Pond Boss Forums MANAGING AN EXISTING POND Feeding tree hugger? tin foil hat? fish food...

Ok, I'll gladly field the tree hugger and/or tin foil hat jokes, but I am looking for a little advice on fish food for our pond...

We put in our pond for a few reasons. One is because we wanted to have some natural fertilizer in our irrigation water for our farm. Two is so we can have a source of healthy fish for us to eat...

On the subject of healthy fish for us to eat, one of our concerns is mercury. I realize that it is naturally occuring and some will make its way into our pond regardless, however that does not mean that I wish to add to that, even minute amounts.

Seems as if commercial fish food has fairly high levels of mercury, it would have to since it is using quite a bit of fish meal as a base, which would inherently have mercury in it... Now, on to dog food. Most dog food has fairly high levels of flouride in it, turns out it is from using mechanically seperated chicken as a base. Say what you want to about fluoride, but too much is for sure bad for you, so I do not wish to add more to our diet...

My pond is too small to have a viable fishery ecosystem that will produce enough fish to really eat much of and to still provide fertilizer for our farm through irrigation, I pretty much have to feed them something.

I am looking for something to feed these critters that won't put some sort of weird toxin in our pond that would not otherwise exist, or at least that I won't be adding to those levels....

I know about putting bug zappers or bug lights over the pond to attract food, that is great and works well for us since we own a farm and there are very few bugs that we WANT here. This I feel is perfectly viable for the spring-fall, however doesn't help us during our usually mild winters as the bugs just don't exist.

So, aside from bug lights over the pond or providing a perfectly functional ecosystem, what suggestions does anyone have for a winter feed for the fish that will not add weird toxins? Again, say what you wish about levels and all that jazz, I do not wish to add anything to this pond that is "un-natural" as it is fed directly from springs that are pristine.

thanks in advance,
Goober

Consider using manure as a fertilizer which will grow various forms of fish food. If you want clearer water in the pond then explore cultivating microbs, invertebrates, & periphyton as the primariy producers in the pond. Floating islands are one way to produce micobial and periphytic biofilms. There are several other methods.

thank you, I'll give that some thought and research that a bit. I appreciate the information.

I would have enough room for a small floating island in there so that may be a viable thing.

Mercury is accumulative, so the larger the fish, the higher the mercury level.

The fish food that is fish meal based uses fish that aren't large, so my concerns for mercury accumulation are minimal. Besides, if the fish grow pretty quickly to a size where they are edible, and are removed for the table, in my book that's completely different than eating a steak from a 200# tuna.

you have a point there, before I worry about the sky falling I may just send off a few samples to have them tested just out of curiosity...

That's a myth. There is NO methyl mercury in fish food.



Just like feeds for other domestic animals, aquaculture feeds are regulated by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and Departments of Agriculture in respective states, with advisement from the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). The FDA and state agencies conduct inspections as well as collect and analyze feed and fish samples to help ensure that feeds and the fish that consume them meet strict state and federal requirements. Formulated feed ingredients used in aquaculture are regularly monitored to avoid possible contamination of feed with methyl mercury.



http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/aquaculture/faqs/faq_feeds.html#7does

Furthermore the advisories for mercury in wild caught fish have minimal levels that are set far higher than needed to be on the safe side.

We listen to the media that inflates the negative side of things to make a story. Sadly if you know anything about a topic you will find inaccuracies in the media are the norm and not the exception.

I'm posting this again:

Did you know pregnant women that consume twice as much mercury as the FDA recommends are still protected by a 500 percent cushion?

The mercury-in-fish dietary guidelines issued by the Food and Drug Administration are only for pregnant women, women who are planning to become pregnant, and young children. And even then, the FDA's guidelines are overly cautious. The FDA has issued no consumption advice about the amount of fish that's safe for older kids, teens, men, post-menopausal women, and women who don't plan to become pregnant.

In the FDA's own words, its mercury guideline "was established to limit consumers' methyl mercury exposure to levels 10 times lower than the lowest levels associated with adverse effects." So even if a pregnant woman consumed twice as much mercury as the FDA's recommended limit, she would still be protected by a 500-percent cushion.

This calculator uses the Environmental Protection Agency's "Benchmark Dose Lower Limit" (BMDL) to demonstrate the actual dose of mercury in tuna and other fish that's completely safe for consumption. Fishy calculators run by the Environmental Working Group and other scaremongering organizations use the EPA's "Reference Dose" instead -- which is this BMDL divided by ten. So the amount of mercury that might be harmful is actually ten times greater than the amount the U.S. government (and a growing activist chorus) wants you to consider "unsafe."

The Food and Drug Administration's advice to young children and women of childbearing age is roughly equivalent to the EPA's Reference Dose, which is by far the most restrictive in the world. The standards adopted by the Canadian government, the World Health Organization, and the British Food Standards Agency are 4.7 times higher than what the EPA permits.

http://www.fishscam.com/mercuryCalculator.cfm

If you want to see how much tuna or other fish you can eat per week before you have to worry about mercury use the calculator on this site vs. your body weight.

BTW the above link was hacked by someone who didn't want to hear the truth.

Cecil, I'm not arguing as I dont fully understand the whole mercury thing. Any info on accumulative effects?

It's my understanding that mercury will accumulate in the brain.Is this fact or fiction? If fiction, how is mercury naturally expelled, and at what rate?

I also understand that a certain amount of atmospheric mercury occurs without the aid of human activity.

I swear I'm not trying to rattle any cages, just gathering info, and trying to reach a higher understanding.

In another organization I'm involved in, we had the mercury discussion with a number of high level fisheries biologists several years ago. It was part of a discussion of the safety of U.S. farm raised fish. They actually are far safer and far more clear of contaminants when compared to some wild fish. Catfish are one big example.

I don't think you have a worry. CB1 is correct. The gov tests are as noted above. In addition the major US fish food producers have a reputation to protect and self test to very high standards. They would not risk their entire business (which is a lot more than just fish food) by allowing any problem ingredient to go out.

If the source of fish meal ( small ocean fish like menhaden) has a mercury problem then their is no safe place on earth. The sky is not falling.

Agree with Cecil that mercury very unlikely to be a problem, or even barely detectable, in commercial fish food. It's almost unheard of in high concentrations at the earler stages of the food chain, where most fish meal comes from, unless there has been longterm industrial waste dumping in the very immediate area.

It is a remarkably toxic compound, however, especially during embryonic development.

It was used in the making of felt for hats, and resulted in severe central nervous system effects-the origin of "Mad as a Hatter".

Nowadays, its role in dental amalgum is debated as a cause of toxicity.

Some have proposed replacing the term "mad as a hatter" with "demented as a dentist",


and who knows, they may be on to something.

No problem James. Nothing wrong with a discussion on the subject and as an informed person you should be interested in having one. Just saying U.S. farm raised fish that are raised on artificial feed have no issues with mercury as stated above, and from what I'm reading you would have to eat a lot of wild fish on a daily basis for a long time to have any issues.

Fish are so much healthier for you than beef and pork that any health risks albeit extremely low, are minor compared to the health benefits. Not knocking beef or pork but I guarantee if you're an American male that likes his red meat on a regular basis you run a very high risk or coronary problems. It's almost a given. This isn't the case with fish.

Ha Ha!

Most grocery store fish and shrimp are not raised in the US.

Most catfish is US farm raised - some from SE Asia. Shrimp here are wild caught (Gulf) except those in frozen boxes. Only a very small % of fish (seafood) sold are aquaculture raised.

Good one Yolk !!!

So is the site down for good. I wanted to see this.

Fish/seafood stuff


Mercury occurs naturally. Setting a pile of wood on fire, ad's to the mix!

Asia has the highest percentage of people who die from Mercury poisoning due to the amount they eat on a daily basis.

A bit more is Imported than you think, like a whole bunch more! Shipments do get rejected tho.

A bit to it.

Eric, I got that from a seafood/fish wholesaler.

True! And I can guarantee you they don't have the inspections and high standards we do!

The U.S. is the third ranked country in the world for fish and shellfish consumption. However, only 5 percent of seafood in the U.S. is raised domestically. The U.S. Aquaculture trade deficit is over 10 billion.

Took that right out of a Powerpoint I'm putting together for our upcoming aquaculture conference.

We should be raising more fish here! We have the resources!

At one time, and it still may be true, raising CC in ponds was a cottage industry in Arkansas. The pond owner was furnished the fish and feed. They were harvested either annually or semi annually.

I brought up the subject of Aquaculture on a Ag forum once. All the responses were negative. A number of them have tried it and gave up for various reasons, but it all boiled down to making a buck. One guy who was a catfish farmer said he filled in all his ponds and went to cash crops.

I can believe that. There is no way catfish could be raised competitively that far north. You need the the long warm seasons they have down south.

Now raising perch, like they are doing in Chicago, and about to also do aquaponically at the old Hamms brewery in Minneapolis, that's a different story. That couldn't be done down south very easily.

Ken:

Where in Chicago are they raising YP?

Scott,

I can't find the original article, but it was being done in an upscale area near the lake. They were adding more outside hoop houses so they could grow more perch for "Old Time Lake Michigan Friday Night Fish Frys."

It is also being done in Milwaukee and Chicago by a group called "Growing Power." Here is a little bit about them. Growing Power Org. Here is another one from a Milwaukee group: Perch Return to Local Waters

And here is a little bit about the old Hamms brewery. I was incorrect when I said Minneapolis -- it is across the river in St. Paul. Hamms Brewery Reborn to Raise Fish and Vegetables

Ken

Catfish are a huge industry here. Crop land turned to ponds and giant factories for processing. Far and away (my guess is 75%) our fresh seafood (fish and shrimp) are from the Gulf and wild caught. That may not be the case most places. When you look at the US #s you have to keep in mind what is covered. Think of all the canned tuna , sardines and frozen fish in boxes.