Catfish/Crayfish in barrels? Didn't want to hijack...

[jen74145]

I've been considering raising catfish and crayfish in barrels... But, what kind of aeration system would I need? Could I get by without one?

Digging a pond is'nt an option, we don't have much land...

I also have the option of a couple plastic box things that appear to be on wheels; they're about 4x4 feet, and just as deep. Would that be better for either project?
Thank you!

[PyroDon]

Originally Posted by jen74145

I've been considering raising catfish and crayfish in barrels... But, what kind of aeration system would I need? Could I get by without one?

Digging a pond is'nt an option, we don't have much land...

I also have the option of a couple plastic box things that appear to be on wheels; they're about 4x4 feet, and just as deep. Would that be better for either project?
Thank you!

wading pools for crawdads work but you need some filtration , Water quality is a must reguadless . one of the biggest problems you'll have is the water getting too hot in the summer . hot water doesnt contain as much oxygen as cold water and the fish tend to sofficate .keep them shaded .
for cat fish a deep pool would be needed .
you can raise mosquito fish in buckets for income . Koi can be raised in pools as well the hardest part is keeping the water cool .

[fishhead]

To raise any quantity you will need a biofilter and solids filter to remove and process the waste.

AquaNic is a good source of info.

[cowgirlone]

fishhead beat me to it!
I raise shrimp in our farm pond and Aquanic.org....http://aquanic.org
is one of my favorites. Check out the species button or the system button. They have lots of information.

[fishhead]

Are you talking about Macrobrachian shrimp?

[cowgirlone]

Yes, they are Macrobrachium rosenbergii .
I stock my pond with juveniles in May and harvest around the first of October (weather permitting).

[Terri]

Crayfish need the higher oxygen content of the shallow water. They NEED having the air a couple inches above them.

They will only live in a barrel if their is an aerator. A wading pool might work: a barrel will not.

[cowboy joe]

I raised bullhead (think small catfish) in an old 80 gallon stock tank last summer using a simple hydroponic system for aeration & filtration.
( http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005...ponics_onl.php )

The 'waste' products from the fish provide nutrition for the plants. Here is a link to a very informative manual written by Travis Hughey:

http://www.aces.edu/dept/fisheries/e...rel-ponics.pdf

There is also barrelponics discussion group on yahoo if you are interested.

The comments about keeping the tank temp in check are very true. My tank is buried part way in a greenhouse. The usual daily routine was to remove some water from the fish tank for the greenhouse plants, then refill the tank with rain water which was stored in the basement to keep it cool (~60). The fish did well until the tank temperature spiked while I was away for a few days. Lessons learned.

[sunnygrl]

and crayfish need to have a good lid on them ... if they're not happy they will crawl out

[fantasymaker]

It would take a lot of barrels to raise many crayfish they seem to have a way of working it down to one crayfish per container. and anything else in the container will be eaten unleass it eats them first.
I used to Bury 55 gallon drums on end with about 4 inches sticking up above the ground level to water sheep It always kept the sheep water nice and cool in summer and nice and warm in winter goldfish seemed to live well in the I suppose other fish would too.

[fishhead]

Originally Posted by fantasymaker

It would take a lot of barrels to raise many crayfish they seem to have a way of working it down to one crayfish per container. and anything else in the container will be eaten unleass it eats them first.
I used to Bury 55 gallon drums on end with about 4 inches sticking up above the ground level to water sheep It always kept the sheep water nice and cool in summer and nice and warm in winter goldfish seemed to live well in the I suppose other fish would too.

That's a good idea but how did you keep the sheep from commiting suicide by falling in?

One way to increase density in crayfish culture is to provide shelters for molting crayfish. That could be done with short pieces of small pipe.

You could keep the water cleaner and increase density by the hydroponics mentioned above.

[lmnde]

I am so glad someone asked that question - I've been kicking this one around in my head for a while... I do not need to raise big meal size fish - I have a small catterie/kennel and rawfeed - I am simply looking for an additional inexpensive uncontaminated source of fish for my furkids - something that can handle summer temps in GA. I have actually been thinking about using a large inflateable pool for this in combination to using some of the water for hydroponics.

I don't want to do crawfish or necessarily fish for the table, simply something sturdy that grows to about 1 lbs weight within 2-3 months and can handle living in very confined environment, and that is tasty enough for dogs + cats to eat. What type of fish would be good for this? Preferably something that reproduces in captivity and can handle higher temps...

[fishhead]

Tilapia. They are one of the most sturdy fish you can raise. In the right water they taste like bluegill sunfish.

[palani]

Originally Posted by lmnde

.. I do not need to raise big meal size fish - I have a small catterie/kennel and rawfeed - I am simply looking for an additional inexpensive uncontaminated source of fish for my furkids - something that can handle summer temps in GA. ..

For plain old animal feed why not consider a trip to the bait shop and buy a couple dozen minnows ... the kind used for fishing. Feed them out in a stock tank and you might find they develop into suckers with a pretty good size.

[Ed K]

What you're suggesting can be done but the less water you have the more sensitive everything is to temperature, pollution, oxygen levels, disease etc etc. If you're looking for a real low input and attention you'd probably be better off with a larger tank.

[lmnde]

For plain old animal feed why not consider a trip to the bait shop and buy a couple dozen minnows ... the kind used for fishing. Feed them out in a stock tank and you might find they develop into suckers with a pretty good size.

Palani - I was thinking about that previously - just wondering if they were getting to be reasonably big enough to be consituting a meal for the dogs or cats - I am looking at something that reaches say .5-1lbs size within a reasonable amount of time, is inexpensive to buy [or mess up on while figuring out the learning curve]... Exactly what kind of fish are minnows? I always thought they were babies of some type? Wrong?

Fishhead - I have several kinds of fish advertised in our State Farmers Bouletin - but not Tilapia - is this a fish readily available here in the south [GA]. What mainly seems to be available is catfish, crappie, bluegill, bass and sterile grass carps - can you or anyone else give me a rough idea which would be best for barrel or kiddie pool raising? What is the average cost and is there usually a minimum you have to buy? How thick can you stock them in a barrel situation type?

Cowboy Joe - great links - just what I needed - thanks for sharing!!!

[palani]

Once in a while you might catch a sucker while fishing. These are usually thought to be minnows that some fisherman released at the end of his trip rather than destroy. They get to be pretty big, 2-3 lbs, are called suckers because of their tubular mouths. I don't know the species name though.

If you catch one you knock it in the head or throw it on a bank.

[Fetherhd]

Originally Posted by palani

Once in a while you might catch a sucker while fishing. These are usually thought to be minnows that some fisherman released at the end of his trip rather than destroy. They get to be pretty big, 2-3 lbs, are called suckers because of their tubular mouths. I don't know the species name though.

If you catch one you knock it in the head or throw it on a bank.

DONT through them away!!!
Suckers are actually VERY good eating...they are just bony as all heck. You get around this by first scaling them...a spoon against the grain works wonders for this. Then fillet, leave the skin on and slice down through the meat to the skin about every 1/4 inch. bread and deep fry. You get a mild tasting white meat moist fish that has no noticeable bones. Had a fish fry last year in wyoming featuring wild caught trout, catfish and sucker....guess what got eaten first?!

[1shotwade]

Originally Posted by Fetherhd

DONT through them away!!!
Suckers are actually VERY good eating...they are just bony as all heck. You get around this by first scaling them...a spoon against the grain works wonders for this. Then fillet, leave the skin on and slice down through the meat to the skin about every 1/4 inch. bread and deep fry. You get a mild tasting white meat moist fish that has no noticeable bones. Had a fish fry last year in wyoming featuring wild caught trout, catfish and sucker....guess what got eaten first?!

Y'all need to listen up now! He ain't lie'n. Suckers are fine tablefare!We only score them 1/2 " or so but same result.Used to be you were allowed to gig suckers but now it's pretty much gone 'cause they made a law that the stream has to have so much water movement. Before that you'd go out in the spring just when redbud were blooming and dogwood were just starting. That's when suckers move onto the riffle.A gig and a lite and a burlap bag and hp waders.On a good night you could fill a 50 lb feed sack.
Once the cleaning was done the feast was on! It used to be a big deal out in the country back in the day!Sorry y'all missed it!

Wade

[Oldcountryboy]

OMG! I thought CowgirlOne came back to be with us, then I realized this was a old thread.

However, fish stories never get old for me. We can still gig fish here in my county but some places are only open Dec. thru March. But I sure do love eating those fried up suckers on a cold freezing night down on the river after a gigging trip. Mmmm, mmm!