Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I want to get into raising fish at home in a tub in my backyard. i will prob do it w/ catfish. What other products/things do I need/ Has anyone raised fish before to eat?
One of the cable channels recently had a program about raising Tilapia in a greenhouse. They had about a five hundred gallon tank and a filtration and temperature control system. The filtration system was the key component. Their system provided enough fish for several families plus the waste from the fish tank provided Hydroponic water for plants. I am not sure but I think it might have been DOOMSDAY PREPPERS.
GL2
I see that in Asia a lot when I travel. They put a plastic liner at the bottom and use a pump to pump air in the water. That's about it. Just one big aquarium with muddy water.
The expensive part is feeding the fish. Especially if you are going to eat them. You will eat what they ate and stored in their bodies.
Another way to do this is to raise pigs. At the end of pig pens, dig a big pond, so the pig poops flow into the pond. There's a certain fish that specialize in eating poops and the fish is good eating. Maybe catfish?
I want to get into raising fish at home in a tub in my backyard. i will prob do it w/ catfish. What other products/things do I need/ Has anyone raised fish before to eat?
Contact your local county extention center and request information on aquaculture.
I’ve never farmed any fish on my own but I have done extensive research since aquaculture was the subject of my capstone project needed to earn my Master’s degree. I’m going to assume that you’re in the southern U.S. since you’re leaning toward farming catfish. Catfish is a good choice and relatively easy to farm. The only major obstacles in farming catfish are finding adequate space and ample money for food. Most people who farm catfish rely on soybean based food pellets to feed their catfish. It is not that difficult to purchase. However, when it’s all said and done, it takes about 2 pounds of feed to yield one pound of live catfish. So, as long as the catfish are being raised food for you and your family rather than for profit, this may not be a significant issue.
If money is an issue, another consideration would be to farm tilapia. Tilapia isn’t as popular as catfish of course, but they are easy to raise and do not have as many limitations as you’d normally see when farming other popular fish. For example, since they are omnivores food will not be a limiting factor. Many people favor tilapia because they are tolerant to overcrowding, relatively resistant to disease and are adaptable to various culture systems. This means that the size of your tank or pond won’t be a detriment to the health of your fish (other than size… i.e. smaller area = smaller fish). Their adaptability also helps in situations where water quality is an issue. Tilapia also reproduce rapidly due to early sexual maturity and reach harvestable size at around 7 months.
As long as you don’t plan on trying to sell any of the fish for a profit and are using an outdoor (extensive) culture system, the only special considerations you should take into account (for catfish) are the size of your system, food and water quality. If those 3 issues are limiting factors for your operation then you might want to reconsider the type of fish that you want to farm. Other than that, I can't think of anything special of note that you'll need.
P.S. Just a small warning/side note for anyone interested in raising tilapia. Since tilapia do reproduce rapidly, their numbers can get out of hand in a short period of time. This isn’t a problem if they are in an enclosed environment and cannot escape. It is important however to understand that tilapia can become an invasive species to the local environment if they are not contained properly.
Another way to do this is to raise pigs. At the end of pig pens, dig a big pond, so the pig poops flow into the pond. There's a certain fish that specialize in eating poops and the fish is good eating. Maybe catfish?
Wrong.
I was once visiting the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. They were using a very large wading pool, perhaps a thousand gallons or more to house some fish for breeding. The fish were smaller, three or four inches, and it was inside a heated building but it's worth consideration.
I was once visiting the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. They were using a very large wading pool, perhaps a thousand gallons or more to house some fish for breeding. The fish were smaller, three or four inches, and it was inside a heated building but it's worth consideration.
Wrong?
Ever been to Viet Nam, old timer?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
