I currently have about 50 yellow perch. I got them in April and they are doing quite well. I am expanding my system and will get about 100-150 more, hopefully soon.
I have run them at the full range of temps. I am currently at only about 40* and have had it up as high 78* this summer, but I think that is pushing it. I am looking into solar water heat so they will eat more. I will see what I can do with a picture.
Excellent to hear! I am excited about keeping perch as they are disappearing in the wild (you know this in Wisconsin as well as I do in Michigan, I am sure!). I hope to breed them, as well, but one step at a time...
Yes, I would also like to breed them or atleast capture some egg ribbons and hatch them. I have access to a pond with natural reproduction and hope to use some of those ribbons and incubate them.
The problem with perch is that about a third will never get to eating size. This is also true of bluegill. Ohio State is working on this problem as is UWM.
I used to live in Cleveland, OH and I gotta say Yellow Perch is one of my favorite foods. I am very interested in finding some for a greenhouse system in Greensboro, NC where I live now. If anyone has any info. on a place to get some in NC I would greatly appreciate it.
Hey Marc, I found a place in around Baltimore that might be able to sell me some but he is not sure yet. He said he will let me know in about another week or two. How many do you need and maybe we can go in together and get some. I'm only about 45 minutes from Greensboro, well it depends on which part.
Hey DJ, I found this searching around a little: http://www.johnstonnc.com/mainpage.cfm?category_level_id=719&co.... Also not sure when I am going to be getting the perch because I rent an apartment and I am waiting on my mother to buy a house. Then after that happens i am planning on a greenhouse and hopefully some perch. Problem is that this could be up to six months with the way she is doing it. I haven't contacted the 2 places on this website that have perch yet but the list says for recreational and pond stocking so you should have some luck. Plus they are both in NC even though they are as far away in NC from me as they can possibly be. Let me know if this helps.
I use Aquamax 300 for Perch of that size. The carniverous variation and make sure it is sinking variety. Check the website for dealers near you but you may have to buy a 40# bag.
silvercup game fish food is another good choice for yp, i got it from a nearby feedmill.. i have about 100yp fingerlings, 23 yearlings, and 12 or so that are 2 years old.. all have grown well, so i'm not sure where the information about 1/3 not growing came from..
make sure you use high protein food (at least 42% protein)
if you're going to the fishery, they'll probably have food available, get a small portion of it, in case what you find at a local mill is a different brand.. then when you start feeding, mix the two together..my yp were taking pellets within 3 weeks from being seined from their hatching pond, oh, and mine eat floating pellets just fine
My experience with Yellow Perch is they are hungry Predators unless you get them already started on Pellets. My concern was that if they started on Pellets would they stay on Pellets. I Called Mich State Univ Aquaculture Dir. Dr. Weeks, and he said no they would stay on pellets, Good News. In our Pond when the Waters hit 62 to 68 Degrees F they will start to bed. They like rocks and gravel. When the female lays her eggs it is a ribbon off spawn. The males are almost always smaller then the females and they fertilize them. I think it is the female, but I don't remember for sure, stays with the nest and is very aggressive. We have Perch in every Fresh Water Lake around and in Michigan, includes all the Great Lakes. The Perch are getting very small here, a study showed it was family inbreeding, and they are fast becoming the new bait fish. Because of the size our Yellow Perch take 2 Yrs to get to maturity to spawn. There is a Hatchery in Iowa where the owner did some tests and he ID the families for breeding and he has bred them out to 16". And, they grow to maturity in the 1st yr so they will spawn the next spring.
Got my first batch of perch. They are tiny compared to the trout I had last time, but they seem to be doing well and eating eagerly. I had read that their growth slows after they start spawning. I'm hoping my indoor setup will keep them growing fast and postpone spawning since they will not have the seasonal cues like changes in temperature and daylight hours.
what size did you get? i purchased 3" fingerlings (100+) last year and most are big enough to eat, females usually grow faster than males and you usually will have a few "shooters" (fastest growers)
i unintentionally induced spawning this spring by adding a heater when it got too cold for the tilapia that live with the yp..
what are you feeding?
Mine were listed as 3-5", but it looks like we have a few outside the range on either end. I started by feeding them pellets I got from the hatchery, but I decided to mix in some smaller pellets and bloodworms to give the fish on the smaller end of the scale a chance. They may still end up feeding the bigger fish at some point, but so far they all seem much less aggressive with each other than the trout. I'm glad to hear your perch are doing well.
New 300 gal system in a 12x24 passive solar greenhouse in Downeast Maine. Local weather has me deciding between YP and Rainbow Trout. I'm leaning towards YP since they seem less aggressive and appear to be tasty! Just got off the phone with Maine Fisheries and they are cool with me keeping either, but there are no hatcheries that they (or I) know of in Maine for YP. They said I could get a fishing license and get them myself!
you probably won't have much lucking catching wild fish and transferring them to your system..they'll be pretty difficult to feed train..
do you know anyone with a pond, or know of any ponds in your area? some areas have "fish trucks" that make seasonal deliveries, and will advertise on craigslist, a good place to check is your county soil and water division..
yellow perch are a very mild sweet tasting fish with white flesh.. they're considered a cool water species and will be ok with temps up to the mid 80's but will start to stress.. trout are a cold water species and won't do very well when the water hits the mid 70's.. both should be fed a high protein fish food
FYI to Maine people: I asked the State Fisheries if I could import YP. See buzz crush reply below.
====
Absolutely not unless they have a clean comprehensive disease testing history for at least the last 3 years (unlikely) at which point you could apply for an importation permit.
Todd
Subject: Yellow Perch by mail
Todd,
Is it legal to have Yellow Perch fingerlings shipped into Maine from out of state? Can I drive them in? There is a farm in PA that raises them.
Indeed. Apparently there is a link on their home page for private hatcheries where I can buy. Good news is that they are nice, helpful, and generous with their time in working through the process.
Did you already have this link to the application for pond stocking? They list some trout hatcheries. You could always try growing trout if you don't have your heart set on perch.
Trout were a challenge for me because I had a 150 gallon tank and limited grow bed space with my indoor system. I think the trout got very territorial in my small tank and growth rates were lowered by that aggressive behavior. You've got twice the tank space and a greenhouse for the grow beds, so you'll probably get better results than I did. A lot of people do very well with trout in their AP systems.
Ellen Roelofs
Is anyone here currently keeping perch?
Jan 18, 2012
David Schwinghamer
I heard that Jade Perch is good for aquaponics but they have to be kept above 59 degrees and are high in omega 3. Can anyone verify this?
Jan 18, 2012
Steve Federwisch
I currently have about 50 yellow perch. I got them in April and they are doing quite well. I am expanding my system and will get about 100-150 more, hopefully soon.
Jan 19, 2012
Ellen Roelofs
Steve, what kind of temperatures have you kept them at? Have you run into any problems?
I am working with tilapia indoors now, but I am hoping to use perch in an outdoor system in Michigan later this year.
Jan 20, 2012
Ellen Roelofs
Also, if you have a picture of your fish, I will make it the group thumbnail. )
Jan 20, 2012
Steve Federwisch
I have run them at the full range of temps. I am currently at only about 40* and have had it up as high 78* this summer, but I think that is pushing it. I am looking into solar water heat so they will eat more. I will see what I can do with a picture.
Jan 20, 2012
Ellen Roelofs
Excellent to hear! I am excited about keeping perch as they are disappearing in the wild (you know this in Wisconsin as well as I do in Michigan, I am sure!). I hope to breed them, as well, but one step at a time...
Jan 20, 2012
Steve Federwisch
Yes, I would also like to breed them or atleast capture some egg ribbons and hatch them. I have access to a pond with natural reproduction and hope to use some of those ribbons and incubate them.
Jan 20, 2012
Ellen Roelofs
Jan 27, 2012
DJ Bisson Jr
Jan 29, 2012
Glenn Dennis
The problem with perch is that about a third will never get to eating size. This is also true of bluegill. Ohio State is working on this problem as is UWM.
Feb 23, 2012
Marc Bryan
I used to live in Cleveland, OH and I gotta say Yellow Perch is one of my favorite foods. I am very interested in finding some for a greenhouse system in Greensboro, NC where I live now. If anyone has any info. on a place to get some in NC I would greatly appreciate it.
Apr 4, 2012
DJ Bisson Jr
Apr 6, 2012
Marc Bryan
Hey DJ, I found this searching around a little: http://www.johnstonnc.com/mainpage.cfm?category_level_id=719&co.... Also not sure when I am going to be getting the perch because I rent an apartment and I am waiting on my mother to buy a house. Then after that happens i am planning on a greenhouse and hopefully some perch. Problem is that this could be up to six months with the way she is doing it. I haven't contacted the 2 places on this website that have perch yet but the list says for recreational and pond stocking so you should have some luck. Plus they are both in NC even though they are as far away in NC from me as they can possibly be. Let me know if this helps.
Apr 6, 2012
DJ Bisson Jr
Hey, I need some help in finding out what kind of food and where to buy it is best for yellow perch. They are about 1.5-2 inches long. Thanks.
Jun 2, 2012
Steve Federwisch
I use Aquamax 300 for Perch of that size. The carniverous variation and make sure it is sinking variety. Check the website for dealers near you but you may have to buy a 40# bag.
Jun 2, 2012
Keith Rowan
silvercup game fish food is another good choice for yp, i got it from a nearby feedmill.. i have about 100yp fingerlings, 23 yearlings, and 12 or so that are 2 years old.. all have grown well, so i'm not sure where the information about 1/3 not growing came from..
make sure you use high protein food (at least 42% protein)
Jun 3, 2012
DJ Bisson Jr
Jun 3, 2012
Keith Rowan
if you're going to the fishery, they'll probably have food available, get a small portion of it, in case what you find at a local mill is a different brand.. then when you start feeding, mix the two together..my yp were taking pellets within 3 weeks from being seined from their hatching pond, oh, and mine eat floating pellets just fine
Jun 4, 2012
Keith Rowan
i put some yellow perch dissection pictures up on my system thread, thought i'd let the yp group know about them...
http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/howdy-from-ohi...
Oct 10, 2012
Bill Bailey
My experience with Yellow Perch is they are hungry Predators unless you get them already started on Pellets. My concern was that if they started on Pellets would they stay on Pellets. I Called Mich State Univ Aquaculture Dir. Dr. Weeks, and he said no they would stay on pellets, Good News. In our Pond when the Waters hit 62 to 68 Degrees F they will start to bed. They like rocks and gravel. When the female lays her eggs it is a ribbon off spawn. The males are almost always smaller then the females and they fertilize them. I think it is the female, but I don't remember for sure, stays with the nest and is very aggressive. We have Perch in every Fresh Water Lake around and in Michigan, includes all the Great Lakes. The Perch are getting very small here, a study showed it was family inbreeding, and they are fast becoming the new bait fish. Because of the size our Yellow Perch take 2 Yrs to get to maturity to spawn. There is a Hatchery in Iowa where the owner did some tests and he ID the families for breeding and he has bred them out to 16". And, they grow to maturity in the 1st yr so they will spawn the next spring.
Apr 20, 2013
Tom OBrien
Got my first batch of perch. They are tiny compared to the trout I had last time, but they seem to be doing well and eating eagerly. I had read that their growth slows after they start spawning. I'm hoping my indoor setup will keep them growing fast and postpone spawning since they will not have the seasonal cues like changes in temperature and daylight hours.
Jun 4, 2013
Keith Rowan
i unintentionally induced spawning this spring by adding a heater when it got too cold for the tilapia that live with the yp..
what are you feeding?
Jun 5, 2013
Tom OBrien
Mine were listed as 3-5", but it looks like we have a few outside the range on either end. I started by feeding them pellets I got from the hatchery, but I decided to mix in some smaller pellets and bloodworms to give the fish on the smaller end of the scale a chance. They may still end up feeding the bigger fish at some point, but so far they all seem much less aggressive with each other than the trout. I'm glad to hear your perch are doing well.
Jun 5, 2013
Blue Hiller
Aug 15, 2013
Keith Rowan
congrats on the system..
you probably won't have much lucking catching wild fish and transferring them to your system..they'll be pretty difficult to feed train..
do you know anyone with a pond, or know of any ponds in your area? some areas have "fish trucks" that make seasonal deliveries, and will advertise on craigslist, a good place to check is your county soil and water division..
yellow perch are a very mild sweet tasting fish with white flesh.. they're considered a cool water species and will be ok with temps up to the mid 80's but will start to stress.. trout are a cold water species and won't do very well when the water hits the mid 70's.. both should be fed a high protein fish food
Aug 16, 2013
Blue Hiller
====
Absolutely not unless they have a clean comprehensive disease testing history for at least the last 3 years (unlikely) at which point you could apply for an importation permit.
Todd
Subject: Yellow Perch by mail
Todd,
Is it legal to have Yellow Perch fingerlings shipped into Maine from out of state? Can I drive them in? There is a farm in PA that raises them.
Aug 16, 2013
Keith Rowan
i was looking for info about getting fish in maine.. looks like it kinda sucks! (sorry)
have you tried contacting the inland fisheries department?
Aug 16, 2013
Blue Hiller
Aug 16, 2013
Tom OBrien
Did you already have this link to the application for pond stocking? They list some trout hatcheries. You could always try growing trout if you don't have your heart set on perch.
http://www.maine.gov/ifw/licenses_permits/pdfs/fishstocking.pdf
Aug 16, 2013
Blue Hiller
Aug 17, 2013
Tom OBrien
Trout were a challenge for me because I had a 150 gallon tank and limited grow bed space with my indoor system. I think the trout got very territorial in my small tank and growth rates were lowered by that aggressive behavior. You've got twice the tank space and a greenhouse for the grow beds, so you'll probably get better results than I did. A lot of people do very well with trout in their AP systems.
Aug 17, 2013