Keeping Fish

[Mutt Farm]

I have a 2,000 gallon, two 1,500 gallon and a1,000 gallon pond. I also have two small ponds just outside the house I forgot about.

I tried different filtration systems and none seemed to work. I seem to have some green water no matter what. But I did try something new that really seems to help. At the last fishing trip I netted up a bunch of river shad. They are filter feeders and the green water seems to be clearing up. The ones that survived the trip went into the ponds and the ones that didn't went into my pigs.

I move the water around during the hot months but right now I have no filters running at all. It (to me) is a waste of money.

I do have one pond in a shady spot with a lot of plants in it that stays clear until I pump it into the other ponds and put green water in. I guess that is my filter.

Shade would probably help but that's another iron in the fire. I keep pretty busy and it is hard to keep up.

Thanks for the info! On my smaller ponds (130 gal above ground), DH finally made a bio filter with gravel and plants. It always stayed crystal clear, but the pumps were killing my electric bill. I think we'll go back to a plant bog type bio-filter. Seems to be working for you as well.

 

[politicalcenter]

Thanks for the info! On my smaller ponds (130 gal above ground), DH finally made a bio filter with gravel and plants. It always stayed crystal clear, but the pumps were killing my electric bill. I think we'll go back to a plant bog type bio-filter. Seems to be working for you as well.

I just drained one of my ponds and separated out the goldfish. I took some bleach after sweeping all gunk out and gave it a good cleaning. It was a mess! I am filling it with a hose from the house and the water is clear for now. I have a whole house filter and I will start it up while the water is clear and hopefully it will keep it clear. It will filter out the pea soup but it clogs so quickly. Maybe this time I can get ahead of it. I want it for Koi only...and I want this pond crystal clear.



I am also going to get some vinegar bottles and sink them half way at the water surface for winter. Hopefully when the water freezes at night it will take the pressure off the walls of the ponds. We get very little ice and it is usually gone by afternoon.


Our problem is the Alabama sun. They seem to be clearing quite a bit now that the days are shorter and the sun is further south in the sky blocked by trees. All my ponds are above ground.


The pictures are from the construction phase. the dragonfly...etc... now has a yellow background.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Well, I'm glad to see this thread taking off. I would love to raise catfish or bluegills for meat but don't have the time or space right now, nor do I really want predatory fish mixed in with my community fish. After many years with breeding fish, I have found that breeding nets are invaluable, as are places for fry and gravid mothers to hide from other fish. I breed all sorts of live bearers, but my favorites are definitely guppies and mollies, the guppies re bred for showing, selling, and new breeding lines. It is a fun business or hobby for those interested.

 

[politicalcenter]

Well, I'm glad to see this thread taking off. I would love to raise catfish or bluegills for meat but don't have the time or space right now, nor do I really want predatory fish mixed in with my community fish. After many years with breeding fish, I have found that breeding nets are invaluable, as are places for fry and gravid mothers to hide from other fish. I breed all sorts of live bearers, but my favorites are definitely guppies and mollies, the guppies re bred for showing, selling, and new breeding lines. It is a fun business or hobby for those interested.

I used to raise guppies and had some real nice ones. I would just select the best males and breed them with my best (most colorful) females.

I had to move and haven't tried them since. I have my eye on a 55 gallon tank with power filter and hood for 50 bucks. If it still available when I get paid I will pick it up.

I love the snakeskin guppies and the native angelfish. I just think a natural angelfish can't be improved upon....unless its black or lace...or both.


Raising fish for meat is a long, involved process and it takes a lot of water. It can take two years for bluegill and almost a year for channel catfish. Tilapia grow a lot faster but they need heat...even in the deep south.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Yes, a long process that I don't have time for between the poultry, garden, work, fish, other pets, the dog, etc., it just isn't worth the time in my situation, but we went fishing today and hooked three big largemouth bass. We only brought in two, but they were a nice size. We released them back into the lake, but it's good to know that in tough times we have a good food supply right behind our house. When fishing, I noticed a bunch of dead coot birds in the water and on the bank. I dismissed it as careless hunting, perhaps to thin out the population, but when I stooped down to push some grass out of the way, I came face to face with a live coot, lying in the grass. It just stared at me, and I realized it must have been shot and survived. I felt terrible, but before I could pick it up, the bird fluttered off and landed on the lake. He looked uninjured, so hopefully it was just resting, but I am worried that it had been shot but was still lively enough to escape. It made me quite upset to think that the poor bird may be suffering. I usually have no problem with hunting for food or to thin out the population when neccassary, but it bothered me that the hunter was so careless, leaving dead and possible injured birds lying in the grass and the water. If they had to be shot, they should become someone's dinner. Even if the hunter didn't want to eat them they should've gone to someone in need of a meal, coot is delicious when cooked well. I truly hope that the bird I spooked was okay, or at least might survive the injury. If not, I hope it will have a quick death when killed by a predator or human. It's shouldn't have to suffer because some human was too careless or lazy to take responsibility and cull it as painlessly as possible. There was no blood, so perhaps it was just resting after a close encounter, it sickens me to think that someone would knowingly leave an animal in pain....this is what gives most hunters, who hunt responsibly, a bad name. I will keep an eye out for any nests come Spring, as the hunters often kill coots then, leaving chicks and eggs without parents. Makes me sad, I need a funny story to counter this.

 

[politicalcenter]

My day started off with my wife feeding the goats and my pygmy doe (Nanny) didn't show up. My wife came down with some medicated feed and told me she was going to give some to Nanny because she thought she was sick. "She is pregnant you know", I hollered.

So, I went up to the old livestock trailer we use as a goat shed and there was Nanny. She had birthed on kid and it was covered in goat manure. I went down to house and got some warm water and my wife brought up hay. I cleaned the little one up and dried it off and covered the bottom of the trailer with fresh hay. That was this morning and everything else went on hold. But the little one seems to be doing fine.

One thing about being retired...I didn't have to run to work and leave my goats.

 

[Mutt Farm]

My day started off with my wife feeding the goats and my pygmy doe (Nanny) didn't show up. My wife came down with some medicated feed and told me she was going to give some to Nanny because she thought she was sick. "She is pregnant you know", I hollered.

So, I went up to the old livestock trailer we use as a goat shed and there was Nanny. She had birthed on kid and it was covered in goat manure. I went down to house and got some warm water and my wife brought up hay. I cleaned the little one up and dried it off and covered the bottom of the trailer with fresh hay. That was this morning and everything else went on hold. But the little one seems to be doing fine.

One thing about being retired...I didn't have to run to work and leave my goats.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My day started off with my wife feeding the goats and my pygmy doe (Nanny) didn't show up. My wife came down with some medicated feed and told me she was going to give some to Nanny because she thought she was sick. "She is pregnant you know", I hollered.

 So, I went up to the old livestock trailer we use as a goat shed and there was Nanny. She had birthed on kid and it was covered in goat manure. I went down to house and got some warm water and my wife brought up hay. I cleaned the little one up and dried it off  and covered the bottom of the trailer with fresh hay. That was this morning and everything else went on hold. But the little one seems to be doing fine. 

One thing about being retired...I didn't have to run to work and leave my goats.

pictures of baby goats are always welcome.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

That is an amazing surprise. If you have kids, of the human kind, then I'm sure they will be excited beyond belief. Young goats are always fun.

 

[LeafBlade12345]

Tank check: I have not lost anymore fish, hobby or breeder. I do need to buy some snakeskin guppy fry if I want breeders for Spring this year. After losing my fancy males, I am stuck with a couple Cobras and endler guppy males, but I'm otherwise male less for this breeding season. I am looking into ordering a few Moscow greens for breeders, but their tails look like they may be number one on my cobra guppy's menus...the endler's I have no problems with, as they are small, shy, and non-aggressive, but my bigger gups get mouthy and irritated when they lose their females. Spring will be a good time this year. Our woodpecker family will build a new nest in their bird house, the new wildflowers will spring up, the raccoons will lead their tiny kits into the oak trees, but away from my birds, and the deer and coyotes will have fawns and pups. Today, driving home, we noticed a man lying on the side of the road. Thinking he fell off his bike, we pulled over and stopped, only to find him and a woman, I'm guessing his wife, sitting with a doe mule deer on the side of the road, petting it. It lay on its side, breathing heavily, it had been hit by a car. The person who hit her hadn't even stopped, and the two bikers who noticed her lying in the road were the ones who saved her. They called wild life rescue, and we left as we were making the deer nervous. It was so upsetting to see such a magnificent animal lying on the road, being comforted by humans as it clung to life. It was not a happy follow up to the coot incident, and I have been in a bad mood. People these days...lucky that some people, like the bikers, actually cared about an animal. I just don't understand anyone hitting a huge animal and then just driving on. Absolutely horrible. Off note I know, but really needed to rant. Thanks for listening.