9 Freshwater Fish Farming Tips For Homesteaders

Tips for Freshwater Fish Farming You Need to Know

How to Make Your Own Fish Farm

Farm-raised food. There's simply nothing you can compare it to.

As preppers or homesteaders like you and I keep saying, “You can't trust frozen food from the grocery and you have no idea how it was raised.”

Being able to grow or raise your own food is just one of the many rewards of being self-sufficient.

It is interesting to note fish farming is very affordable and easy to do. You would also be glad to know you can raise more fish compared to maintaining cattle for beef.

You can keep them in a backyard pond or in tanks. Later on, you have the option to turn it into a source of income. Here are some tips on how to start fish farming!

1. Make a Shallow Pond

“John Tavern, writing in 1600, recommends making big shallow ponds, keeping the ponds flooded one year and dry the next. When dry, plow, and seed their beds with clover and then graze with cattle.

“Their dung and stale together with the natural force of the Sunne… will breed flies and bodes of divers kindes and sortes,” which the subsequent fish will fatten on.”

2. Preparing for a Farm Pond

“Look for some basic features to turn an existing farm pond into a fish pond. The pond should be at least one acre in size.

Smaller ponds can work but pose some difficulties in managing the fish population. Fish ponds should be at least 6 ft. deep, but no more than 12 to 15 ft. deep.

The water level should have a mechanism of control, such as a sleeved standpipe fitted with a cut-off valve at the bottom. The pipe and cut-off valve control water levels by allowing you to remove lower, unoxygenated water.”

3. The Ideal Fish for Freshwater Fish Farming

Although there is no “perfect” fish for farming, the following are desirable biological and economic attributes when selecting the best fish for farming. The fish species should:

Be capable of reproducing in captivity
Produce numerous and hardy eggs and larvae (young)
Have well-known culture requirements
Be adaptable to many types of culture systems
Be adaptable to multi-species farming (polyculture)
Exhibit rapid growth to a large maximum size
Readily adapt to artificial feeds
Be tolerant of crowding and high-density conditions
Exhibit high survival (low mortality) rates
Be easy to handle, harvest, and transport
Be resistant to disease and parasite infestations
Not be cannibalistic or territorial
Be readily available like eggs, fingerlings, and adults
Have a high market demand
Have good eating qualities
Exhibit high feed conversion rates
Have good dress-out weight values
Have a long shelf-life
Be easy to process
Have a healthy appearance and color
Have highly regarded fighting abilities
Be catchable

Learn more about freshwater fish farming and selecting the right fish to raise.

4. Determining Your Ideal Grow Season for Fish Farming

“While every effort should be made to complete your grow out during the warmer months, this may not always be feasible. Since this is the case, some provision to heat the water should be made.

One good idea, if you can swing it, is to put your fish tank in a greenhouse. This will allow you to fully capitalize on any sunlight (in Missouri, it is mandatory for Tilapia to be raised in an enclosure of some sort, any way to prevent “escape”. Other states have similar regulations).”

5. Digging

“When the time to dig arrives, consider what is the best tool for the process of making your new backyard fish farming setup? If you have the room and plan to make a very large pond, or series of very large ponds then it may be best to use heavy machinery such a bobcat or backhoe.

Unless you are very experienced with earthworks, it is probably best to hire an experienced contractor. It can be very helpful to set aside the topsoil and replace it around the edge of the pond at the end.

This is to help encourage more rapid recovery of plant life. Turf can be used in the same way and can be helpful later on in the process to cover your liner edge.”

6. Oxygen

“All fish require oxygen, as air passes across the water, oxygen is infused. Pumps creating splash or spray will assist with this process.

Running an air pump with air stones is not critical, but it is definitely helpful, especially if you are using a flood and drain method or if your pond is sheltered, covered, indoors, or heavily stocked.”

7. Feeding

“If you want to maximize the production of your backyard fish farming pond, you may have to feed your fish. There are a variety of commercially available feeds.

Keep unused food frozen to maintain quality. Also, limit your feeding significantly during periods of cold weather as fish tend to be much less active.

You can also consider creating a habitat for the prey of your chosen fish species so there is a continuous supply of wild feed. In larger, well-designed backyard fish farming ponds, wild foods can provide much or all of the food needs of your fish.

This kind of setup does not, however, allow for a large amount of annual harvest.”

8. Water PH Levels

“Excluding bore water, concrete or earthen based ponds, PH levels will rise and fall over the course of the day and night, sunlight, fish, plants, fish food, etc. all have a bearing on the PH levels. Checking and trying to adjust the PH artificially is almost impossible.

If you are unsure about this suggestion, take a PH reading in the morning before the sun hits to water, for five consecutive days and calculate the average reading, this is your baseline PH for your system. If the reading is in the normal range you can confidently stop testing and worrying.

In the end, you want to be growing fish suited to the environment you can offer, rather than fighting it all the time.”

9. Taking Care of Your Fish

“Monitor your fish health regularly and see how much they are eating and their growth ratio. If they seem to eat less than usual, it could be caused by pathogens or parasites.

Separate any fish looking sick in your eyes. Adding salt (roughly one tablespoon of salt per gallon of water) and keeping your water slightly alkaline will discourage parasites and pathogens like bacteria and fungus from your pond.”