Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Delmarva Aquatics ships....

OK I guess I understand the strain name now ... its where the fist are caught.

I fixed up some Orange Roughy last night (which GotFish says is similar in taste to Yellow Perch). It was delicious! I just fried them with cracker crumbs, fresh black pepper and a hint of lemon. The girls also gobbled theirs down. So I've been thinking...(a bad thing). Since I'm short on my first grow-out of tilapia, I think I could squeeze in a couple dozen yellow perch when fingerlings are available in the spring. I could start them out in my fry-grow-out tank, or maybe floating baskets in the big system. When I think they're big enough, I'd let them free with the male tilapia. As an added bonus, if I missed any female tilapia, the perch could snack on tilapia fry. The YP I can get indicate best growth at 75-80F. I currently have the tilapia at 82F, but if I dropped them a few degrees, I could handle both. It's about an hour's drive to the hatchery, and he's already indicated that he would do small orders at rougly $1/fish.

Any thoughts, concerns, input?

Janet, I hope you do add some yellow perch. We can compare notes as we go along with our first batch.
We have been steady at below zero nites here for more than a week. My greenhouse is doing great! Warms to the sixties in the days and holds 36F at nite. The perch and cats should grow some during the winters, I think.
With a little supplimental heating, I might get a 10 month grow out for Tilapia. At least I have not given up on Tilapia yet. But I will not poor heat(energy) into my system, if that is required.

DO try the perch J, one dollar is a bit expensive but heck a guppie at the pet store costs twice that and they aint got no meat on em at all! Need more folks jumping on the perch wagon and with your experience in fish it would be most helpfull.

OK, I'm willing to give some perch a go. I'm actually not sure of the price, and I know it would depend on whether I got regular vs 'improved', and fry vs fingerling. I'll give them a call in April and see what I can get.

Try the discussion forum on Aquanic.org. One dedicated to YP. Most do pond production rather than RAC. Lots of legal issues raising "gametfish", make sure you don't skimp on your homework in that regards too. Although it seems to make sense raising natives, states are starting to frown on the practice as spreading disease to wild populations is becoming more and more a concern... things are getting locked down.

It's one reason i am looking at exotics that can't survive in the northeast. No Rules!! :-)

poppa

I did a lot of research on permitting for the tilapia, and I think I fall into almost the same category for yellow perch. Since I'm not a commercial enterprise, I don't need licencing. For tilapia, I cannot release them into PA waterways. (So holding some in my outdoor ornamental pond is probably not a good idea.) For perch, I would be restricted from taking them from PA waterways without a proper fishing or educational license.

Poppa, what other regulations are you finding to be a problem?

Ah ha! One little call to the PA Fish and Boat Commission, and we're good. For PA, there would be no problem with me keeping purchased YP in my home. I'll keep the receipt just in case! But thanks for the heads-up, Poppa!

Think he may have been talking of the lock down in the great lakes area fish must be tested before transporting in or out I think I read. Should have no effect on areas outside that. Yep keep the receipt.

Nice article on culture of YP.

http://www.ftai.com/articles/YellowPerchAquaMag.pdf

I have so many articles on yellow perch on my hard drive already but thanks. What is regular and improved J? As MF said to me if you get yellow perch dont get fry get fingerlings, and only feed trained at that.

John,
"Regular" and "Improved" are the two offerings from Delmarva Aquatics. I don't know any more than is on their website. For my first go with YP, I definitely want Feed Trained fish, even though they will cost more than untrained, younger fry. From everything I'm reading right now, feed-training is the sticky point. If you train them young, you're golden. If they're not trained young, they never will be.

Have you considered getting another batch of YP in the spring? Maybe feed-trained this time? The ones you have might not be worth the struggle if you can replace them with ones that would actually consider eating and growing. Are they going to be eating-sized by spring?

Well I'm actually hoping to keep what I have remaining alive, lost almost 50 percent in the process but I think I'm good to go now. The dream of course is to get some blind dates going on and have some babies but we shall see. As far as eating size, not a chance. Even at best grow out temps 77deg? it takes 9 months to get em at the 4-5 fish per lb of eating flesh. I'll let these get fatttttt and eat some BLT's till then.

GotFish, I heard that the suppliers of 'trained perch' lose almost 40% in the process. So perhaps your 50% survival is to be expected if you did the training.