I just looked up some fish for my pond (2500 gallons) and came across a paddlefish that they say is native to here in FL. Does anyone have one, or a pic, or any experience at all with these fish? I saw on youtube that they are zooplankton eaters an filter it out of the water. This fish looks amazing.
Freshwater Paddlefish
- Thread starter eaglesWR7
- Start date
They are amazing fish! They stocked our scuba diving lake with them. The problem is they are really cold-water fish, so they hung out in the deep & we never saw them.
They had a small thing on them in TFH in the Q & A section. They get big and they're hard to feed.
They are extremly rare here in PA right now there introducing more of them to the waters, what I can tell you is that they are cold water fish, they are filter feeders, there is a larger chinese species, canada has declared them extirpated (I belive thats the word) in there waters which means you can't find them there anymore, and they are a really ancient species. They get over 5 feet and wiegh about 60 pounds though I'm sure with the right conditions they'll get bigger. They also can live more than 50 years. And I belive they only spawn once every few years. Hope this helps. 
I can buy them for less the $2 a piece from a hatchery about an hour away from my house. The thing is, I cant cross state lines with them and I need to get a permit just to move them from county to county with-in the state. I wouldnt say they are a cold water fish, they just have high 02 demands. They are raised here in KY in small farm ponds, the water is far from cold, but they have to artificially keep the water oxygenated.
That's interesting... I was told they kept to the deeper, colder water, althoughh they look more like top fish. Saw a few at my LFS--wish I didn't... I know they'll never get good homes.
Pufferpunk;1956800; said:
They are not always in deep water. I see 5 footers on the river in water maybe 24" deep. A few weeks ago I was wading and a four footer swam right by me! I grabbed him by the tail but he easily got away.
They taste ok too if cooked right!