How to Raise Salmon in a Pond

Who doesn’t like salmon? Salmon is both delicious and good for your health! This is also a relatively easy fish to keep. All you need is a properly built pond, and then you’ll have a supply of fresh salmon right in your pond. To help you do this, we’ve answered some of the most frequently asked questions about salmon farming in ponds.

Table of Contents

Can you raise salmon yourself?

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Have! You can absolutely raise salmon yourself. In fact, raising fish in the yard is like growing vegetables in the garden. All you need is to create a favorable environment, release the salmon and feed them. When the fish is fully grown, you can harvest whenever you like. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Also, just like garden vegetables require care and maintenance, you will need regular inspection and care for salmon raised in your home pond.

Can salmon be kept in freshwater?

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Yes, you can keep salmon in freshwater with a closed system. Wild salmon live mostly in salt water, and once a year they swim into fresh water to spawn and breed. However, salmon can also be kept in tanks or freshwater systems designed to prevent fish escape and problems with sea lice, which often attack salmon raised in natural waters that are barricaded with nets. . ^{[2] X Research Source}

There have been many advances in freshwater salmon farming, including the development of fish feeds, which have helped reduce the number of wild fish used for salmon feed.
Breeding also helps create salmon that thrive in freshwater environments.

How would you build a salmon pond in your backyard?

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Dig a pond in a low-lying area with natural standing water. Observe the yard to select a spot where rainwater often collects after heavy rain to identify low spots. Sketch the size and shape of the fish pond. You can dig with a shovel, hire a digger or hire an excavator or excavator to dig the pond, and make sure the pond digging area is 2.5 – 3 meters deep so the salmon have cooler water when they need it. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

No matter how large the pond is, a general rule of thumb is to have an area at least 2.5 m deep, about 5-10% of the pond area to ensure the fish have enough space and oxygen.
If you do not have experience in digging, you should hire a contractor with the necessary tools and machinery.
Before digging, contact your local utility company to make sure there are no buried power lines in your yard. If you are in the US, you can call 811 for information. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Put grout sand, geotextile or aquarium lining cloth to the bottom of the pond. Mortar sand is a very fine concrete mix sand, which helps to create a smooth bottom layer for the aquarium lining. Pour an even layer of sand over the entire pond bottom. Next is to spread a layer of geotextile on top of the sand layer. Finally, you will spread an aquarium liner (a rubberized fabric that helps the pond retain water) over the geotextile. The lining, geotextile and sand will help prevent the pond from dehydrating and provide a smooth surface on the bottom of the pond for the fish. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

The geotextile will help protect the rubber lining.
Press and smooth the lining as flat as possible. The water will help hold the fabric in place.

Let the water run on the plastic cloth to the bottom of the pond. If you use a hose to run water into a location in the pond, it can erode and form holes in the soil and sand beneath the liner. Instead, spread a plastic cloth over the pond and place the faucet on top to allow the water to flow more smoothly to the bottom of the pond. When the pond is full, you will remove the plastic cloth and the water hose. ^{[6] X Research Source}

Do I have to test the water quality in the pond?

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Yes, it is important that the pH is balanced. Testing water quality is very easy. Choose a simple home water test kit, sample the water and use the color code to read the results. The ideal pH is near 7. If you need to increase or decrease the pH in your water, you can choose from one of the many commercial water additions to balance it out. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Salmon may not survive if the water in the pond has a pH that is too high or too low.
If you prefer natural products, you can use crushed coral to increase the pH and rootwood or limestone to lower it.

Do you need aeration for your fish pond?

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Yes, you need to use at least one method of oxygenating the pond water. Fish species that live in flowing water such as salmon need high concentrations of dissolved oxygen in the water. Install a fountain, artificial waterfall to create a flow, or another structure to create oxygen in the water before it falls into the pond. You can also use pipes or dams to direct a steady stream of water into the pond to create oxygen in the water. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

How do I put fish in the pond?

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Release the salmon into the pond with the water when you buy the fish. You can buy juveniles or adult fish from hatcheries or order them online. When you buy or order salmon, it comes in a plastic bag or container filled with water. Put the fish container in the pond to adjust the water temperature to the same level as the water in the pond, then put the fish in the pond with the water in the container so that the fish can easily acclimate to the surrounding environment. ^{[9] X Research Source}

Soak the fish container in water for about 15-30 minutes to regulate the temperature.
While you can put salmon eggs in your pond and hope they hatch into fry, it’s much easier to start with juveniles or adults.

How should you feed the salmon in the pond?

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Feed them salmon food at regular intervals and avoid overfeeding. High quality salmon feed will provide fish with good nutrients when kept in ponds. ^{[10] X Research Source} Read the instructions on the package to find out how much to feed the fish based on the number of fish. Be careful not to overfeed the fish, as this can lead to bacterial and fungal problems. ^{[11] X Research Source}

How long will it take to raise salmon?

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It will take 2 years for the salmon to reach its maximum size. The time from farming to harvesting salmon depends on the age of the fingerlings that you put in the pond. If it is a newly hatched fish, you will have to wait about 2 years for the fish to reach maturity. But if you keep an adult fingerling, you can harvest any time you like! ^{[12] X Research Source}

After about 2 years, the salmon in the pond will reach a size of about 50 cm in length.

How can I keep farmed salmon in the pond?

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Let the salmon spawn and avoid overharvesting. As long as you don’t harvest all the salmon in the pond, they will spawn, spawn, and create new litters of salmon! Take care of the fish, feed it regularly and only pick it up when you plan to eat it, and your pond will be a sustainable source of fresh fish! ^{[13] X Research Source}

Advice

Regularly check the pH of the water. Any sudden change can lead to fish death.

Warning

Many localities have laws or regulations about keeping fish in home ponds. You need to check carefully to not break the law.

Steps