Bid:
Wans't reffering to the aqua system.lol

Bruce, another plus for an AP system is that you can grow worms in the beds and use them to supplement the fish food. (And if the fish being raised are omnivorous, some vegetables, such as lettuce, can be dropped into the fish tanks too.) This helps to bring the cost of feeding down.
I would warn that installing and initiating an AP system is best done after you have finished all other major projects, as this can be quite time consuming. However, once up and running, ongoing maintenance is quite easy, does not take up much time, and can become a relaxing pastime in addition to providing fresh fish and vegetables.

Villageidjit,
My goal is to examine another possible source of sustainable protein.

Mr-Bruce wrote:Villageidjit,
My goal is to examine another possible source of sustainable protein.

Fish is certainly one of them.

The purpose of my message (other than to quote other sources) was strictly to determine if your goal was to harvest an unattended source or to promote and raise them yourself and to determine if I could supply any information - pro or con - to that interest.

Happy trails to you my friend.

Well I can see some very cool things so far. I think at this point I will wait until the property deals I have going on are complete. There is a nice size pond with a spring nearby on one part of the land. In my thinking If I could start a good sustainable population of fish in it that would be a no-loss scenario as far as maximizing my resources.?
I'll admit for an intrepid soul with very little space, the in tank method would be very cool.

Mr-Bruce wrote:There is a nice size pond with a spring nearby on one part of the land. In my thinking If I could start a good sustainable population of fish in it that would be a no-loss scenario as far as maximizing my resources.?
I'll admit for an intrepid soul with very little space, the in tank method would be very cool.

Bruce,

Managing any resource requires participation to some degree.

If your goal is to stock the pond and forget about it until it is time to go fishing, that is one way to do it.

Another is to stock it and then maintain it to some slight or greater degree.

The "barrel" method is much more time and energy consuming but could supply a far greater return for the amount of real estate consumed, but is a "chore" that could be handled by someone needing a way to "pay their own way" so to speak.

For example, BTD (before the divorce), we had 70 acres of remote property - 8 miles of dirt road off grid.

Two goats, 50 Rhode Island Reds, 12 rabbits, 30 tree orchard, gravity flow spring, two bedroom "trailer" with a room addition and a shell two feet away (all around and over the roof). Year-round stream (very small) that I dug a "swimmin' hole" into.

Funny part of this story is that we supported ourselves by selling "fishin' worms"! Had a route of over two hundred bait shops (including convenience stores) and netted over $2000.00 per month in season. Pretty good for livin out in the sticks and wearing out an easy chair.

We had all the fruit, eggs, milk, meat, and garden produce we could eat (and sell or barter). 'Course we had to feed the critters, milk them, gather the eggs, prune the trees (and pick the fruit), maintain the garden, and of course- package and take the worms to town. The animal wastes (manure) fed the worms, the garden, and the orchard. The worm wastes made fantastic improvements to the garden and orchard. (We even sold a little worm waste to a hippie neighbor who grow funny lookin' tomatoes that he smoked rather than ate)!

Enough ramblin' after you decide which method you are most interested in - I am sure many here will be more than happy to offer advice (some good and some bad). Good luck in your endeavors.

Sorry to hear about the BTD sounds like you had a great system going there.

These types of circular systems of using one product to produce or feed another is a great resource for when SHTF because of limited resources.

Here ya go bruce

Backyard Aquaponics (Updated review 3-4-2010) BY ME
www.shtfm.com/gardening/backyard- ... -t960.html

www.shtfm.com/viewtopic.php?p=26855#p26855

Thanks Johnny

Ok, Mr.Bruce here's what my neighbor has going on.
1/10 acre pond, stream in & stream out with an aerator during the winter to keep it from freezing. Overall depth is about 7.5'. He has Rainbow Trout, Brook Trout & Golden Trout. Average growth is about 2lbs per year. He has a few in the 10lb class and overall fishing it for 30 minutes I landed 5 Rainbows in the 4lb class. Approximate fish count is +/- 700 fish, there is not enough natural forage for that many fish so he feeds them 3 times a day using 50lbs of fish food a week. He only takes them for eating when they hit the 7lb mark. Hope this helps.