As we visited the fish farmers that sell the baby fish, we found out that they all get their baby fish imported from Vietnam. None of them breed their own. There have been no new fish from Vietnam lately, although they expect more soon. The smallest fish we were able to get was already one month old, and bigger than the ones we expected to get (that we were told were available). They sell the fish by the kilo, so the variable is in the quantity of fish you get per kilo. The small ones, they tell us, come close to 2,000 fish per kilo. The one-month-old ones that we bought were about 300 fish per kilo. A kilo cost us less than $10! We bought 5 kilos for Dara’s orphanage. So, this should be approximately 1,500 fish, one-month-old already.

Our first day, 40 fish died, and on the second day, 30 more died. These were brutally hot days. We had talked about putting up shade for the fish soon, but we immediately realized we needed it. By the end of the second day, we finished installing the shade structure for the fish tanks. After consulting with the seller of fish feed, he suggested that we get the more expensive high-protein feed for their first two months. Since we finished the shade structure and started that higher-protein feed, the mortality rate has dropped to 4 yesterday and three today. Soon, we expect the mortality rate to be zero.

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Dara described the size of our cement tanks to the seller/farmer, who said that each cement tank could hold 1,000 market-sized fish of one kilo each. So, we let the first batch use both cement tanks. They should be ready to eat or sell in 3 months. We plan to rotate each crop every two months so that we have a harvest every two months.

In one month, we will buy more baby fish, and they will go in the big fishnet that we are installing in the big pond. In three months, we will buy more baby fish, and the first batch will be ready to harvest and begin eating. In three months, all the big fish will go into the first tank, and we can start eating and/or selling them! If only 1,200 of the initial 1,500 survive, this will give a yield of 20 one-kilo fish per day! Every two months after that, a new harvest of fish should be coming in.

Joy upon joy, the Lord continues to bless the raising of the chickens, ducks, and turkeys. He is multiplying them! And now, we have the vitamin-rich fish wastewater (organic fish emulsion) going directly from the fish tanks to the garden every day! These will be some happy vegetables! The clean city water from the house refills the fish pond, and they are happy!

After the owner had drained the ponds, there was no water getting to the garden area, so most of the vegetables died. But now Dara and the boys are staring over, and things should look really good there soon.

Praise the Lord Jesus Christ for His faithfulness in all of this!
Blessings,
Kelly