Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Building a cage/pen to raise GS

Not sure if this will work would appreciate any feedback.
I was planning on building a cage 2’ x 2’ x 4’ to raise golden shiners. Local hatchery has 3 lbs for $30.
Hopefully I can just float it off the side of the dock. I’ll probably release most into the pond, but I’d also like to keep some for bait.
How many could/should I put in a pen that small? Would it be ok to put in Optima BG feed occasionally? How often should they get fed? Or do they feed on algae?
I found this roll of screen in the barn. Looks like holes are 3/8” by 3/8”.

I catch a lot of shiners in the torpedo trap and transfer them to a 2' round x 2' tall wire cage.
It's got a pool noodle float and is tied to the dock in ~6' of water.

The FHM will literally tear their faces off gnawing at the wire trying to get out, but the shiners
seem content to just swim around in circles. I've kept them incarcerated for two to three weeks
with no obvious ill effects. The ones that don't get used for bait in a couple weeks are released back
into the pond. They're pellet hogs so it's easy enough to catch more when I want them.

I toss a few pellets into the cage every day when I feed.

I typically will have 30-50 in the cage while collecting them for bait.

Thanks Augie. I appreciate the feedback. Hopefully will get it built in the next few weeks.

Keep us updated as to your progress with growing these bait shop shiners. That wire mesh looks to be 1/2" because it is hard to find wire mesh in 3/8". Cage of 2x2x4 = 16 cubic ft. For cage growing for beginners and using shiners I would not stock any more than 5 per cubic ft. Be prepared for the cage mesh to get clogged with filamentous algae. Either use a stiff brush to try to rub it off or just transfer the shiners into a fresh clean cage. A clogged mesh cage restricts water flow and produces lower water quality and a high chance for fish disease. When the fish stop eating they are highly stressed and need to have the cage cleaned for fish moved to clean conditions.

Be cautious where you buy the shiners. Often bait sellers have held the shiners for weeks and they are in varying degrees of stress when you buy them. Highly stressed fish when you get them will result in caged deaths quickly after stocking them. Bait shops clean out dead fish each morning so you have no idea how healthy the shiners are when you get them. It would be best IMO to buy shiners that are fairly freshly delivered to the bait shop. Fish haulers move fish that have empty guts to reduce waste in hauling tanks. Bait shops normally do not feed their fish held for sale. Ask about freshness and daily death rate of the shiners before buying them and how often they receive new shiner shipments.

Yep, I over estimated dimensions. Looks closer to 1/2”. It’s very old. Found it in the back of the barn.
I’ll unroll it and see how much length I have. Will go longer than 4’ if I have enough mesh.

Fortunately I am buying from NEMO fish hatchery in Perry MO. I have not heard anything bad about them. They do most of the pond stocking around here. Working with all the farm co-ops as they bring their trucks around. They are only a few miles from our farm. They’ve been in business for a fairly long time. I think their minimum order for golden shiners is $30 for 3 pounds. I don’t know how many that would be. I’m assuming a lot! I’ll stock the rest in the pond. The YP and SMB will have a field day. I have a pretty good population of golden shiners now, but we aren’t catching as many in the traps as we were earlier.

I’ll feed them as often as I can (I’m an absentee pond owner). I’ll also keep FA off the pen. I’ll keep five per cubic foot. Thank you for that recommendation.