Commercial Catfish Hatching & Aquaculture Course
From hormone injection and egg stripping to hatching thousands of fry and managing high-density grow-out ponds. Gain complete commercial mastery with direct on-farm practical training at Vokun Farms.
Comprehensive Course Syllabus
Every trainee physically handles adult broodstock, performs injections, extracts milt, fertilizes eggs, manages hatching trays, and cares for fry under veteran aquaculture instructors.
Broodstock Selection, Sexing & Conditioning
Identifying sexually mature Clarias gariepinus and Heterobranchus broodstock. External inspection of reddish/pink genital papilla in males, soft distended belly in females, and conditioning diets (42% crude protein).
Hormonal Induction & Hypophysation
Administering synthetic hormones (Ovaprim at 0.5ml/kg) and natural carp/catfish pituitary gland extracts. Calculating correct needle gauge, 45-degree intramuscular injection, and latency period tracking based on water temperature (9–12 hrs at 26–28°C).
Stripping, Male Sacrificing & Artificial Insemination
Step-by-step extraction of male milt (spermatophore) without blood contamination. Dry stripping mature olive-green eggs from the female into clean dry bowls. Saline activation, feather mixing, and activation with clean water.
Egg Incubation, Kakaban Setup & Hatching
Single-layer spreading of fertilized eggs onto Kakaban submerged mosquito mesh in flow-through hatching troughs. Maintaining dissolved oxygen, continuous freshwater flow, and tracking the 20–24 hour incubation window until hatching.
Larviculture & Live Feeding (Days 0 to 10)
Managing yolk sac absorption (days 0–3). First exogenous feeding with live Artemia salina (brine shrimp nauplii), decapsulated Artemia cysts, and cultured zooplankton. Siphoning dead unhatched egg casings to prevent Saprolegnia fungal outbreaks.
Nursery Management & Micro-Pellet Weaning
Weaning 10-day-old fry onto 0.2mm–0.5mm micro-crumbled starter feed. Daily bottom siphon cleaning, water exchange protocols, feeding frequency (4–6 times daily), and nursery temperature stabilization.
Grading, Sorting & Cannibalism Elimination
Implementing rigorous sorting every 4 to 7 days using plastic fish sorters and grading bowls. Isolating fast-growing 'shooters' to eliminate sibling cannibalism and preserve 80%+ nursery survival rates.
Commercial Grow-out (Concrete, Earthen & Tarpaulin)
Pond stocking densities, transfer protocols from juveniles to grow-out tanks, feeding regimens (3% body weight twice daily), and feed transitions from 2mm to 4mm, 6mm, and 9mm floating extruded pellets.
Water Quality Testing, Biosecurity & Disease Management
Monitoring key water parameters: Dissolved Oxygen (DO), pH (6.5–8.0), Total Ammonia Nitrogen (TAN), and temperature. Diagnosis and organic/veterinary treatment of Columnaris, tail rot, dropsy, and salt bath sanitization.
Fish Farm Economics, Smoked Processing & Marketing
Feed conversion ratio (FCR) financial accounting, cost of production per kg of catfish, live market sales versus value-added smoking using modern eco-friendly smoking kilns, and packaging for supermarkets.
What You Will Take Away
500 high-yield, sorted fingerlings are given free of charge to graduants upon completing the course.
Receive the Vokun Farms Agribusiness Vocational Certificate recognized by commercial farms and lenders.
Free engineering consultation on pond construction (concrete, tarpaulin, or earthen) at your site.
Ready to Become a Certified Fish Breeder?
Limited slots per practical batch to ensure each student gets hands-on time with spawning equipment and broodstock. Reserve your seat today.