A Madrasha teacher is being benefited with fish farming using the biofloc technology on his house yard at Rajarhat upazila of Kurigram.

Abdul Momin, 43, of Khalisha Koilashkuthi village under Rajarhat upazila is a teacher of Sarishabari Dakhil Madrasha of the upazila, who is involved with agriculture activities.

He planed of fish farming inside his house yard and constructed a concreted ditch-house of length 23-foot, wide 18-foot and height 4-foot in March, 2021.

Next month, he filled up the ditch with water and released 600 grams of fry-fishes (Pona-machh) of Carfew, Silver-calf and Hungeri varieties that were bought from a fish farm of Bogura Sadar upazila.

At first the fry-fishes were given feed-powder and dust of the boiled poultry eggs. After one month, the fry-fishes were shifted into another pond of ten decimals of land and developed those providing proper feeds.

In June of 2021, the fry-fishes were sold to local fish-farmers at Tk 30,000 when their growths came into 1.5 to 2 inches in length. He expended Tk 10,000 for buying fry-fishes, medicine and fish-feeds.

He got an idea on fish farming into the biofloc method watching YouTube and fish-medicine sellers. He used medicines including anti-septic Micronil according to needs.

In July-2021, he cleaned the ditch-house with potash, lime and bleaching powder. Then he released 10,000 fries of walking-fish (Koye machh) of Thailand Hybrid variety.

Those were fed the granular feeds of 0.5 mm, 1 mm and 2 mm sizes according to age. Besides, he used medicine timely to protect them from disease.

After three months (October, 2021), he got production about nine maunds of the fish. But he sold eight maunds of fishes at Tk 70,000 while he expended Tk 40,000 to the fish farming.

Then Momin did not release new fry-fish to his ditch-house due to winter season. He got profits around Tk 60,000 within six months. It is mentioned here that  no extra-labourer has been needed in the farming.

Last year (2022), Momin released fry-fishes of his produced walking-fish in two terms and got a bumper production of walking-fish. He sold 22 maunds of fish at Tk 1,85,000 in two terms while its total expenditure was Tk 85,000.

He got its net profits around Taka one lakh within six months as he gained proper knowledge on the bio-flock fish farming. He purchased an oxygen machine and plastic pipe for supplying oxygen into water.

This year he has released 450 fry-fishes of Pangash variety that will take time up to around ten months to be matured. He has already expended about Tk 5,000 up to this October.

“Many people from different upazilas and districts visited my fish farming. Kurigram District Fishery Officer Kalipado Roy and Rajarhat Upazila Fishery Officer Ariful Alam visited the farming technology and inspired me to go ahead,” said Momin.

“Anyone can be benefited farming fish through biofloc technology with gaining enough knowledge on it, otherwise they may be failed. The knowledge on good fry-fish selection, Oxygen crisis in water and being increased Ammonium, PH and TDS of water and place selection should be acquired. But I think- the hobby is also fulfilled with the fish farming and profit can also be made as like Chhad Krishi (roof-agriculture),” he added.

Rajarhat Upazila Fishery Officer Ariful Alam said, “I visited Momin’s fish farming of the biofloc technology. He is being benefited financially with his fish farming. But we are advising local people to farm fishes into different technologies including Biofloc.”