Mobile fish pond, also known as tarpaulin fish pond, tarpaulin pond, or collapsible fish pond is a type of fish pond that is constructed with a special grade of “reinforced tarpaulin” produced by Benuwatts Company Limited. Mobile fish ponds have grown to be the choice pond technology for fish farmers in the present day.
There are various reasons for this, chief among which is the mobility of the pond and how easily it can be set up and maintained.
These mobile fish ponds can be used for the following:
Small Scale Backyard Fish Farm in the Compound for Tenants and Landlords.
In the past, a major challenge that intending fish farmers who lived in rented apartments faced when venturing into small-scale fish farming was the choice of the fish pond to use in order to secure the approval of the property management.
Concrete and earthen ponds are long-term structures that tend to deface a piece of land.
They also tend to be quite difficult to pack up when a tenant is moving.
Most landlords or house managers do not prefer to have such kind of structures on their property.
With the advent of tarpaulin fish ponds made possible by Benuwatts Tarpaulins, the mobile fish pond technology that is more acceptable to landlords and property managers became possible.
So, you can use a mobile tarpaulin fish pond to set up a small-scale backyard fish farm in the compound where you live.
Fish Farming on Dedicated Farmland: Small scale or Large Scale
It is instructive to note that even farmers who have dedicated farmlands where they want to establish their fish farming business are opting for tarpaulin ponds over concrete or earthen ponds.
A number of them prefer tarpaulin fish ponds because they feel it is easier to pack it up when they want to put the land to another use.
Tarpaulin fish ponds can be used to set up fish farms on dedicated farmland, whether for small or large-scale fish farming.
Farming of Shrimp, Prawn, Catfish, Tilapia and Other tropical fishes
The mobile fish ponds can be used to farm shrimps, prawns, and all tropical fishes including catfish, tilapia, Clarias gariepinus, Heterobranchus longifilis, Heteroclarias and other Catfish species; other Cichlid species, etc.
Danger Associated with Mobile Tarpaulin Fish Pond
Although mobile tarpaulin fish ponds are being used in thousands of installations across Nigeria, it is fair to point out that there are actually dangers associated with using tarpaulin ponds.
This danger manifests as a result of not selecting the right quality tarpaulin material that is recommended for fish ponds. Not all tarpaulin materials can be used.
With the rise in the number of mobile fish pond vendors who are selling ponds made of sub-standard tarpaulin, an increasing number of mobile fish pond users are complaining.
Hence the need to offer some guidance and recommend the best fish pond tarpaulin to buy and use for mobile pond construction (as has been done below).
Which Tarpaulin Is Best for Fish Ponds: First or Second Quality, Korean Quality, High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), or Reinforced Tarpaulin etc.?
When you try to purchase tarpaulin to use for your fish pond, you may hear of some tarpaulin-related terms such as first quality, second quality, Korean quality, HDPE (that is high density polyethylene), Polypropylene, and all sorts.
Let us discuss a little about these terms.
So, before tarpaulin started getting used for the construction of mobile fish ponds, there had always been tarpaulins in the market.
Those tarpaulins were for various uses, among which is the construction of car ports, tents, canopies (set up during events to provide shade), and some agricultural operations, among others.
Let us call this set of tarpaulins the “canopy-grade” tarpaulins.
If you went into the market to purchase tarpaulins for making tents, you’d hear the local dealers asking if you wanted first, second or third quality, or if you wanted the ones made in Korea, China, Taiwan, and the rest.
The canopy-grade tarpaulins were not produced with enough tensile strength and UV-stabilization to withstand the kind of pressure that comes from pond water or from powerful stings from matured catfish. More on tensile strength and UV-stabilization later.
Then, about a decade ago, a company known as Benuwatts began to produce fish pond tarpaulins with a higher grade of tarpaulin that has enough tensile strength, uv-stabilization and other engineering properties that make the tarpaulin very suitable for fish pond construction.
It was dubbed “reinforced tarpaulin”. And, true to its purpose, it has stood the test of time.
To cash into the new market, some local tarpaulin dealers found a way to start producing tarpaulin fish ponds with canopy-grade tarpaulin material.
Hence the many complaints now about mobile tarpaulin fish ponds – people aren’t using the right quality tarpaulin.
So, whenever you want to purchase tarpaulin for a fish pond and hear of first quality, second quality, Korean quality, or anything like that, you should understand that it is canopy-grade tarpaulin that is being talked about and run as fast as your legs can carry you.
Figure 2: Reinforced Tarpaulin (High Density Polyethylene Tarpaulins) specially made for use in the construction of Mobile Fish Pond
Are High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Tarpaulins the Best Tarpaulins for Fish Pond?
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) tarpaulins are very good for the construction of fish ponds.
Compared to the canopy tarpaulins discussed above (which have been around for a long time), HDPE is more recent in the market. The problem is finding a good quality HDPE to buy.
To cope with the dwindling economy or even maximize profit, many importers instruct their manufacturers in China, Korea, Taiwan, and other manufacturing hubs to reduce the quality of the high density polyethylene (HDPE) tarpaulins for them.
So, while they can technically claim to be selling HDPE tarpaulin, it is actually a stripped-down quality that can burst or tear up when water is introduced.
Since most online fish pond sellers – particularly the sweet-tongued ones and those who are quick to offer to visit your site and handle the installation for you (as that means additional profit for them) – do not import their tarpaulins directly but depend on the mainstream importers, there is a high chance that you will get the poor quality of high density polyethylene (HDPE) if you are not very careful.
This is the major reason why it is always recommended to buy directly from Benuwatts Company Limited since the company imports its own tarpaulins and maintains a decade-long reputation for using only the genuine quality of high density polyethylene (HDPE) which they brand as “reinforced tarpaulins”.
The thickness of Tarpaulin for Fish Pond; is a thicker tarpaulin better?
This is one of the questions that we get asked a lot of times.
On the surface, it may look like a thicker tarpaulin would be naturally better and more durable than the tarpaulin that is less thick, but that is not necessarily so.
A thicker tarpaulin is not better – and a thinner one isn’t too if it does not have adequate uv-stabilization. It costs a lot more to stabilize a tarpaulin material, so a thick tarpaulin that is properly stabilized would be extremely expensive for the common man.
That is why, when you buy thick tarpaulin for fish ponds, you find out that it bakes and starts breaking up after about one year when it would have gone through our harsh weather, particularly the harmattan season.
Think of how some plastic kegs, such as the popular blue or yellow 25 litre kegs that are used in fetching water in Nigeria, get weak over time and break up as a result of harmattan. That has to do with loss of uv-stabilization. Thick tarpaulins are more susceptible to this kind of occurrence.
So, when purchasing tarpaulin for fish pond, you should be more concerned about the tensile strength of the tarpaulin and the level of UV-stabilization it has. Tensile strength refers to how much stress the product can take before tearing apart.
Sadly, these are not qualities that you can easily judge by simply looking at or having a feel of the tarpaulin.
Best Place to Buy Your Mobile Fish Pond Tarpaulin
As has already been mentioned above, to get the correct or best quality of tarpaulin that is meant for fish pond, it is strongly recommended to buy from Benuwatts Company Limited.
Figure 3: Reinforced Tarpaulin (High Density Polyethylene Tarpaulins) for Mobile Fish Pond – Ready to be bagged and shipped
Price of Mobile Fish Pond Tarpaulin
The price of the reinforced grade of tarpaulin that is specifically suited for the mobile fish ponds can actually vary, based on the size of the tarpaulin and prevailing economic realities.
Based on size; the bigger the fish pond tarpaulin is, the higher the price.
Based on the economy, the higher the Naira-Dollar exchange rate, the higher the price of a unit of the tarpaulin. You can see the price of various sizes of tarpaulin here or simply refer to the website of Benuwatts Tarpaulins.
Building, Construction, and Installation of Mobile Tarpaulin Fish Pond
Figure 4: Tarpaulin Fish Pond Constructed Using Wood and Reinforced Tarpaulin (High Density Polyethylene Tarpaulins) from Benuwatts
Steps involved in the construction and installation of mobile fish pond include:
1. Decide on the number of fishes that you wish to raise and purchase two or more fish pond tarpaulins for that number. That is, if you intend to raise 1000 catfish (for example), purchase at least two tarpaulins that can, each, take 500 fishes. For better results, purchase three that can take about 400 fishes each. Having two or more fish ponds allows you to sort your fishes into various sizes as they grow in order to avoid cannibalism (a situation where bigger fishes eat up smaller ones).
2. Follow the written guide and watch these three helpful videos on building, constructing and installing tarpaulin fish pond.
How to Treat or Fertilize Tarpaulin Fish Pond before Usage
It is very important to treat and fertilize your tarpaulin fish pond before pouring in water and introducing your fishes into it. Else, the chemical residue from the new tarpaulin may kill off the fishes.
See this guide on how to treat and fertilize tarpaulin fish pond before use.
Other Helpful Ways You Can Use Fish Pond Tarpaulin:
As a Pond Liner for Concrete Pond
One of the major problems faced by fish farmers who use concrete ponds is leakage.
If you are experiencing leakages with your concrete pond, a good solution will be to purchase fish pond tarpaulin from Benuwatts and use it as pond liner inside the concrete pond. This will effectively solve the leakage problem.
However, since the standard height for fish pond tarpaulins produced by Benuwatts is 4 feet, you may have to ask them for a custom size (if needed).
As a Pond Liner for Earthen Pond
It is not uncommon for fish farmers who operate earthen ponds to use tarpaulins as pond liners for their earthen ponds. Just like above, you can request for the custom size from Benuwatts if the size of your earthen pond is larger than the standard sizes listed on Benuwatts website.
Tarpaulin Tank for Oil and Water Storage
A very important use of reinforced tarpaulin is for construction of tanks where oil or water can be stored.
Due to its high quality (including high tensile strength and adequate uv-stabilization), reinforced tarpaulin from Benuwatts is the best to use for the construction of tanks for storage of diesel, crude oil, edible oil and water storage in industries, construction sites, homes, etc.
Places from Where to Buy Mobile Fish Pond Tarpaulins – Lagos, Ogun, Ibadan, Benin, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Owerri, Abuja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Ghana, Cameroon, etc.
If you are living in Lagos, Ogun, Ibadan, Benin (Edo State), Port Harcourt, Enugu, Owerri, Abuja, Jos, Kaduna or Kano and looking for where to buy mobile fish pond tarpaulin, the best place to buy your genuine fish pond tarpaulin is at Benuwatts. This is to enable you to avoid sub-standard quality that is sold in the local market.
You can easily visit the website of Benuwatts to place your order and make payment, and your fish pond tarpaulin will be produced and sent to you in 10 working days or less.
From the information available on Benuwatts website, locations from where you can purchase Benuwatts fish pond tarpaulin are as follows;
South West Nigeria – Lagos, Ogun (Mowe, Ibafo, Ijebu Ode, Sagamu, etc.), Oyo (Ibadan), Kwara (Ilorin), Ondo (Akure).
South East Nigeria: Anambra (Onitsha, Awka, Nnewi), Enugu (Enugu, Nsukka), Imo (Owerri), Abia (Umuahia), Ebonyi (Abakaliki).
South-South Nigeria: Edo (Benin City, Auchi,) Delta (Asaba, Warri, Sapele, Ughelli), Rivers (Port Harcourt), Cross River (Calabar), Akwa Ibom (Uyo), Bayelsa (Yenagoa).
North Central: Abuja, Benue (Makurdi), Niger (Minna), Kogi (Lokoja), Plateau (Jos), Nassarawa (Lafia).
Other northern states: Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Zamfara, Adamawa (Yola), Bauchi, Bornu (Maiduguri), Taraba (Jalingo), Yobe (Damaturu).
Ghana, Cameroon.
Although not officially stated on their website, it is learned that you can also buy Benuwatts mobile fish pond tarpaulin from Ghana if you have a way of connecting with transport companies that ply the Ghana-Nigeria route so that they can pick up your tarpaulins from Nigeria and deliver them to you in Ghana. Same with Cameroon since there are transport companies that ply Cameroon from Nigeria and vice versa.
Full Payment before Production and Delivery
It is important to mention that Benuwatts only accepts full payment before they produce and deliver to your location.
This may not be so comfortable for some type of buyers that have trust issues with online transactions.
If you fall into this category of buyers, you may consider the bonus point below on using independent buyer protection service.
Using Nigeria’s Escrow Lock Payment Service for Buyer Protection
This is a bonus point that can help you in buying goods and services online in a safe way using buyer protection to protect your payment to the seller.
It was recently learned that Benuwatts accepts payments from buyers through Escrow Lock.
EscrowLock is considered the best escrow payment service in Nigeria and Africa, so it is a big plus to see that, in addition to the warranty that Benuwatts offers on their fish pond tarpaulins, they also accept EscrowLock’s middleman mode of payment to further protect their buyers.
Let us explain a little about the escrow payment system.
What Escrow Lock does is that they stand as a trusted middleman that you (as a buyer) can use for settling payments with sellers during online and even offline transactions.
As a buyer, instead of sending payment directly to the seller of a particular product or service (which could put you at risk of scam and fraud), you send the payment to EscrowLock as the trusted independent third party.
EscrowLock will lock the payment, and then ask the seller to proceed with sending you the product or offering you whatever service that it is.
This act of paying into EscrowLock’s escrow account signifies to any genuine seller that you mean business since you cannot easily recall back the money once the transaction starts.
So the onus is on the seller to prove that they are genuine by delivering what you both agreed on.
Once that is done, EscrowLock will release the money to the seller.
However, if the seller fails to deliver as agreed, you can raise a dispute, which EscrowLock will investigate and return your payment to you (less their service fee).
So, instead of losing the whole transaction amount to a fake and fraudulent seller, you just part with the tiny transaction fee that could be as little as N500 (five hundred Naira) or 3.5 percent (less if the transaction amount is big).
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