Leaflet for Ornamental Fish

Ornamental fish keeping and its propagation has been an interesting activity for many, which provide not only aesthetic pleasure but also financial openings. About 600 ornamental fish species have been reported worldwide from various aquatic environments. Among them gold fish (Carassius auratus) is most popular.

Advantages of Ornamental Fish Culture

Little space and less investment require.
Very complicated equipment is not necessary.
Low cost but high profit.
Easy breeding and health management process.

Preparing For Breeding

Breeding usually happens after a significant change in temperature, often in spring. Cement cisterns, all glass aquaria and earthen pots can be used as culture tanks. A 3 ft tank is quite suitable for breeding and this must be prepared at least a week before the fish are put together. It must be thoroughly cleaned with bleach, Dettol or Milton fluid. The tank can now be filled with new air stone and spawning mops to aerate the water.

Selecting Brood Fish

Brood gold fish can be collected from different sources like India, Singapore, Thailand, and even from other breeders of Bangladesh.

Males develop breeding tubercles (white pimples) on the gill covers and on the leading edge of the pectoral fins.
Females develop a deeper body as the fill with roe, and have a larger vent (just before the anal fin) than the males.

Spawning and Hatching

The water temperature in which the fish are being transferred should be at least 18⁰c and introduce the fish into the breeding tank in the early evening and then the temperature should be raised gradually until it reaches 20⁰c. The fish will start to spawn early in the morning, and will generally carry on until midday. Goldfish, like all cyprinids, lay eggs and produce adhesive eggs that attach to spawning mops. The eggs hatch within 48 to 72 hours. Within a week or so, the fry begin to look more like a goldfish in shape. Eggs should then be separated into another tank to protect of eating form parents. After the first week, the spawning mops should be removed.

Feeding and Rearing

Live food like Tubifex worms, Moina, earthworms’ etc. for both brood-stock and for larvae during the early stage. A unit for continuous production of live-food is necessary for successful maintenance. The fry is then transferred to the cement cistern and kept in the sun to produce good coloration.

Health Management

Summarizes in Table 1.

Table1. Health management.

Chemicals	Method of use	Purpose
Common salt (15-30 gm/lt.)	Bath treatment for 30 min	As disinfectant
Methyline blue (2.5 gm/lt).	Added in aquarium water	For water purification
Copper sulfate or Potassium permanganate (0.5-1 gm/l)	Bath treatment for 1 min	As disinfectant

Cost-Benefit Analysis

The average annual cost and return of a minimal breeding unit of gold fish:

Table2.Cost-Benefit analysis.

Items	Unit value	Total Value
Capital cost (tk.)
2 glass aquarium (3×1.5×1.5) feet	1800	3600
3 cement cistern (6x3x2) feet	5000	15000
3 aerator	250	750
Others equipments like hand net, buckets, pipes		1000
Subtotal cost (tk.)		20350
Culture cost (tk.)
two pair parents		3000
Feed + Medicine		3000
Others		1000
Total costs (tk.)		27350
Sale (tk.)
5000 young	40 tk./pair	100000
Annual Profit = (100000-27350) = 72650 tk.
Monthly Profit = 6054.1667 tk.

This leaflet was published as a part of sessional work of subject “Aquaculture Extension” by the final year (04′batch) students of Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology Discipline, Khulna University. It was submitted to Momotaz Khanom, Assistant Professor of Khulna University.