Fish types

[Sylvia Bernstein]

What are your favorite fish types? What are you growing with now?  What are the pros and cons you've discovered in working with different fish?

[Ron Thompson]

Thanks, that info is exactly what I needed. I figured on calling first in any case. I'm think 40-50 of the larger fingerlings would fit the bill and meet the minimum. Maybe I can talk Cosmo into doing a tank of cats as well.

Will the food I'm using take care of the cats too?

[TCLynx]

Yea, if you guys were to split an order you could do well. I highly recommend Channel Catfish. We think they are great eating and in my experience here in Florida with a non heated system (not in a real greenhouse) the catfish will grow faster than mixed gender tilapia any day. In a 600 gallon tank, the catfish will grow nice and big.

On the subject of bottom dwelling and the catfish getting food. My catfish get floating feed and they come to the surface for it. It will be interesting to hear how they co-habitate for you. Once the catfish get comfortable in the new home, I expect they will be bold enough to get their share of food. If you are worried that the tilapia are bolder and getting all the food, I would suggest adding a feeding pre-dawn or after dark or both. I find that my catfish feed better at dark or twilight and are not very hungry mid afternoon while the tilapia arn't nocturnal and will sleep in the dark.

[Nate Storey]

I know some pure aquaculture folks do a catfish-tilapia polyculture. Although I know that they're usually really overfeeding for maximum weight gain- usually in flow through aquacultural systems. The cats i've played with have come to the surface to feed too TC, depending on how hungry they are. they are pretty lazy fish sometimes. I have heard of mixing sinking and floating feeds to make sure that everyone is getting fed. Might be something to consider. . .

TCLynx said:

Yea, if you guys were to split an order you could do well. I highly recommend Channel Catfish. We think they are great eating and in my experience here in Florida with a non heated system (not in a real greenhouse) the catfish will grow faster than mixed gender tilapia any day. In a 600 gallon tank, the catfish will grow nice and big.

On the subject of bottom dwelling and the catfish getting food. My catfish get floating feed and they come to the surface for it. It will be interesting to hear how they co-habitate for you. Once the catfish get comfortable in the new home, I expect they will be bold enough to get their share of food. If you are worried that the tilapia are bolder and getting all the food, I would suggest adding a feeding pre-dawn or after dark or both. I find that my catfish feed better at dark or twilight and are not very hungry mid afternoon while the tilapia arn't nocturnal and will sleep in the dark.