fish pond?

Has anyone ever thought of stocking a fish pond for food supply? I've been thinking they are really no hassle animals. We used to stock our ponds for fishing as kids. We literally just went to one pond caught as many fish as we could, and threw them in our pond. They feed there selves.

 

We have a pond. In the beginning and a couple of other times we stocked it with fingerlings. In the very common drought conditions of Texas, the water level goes down, down, down and you can lose all your fish. But it's not all that expensive to restock. We had some really nice ones in there last year, and in August it got so hot! One day we went out there and the fish were washed ashore, being eaten by the buzzards. The oxygen had become depleted. It did not kill them all though, because we are still catching fish out of there now. But yeah, they are good eating and a great addition to a sustainable farm.

 

In the 1970s, there was this government program called green revolution. The public was urged to plant anything in any space of land available for planting. And for those with no land, planter pots and boxes will do. The purpose of the green revolution is to have fresh vegetables for the table that saves money and contribute to the nutrition of the people particularly the children. Part of the green revolution program was the personal fish pond.

Some residents with big lots created a small swimming pool for a fishpond which they filled with tilapia (the local carp). Some have catfish and mudfish that are all fresh water fish and easy to tend. The main fodder is old bread which can be bought from the bakery at cheap prices since they are leftovers. One neighbor had a backyard farm and a fishpond in the front yard that is an attraction because he also had water spinach in the fish pond. An added benefit of the fish pond is the water which is very nutritious for the plants. No need for fertilizers if you can irrigate your plants with fish pond water.

 

I actually own several fish ponds and sell Tilapia at the local markets. I stock my ponds collectively with 500,000 Tilapia fingerlings every 4 months. These little guys are prolific breeders. A average size female can hatch several hundred babies at a time.

I had a small breeding tank in my house for cross breeding. One of my females had babies once a month. We are talking maybe 200 the first batch, and after that it was 300 plus and so on. The bigger the female is, the more she eggs she can produce.

The food is naturally produced through algea, which is made by adding chicken manure in the ponds, and growing Chinese water cabbage in the pond as well. But as a business you want to get them full grown as soon as possible. So Tilapia store bought feed is a must.

Down side to Tilapia as a form of sustenance is that you need a large body of fresh water for them to grow. 1 square meter of water equates to 1 kilogram of body mass. Breeding is easy, feeds is natural, but the body of water for them to grow is a challenge. Also thieving neighbors are a constant nuisance.

 

We also had a similar experience a few years back. We live in Oklahoma. We had stocked our pond and a drought took them as well. The pond refilled shortly, and we went fishing and restocked. Luckily a family member had land accessing a lake and we could have all the fish we could catch.

 

I find you very knowledgeable! Thank you for all your comments. I love gardening and the pond water would be awesome recycling. Even better if you have a running creek near by. We always used our creek growing up. The vegetables would always grow big and beautiful.

 

I had no idea you could grow algea like that! Your place looks amazing what an interesting business. I love fishing so I can imagine why your nuisance neighbors are sneaking over. In my area we love catfish. Whoever catches the most and the biggest wins! When we used them to stock our pond they seemed to repopulate decent. We also had other random fish as well.

 

I know guys that just throw the chicken manure into the water but the way I was taught to do it is to place several kilos worth of chicken manure in a rice bag and hang it in the pond. That way the sun will produce algae.

Also for pond preparation, after filling up the pond with water, you can mash up regular store bought fertilizer and when it is almost liquified spread it around the pond on a hot sunny day. The very next day the pond will be green and full of algae. Perfect for Tilapia fingerlings to grow and thrive on.

 

The number out of species that will basically breed all alone, with no mediation by you are scarcely any. Tilapia would be the main types that would seemingly be of any beneficial size as far as edible species go, and even they should be monitored lest crowding hinder your progress. The Backyard Aquaponics to breeding fish is entirely different from just feeding them.

 

Having a pond stocked with fish is a good way to maintain and adequate level of a food supply. I have seen where some people, even when they may have limited space in their backyard have managed to construct a tank or a number of tanks which allows them to raise a reasonable amount of fish. For domestic use.

 

I own and operate Tilapia farms. These guys pretty much take care of themselves and breed like crazy. There are tons of fresh water fish that can be cultivated with the use of growing algea and duckweed. I do both as it is natural food. I do this commercially, and find Tilapia to be profitable as opposed to other species that I could grow but decide not to because it is a business and not a experiment.

You do need 1 square meter per kilo of fish in order to grow them to market value in 4 months. My ponds are huge and stocked to capacity by the numbers.

 

If you don't mind me asking, is the amount that you make a good amount? Can you throw a few figures out there that are proportional to the type of profit that we might be talking about here? It doesn't have to represent your income from Tilapia breeding exactly but just an estimate of what you can make by changing certain variants.

 

Here's some numbers. Mind you this is in the Philippines so everything is set tho Philippines currency. 1 Tilapia fingerling (baby) is bought at 30-35 centavos. 100 centavos equals 1 pesos. In 4 to 5 months time after feeding them properly and given enough water to grow in 3 pieces of Tilapia will equate to 1 kilo. In the main fish ports they are sold at wholesale and bulk, for 40 to 50 pesos a kilo. From there the vendors can sell it on the street for 120+ pesos per kilo.

 

So I'm estimating about $6 a fish, so it all depends on how many fingerling you buy at once or even accumulate over time. judging by the super cheap price, you have had to made at least 100 times back in profit at a time. That is a really clever way to invest your money.

 

If you do go natural food and not commercial feeds, then you are looking more at 8 months grow time for market value. Commercial feeds will get your fish fat quickly. Also take in account that you might suffer 20% loss due to natural deaths and your neighbors climbing over the fences and stealing catching your fish at night.

 

Fish is a good source of proteins. If you have a source of water then that can be a good idea. I live on highlands where it is difficult to get a steady supply of water. My friend suggested that I can have tap water to supply the pond but I thought that can be expensive. I am usually forced to buy fish which are very expensive here.

 

Fish is great protein and if I had a pond, stocking it with fish would certainly be a priority for me. We had our own pond when I was younger that spanned our property and a neighbor's. It wasn't terribly large, but it was about 30 yards wide and 75 yards long. We never stocked it and neither did the neighbor, but it was always plentiful with fish. We used to go fishing often, but it seems as though we rarely kept fish to eat from that pond and always threw them back. That is probably why it was so well stocked! However, I know the neighbor did eat some fish from there, but he was a busy guy so he didn't fish there too often.

 

I'm thinking of starting a fish farm. First things first though. Land here is pretty expensive so it might take a while for me to save enough money to buy land. Could be three years or slightly more. But once I buy the land and build the ponds I guess it would be time to start living off the grid.

 

Is there something that you can do legally to stop them from stealing your business property? Can't you put up a sign or something of that nature that can be re-enforced with a sign or will the judicial system not recognize it? I am pretty sure that you have already thought of a way to protect your property. Maybe an alarm system might work.

 

In all of human history, when people want your property, laws and a stupid sign will not stop them. I'm sure stealing is a universal law that doesn't have to be written out for people to understand them. They know the consequences and they will do it anyways because that is the most primal trait of any animal. If they want what you have, then they will come regardless if you have security guards with shot guns waiting at the gates.

 

I have thought about having a fish farm before because it makes sense, especially,
if you live close to diverse water bodies, such as the ocean, lakes, rivers, etc.
You can also have your own pond and let your fish farm be close to your home.
Fish is very healthy for you and you can live off of fish for a very long time if you had to.

 

I think building a pond would be a pretty costly investment in terms of time and money, but as you've said fish are no hassle and once you get a spot going you can get as many of them as you want. I don't think it's the easiest thing to start one though, you need planning and a pretty big spot that's covered and maintained well, but it can be worth the time and money if you do it right.

 

I never have had fish pond however, I am thinking to build a fish pond soon. I got this idea of having a fish pond when I was visiting a government's department for raising animals. They were offering 50 percent funding for the people who are willing to build fish ponds. Since I will get 50 percent funding,I will only have to invest 50 percent to start farming fish. Currently, I am doing feasibility study.

 

Just start small. A small make shift pond in the back yard or even a 50 gallon drum will do. As you get better at cultivating them you can scale it up.

 

As I've said in earlier post. 1 square meter of water per kilo of fish mass. Aeration is necessary in a body of water that is over stocked with fish. Most of the time when a pond is understocked aeration isn't necessary as normal air flow and wind will suffice. However you can install a water fountain or small air pump for aeration.

Do a YouTube search for 50 gallon drum fish tanks. You'll surprised how easy it is to start with fingerlimgs and expand as they grow.

 

Not sure if anyone has brought this up yet about if you can legally raise fish in your area. Just taking fish from a lake and planting in your pond is not legal in some states like Washington where I live. Just be aware of this. I know being prepared is the key, but we still need to make sure we do this legally first.

 

I have a good friend thats into fishery. He has a hatching section, the fingerling section, juvenile section and the grow out sections. His farm is so organised that he makes decent profit per sale. I took interest in fishery because i watched him succeed in the business. He onece told me that going into fishery as a business and doing it as a hubby are two different issues. And from your introduction , you are doing it for the later.

He told me that if you are going into fishery for business, then you must do your hatching yourself. And select the best shooters for stocking. If you are raising as a hubby , its advised that you buy from reputable farms because, the quantity of fingerlins gotten from hatching is usually in its thousands and that means you may not need all.

Make sure you have a suitable environment and water for them too.

I hope this helps

 

Tilapia, a tropical fish does well when reared together with catfish. The former breed prolifically and ape checked by the latter as catfish ape carnivorous. I have always had thoughts of rearing catfish which are available in streams in my area. Tilapia and catfish are hardy and require minimal investment and labor and can even survive in depleted conditions. A raised pond is good to situate it in my backyard. Its made by covering a big wooden cage with a sturdy polythene lining for wives retention and then stocking. Many people are making a living off this type of fish earning even in urban areas.