My Catfish in a Barrel Experiment

[clarkshomestead]

I added this to links also but I realy want ppl to see it as I go. I started the Catfish in a barrel experiment today. I wanted to see if it realy could work so check out my site and please add comments and suggestions. http://www.freewebs.com/clarkshomestead/

[idealist]

You've got a great site, lots of information packed in there!

[clarkshomestead]

Tyvm, I only have so much space for free so I try to use it well. Paying for a website aint in my plans LOL.

[HockeyFan]

It is a very good site. I plan on returning when I have more time and reading each topic.

[turboRC]

Clark I read your whole site! I couldn't stop! Your one of the few people really doin' something. I have spent alot of time in southern alabama. On the alabama river "dixie landing". Shoot there is hardly any people around there. Buy a freshwater mussel *lic. from the state of alabama and you can make about 500.00 a day over there collecting mussel shells! Contact international shell company out of camden tn for more info. on where to sell them. 731 584 7747 ext 29

[Quietgentleman]

Clark

How do you plan on controlling the water temperature in the barrel?

QGM

[clarkshomestead]

Thanks for the info Turbo! I'm glad you liked the site. I want to know more about those shells. *How do you go about harvesting them?
* * Well, Gent the optimal growing range is 80-85 degrees. *I want to keep it as simple as possible for the first rum just to see how well it works with a minimum of equipment. *Mr. Saxton started his in the barrel at 7 inches and grew them to table size in one summer. *I unfortunatly am starting with 2-3 inch fingerlings. He also use Redworms exclusively as food, which are roughly 14% protein. I am useing a pelleted feed that is 32%. I hope this will give me a better growth rate. *As I write this (March 28 @ 10:30 PM) the water temp is 76 degrees. As the weather continues to get warmer I will simply use a piece of plywood to shade it in daylight hours and see how that works. *Depending on their size around mid October, when it gets cooler here, I may need to purchase an inexpensive tank heater and paint the barrel black to absorb more sun heat. *I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get there and adapt for the next run. *Thanks for the question, I will address it in my log.

[turboRC]

Clark you can legally dive for them or catch them with mussel hooks. It's easy to do.
http://www.muscatine.k12.ia.us/was/History/pearlbuttons/p10.htm

[turboRC]

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-1/1292803/spirit1.JPG

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-1/1292803/P1010137.JPG

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2008-1/1292803/P1010582.JPG

I build wood boats and all the junk we use. It's all easy to make!

[Docwaters]

Catfish feed comes in 4 sizes; fry feed (mash like), crumbles ,large fingerling pellets and production pellets. The 5-6 inch fingerlings should be fed crumbles and you can crush some of the production pellets you have on hand. *The major problem will be water quality. Not just dissolved oxygen, but catfish waste and waste feed. These things decompose and produce nitrogenous compounds like ammonia, which cause the fish not to feed. My experience? I did research and teaching at Mississippis State Univ. on catfish for 25 years. *Good luck with your project.

[clarkshomestead]

Thanks man! I tried crushing the floaters but you are right the water quality went to hell. I've just been feeding them floating pellets this whole time. The larger ones are growing but the smaller ones seem to be stuck but still living. I might try crushing some and see how it goes withthe gravel bed and airlift on top now. Thanks again.

[Docwaters]

I have a book that gives the formula for calculating carrying capacity (lbs of fish) of under gravel filters. I will try to dig that out for you. I will say that closed systems, like you have are limited in carrying capacity. The size you started with is best, as I have seen folks sink large sums of cash in large scale closed system aquaculture and go broke,

[ConstanceBurger]

Hi Everyone!
This is Constance from:
www.countrygirl.biz

...and I want to say that I am starting my catfish in a barrel experiment this Friday!!!

I'm so excited to find someone else doing it!!!

I'll keep you posted as to how it is going! :)

[msta999]

Catfish feed comes in 4 sizes; fry feed (mash like), crumbles ,large fingerling pellets and production pellets. The 5-6 inch fingerlings should be fed crumbles and you can crush some of the production pellets you have on hand. The major problem will be water quality. Not just dissolved oxygen, but catfish waste and waste feed. These things decompose and produce nitrogenous compounds like ammonia, which cause the fish not to feed. My experience? I did research and teaching at Mississippis State Univ. on catfish for 25 years. Good luck with your project.

Can you just add a few bottom fish to take care of the waste? Like you would do with a fish tank? Maybe a few suckers or something?

[tufhelp]

Aren't catfish bottom fish? He asked innocently not being a fisherman type...

[msta999]

I haven't caught any catfish, but have caught a lot of bullheads. I always fished 2-6 foot depths in the river mouth I fished in.

I was thinking of doing something similar, but with perch and/or bullheads. Pickled perch and bullheads dipped in a good beer batter.....mmmmmmmmmm

[Docwaters]

You really need commercially raised catfish fingerlings and not wild caught fish. Wild fish would be very susceptible to low oxygen and stress. The domesticated commercial fish are adapted to low dissolved oxygen and stress. The wild fish would die very quickly in a closed system barrel. Most other wild species such as "perch" are not suitable for the same reason I stated above. I might give bullheads a try as they are very rugged fish.

[Docwaters]

If you want to calculate carrying capacity of your barrel's undergravel filter the formulae are given in a book by; Stephen Spotte, Fish and Invertebrate Culture, 1970, Wiley-Interscience Books, ISBN number, 0 471 81760 0. There is a later edition of Spottes book available. Most city/county libraries should have one edition, since it is used by advanced hobby aquariaist.

[Digityman]

Clark -
I own a small web hosting business. If you need more hosting space let me know. I'm hosting 20 sites on my personal server and only using 3% of the space.

[MadTripper]

I hope you try that again. We don't eat enough fish to try this experiment however it is interesting. Let us know if you give it another shot.

Tripper

[ConstanceBurger]

I wanted to drop a note here about my own catfish in a barrel experiment!

I started last November, but instead of the 55 gallon barrel I am using a 250 gallon tote, which I fill to the 200 gallon level so that there is room for the aeration water to really splash back into the the tote, and I started with 75 catfish.

I have learned the hard way that I must drain it of ALL water EVERYDAY except a few gallons so the catfish have some kind of room to tread water. The ammonia from the fish-waste is just too toxic for them. Some people might try to use the fish-waste water through an aquaponic set-up because plants are known for converting it into usable nitrates, and and then recycle it back around to the fish who feel it is very clean.

Check out my youtube for videos and in depth explanations:
http://www.youtube.com/user/tbredlady

I hope it encourages you all!

[MissouriFree]

A little off subject but in my area my son tells me that a lot of the folk catch the big cats and keep them in a cattle *tank full of clean water for a while to get the mud out of the fish's system. *All they do is run a hose in the tank at a slow flow. I don't know but, knowing the type of area my son's trailer is in I doubt these folk know anything about *the technical side *dsiscussed above.

[ConstanceBurger]

I have heard of that too "missourifree" !
Lots of folks here in south Texas do the same thing in putting fish of any kind in their cattle troughs.

I used to live in Salem Missouri for 3 years back in the early eighties!

I'm lovin' my catfish experiment!!!