Folks,
I plan on putting feed trained crappies in a 400 cubic foot cage and when they large enough to sex I may put the females into a small 1/10th acre pond with my female only yellow perch that are stocked at a minimal size of 8 inches. If I can keep them on feed I may be able to grow them out to good size. There wouldn't be any reproduction and the both species would be large enough to prevent them from eating each other. At least that's the idea on paper.
I'll keep you posted on my success or lack thereof. Only thing that worries me about crappies is the hauling. They are very delicate and difficult to haul and are prone to fungal problems from handling. (Been there done that but my last batch was from a different source that was a long haul, and they were put into a tank with 2 to 3 pound rainbows and probably beat around and stressed.)My new source is a 1 1/2 hour drive and I may use oxygen bags this time.
However since my fish are not destined for the table I will be consulting with a fish pathologist about using some type of preventive medication that is used for ornamental fish. I could add some to the hauling water or put them in a quarantine tank and treat them before putting them into the cage. I see in the AES catolog ornamental growers have lots of preventative and ongoing medication available to them vs. fish destined for the table which the FDA controls.
