How to Process Fish in a Fish Pond Culture

Culturing fish in ponds is an ancient tradition. The practice of producing table fish in ponds originated because it is far more economical and convenient to harvest fish in the confines of culture ponds than to catch fish from natural lakes. The growth of fish in ponds can be enhanced and disease conditions can be controlled or eliminated. Growing table fish in ponds is an economically viable exercise. If correctly maintained, ponds provide a continual supply of high-quality fish for personal use or for sale.

Things You'll Need

  • Five earth-bottom ponds, at least 50 feet square and 2 1/2 feet deep
  • Pond pumps and filters, incorporating biological, chemical and mechanical filtration material
  • Pond aerators
  • Breeding fish pairs of the species of choice
  • Commercial fish food
  • Pond heaters (optional)
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Instructions

    • 1

      Dig five ponds at least 2 1/2 feet deep and 50 feet square. Pond fish prefer stable water conditions, including stable water temperatures. A water depth of less than 2 1/2 feet heats up and cools down too quickly. These temperature fluctuations stress young fish in particular.

    • 2

      Plant aquatic vegetation. Place vegetation in various areas of each pond to provide shelter for the young fish.

    • 3

      Install a pump and filter. Ponds that are heavily stocked will contain a considerable amount of metabolic waste, which must be removed to prevent the fish from being stressed and from becoming ill.

    • 4

      Include biological filter material in the pond filter. Beneficial bacterial colonies grow on this material and transform toxic metabolic waste products made by the fish into less harmful products.

    • 5

      Include mechanical filter material in the filters to trap large pieces of detritus.

    • 6

      Install aerators, particularly if the ponds are heavily stocked. Aerators will also be beneficial during the summer months and as the fish begin to reach adult size.

    • 7

      Include pond heaters if the temperature falls below 70 degrees. Fish take on the temperature of the water in which they live and young fish will grow faster in warmer water.

    • 8

      Feed the fish throughout the day, particularly the growing fish. Pond fish that have access to food on an ongoing basis grow considerably quicker than those that are only fed once or twice daily.

    • 9

      Encourage the growth of algae by adding small amounts of compost to the water. Add only a 10-gallon bucket at a time and monitor the color of the water. Unicellular algae will cause the water to take on a green color. The algae will supplement the diet of growing fish, as will the larvae of insects, such as mosquitoes, that breed on the water.

    • 10

      Place fish in a container of fresh water for two days prior to slaughter if they are for human consumption. Clean water gives fish time to purge themselves of sediment they ingest while scouring the bottom of the pond in search of food.