Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Bass shiners reproduce in aquarium?

Shiners are ranging from 3-11 dollar a dozen here. One store wants 3, one wants 4, and one weighs a dozen and charges by weight 9-11 per dozen.

So can I buy a few dozen and put in aquarium at home and will they reproduce?

One store told me the supplier told them.to get whatever they can for them.

Why would the price fluctuate from 3-11 a dozen besides greed?

They might reproduce but getting them to size would take time and a lot more space than the carrying capacity of your aquarium. Your cost of growing them to size will likely exceed the cost of purchasing shiners as you need them.

11 dollars per dozen is rediculous

Anybody ever grown them commercially?

IMO I suspect that golden shiners (GSH) are one of the top bait fish grown commercially in the US (behind FHM). FWIW I can buy GSH at the local bait shop for $5 per dozen and they are the only bait shop near me, that I know of, that sells them. I can drive 45 minutes to the fish farm and get them for $13/lb (60 to 80 fish).

Nope, but I do have a lot of them this size in my pond.



and some bigger ones this size.

Nice, the pond management class didn't recommend fhm and I've been told shiners will take over the pond.

It all depends if there are predators in the pond large enough to eat them, and if there is more cover than needed for them to escape predation.

In a 1 ac pond I stocked slightly over 200 GHS that were 9" and larger. The pond wasn't bass crowded, but it DID have a bass population in it. They were all eaten after 2 years.

I cant seem to get a population established in my pond for long. I believe I don't have enough vegetation for good recruitment.

I have zero vegetation present but I do not have LMB either, just SMB and one lone wiper.

In ponds with little cover for the forage fish to hide in, keeping a self sustaining population of forage fish is very difficult if the predators have a mouth gape large enough to eat the spawning adults.

Then all levels of the forage food chain are fair game, not just the offspring.

You wouldn't believe how many 2-1/2" to 3" GSH I have.

My SMB are fat and happy!

I've got a 1/4 acre pond in my neighborhood and have at least (20) LMB at or above 3 lbs (approx. 16" inches) and maybe one LMB at close to 5 lbs., along with about (10) HSB close to 5 lbs, and about 8-10 SMB in the 2 lbs range.

And I am shocked at the amount of thriving Golden Shiners that I have.

Very similar to the pictures that Shorty put up.

Now, I also get about 500 K of Golden Shiner Frye each spring from Andersons.

All the bass I'm catching are 12 -14 inches. I'm seeing a lot of torpedo action under water, personally I believe pond is over or well populated with bass.Threw cast net a few weeks ago and caught one small bream.

All the same size so I'm even thinking maybe stunted. Still have lots of spike rush weeds.

Is that a Florida strain bass or Northern strain? Any way to tell?

Well I can say that with yellow perch and common shiners yes I do believe that they can have an effect on perch population in a 1 acre pond.

We have added some walleye with the hope of cutting down the shiner population.

Huh? I don't know it preexisted in pond.

What makes you ask? Northern would have died by now, correct??