# Goldfish?



## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

I realize that this is going to sound pretty stupid ("There is no such thing as a stupid question, only stupid people"-Homer Simpson) but what do yall think about stocking goldfish as food? It seems like a lot of people on this forum have access to land, and wild goldfish seem indestructable. We have one of those small 5' backyard ponds, and the goldfish that live in it either have a very long life span, or are breeding. We do not feed them or treat the water in any way, not even an aerator. I figured that if you had a large pond, theoretically goldfish could be stocked for food. I know they aint too big, I'm not talking about the bigger poi, just the standard ones, but hey...
I assume ours dont grow very big because of the space they are in, but in a larger area, they might get large enough to actually make a meal.
they require no upkeep, and it seems they would be easier to maintain a stock than say, bass.
I would assume that as long as they water isnt treated, that they would be perfectly safe to eat.
Is this a rediculous idea?


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## geoffreys7 (Jan 11, 2011)

What you really want is Koi, or Japanese carp. The Japanese bred them for food during WW2 in the rice paddies and the farmers mix bred them to get pretty looking ones they kept for pets. Today Koi are bred and shown to win prizes and some are worth over $500 to $1,000! I have kept some in a 12' x 20' pond four feet deep for years, they are very easy to keep. I also had two blue Catfish that started out about 6 inches long and grew to over 5 pounds!


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## BillM (Dec 29, 2010)

*Tilapi*

Tilapi can be grown in a tank and if you pump the water up into a hydroponic growing operation you can feed vegatables on the nuterants they add to the water. They are very good to eat. Ever been to Red Lobster?


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## Immolatus (Feb 20, 2011)

Ahh, lol, 'Koi' not 'poi'.
My point was something that could be grown/bred that required little to no effort, so that would preclude anything in a tank. A tank requires maintenance, and toxic chemicals to keep them clean.
So, could these be eaten, and more importantly relied upon as a food source?


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## jnrdesertrats (Jul 3, 2010)

Yep figure I can filter the water and drink it too.


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

Koi, around here we call them Sewer Bass. They taste really good smoked.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

HAVING a fish pond in your back yard seems almost too good to be true. But Government 'experts' say you can easily build a pond for as little as $100, and that a 1/2 acre fertilized pond will normally yield by hook and line "something like 40 or 50 one-pound bass and about 600 to 800 quarter-pound sunfish each year".

'Experts' say it's better not to build your pond by damming a brook because the pond is too easily destroyed by floods. They recommend excavating a naturally low area using the run-off from the surrounding terrain as the source of water. Or you can use a spring or well. The pond should be 8 to 15 feet deep to protect the fish from freezing and possible drought.

Over 10,000 farmers grow fish in their own ponds in the USA. You stock a fertilized pond in Spring or Fall with fingerlings of bluegill sunfish and large-mouth bass and you can fish them out after 6 to 12 months. The fingerlings are obtained free or at a small cost from State Hatcheries or from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Some states, *Ohio* for one, will practically build the pond for you.

To keep plenty of fish growing in the pond the 'experts' have worked out a fascinating "food chain". First you distribute about 100 pounds of regular 8-8-4 crop fertilizer in the water. After a few days the water will take on a brown or greenish tinge which means the fertilizer has caused the growth of microscopic plants called algae on which young sunfish thrive. Then (in Spring or Fall) stock a one-acre pond with about 800 fingerlings of sunfish and 100 of bass. The sunfish live on the algae and the bass live on young sunfish. This food chain will continue producing fish year after year so long as you keep the pond sufficiently fertilized and do plenty of fishing! It's supposedly impossible to catch too many fish by hook and line for personal (family) consumption. In fact not fishing out enough sunfish may result in too many for the amount of algae and the sunfish won't grow to eating size. The same will happen if there aren't enough bass to eat the young sunfish. For more variety you can also grow bullheads, pickerel, and other fish, but stocking must not be done indiscriminately or it may upset the whole balance in the food chain.

A permanent drainpipe in the dam facilitates draining; if pipe is large enough fish pass through so you can catch them the "easy way." Young trees, shrubs and grass planted around the pond make cover for wild life.

(to be continued)


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

Immolatus said:


> Ahh, lol, 'Koi' not 'poi'.
> My point was something that could be grown/bred that required little to no effort, so that would preclude anything in a tank. A tank requires maintenance, and toxic chemicals to keep them clean.
> So, could these be eaten, and more importantly relied upon as a food source?


Actually using tilapia in a tank doesn't require too much maintenance-having the water circulating thru the growing medium to fertilize the plants and having clear cleaned water going back into the tank is pretty much a closed system that has been proven to provide not only fish but tons of veggie too. tilapia are omnivores but tropical.They can eat plants so you can use them to grow plants and to feed them some of the plants so the pumps and heater up here in the cold north are important.
I do understand about the ponds my aunt has two that are stocked and she doesn't feed them to make them grow just to amuse the grand kids but Not everyone can make a pond due to land restrictions. I am planning on trying yellow perch as our temps will be too cold for tilapia without a heater. I've been researching on how to make my own set up out of scavenged materials and I already have a small set up here in the house over my pet fish and the lettuce is growing fine and very tasty. I don't use any chemicals in my fish other than a bit of salt for the water(the tiny bit of sea salt helps the fish in some ways that I just can not remember right now) the plants suck all the excess waste products from the water and the only problem that I've had is that I have a bit of algae growing in my tanks due to the lights but am thinking on getting a snail or two but not sure if they will go rouge and eat the plant roots. Maybe a pleacostomus (sp?) might be a better choice.
I have goldfish in one tank and guppies in the other and since they are pets I decided to put the to work.


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## The_Blob (Dec 24, 2008)

Ohio Department of Agriculture | Aquaculture Program

Freshwater Fish Farming in Virginia: Selecting the Right Fish to Raise - Virginia Cooperative Extension

Aquaculture Information Freshwater Farms of Ohio

Aquaculture in Ohio

Fish is a major food source for people throughout the world and the main source of protein for 1 billion people. For at least 150 million people, fish provide not only vital nutrition, but also a source of employment and income. Most of those who rely on fish for their livelihood are in developing countries. Aquaculture, the farming of fish, shellfish, seaweed, and other products, represents the fastest growing sector of global food production.

Between 1960 and 2008, global fish production for human consumption grew from 27 million to 91 million metric tons. The demand for fish will continue to rise with population growth, increasing incomes, and improved diets in developing countries. As the population continues to rise, so will demand for fish. Unfortunately, about 70 percent of the worlds major fish species and 11 of the 15 major fishing areas are in decline and need urgent management. The decline in the worlds fish stock results from overfishing, indiscriminate harvesting methods, and degradation of coastal and inland ecosystems.

One hope for meeting the rising demand for fish is aquaculture. Since 1984, the output of aquaculture has increased annually by 10 percent, whereas captured fish output has only increased 1.6 percent each year. Today, about one-fourth of the fish eaten by humans comes from aquaculture systems.

Aquaculture offers developing countries a means to earn foreign exchange through high-value species, such as pearls, prawns, and salmon, and a way for poor communities to maintain a healthy diet and earn an income. But if aquaculture projects are not carried out in an environmentally responsible way, they can cause water pollution, wetland loss, and mangrove swamp destruction.

Research has been one key to the successful growth of aquaculture. Scientists also are seeking to improve the production and management of all fisheries resources in a way that benefits users and promotes a healthy environment. Some examples include:

Breeding new fish species. Researchers have produced an improved strain of Nile tilapia, a hardy freshwater fish, that grows 60 percent faster than other farmed strains and yields three fish crops per year, instead of the usual two. Thanks to the new strain, fish farmers can expect higher productivity, higher profit, and higher yields.

Integrating crop and livestock farming with aquaculture. Through assistance from research organizations, farmers in Malawi and other African countries are introducing small ponds into their home gardens for irrigation and to grow fish. They are also using the mud from the bottom of the fishponds as rich, organic fertilizer for their farming.

Improving the livelihood of the rural poor. In Bangladesh, scientists are helping to turn numerous unused ponds and other water bodies into viable fish farms. Fish farming provides a new source of incomes for the rural poor, particularly women, who are usually responsible for the ponds. Using new systems developed through research, fish production in existing ponds has increased eightfold.

Ag Answers: Freshwater prawn finding niche in Ohio aquaculture

did NOT realize prawns grew that fast... in OHIO


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