Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Marking Fish for Future Identification

It all depends on the amount of fish to be clipped and how big they are.

If I have to fin clip a batch of fish, I will put a mild sedative in a 5 gal bucket, and move a small qty of fish at a time. Put 25-50 fish in the bucket, clip as fast as I can at the edge of the pond and put them in the pond, I can clip fins pretty durn quick. I second the Fiscars that FireIsHot recommended.

You can also use colored floy tags to tag a batch of fish.

That is for a "batch" of fish, say a group of fish stocked on a certain date/month/year.

If individual fish are to be tracked, there are 2 ways (that I know of) to do it. Using a numbered Floy Tag which is typically good for 2-5 years is the least expensive way to tag them. Individual fish can be tracked and the average pond owner can track individual fish that way without any special equipment.

Then next way to tag fish is with a PIT tag. https://fishbio.com/fablab/beginners-guide-pit-tags You are talking a lot more money, each tag costs $3-$5+ shipping, the reading equipment is $1,500-$2,500 and the injection equipment is $200+. Plus the knowledge on how to do it, and the time - it's more time intensive than fin clipping or using a floy tag.

How many pond owners will want to fork out the $1,500 - $2,500 for the reader plus pay the hatchery +-$10/fish to PIT tag their fish?

The thing about the PIT tags is that they last the lifetime of the fish.