Chital Fish Farming In India

by Bangla Krishi Khamar

Chital Fish Farming – A Simple Guide for Small Farmers

By Bangla Krishi Khamar – India’s Leading Fish Seed Hatchery & Top Chital Fish Seed Supplier

Chital fish (scientific name: Notopterus chitala) is a beautiful and fast-growing fish, also known as Featherback or Crown Knifefish in English. Its body is flat with a curved back and silvery spots along both sides. Near the tail, it has 5 to 8 black spots. Chital is a predator fish — it survives by eating small fish.

If you are a new or small farmer looking to start Chital Fish Farming in India, this easy guide will help you understand the process step-by-step, just like we explain to farmers at Bangla Krishi Khamar.

Nursery Pond Preparation for Chital Farming

Start with a pond of around 15 to 30 decimals (5 to 12 katha).
If you have a small canal or water channel near your home, that can also be used.
Dry the pond 10–15 days before stocking. This helps green grass to grow at the bottom.
Fill the pond with clean water.
Use 1 kg lime per decimal (cent) after filling water. Wait 3 days.
Then release 1-inch size baby Chital fish (1–2 days old) into the nursery pond.
Feed them with baby carp or tilapia fry.
Create shelter inside water using betel nut branches, bamboo sticks, or coconut leaves — Chital loves to hide under cover.

Main Pond Chital Fish Cultivation

Use 3 to 6-inch size healthy Chital fingerlings for the main culture pond.
Chital can be grown with small carp species (like koi, bata, tengra, etc.).
Stock 5–6 Chital fish per decimal.
As Chital lives by eating small fish, add brood tilapia fish to the pond.
For every 1 Chital, release 5–7 adult tilapia fish (which will give birth to fry).
So, for 5 Chital per decimal, stock 35–40 brood tilapia.
Chital will feed on the baby tilapia naturally.
You can also grow Chital with big carp like rohu and catla, as it won’t harm big fish.

Income from Chital Farming

For good profit, it is best to farm Chital fish in large ponds or water bodies like bheris or small lakes.

Let’s say you use 10 acres (1000 decimals) of water area for Chital Fish Farming in India:

You release 6 Chital per decimal: that’s 6000 fish.
After one year, you may harvest 5000 full-grown Chital fish.
Each fish weighs around 2 kg or more.
If you sell at ₹500 per kg, that’s a return of over ₹50 lakh (excluding costs).
Bigger fish fetch even higher prices.

Important Tips for Chital Fish Farmers

Build strong pond embankments to avoid overflow during monsoon.
Have backup water sources for emergencies.
Chital can live with small carp fish, but won’t harm big fish.
Make sure there are enough small fish in the pond as food.
If fry supply is low, raise rohu or mrigal fish separately and feed to Chital.
Always use healthy and pure quality Chital seed.
If you don’t have your own pond, you can take ponds on lease for farming.

How to Get Chital Fish Seed in India?

Bangla Krishi Khamar is India’s No.1 hatchery and trusted supplier of quality Chital fish seed. We provide:

Chital seeds (1 inch to 6 inch)
Doorstep delivery across India
Farmer guidance & training
Regular follow-ups for success

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Posted in Fish Farming