How to Farm Small Fish

Starting a farm at home for small fish is fairly simple, depending on the type of fish. Small fish farms are useful for fish destined for an aquarium, to be used for bait or to help control the insect population of a pond. Choose a fish that is inexpensive and hearty. Goldfish, golden shiners and the fathead minnow are three types of small fish that are hearty and relatively simple to breed in captivity. The fathead is the easiest of the three to breed.

Things You'll Need

  • Breeding tank
  • Aquarium sediment
  • Aquarium plants
  • PVC pipe
  • Filtration system
  • Hatchery
  • Flaked fish food
  • Pond
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Instructions

    • 1

      Set up a breeding tank. The tank should be 10 gallons per breeding pair of fish. Aquarium sediment must line the entire bottom. Aquarium plants should be placed throughout the tank as well. Small lengths of PVC pipe on the bottom will be used as breeding tubes. A filtration system should be used at all times in this tank.

    • 2

      Set up the hatchery. Line the entire bottom with aquarium sediment. The filtration system should be set to a low flow so the baby fry don't get sucked into the tubing. Use a low density of plants.

    • 3

      Look for indications of fertilized eggs in the breeding tank. Fertilizing eggs can take hours to days depending on the type of fish that you are breeding. In most cases, the male will protect the fertilized eggs which will be found on the roof of the breeding tube.

    • 4

      Remove the breeding tube containing the eggs and immediately place it in the hatchery to protect the eggs from being eaten. After the eggs hatch, you will start to see tiny fish swimming around. At this time you will need to feed them crushed flake food.

    • 5

      Wait a few weeks for the fry to grow into small fish then release them into the pond. Repeat these steps until a sufficient amount of fish have been released or until nature takes over and they populate by themselves.