solution filtration system and piping.

Initially, you do not need to choose a giant pool and expensive equipment for growing shrimp, since it will not be easy for a novice 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 cultivation technology.

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

What kind of shrimp should I breed?

After the idea of breeding and keeping shrimp arises, the next question will appear: “Which variety should I choose?” Let’s say right away that a novice farmer should choose freshwater species of shellfish. Growing shrimp of this type does not require the purchase of expensive equipment, and their resistance to external factors is noticeably higher than that of marine species.

Next, you will need to choose between decorative 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 city. In Russia, tiger and king prawns are most often bred on private farms, which are well known to consumers and are considered the most popular product.

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

As practice shows, even at the initial stages, the shrimp business can bring you about 2.-2.5 million rubles. per year, provided that annual shipments are at least 5 tons. In the future, it is possible to increase the scale of shrimp farming and conquer new heights of profitability.

Today, one of the most important characteristics of a successful business is the presence of little competition and high demand for the product. It is these points that enable the entrepreneur to make sure that the invested funds will quickly return back, and the built business will constantly generate profit. Shrimp farming as a business- one of the few niches that can bring a lot of money, subject to minimal investments of both material and energy nature.

General Features

By investing a relatively small amount of money and putting in a little effort, a potential entrepreneur can soon receive a huge batch of adult shrimp. By the way, they are well bought not only by restaurants and shops, but also by ordinary citizens. It is only important to organize a good advertising campaign and competently formulate an offer for the product itself. Why exactly ? Many of our readers are probably familiar with their taste. This means that talking about their popularity is a waste of time. It would be advisable to move on to familiarize yourself with the initial stages of building a fundamentally new business.

The beginning of the way

Shrimp farming starting a home as a business usually starts with a thorough market analysis. It is important to remember that the organization of a fishery has every chance of success only when the entrepreneur considers in detail both the main and additional nuances of the business. The sales market for this product is very large-scale, caring for individual animals is not difficult at all, and the cost of the equipment is undoubtedly encouraging - the advantages of the business are obvious. You have a desire to understand how your own business and shrimps? Reproduction, cultivation and sale of crustaceans are the most important elements in this business. This should be remembered.

Breeding the cold-blooded animals in question at home is still a completely new direction for Russia. It is this fact that can certainly play into the hands of an entrepreneur, because in this case competition is minimized. Is a large one appropriate here? Or is it better to start with a home business?

Business valuation

As it turned out, this is a business that requires a special approach. In order to make a decision about the method of breeding cold-blooded animals, it is necessary to evaluate the associated attributes. Below is some sample information regarding the business in question:

Fifty thousand rubles is the starting investment.
In this case, low market saturation (respectively, low level of competition) is appropriate.
The business is quite complex (the difficulty of opening it is estimated at seven out of ten).

Is there a need to register a business?

Shrimp farming- a business that, as a rule, does not require registration with the tax inspectorate. Of course, if we are not talking about large-scale fisheries. However, in the absence of registration, one should not hope to formalize supply agreements with wholesale buyers - such buyers prefer to cooperate exclusively with legal entities.

In the process of making plans for breeding crustaceans, you must take care of registering the business as an individual entrepreneur or limited liability company. By the way, here it will be necessary to obtain official written permission to promote the relevant activity from the Russian Consumer Surveillance and the Sanitary-Epidemiological Station. In addition, the finished product is also subject to quality testing by government regulatory authorities.

From the above, we can conclude that the legal sale of artificially grown shrimp does not require a lot of time and money. In addition, the supervisory services in this case do not make many demands. Great, isn't it!?

What kind of shrimp is best to breed?

Where will yours live? shrimp? Breeding conditions, as it turned out, can be homemade or farm-made. To begin with, it would be advisable to implement a business idea at home. It is important to note that a potential entrepreneur has two options regarding the direction of development of the business in question:

Cultivation of shrimp for food purposes. This direction is the most profitable, given the widest sales market (there is no doubt that there will always be those interested). Here plays an important role. So, it would be advisable to breed royal and tiger crustaceans.
Breeding of decorative shrimps. Under such circumstances, the entrepreneur sells cold-blooded animals that “decorate” aquariums (they are not considered food). It must be added that here, just as in the first case, the decisive role is played. So, filter-feeding shrimp, as well as dwarf species of crustaceans, are quite suitable.

What else needs to be considered when choosing shrimp?

In this type of fishery, it is very important that the shrimp farming technology suggested the emergence of new individuals in fresh water conditions. Why? The fact is that organizing all the necessary conditions for the maintenance and reproduction of marine varieties of crustaceans is a very complex process.

Where can you buy shrimp to bring your business idea into reality? This question, as a rule, causes the greatest number of problems compared to subsequent stages (such as, for example). Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find high-quality individuals to start the process on the territory of Russia. So, when choosing shrimp, it is necessary to find out from the seller the growing conditions and inspect all the farmsteads in order to ensure the proper condition of the crustaceans. It is necessary to add that transporting shrimp over long distances, as a rule, leads to the loss of significant funds. Why? The fact is that to adequately support the vital activity of crustaceans, mobile containers are needed.

Shrimp: reproduction and breeding sites

A farm for growing crustaceans in an open reservoir is not the best option for a Russian entrepreneur due to inappropriate climatic conditions. So, today it is better for business owners to give preference to shrimp farming in specialized pools or aquariums. Each of the above methods has its pros and cons.

To begin with, it would be advisable to consider the pool. An artificial pond can be built in a house or in an open area. The homemade option is considered the most preferable, since river crustaceans cannot withstand the cold from outside. If a swimming pool is installed in a particular room, it is possible to breed shrimp for sale year-round. The depth of the reservoir should not reach more than two meters. In addition, at the bottom it is necessary to provide shelter for animals in the form of tiles, bricks, broken stones, and so on.

Aquarium and breeding features

In the case of aquarium breeding, the technology itself has minimal differences with full-fledged fish farming (the only difference is the size of the “reservoir”). It is important to note that this direction, one way or another, relates to a home-type business, since it is impossible to sell the finished product in large volumes here. To begin with, it is advisable to sell shrimp to individuals who want to purchase “pets” for their own aquariums. Of course, to start a home shrimp business, you need to buy a sufficiently equipped aquarium and, accordingly, several individuals.

Breeding Features

As it turned out, breeding crustaceans as a business is profitable only if the proper conditions are organized for the proper growth and development of all individuals. Before you spend money on purchasing the necessary equipment, you need to find out how to breed shrimp from “farmers” with extensive experience. The process is characterized by many nuances, so a newcomer to this business will have a hard time at first. For a winning result, you need to properly understand the issue.

It is important to note that crustaceans are quite finicky. Thus, breeding requires special conditions and high-quality provision of additional nuances, including:

The water temperature for adequate growth and development of crustaceans should be 22-28 degrees.
River shrimp will never tolerate a “dense” neighborhood. Why? The fact is that when a reservoir is overpopulated, individuals, one way or another, begin to eat each other, which leads to loss of profit for the entrepreneur.
Individuals need to have access to food on an ongoing basis. It should be noted that larvae eat the most. Shrimp food, as a rule, is purchased from suppliers or prepared independently.

As we can see, organizing your own shrimp farming business is quite possible if you approach the issue seriously.

If you are a beginning businessman who is looking for a not very complicated but profitable type of business, then farming shrimp at home can be a real godsend. This type of income also has a number of pros and cons, which we will consider in detail, and also figure out what is needed to grow shrimp.

Why is this activity profitable?

In large restaurants, seafood is a sought-after and delicious dish, the price of which is high. If you draw up a business plan correctly, then growing shrimp will be profitable, because the business has a number of advantages:

Demand for products is constantly growing. Seafood is tasty and healthy, which makes it popular among the population;
Shrimp are easy to grow at home in small pools or artificial ponds;
To create a business you don’t need to spend a lot of money, it pays off quickly;
There is not much competition in this area, so even a novice entrepreneur can succeed.

Interested? Let's study the conditions for shrimp farming and what equipment may be useful.

In general, difficulties can only arise with the installation of water heating systems and lighting necessary for the normal life of crustaceans. It would be a good idea to talk to experienced businessmen who will tell you how best to organize the breeding process.

Features of shrimp breeding in an artificial reservoir

You can rent a small pond or dig it yourself at your summer cottage. Everything will depend on the size of the businessman’s initial capital. For shrimp, it is important to install artificial lighting; the optimal depth of the reservoir is no more than 1.5 meters.

Shrimp live on the bottom, so you can line it with pieces of tiles, slate, etc. The optimal temperature for the reproduction of crustaceans and their normal life activity is 22 C and above. Therefore, it is important to make sure that the pond is well warmed up even in the cold season (you can make it covered, so you can make a profit from breeding all year round).

In regions with a harsh climate during the cold season, breeding and keeping shrimp is simply impossible. If the pool is not indoors, then only from the beginning of April until October inclusive it will be possible to raise fry and sell adults.

As for their diet, these crustaceans prefer natural food of animal or plant origin. Good living conditions and high-quality food are the key to the fact that in six months each will reach a weight of 20-25 grams (about 100 grams per year). Such growth rates are excellent for these crustaceans, so profits will not be long in coming.

These crustaceans can only be fed with natural foods that are of plant and animal origin. Under good conditions and food, one individual can reach 100 g per year. But our conditions allow about six months for its cultivation, so one individual can reach a maximum weight of 20 g. This is also a very good indicator when shrimp are grown as a food product.

Costs for equipment for heating the reservoir and lighting are appropriate if you plan to significantly expand the mini-farm and increase production volumes. At the initial stage, you can try growing crustaceans in an aquarium. There is also no need to immediately obtain the status of an individual entrepreneur and obtain all licenses.

Try growing several small batches of shrimp; if everything works out, and you will learn all the intricacies of the process, you can safely expand production. To register, you will only need about a thousand rubles, a number of certificates about the businessman’s identity (TIN, personal data, etc.), and the entire registration procedure will take about a week.

Subtleties of shrimp breeding in aquariums

This mini-farm is more of a trial option. The grown shrimp cannot be sold en masse, but the costs at this stage will be very low.

A pair of plastic buckets.
Sponge filter.
Location (garage, etc.).

How much can you get and how much should you spend?

As for the financial side of the issue, shrimp farming as a business on a small scale will require appropriate investments. Approximately 300 thousand rubles will allow you to create a reservoir, purchase the necessary supplies, and within a couple of seasons the money will pay off.

You can safely start with small volumes, gradually gaining experience. The efforts will bear fruit in any case. Shrimp are considered one of the most affordable types of seafood; they are valuable for their taste and the presence of vitamins and microelements in them. So finding buyers is not a problem.

The price of equipment for growing these crustaceans on an industrial scale is from 5 million or more. A ton of shrimp broodstock costs another 400 thousand rubles. Such a business can already be put on stream, sales channels can be established and contracts can be concluded with buyers for the supply of seafood.

Before sale, shrimp are sorted by size, setting the appropriate price for each kilogram. This is approximately 500 rubles per kilogram for wholesale buyers. In this case, the costs can pay off in just a couple of seasons. You can even create your own sales point, since it is advisable to sell crustaceans while they are fresh.

If you are engaged in breeding rare species of shrimp that are bought for keeping in aquariums, it is difficult to give an approximate profit and payback.

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