Originally Posted by jpsdad
Sherwood I like your idea someday I might do something similar ... But I have some things to add.

1. I wouldn't try to raise fry to adult in the cage. I think the best approach is to use the cage to seed your pond with fry and just let them grow to whatever size they are able. Your pond can support a very substantial weight of fry and juvenile minnows at various stages of development. Yes they will be eaten by BG and LMB .... but that is point right?. So just try to protect the brooders in the cage so they can make babies. IMHO the mesh should be large enough to allow new hatched fry to go their merry way and small enough to keep brooders in and predators out.

2. Keeping screen clean enough to allow water flow through it is important. Might be pretty tough to do in full sun so is there any way it could be fitted under the dock and fed through the dock in some fashion?

3. You mentioned a kiddie pool and again there is a limit to the number of fry that can be grown to adolescence or adulthood ... BUT ... if you collect eggs and hatch them you can stock free swimming fry into you main pond. Here's a good reference in case you are interested.

I like your idea in #1.

Yep, my goal would be to breed minnows to move into the pond for forage without having to continue to purchase and travel for more minnows.

As for the pool idea, I would need to buy one that has some size to it but I don't want something that I'd have to pay hundreds of dollars for. If it's too small though, it won't be worth my while as far as raising much forage but it could at least provide a learning experience that helps me figure out exactly what I may want or need. Another pool type of option would be to build a small pond/pool with a liner, kind of like a backyard koi pond sort of thing, minus the koi of course.