Bullhead as aquaculture

Im trying to raising bullheads as food for just myself and my family. I don't want do mass production like most aquaculture, just 15 to 30ish bullheads and I can probably throw some channel catfish into the mix too but not sure if it could work. So can you guys give me some tips?

You can do it but bullheads tend to stall at just under a pound with slower growth thereafter. You would do very good to get them to 2 pounds in 3 years. I would use a higher protein feed than used for channel catfish as the bullheads are less understood in term of nutritional requirements. Raising them in a pond not advisable since they breed so easily and tend to stunt.

Brown or black bullheads might be more inclined to reach a desired table size.

Ok so bullheads have slow growing rates than channel catfish, that means I can try channel catfish idea out. What about crawdads?

Ok so bullheads have slow growing rates than channel catfish, that means I can try channel catfish idea out. What about crawdads?

Do you have a pond that you can exclude fish from? If so, then I recommend papershell crayfish Orconectes immunis or northern crayfish Orconectes virilis. The former is native, but the latter I am not so sure for your area. Stay away from devil, rusty, spring and golden crayfishes if they are present as they not best for ponds or leave before reaching adulthood. The rusty not native.

Im trying to raising bullheads as food for just myself and my family. I don't want do mass production like most aquaculture, just 15 to 30ish bullheads and I can probably throw some channel catfish into the mix too but not sure if it could work. So can you guys give me some tips?

BUTCH try these sites
good info, this should give you an idea of what to look forward to.



http://www.kurtsaxon.com/foods007.htm
http://msucares.com/...ulture/catfish/
http://www.motherear...sh-Farming.aspx

Wow, these sites are pretty good, Tony.

Thats what I want is backyard fish farming, raise just few fish as food for myself or my family. Whats other native fish I can try to raise as food? Such as hybrid breams, white catfish, hybrid channel catfish, redear sunfish, crappies or even tilapia (not native i know). I can move fish from outdoors to the heated barn during winter.

As for the crayfish, i prefer trapping them and keep them alive till the dinner day than raise these crawdads.

Have you considered freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)? They need saltwater to breed, so you have to buy a batch of young every year from a hatchery. Throw them in the pond, feed, occasionally harvest the largest males with a coarse net (they stunt the growth of the smaller males), then harvest all the remaining individuals at the end of the season. They're big shrimp, with a nice mild flavor.

I don't know if the warm season is long enough for them in MN, but it might be worth looking into.

If you have a pond I would suggest building a floating cage (s). I have a friend in Ohio that raises bullheads in cages and I have raised other species in cages and still do, for a couple of niche markets I pursue. They don't have to be big and they are not expensive to build. I build my frames of PVC and you can order some very strong plastic mesh of lots of sizes.

However as eluded to, channel catfish are a better candidate especially if you have warmer water and not too far north. Additionally the bullheads most likely would have to be wild caught while the channel fingerlings are widely available.

Things I have learned about raising fish in cages:

• Cages give you more control than a pond. Less wasted resource with unharvestable fish, or any need for seining. Harvest is a piece of cake and you can remove fish periodically depending on your needs.
• Not to excessive of densities until you get more experience.
• Cages should not be too small but also not so big they are hard to handle.
• Use the largest size plastic mesh available for water circulation.
• Keep the mesh cleared of filamentous algae. I use a push broom on an extended handle once a week.
• Attach them to a pier if possible. It's a pain attending them by boat.
• Use high quality commercial feed. I use Purina Land of Lakes Aquamax available from a local Purina dealer.

If you're interested in where you can get some back issues of a magazine that tells you everything you need to know let me know.

Have you considered freshwater shrimp (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)? They need saltwater to breed, so you have to buy a batch of young every year from a hatchery. Throw them in the pond, feed, occasionally harvest the largest males with a coarse net (they stunt the growth of the smaller males), then harvest all the remaining individuals at the end of the season. They're big shrimp, with a nice mild flavor.

I don't know if the warm season is long enough for them in MN, but it might be worth looking into.

Definitely not long enough of a warm season in Minnesota. If the pond has fish in it, and it's not easily drained and harvested all bets are off too. We have growers in Indiana but they are mostly in the southern part of the state. There is a grower in Michigan but he grows them out indoors in an RAS.

Edited by az9, 18 January 2009 - 02:11 PM.

To keep it native, why not try hybrid striped bass or largemouth bass in cages? They give good growth. Obstacle would be acquiring fingerling hybrids or feed trained largemouth bass.

how big of a pond do you have? have you though about stocking bluegill? Even if it is just 3-4 acres you should be able to produce at least one meal a week for even a large family. Especially if you have auto feeders (50lbs of floating food can cost between $40-$50, we use 3 bags per month in a 7 acre pond in South Mississippi) My wife and son have grown quite fond of bream fillets.