raising fish for food? Update #109!!

[Wifezilla]

This spring will be a reset for me too. Hubby killed off all life in my pond by draining the hot tub in to the pond to "save water"

I have the minnow/duckweed pond and then I have a 6' across stock tank that is about 4 feet deep. This is in the duck run and will be their "play pond" as soon as I get a good pump.

Well have to find a day when we can tour each other's set ups

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Everyone is right on the Carp. I hadn't considered them because the ones available here aren't from clean water but if water quality is good they are a good eating fish. I was going to suggest yellow perch also.
The same applies to bullhead - taste is very good if the water is clear.
Actually, I prefer those that are carnivorous because I don't trust fish feed. Having worked in the feed industry.
There are several products like this out there
http://www.freshflo.com/buglite.html
http://www.pondboss.com/resourceguide_fish_feeders.html
http://www.atac.cc/pages/fish_feeding.asp
there are weed whip types too.

 

[sydney13]

What about large mouth bass, I haven't seen anyone mention them yet? Are those too difficult because of their predatory nature or is there some other reason why they would be a harder fish to raise?
It would probably be a good idea to have some type of minnow in the pond to feed the big fish, but what type would you recommend?
I was also wondering, do you guys find that fish fed natural diets taste better than a fish fed on commercial feeds?

 

[heritagehabitatfarms]

Quote:
you can not crowd large mouth bass like the others... when i grew catfish in a cage in the pond they said you can have 5 to 9 1# catfish per sq ft of water... i thought that was way to many but i tried it at 5 per sq ft and it worked just fine...

in a small cage or pond it is best to raise the minnows in a seperate container or pond... maby mosquito fish would be a good minnow...

 

[sydney13]

I was thinking maybe I could raise the minnows in my goose's and duck's 150 gallon stock tank

I am pretty sure my goose would not chase the fish and I don't think my muscovy duck could catch any even if she wanted to

I was think of setting up a aquaponics system with a small grow bed over the stock tank with a small pump and having the fish a goose poop fertilize the plants. Would this be able to keep the water clean enough and would the minnows eat the bird poop? I don't like having to dump all the water out when ever it gets filled with poop, so if this would work I think it could save a lot of time and water

Their are a bunch of mosquito larva growing in the water so it would be nice if the fish would take care of that.
Anyway, do you think it would be worth it to grow minnows in a separate tank to feed to the fish? When minnows are part of their diet does it improve the taste of the fish meat over feeding commercial feeds?

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

Seems like a lot of work for an only occasional treat. Don't bother with largemouth bass. Back when I was seriously into predatory fish, It would be a 10 inch bass per 150 gallon tank. They sucked down my money, and needed 30+ feeder minnows a DAY. Not to mention the load of waste they produced. Unless you limit your waterfowl to 30 minutes a day in the pond, there will be way too many nitrites and nitrates in the waste, in turn feeding ammonia, and causing and all out wreck with the water chemistry causing the fish to die. Mosquito fish are readily available and females will have a batch of 15-50 babies every 4-6 weeks. They are cannibilistic though and need plenty of hiding spots. Fathead minnows are another option. A pink variety (called roseyreds) is often available in petstores as feeders, both wild-type color and roseyred will work. I like these guys in a pond setting cause they are fun to watch, easy keepers, and breed easily. You will need MANY hiding places since the males will stake out territories where they will attract females. The females will lay their eggs with the male and the male will guard them. Fry are on their own when hatched. Although cannibilistic, they don't tend to eat their own babies as much when there's lots of hiding spots and a good amount of food. Try growing duckweed in a kiddie pool constantly exposed to sun. Waterfowl love it, and it's high in plant protein. Bird poo will also benefit duckweed.

 

[sydney13]

Quote:
My 2 birds really only use the tank 20 minutes a day at most, when we put it in we were thinking they would use it all day, turns out they are not very big on swimming

It takes about 2 weeks for the tank to fill up with enough poop that you can not see the bottom.
If I do end up raising minnows in the tank I will definitely make plenty of hideouts to protect them from themselves and the duck. Would white cloud minnows work, they are the only type of minnow our local pet store sells?
Because I would have to bring the minnows in during the winter anyway, I was thinking maybe I could raise a couple tilapia fish with them to make this whole thing more worth while

 

[Pet Duck Boy]

White cloud minnows would work, yes, more so since they are a cold water species. I still think even a touch of poo will set things off balance without a good filter. Tilapia are aggressive and will eat ANYTHING. Fish eggs (Cloud minnows lay eggs) will be devoured by them. Also, I would aim for fat head minnows. Though pet stores do sell them, it the baits shops that have the cheapest, and it's where I get mine for treats. Almost every bait shop will have them, though they will need special treatment at first because they will be in bad condition for breeding.

 

[centrarchid]

Quote:
My 2 birds really only use the tank 20 minutes a day at most, when we put it in we were thinking they would use it all day, turns out they are not very big on swimming

It takes about 2 weeks for the tank to fill up with enough poop that you can not see the bottom.
If I do end up raising minnows in the tank I will definitely make plenty of hideouts to protect them from themselves and the duck. Would white cloud minnows work, they are the only type of minnow our local pet store sells?
Because I would have to bring the minnows in during the winter anyway, I was thinking maybe I could raise a couple tilapia fish with them to make this whole thing more worth while

Sydney,

I am a fish farmer that has worked with almost every species mentioned on this thread. Despite your waterfowl not being major predators on fishes, even they can make life difficult for your fishes in such a small volume of water, especially if latter are to reliably close their life cycle (breed and grow up). Otherwise the conditions you will be keeping your fishes under are poorly suited for their cultivation. If serious, then consider more separation between aquaculture and fowl components and increase size of former.

 

[Wifezilla]

My ducks had full access to my pond and I was able to keep it mostly clear by using a LOT of natural filtration.... skippy filters and a plant system. It isn't easy but it can be done. As for your muscoy not be able to catch them...you would be surprised. If ducks know there are fish in the water they will try again again again and again until they get it. If my Welsh Harlequins can hunt down a rosy minnow, so can a scovie.