Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

I am preparing to start a small first-time setup. My available greenhouse space is 24x10 for now. Before I get my pond set up I would like to know what fish I am going to be able to source/raise. Of the fish legal for me to keep, I like the looks of bluegill and Sacramento perch best. Can anyone give me a pros/cons of each and or help me find a source? tia

Hi Mrs. Fisch

Not sure how close they are to you, but this outfit is owned by a fellow who has caught the aquaponics bug and he has a few fish for sale :-)

http://www.proaqua.com/

They are in Chico. Here is a link to their price list:

http://www.proaqua.com/?cf=pricelist

Even better!

http://freshwaterfishco.com/

These guys are just south of Sacramento and have monthly sell to the public events where the fish are half the price of Pro Aquaculture in Chico! I am going on March 15 to stock my tank with $1 catfish :-) or 1$ bluegill... I can't decide lol.

https://www.facebook.com/fwfco

Thanks! I will check them out =D

I have found one place that sells Sacramento Perch but they are out of stock till July.

http://www.fishnetaquaponics.com/#fish

The guy that owns that site says that fisherman have told him that Sacramento Perch is far and away the finest tasting fish around. But they are hard to get a hold of. I will put an order in sometime in May to reserve some fingerlings for myself. Both fish seem to be omnivores but considering that the introduction of non-native fish like Bluegill have virtually wiped out natural populations, I would say that the Bluegill would hold up better than the Sacramento Perch. But who knows for sure.

Depending on where you are located, Freshwater Fish co sells fingerlings to the public. There is also an an aquaponics / hydro store in dublin, CA that resells the fish from that place at cost.

Assuming both are legal for you to raise, I'd probably go with the Sacramento Perch. My guess is they grow much faster than the Bluegill. Of course if you aren't planning on eating the fish then go with the slower growing fish.

Actually Sacramento Perch will grow much slower than Bluegill. But, on the positive side, you never have to worry about Sacramento Perch babies - since this species does not build nests or protect it's young. That's why when non-native sunfish were introduced into California, they quickly decimated many populations of Sacramento Perch who left their spawn lying around like a fishy buffet.

Freshwater Fish Co hasn't raised Sac Perch in a while. Might be tough to find some, especially since you can't collect them.

I see it's variable but that is a surprise that they grow that slowly.

So how was your experience with Freshwater Fish Co?