Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Fly Fishing & Other Fish Species Cage spawning of perch seems to be working out

I put 16 males and 6 female yellow perch in a floating cage a few weeks ago. The idea is to have them in such close proximity that lack of fertilization is not an issue. Also easy removal of the broodfish from the pond once the eggs are hatched to prevent predation on the fry.

However I was warned by some very knowledgeable people like Bill Cody and others, the perch swimming around in the cage could tear up the eggs, and the remnants could go down through the bottom of the cage due to the 1 1/4 inch mesh. Once on the bottom they would pretty much suffocate.

So far I'm seeing two intact egg strands on the Christmas tree (cloudy things) I put in the corner of the cage. (They appear to be on the bottom of the cage but they are draped on the tree). My hopes were that cage area is large enough, and fish density low enough, that tearing up the eggs would not be an issue. So far so good. I've got my fingers crossed.

So what is the purpose of this, just to keep the few fish in the pond close enough to make a love connection?

Okay.
I have trouble with reading comprehension.
So naturally I ended up being an editor.

No problem. I have a bad habit of skimming so naturally I ended up being a writer.

P.S.: I hope you're not the guy I send my first novel manuscript too!

Four egg strands now in the cage on the Christmas tree. Two more and that will be it! I set up a diffuser underneath that edge of the cage as I just applied some alfalfa meal to the pond for fertilizer, and was worried it would stick to the eggs when it settles. I may just leave the diffuser and compressor on as it doesn't seen to effect the egg laying in a negative way.

Cecil,

Fascinating and continue to post your results as one of the target species I have in mind for my pond is perch. Good luck. Thanks.

Bryan

Cecil,

You have an update for us, or some more pics you can post?

How long do these eggs take to hatch?

The larger cage and tree branch in the cage will help keep the egg ribbon intact. Egg ribbons that lay on the cage bottom are more prone to fragmentation. This technique will probably work okay for Cecil.

It's been windier than heck up here along with occasional frontal rain showers with night time lows in the 30's, and highs in the 40's if we're lucky. It's so windy I can't see under the surface well to determine if there are any additional egg strands. There's also a slight algae bloom that reduces visibility. I need a bright sunny day to see the egg strands and it's not happening.

Still finding egg strands in the big pond so the spawn is not over. I do see an occasional female flash after a sinking pellet in the cage when I feed, and if she is the same one she appears to be still carrying eggs.

Hatch time depends on water temps. The higher the water temps the quicker they hatch. I haven't checked the water temps but they can't be much higher than 50 F.

Typical hatch time is 8 to 10 days but can take up to a month in really cold water.

Update:

The older eggs seem to be disintegrating. I believe they are hatching? (Father down in the cage barely visible.)





It appears there is a new one on top, which I pulled up by pulling up the Christmas tree for a better picture.





I also seem to have a deeper green algae bloom, but at the same time the filamentous algae is also taking hold due to the unseasonably cold temps.

Cage was pulled and the brood fish went to their respective homes: males into the male perch pond and females into the female perch pond. All females had apparently dropped their eggs as none had distended abdomens. Interesting thing is most of the males were still primed as a little pressure produced milt.

There were some remnant eggs on the Christmas tree, so I carefully pulled the tree out, and set it up back into the water next to the bank. (It would have been impossible to remove the fish with the tree still in the cage).

There were some eggs clinging to the mesh of the cage, so I put the cage back in to let it float around freely. Now I will keep my fingers crossed and hope I get a good hatch.

I do have a good algae bloom which is always a good thing -- one of the best I've had in years.