DIY Aquaculture Amateur Fish Farming Made Possible On A Small Scale

By: Vin DeWolfe


My best buddy has been an insatiable fisherman for years. Recently he's decided to set up his own fish farm. Why you ask, would he become a fish farmer?

Well I'll tell ya, he's been out fishing on many times to places where the fish were few and far between. At one time, these secret fishing holes were stuffed full of fish. Professionals say that commercial and sport over fishing and environmental changes are the reasons for the fish dissappearing.

Luckily, fish are very easy animals to farm. They need less space per animal than other kinds of livestock. Huge tracts of land, equipment and pole barns aren't absolutely necessary, making it cheaper than conventional farming too. That means that aquaculture can be done in more areas.

Fish and fish protein are in peak demand worldwide, and the need for more fish production is rapidly growing. Since fish convert about 65-70 percent of what they're fed into meat, they make good sense. Dressed out, fish generally provide nearly 60% of their weight in edible, protein rich meat.

Getting started with aquaculture requires a good body of water. Your lake must contain plenty of weeds, both in the water and around it. This vegetation not only provide protection and shade for your fish, but they'll also help you keep them fed. Many insects, small fish and other critters that fish devour on require vegetation for their life-cycle. Take care of them, and you'll provide for your fish.

Once the water, plants and foodstuff sources have been established, it's time to introduce your fish. For amateur aquaculturists, the Rainbow Trout is an excellent species to begin with. They are known to be an extremely healthy species. Eggs can be harvested and fertilized or, fertilized eggs, known as eyed eggs can be purchased quite readily.

Fish eggs need gentle handling and care if they are to prevail. When they are under water, eyed ova will survive a little gentle tumbling around. If they're dropped into the water from even a short height the collision will surely devistate them.

When first hatched, newborn fish are called "alevins." In the beginning, these little fish don't need any food. They feed off of their yolk-sac and will begin to eat on more subsantial food in about six weeks. Once they begin feeding, they need little, processed food meals at least 4 times a day.

As they grow and become known as "fry", your fish will need a more varied, natural diet that includes insects, small fish & crustaceans in order to grow big and healthy. Processed food can add to a natural diet, but it's no substitute.

After a few months, the fish will be ready to transport into their new home. Some aquaculturists raise their fish to this point in rearing ponds away from the main pond and the fish will need to be moved. Other people use hatching trays in the large pond and the fish are allowed to swim out when they're large enough.

Once your stock are living in the main pond, you'll need to monitor the population. As the fish grow, they should be thinned out. Take out the small and weak ones, and put them in another area. Keeping them in the water with bigger fish might mean they'll be eaten.

With a fruitful population of farm-fresh fish in your lake, you'll have to keep up with feeding, protecting and culling your herd. The effort you put in will reward you over and over again with healthy, strong fish.

DIY fish farming or aquaculture is a great way to provide plenty of fish for yourself and your family. With just an average size setup, you could even begin your own hatchery, or sell fresh fish to markets and restaurants.

In the next report of this series, we'll talk about setting up fish ponds. We'll be covering stocking your waters with food and planting proper vegetation.

For more information and to request your Free Do-It-Yourself Fish Farming reports, visit: fish-farm.biblioflip.com K.L. "Vin" Hayes leads a team of independent writers and researchers. Over the last 10 years, they've worked together to produce high-quality digital reprints of vintage documents as well as original works. Vin specializes in how-to information that includes a wide variety of topics such as hunting & fishing, hobbies & crafts, construction, self-improvement and more.