Many novice entrepreneurs are wondering what to do so that the invested money not only does not disappear, but also makes a good profit. Food production has always been in the first place, because the need for fresh and wholesome food is basic for every person. A separate line today is the breeding and sale of marine life. Demand for seafood is growing every day, and the most popular are marine crustaceans. The explanation is quite simple: shrimp and crayfish are tasty and healthy, and also have an affordable price compared to other marine life.
Crustaceans in business
However, today we want to talk about shrimp not from the point of view of the consumer, but to consider them as an option for conducting a profitable business. You will be surprised how easy it is to grow shrimp. Breeding these crustaceans will not require a large start-up capital. Moreover, in just a few months you can become a successful entrepreneur.
First question: company registration
Indeed, many are afraid to enter the food production market because they are afraid of difficulties with the preparation of necessary documents and permits. Shrimp itself causes no less questions. Breeding must comply with certain rules and regulations. However, this business cannot be called a new trend. For the first time, people engaged in such fishing in the 70s. It was then that shrimp farms began to appear throughout Europe. Russia did not stand aside, and here the freshwater, giant shrimp began to use the greatest demand.
For 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 inspectorate and may well bring in good profits. And if you understand that this is really the business of your life, then you can safely increase the scale of production and open an industrial farm.
Shrimp species
The next question: who will be your final consumer. The fact is that there are different shrimps, breeding and implementation of which is fundamentally different.
- Decorative dwarf crustaceans, or filter shrimp. They are used primarily for decorating aquariums. They are unsuitable for food and are sold through a network of pet stores. In fact, the content of shrimp is simple, so if you have a large aquarium and a certain skill, you can regularly get offspring and sell it to aquarium enthusiasts.
- However, if you want to engage in a truly profitable business, it is much better to pay attention to king and tiger shrimps, which are used directly for food. They are in great demand among restaurateurs and owners of large grocery stores. It is on this option that we want to stop today. Of course, the content of shrimp that are grown for food is slightly different. First of all, you will have to ensure constant volumes of supplies so that the customer is interested in working with you.
We buy tribal shrimp
Having decided what kind of crustaceans you want to breed, you need to carefully study the features of their livelihoods. The cultivation technology can be found in the specialized literature, but it would be best if the person who already has practical experience in such breeding tells about the main difficulties. It is on the recommendations that you need to look for a point of sale where you can buy shrimp for breeding. It is advisable that it be close to you, as this will save on transportation. You won’t do it in a simple package, you need special mobile containers that will support the viability of shrimp. It is best for newcomers to seek the help of experts who will check the status of crustaceans.
You can take the path of least resistance. This is especially important if you have shrimp for the first time. Reproduction of these crustaceans is fraught with great difficulties, since in Russia it is not easy to create optimal conditions for them. In Europe it is possible to arrange “pens” right in the usual water bodies, that is, the natural habitat. Therefore, you can buy fry in a special farm and grow adult crustaceans from them. After the life cycle ends, it will be possible to purchase new young growth.
You can successfully breed those species that are resistant to disease. For example, the tiger is ill during the breeding season very often, and the percentage of survival of young animals is relatively small. But the "Rosenbergs" are more stable.
Where to breed shrimp
Do not flatter yourself and think that you will not need serious preparation. First of all, you need to prepare a place where shrimp will live. Reproduction and subsequent cultivation will be successful only if the 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 imply the ability to breed marine life in natural waters, there are several possibilities for a novice entrepreneur.
Aquarium or pool?
The choice is most often made on the basis of the usable area. The larger it is, the larger the enterprise will be. Two options can be considered:
- The pool is 1-1.5 meters deep. It is not necessary to make a stationary, heated pool, enough, a pool for breeding a giant freshwater shrimp at home can be placed right at home. Of course, the quantity of exported products will also depend on the size of the pool. Breeding shrimp at home can be cost-effective if you have at least 100 live individuals living simultaneously. At the same time, room temperature for crustaceans is even preferable to outdoor temperature. The most important thing is that the temperature does not fall below +13 degrees, and Ph is higher than 9. It is recommended to lay the bottom of the pool with tiled or broken stones so that your crustaceans can hide under them. Experts recommend installing a closed water system in their pools. In this case, you get automatic control of the optimal temperature, oxygen and lighting.
- Shrimp breeding at home can be successfully carried out in an aquarium, but in this case the volume of output will be very limited. Many individuals cannot be grown even with a sufficiently large capacity. That is, in this case, you will focus on individuals who feed seafood on the predatory inhabitants of their aquariums.
Arthropod nutrition
Shrimp food will have to be purchased in specialized stores, so suppliers should also be searched in advance. It is imperative to provide them with a healthy diet. For the normal functioning of large shrimp, you need a lot of food with an increased protein content. We must not forget that these creatures can eat each other, if not provide them 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 feed swells well in the water, and then selects the tidbits from it. Therefore, manufacturers of elite mixtures make it of such a density and with such components that the shrimp eats everything if possible. Trying to make feed mixtures yourself is not worth it, it can negatively affect the growth and development of young animals.
Equipment and optimal conditions
Growing shrimp is a process that requires compliance with all the subtleties, and therefore, it is best to start with one or two individuals to make sure that the conditions you create are really ideal. Experts say that you need to follow a number of rules, otherwise your business will begin to bring losses.
- In order for the crustaceans to grow well, it is necessary to maintain the optimum water temperature - + 22-28 gr., Because the shrimp is extremely heat-loving.
- You cannot keep too many individuals in one pool. Overpopulation will lead to the fact that they will begin to eat each other, which will negatively affect business.
- If you have a very busy work schedule, think about who will take care of your pets during the day. It is extremely important to constantly feed them (and especially the larvae) so that they do not feel hunger. The food for them is bought special, balanced. After all, it is in your interests that the crustaceans grow well and gain mass.
- The molting period is the most important period in the life of a shrimp. A poorly regulated temperature regime at this time will cause the mass death of your pets. Therefore, it is impossible to save on the system to maintain the temperature regime 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 make the purchase of equipment
First of all, you need to find capacious aquariums or pools. If you want to reach stable shrimp deliveries to shops or restaurants in a year, then it is advisable to immediately purchase at least 12 pieces and populate them at an interval of a month. Then in a year you will be able to empty them one by one and populate the young. Shrimp breeding equipment includes a system for maintaining optimal water temperature.
In addition, a separate oxygen circulation system will be required for each aquarium or pool. It is very expensive, but if you want pets to grow up healthy, gain good weight and breed, then you should not save.
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 will not do without the arthropods themselves. It is desirable for one male to have four females.
Preliminary calculations
Of course, if you start with a small pool to meet your family's need for seafood specialties, 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 provide solid production capacities. In this case, about 700 thousand rubles will be spent on you to purchase special equipment. A ton of arthropods or their larvae is another 35 thousand rubles. About 120 thousand will go to fattening. In addition, you will need a room for which you need to pay rent and utility bills, as well as employees who will care for shrimp. That is, it will take about 1,350,000 rubles to start a business right away with good speed.
Why pay attention to this business
Growing shrimp has several advantages. Demand for crustaceans never falls; on the contrary, prices are only rising. But how could it be otherwise, because it is the most delicious and healthy, as well as a dietary food product. Shrimp is quickly cooked and combined with any side dish, suitable for baby food.
Growing arthropods at home is an opportunity to enter the business with small investments and fully recoup them 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, 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 is most likely that it will not be possible to conclude a supply contract with large shopping centers, restaurants and specialized fish markets . However, this does not matter, there are a lot of small shops that will be happy to buy goods from you. By creating a name for yourself, in about a year you can fully return the money invested and, for example, open your own seafood company store.