Looking for suggestions on Fish

[Vlatro]

I'm looking to raise fish for food in a back-yard pond. While there is plenty of info out there on this subject, I'm having trouble getting the information I need specific to my region. Here's a quick run-down on my situation:

I live in Central NY, with average winter temperatures around -5° F and summer highs of 90°F
I will be digging the pond my self, not using a pre-existing water source, I will use a liner, not a clay substrate.
There is no connection to existing water sources, so exotic or non-native fish can be used without fear of escape into the local streams and ponds.
I'm looking at a pond size or 20'W x 20'L x 6'D (17,500 Gallons).
I prefer to have minimal (or no) filtration, relying on plants, fish breeds, bacterial cultures and if needed chemical water adjustments.
I'm looking to get about 150lbs of fish per year.
I won't be purchasing fingerling stock annually, they must breed in the pond.

Is anyone here experienced with raising food fish in my region? I'm interested to know:
• What species you raise
• Is it a monoculture, or do you keep an assortment of species
• What is the stocking density you maintain
• Do you do anything special in the winter (cold-frame covers, heating etc.)

I need a cold hardy fish that can sustain it's self within the pond on a diet of algae, duckweed, minnows, and minimal feed.
Tilapia would be great, but they wouldn't survive the climate here. I've considered Channel Cats, but they their breeding rate vs the annual growth rate may not suit the space constraints or my target harvest size. Local perch seem viable, but under these conditions I'm looking at ½lb 2 year old fish, which means a lot of effort has to be dedicated to cleaning, I would prefer something faster growing and with a larger size. I have no intention of selling the harvested fish, and will be extracting only about 20lbs at a time throughout the season. My goal is to maximize my food production by using the vertical space of my yard, with the hope of providing fish as a meal 1-2 times a week for up to 8 people.

Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

Im way to far south to really help but that sounds pretty small to to get 150 pounds of fish a year out of. Stocking an feeding maybe but not naturally. Also because you have no stream input you are going to need an airater at the lest if not a large filter. On paper 141 feet of fish could live in that space. But that is with filtration, food input an no icing over.

I'm in to catfish myself but the more diverse you make it the better.

 

[scrambledmess]

I wouldn't count on fish not getting out into the ecosystem either. My uncle had a pond that he stocked with a varity of local game fish. 2 years later, we were catching all kinds of things he hadn't put into his pond. The theory was that birds could carry eggs on their feet. Whether or not this was true, I don't know. I was a girl when this went on so I have no further details. I, too, thought the pond size was a bit small for that much fish. Most of the small ponds in my area have windmill airators (sp?) if they didn't the deep areas would go septic.

 

[Vlatro]

I admit, it's an optimistic number. I've seen data of commercial Tilapia farmers getting the equivalent ratio of fish/gallon, however it was on a much larger scale. It may not scale down in a linear fashion. Also, as Tilapia are out of the question for me, and not many cold water fish reproduce as readily or grow in weight as rapidly, I suspect lower yields. 150lbs per year is my target, but I don't expect to hit that in my first few years, it will take experimenting with feeds, fish cultures etc for me to approach anything near that.

One suggestion I got on another forum was to work with the local perch, but postpone harvesting until the 5th year, at which point 1½-2lb fish should be available. Another frequent suggestion I found was to establish my feed base for 2-3 years before introducing the fish, ensuring a viable population of feeder fish, snails, shrimp and vegetation. Apparently, people have kept pre-established ponds viable for 20+ years with no feeding, but it requires population control.

Another option I'm considering is investing in a pellet mill and making my own feed to reduce costs while increasing growth rate and reproduction. That would allow me to introduce fish immediately and still grow the natural forage at the same time, but at a cost of about $2,000. If anyone has good feed recipes, I'd love to hear them. I'm thinking 20% oat, 20% barley, 40% duckweed, 20% animal protein (eggs, brine shrimp, bloodworm etc). At least I can grow adequate supplies of those in a small space.

On the issue of aeration, I'll be using a submersible pump (30ft of pressure in a 3"OD pipe, 5,000gph) with a vertical rise just above the surface, like a fountain. This should provide significant aeration, and limit icing over significantly. If needed I may add an air pump, but prefer not to use chemical oxygen binders, as I've read most of them contain lots of iron that can poison the water over time and promote the growth of toxic algae while retarding the growth of the feed algae.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Our neighbor stocked her pond with catfish, bass and perch. Tell me how on earth an alligator gar breeding pool wound up in there?


Creepy...

 

[downtime]

Sunnies (sunfish) would probably work too. I'm trying to think of what was in a relatively small pond next door to my uncle's place and perch and sunnies are all I can think of. I used to work at a pet store, selling ponds/pond liners/pond fish, and if you make your pond that deep you should be ok with winters. People overwintered Koi in shallower ones without a problem (I'm in WNY).

I agree on getting a base "eco system" started first. Even with aquariums, it's best to start slow and let all the natural elements (like good bateria) build up.