Today, more and more people are interested in how to breed trout at home. It is expected - thanks to this you can earn a lot of money, because high-quality fish is in great demand. It is also nice that you do not need to spend a lot of time and effort to maintain a business. And the investment is much less than that required for most types of their affairs. Therefore, to deal with this issue in more detail will be very useful.
Natural habitat
Before you understand how and where trout are bred, it is worth finding out where it is found in the wild.
Many people are sure that she lives exclusively in the USA. This is actually not the case. In general, there are about twenty species of trout. Some of them are really found only in the United States - in lakes and mountain streams.
However, there are some species in Norway - in clean reservoirs it reproduces well and feels. It is no coincidence that there is even a tourist and fishing industry based on the Norwegians' love for trout fishing.
There is also a species of trout, which is found only in one place on Earth - in Lake Ohrid, located in Macedonia and Albania.
But there are reservoirs in Russia, where trout lives in the wild. Lake trout is often found in reservoirs of the Kola Peninsula and Karelia - in Ladoga, Onega and others.
Trout benefits
Now we’ll try to understand why so many people prefer to breed trout for business, rather than some other fish.
There are many reasons for this. First of all, trout is a red fish. Moreover, she is almost the only representative of this noble family that can be propagated in captivity, where she will actively grow, develop, and gain weight.
Red fish is highly valued in the market, so it can be realized with much greater profit than, for example, crucian carp, tench, carp or even grass carp.
It is important that in Russia there are quite a lot of fish farms where trout fry can be freely purchased, so there will not be any special problems with finding juveniles.
Moreover, already in two years it reaches a marketable weight of about two hundred grams, and with good nutrition and suitable conditions of detention - much more.
Finally, this fish is a valuable and welcome trophy for many fishermen. And this is also an important factor in the sale of grown fish.
Choose the right breed
Most people are interested in how to breed trout in a pond. It is quite justified - to find a suitable pond or even create one yourself with your own hands is much easier than solving a problem with a clean stream. Of course, modern equipment allows you to create a sufficiently powerful current in a pond so that the fish feels comfortable. But this is associated with serious additional costs.
Therefore, it is better to give preference to the pond. So, you need to choose the breed that can survive and grow actively in such conditions.
What trout is bred on farms? The most common are two species - brook and rainbow. The first, as already understood, is not suitable because of the complexity of the content. Therefore, it remains rosy. Her homeland is the United States, where she lives in many lakes. However, she can live in water heated to a point at which most other types of trout die.
So we stop on rainbow trout.
Equip a comfortable pond
Before starting your own business, you need to calculate all expenses, make an estimate and approximate profit. If you are interested in how to breed trout, a business plan will help you understand whether the game is worth the candle. This includes the purchase of equipment, feed, the creation or rental of a pond and much more.
But in any case, it is the pond that is the most serious expense item. It is unlikely that in a suitable place there is a pond that can be rented - the state does not always meet small entrepreneurs in such undertakings, preferring to buy products abroad.
Therefore, pre-calculate the opportunity to create your own pond. Still, renting or buying out a piece of land without a reservoir is much easier.
It is better if it is in a lowland - it will be easier to dig a pit that will fill with cold spring water. But in this case, you need to protect the pond from ingress of melt and rain water. It often contains harmful substances or leaches those out of the soil, which may well lead to the death of fish, which are distinguished by their whimsical quality of water - we'll talk about this later. The small sides together with high-quality drainage will perfectly cope with the task.
So, it’s best to dig a deep enough foundation pit so that cold water is drawn into it. In many regions, this is not too deep - from 2 to 4 meters. Yes, more expensive than digging a half meter pit and filling it with water. But here the water will always be quite cold, and as the evaporation pond can fill up on its own, without human intervention and the use of pumps that constantly consume electricity and can fail, requiring extra costs.
The size of the pit should correspond to your goals - the more fish you plan to get, the more it should be. Of course, if you are reading an article to learn how to breed trout in a pond on a site near the cottage, you will have to forget about a large pond with an area of hundreds of square meters. Most often, you can select no more than one or two hundred parts under a pond. Therefore, the number of fish will have to be seriously limited.
It is also important to choose the bottom topography correctly. It is not necessary that the entire pond has a depth of 3-4 meters. Most of it can be no more than one and a half to two meters. The main thing is that water comes from underground keys, lowering the temperature and replacing the evaporated one.
It is important that in a fairly deep reservoir, even on cold winter days, the temperature will not fall below a critical temperature - about +1 ... +3 degrees Celsius. If the water freezes to the bottom, the fish will die. But the keys will not allow this to happen.
In the presence of a deep reservoir, trout can be grown almost anywhere in Russia. When the ice melts and the water heats up, the fish will be able to go into shallow water, and on hot summer days they can go down to the bottom, choosing a suitable temperature.
Water requirements
Trout is notable for its exacting habitat. It does not tolerate pollution and quickly dies in a pond where carp or grass carp feel great. It is no coincidence that they are often used at water intake facilities as a living indicator - if a dangerous impurity appears in the water, the trout will die quickly.
The pH should be around 6.5-8.2, and best of all, 7.5.
In addition, water containing more than 0.5 mg of iron per liter is not suitable.
At the same time, the temperature should be stable - without sudden changes. Rainbow trout grows best at +14 ... +18 degrees Celsius. Even a short-term increase to +25 degrees can lead to death. But the fish can tolerate +20 ... +22 degrees. The main thing is that there is enough oxygen in the water. The optimal indicator is 7-8 milligrams per liter. So be sure to include a powerful compressor with multiple sprayers on your must-have shopping list. On hot summer days, when the water is heated, you need to provide good aeration. And this applies even to readers who are interested in how trout are bred in Karelia. Yes, hot days do not fall out too often here. But it’s better not to risk fish for hundreds of thousands of rubles, deciding to save on the purchase of equipment that will cost several thousand or a maximum of tens of thousands of rubles.
The purity of water has already been mentioned. Alas, over time, dirt accumulates in stagnant water - uneaten food, dead fish, feces. There are two ways to solve the problem. Firstly, put expensive filters and regularly clean the bottom. Or use a cheaper option - biofilters. It is enough to launch several dozens (or hundreds, depending on the volume) of toothless mollusks into the reservoir, so that the water in it is always clean and transparent. Toothless passes tens of liters a day through itself, eating waste products along with simple organisms. A dozen crayfish will solve the problem of dead fish. They feel great in cold clean water and will be happy to eat dead fish - they do not pose a danger to the living because of slowness.
How to feed them?
Another very important issue that everyone who decides to learn how to breed rainbow trout should be addressed is the preparation of a suitable diet. Improper diet can lead to slower growth and disease. Exactly the same consequences can have a periodic underfeeding. But still, excess feed is even more dangerous - the fish eats without knowing the measures, as a result of which the metabolism is disrupted, and the trout dies en masse - it is prone to obesity. In addition, uneaten food settles to the bottom and rots there, reducing the quality of the water. Therefore, it is important to comply with the measure.
Of course, it is important to approach the preparation of a suitable diet. The simplest solution is to buy ready-made feed. Then you can be sure that the fish will receive all the necessary trace elements and a sufficient number of easily digestible calories.
But there are a few problems. Firstly, far from every major city, not to mention the small ones, you can find compound feed intended specifically for trout. And food for carp and other fish in this case will not work - they have a completely different composition. Even if you are lucky enough to find a suitable one, its cost will unpleasantly surprise even a very wealthy breeder - the price ranges from 100 to 200 rubles per kilogram. Of course, a well-realized fish will help offset financial costs. But still, not every breeder will be able to invest such money in the project - to feed a marketable amount of fish, tons of feed will be needed.
Therefore, many choose a different path - they create food on their own. For this you will need fish and meat and bone meal, yeast and meal. If it is possible to add earthworms to the mixture, the mixture will become even more nutritious. Alas, creating food without disrupting technology at home is quite difficult - you have to experiment a lot before you can achieve the perfect ratio.
Breeding
Now we turn to the question of how to breed trout at home from scratch. Every year, buying young fish means spending serious money, which will reduce profitability.
Fortunately, it is possible to breed the fry yourself. To do this, in the early to mid-spring, you will have to catch a large female (aged 3 years or older) with a clearly swollen belly. Gently massaging the stomach with a sponge, you need to express the eggs in a sterile container. After that, it is poured with clean water - milk is also expressed from the male. The resulting mass is carefully mixed - it is best to use a goose feather brush. Then you need to leave the container in a warm place (about +8 ... +10 degrees) and ensure good aeration. If everything went well, then after a few weeks fry will hatch from the eggs. They need to provide abundant nutrition - artemia or plankton is best suited. Over time, you can switch to compound feed or bloodworms and cut earthworms.
At first, juveniles need to be kept in sufficiently large containers, and then released into a separate pond - otherwise the trout may very well feast on their own fry.
A full growing cycle allows you to become more autonomous and seriously reduce the cost of maintaining the project.
How to sell products?
One of the most pressing issues for farmers who have decided to raise trout is where to put the grown fish. The question is very serious. It is unpleasant that in almost any situation (except for use by the owner himself) you will have to draw up a legal entity and collect a lot of certificates that the fish meets environmental standards. But even after this, it’s not easy to sell fish.
We list a few of the most popular options.
The most obvious is to conclude a contract with a large fish supply store. It can be live or fresh frozen - depending on the remoteness of the store and the requirements of its representatives. Of course, the presence of an aquarium with live fish will raise the prestige of any outlet to a new level. True, you have to increase the cost - frozen fish does not need care.
In addition, you can agree with a serious restaurant on the supply of a certain amount of fish. Here the aquarium is already more justified - many visitors will be pleased to have the opportunity to see that the fish that they will be served for dinner is really fresh - they can even choose which individual will be prepared for them. Less - not all places where trout are bred in Russia can boast of proximity to chic restaurants.
Finally, you can simply open a fishing base. Fans of fishing themselves will come to your pond and catch trout for a set fee - a very convenient and easy way, eliminating the need to look for a wholesaler and conclude a contract. The main thing is to give good advertising so that all potential customers are notified.
Profitability
Is this a profitable business? But this is one of the most difficult questions. Alas, no answer can be given to him. It all depends on many factors: the cost of feed, the availability of a pond and the cost of its equipment, volumes, cost of sales. But one thing is certain - there is no reason to fear significant competition in this market. There are not many trout farms in Russia to oversaturate the market with quality products.
Therefore, before undertaking such an unusual business, it will be useful not only to calculate all the costs, but also to check the sales market - to find out if restaurants and shops can buy products in a couple of years, when the fish reaches marketable weight.
Conclusion
On this our article comes to an end. In it, we tried to fully cover all aspects of the breeding and maintenance of trout - from digging a pond and spawning to feeding and implementation methods. We hope that the article will help the reader find answers to his questions and will allow him to decide on a crucial step.