Evaluation of the condition and facilities of ornamental fish farms in Iran

In order to investigate the possibilities and solve the obstacles and problems of ornamental fish farmers, information was collected online by designing an electronic questionnaire. The results of the 66 investigated farms in the country showed that, on average, 14 species of freshwater ornamental fish are produced in each farm, and 10% of the farms produced more than 25 freshwater species in each farm, of which 9 species were oviparous—according to Friedman's test, Biomare, Tetra, and Tropical food brands had the highest demand and level of satisfaction among imported brands in Iran, respectively. The most important live food consumed in the ornamental fish industry is Artemia, which was reported as one of the most important challenges of Artemia in Iran, its high price with 66.2% and low hatch percentage with 58.5%. About half of the farmers did not have communication with universities and the Iranian Fisheries Organization to solve their problems. One of the reasons for visiting the university was to solve the problem of fish diseases, to increase the reproduction rate, and then to improve the quality of water and wastewater. For disease problems, the main priority of farmers was to consult with other farmers and refer to literature. Based on the results of the chi-square test, water restrictions, and water quality control, the quality of Iranian feed brands, the hire of experts and skilled workers, the lack of credit aids and bank facilities, the lack of suitable feed, and the final price, the lack of formation of a trade :union: council, the increase in the price of inputs and currency, and the lack of space for fish farming has greatly affected this industry in Iran.