Culture and Ornamental Fish

Culture and Ornamental Fish

Animal Sciences

Culture and Breeding of Ornamental Fishes (Guppies, Goldfishes and Koi Carp) and Feed Development for Their different Developmental Stages

Aquarium keeping is though the most popular hobby with millions of enthusiasts world wide, however recent advances in fish husbandry and aquarium equipments have further facilitated the hobby. Ornamental fish production is an important component of the aquaculture industry in several nations. The estimated value of ornamental fish and invertebrates imported into different countries worldwide is approximately 278 million US$. Pet industry surveys have estimated the aquarium industry worth over 1,000 million US$.

In this initiative, studies will be carried out on fresh water ornamental species such as Guppies (Peocillia reticulata), gold fish (Carassius spp.) and Koi carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Koi). These fishes are selected on the basis of colour and wide range of environmental adaptation. No work in this regard has been done on the culture and breeding of ornamental fishes in Pakistan. Considerable amount of foreign exchange is being spent on the import of the ornamental fish in the country. The success of ornamental fish culture in the country will not only meet the local demand but will also provide the opportunity to raise foreign exchange for country.