Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

What are my options for edible fish that can be kept in a 2-3thousand gallon outdoor pond? It doesn't freeze and I'd like the fish to get along with koi. Has anyone here ever eaten koi?

Well.....

Koi are basically pretty carp and people do eat carp. 'Course they often say that carp aren't worth eating.

Personally it's to much like eating my pet goldfish for me.

Carp isn't bad at all if you prepare it correctly. People who say they aren't worth eating have either not eaten carp before or they have eaten a wild caught one on the day it was caught. You should keep it in clean water for a few days before eating it or it will taste a bid muddy.

Another possibility would be tench. They are tastier than carp.

Hi Ace,
Perhaps some of our native fish would work. I wouldn't think sunfish/bluegill would be too hostile towards koi.

Thanks for the respoces all . I was also wondering where i can purchase pond fish other than koi(or goldfish).

There should be local hatcheries nearby that supply fingerlings to stock farm ponds, for example. Check the phone book, ask at the local farm supply store, or google hatchery for your area....so where is "Pennsyltucky"? I at first assumed that you were on the border of Pennsylvania and Kentucky, but then found (to my chagrin), that those two states don't share a border.

You could have fish shipped in, but buying local is better if at all possible.

Pennsyltucky

Following the 'Pennsyltucky' theme, and given that I'm allowed to water my plants for only 3 hours per week at present, am I now living in 'the SA-hara' ?

Hi Nico,

I'm sure it's the carp straight out of the river people have complained about.

Hey Big Mick,

Thats still one hour more than me!

I just tell my parents I moved to the desert! lol

We only get 6 till 7 PM Wed & Sun. Only fruit trees get watered here.

The really stupid thing is that Shepparton has been dropped down to level 1 restrictions while we (30ks away) are on level 4. They are back to watering lawns! You would think that fruit growers and farmers would be more important than someones new lawn.

Thanks, Nico! How interesting that I have lived in "Philadephia" for 20 years, and had never heard of Pennsyltucky.

Which part of Pennsyltucky are you in Ace? Dave Donley lives in Pennsyltucky, near Gettysburg. You can google-map me in Landenberg.

Now im in the Warminster area but im planning to build this pond down in Arizona...i hope they don't have watering limits, though its likely

I live in New Mexico there is really no watering limits as long as your not being blatantly wasteful

Warminster near Philly? If so, you're only 1.5 hours away from me.

Road trip!

I have heard of this technique, but honestly, gutting cleaning, filletting and then eating fish is enough work without needing a cleansing bath setup! This same techniques is used to make redfin caught in dams here edible. From the river, red fin are fine.