How Safe To Eat The Fish

[aquahealth]

How safe really is it to eat your home grown fish? I know lots of you do it, but--My understanding is that if you buy farmed fish there could be lots of problems, because temperatures have to be just right, bacteria, and a whole host of problems could come up. Thing is, growing your own, you do know where it came from, but do you know for certain how healthy the fish are, or free from bacteria, or other problems? How do you know it? How can you be certain there are no parasites? I eat Alaskan cold-water salmon, which I think is about as safe as it gets. The ocean being a larger filter than your home system. I would love to eat aquaponic fish but I have big questions about it. Can anyone set me straight please?

[keith_r]

i've been raising fish for a few years now.. getting ready for a big harvest soon..
i have had one harvest to eat, and everything was great - i prepared yellow perch 3 ways, backed, smoked and fried, and every bite was excellent..
regarding parasites, i donated 6 fish to a gentleman that is writing a book, he dissected the fish and found no parasites whatsoever..i'm confident of the safety of my system

[David - WI]

Pacific salmon contaminated by industrial pollutants in the ocean are carrying the chemicals to Alaska's lakes, where they may affect people and wildlife, according to a new study published in the Sept. 18 issue of Nature.
I know that there isn't much mercury or pcb's in the water that goes into our fish tanks, because the city has to test for them.

[urbanfarmer]

How safe really is it to eat your home grown fish? I know lots of you do it, but--My understanding is that if you buy farmed fish there could be lots of problems, because temperatures have to be just right, bacteria, and a whole host of problems could come up. Thing is, growing your own, you do know where it came from, but do you know for certain how healthy the fish are, or free from bacteria, or other problems? How do you know it? How can you be certain there are no parasites? I eat Alaskan cold-water salmon, which I think is about as safe as it gets. The ocean being a larger filter than your home system. I would love to eat aquaponic raised fish but I have big questions about it. Can anyone set me straight please?
Wild caught ocean fish are by far the most dangerous and toxic of all fish choices for human consumption (excluding more polluted freshwater sources, but no one eats or commercially fishes out of those because it's illegal for starters). Farm raised fish often contain little or no mercury, for example. As far as parasites and bacteria, well I cook my food. Lastly, if you have ever eaten fresh fish from your or anyone's system you will immediately recognize the fresh flavor of fish. I CANNOT eat store bought fish anymore. TO ME, it tastes RANCID and OLD. I Realize it's still "Safe" to eat, but it just taste like it has been dead for a long time. Not to mention I always eat my aquaponic raised fish after it is "purged" for better flavor. Also, not to mention that.... it's also "organic" with no hormones or other contamination from chemicals. Also... well, you get the idea.

[NeverResting]

Treat your water right and you'll be fine. Do not treat your fish/plants with chemicals. Try natural ways to combat any pests or problems. Bacterial is present anywhere. It does not mean it's bad for you. Many bacterias are good for you actually. However if you eat fish you most likely eat cooked which kills all that. The other harmful stuff store bought fish might have you've already eliminated by not adding it to your system. Also fish are like humans in that they are healthy based on their conditions. When our bodies are weak we have a higher chance of getting an illness just like fish do. Keep their water quality good with adequate mechanical and bio filtration and the fish stay healthy most of the time. Sick fish usually are from very low temperatures that make their immune system compromised and poor water quality that encourages parasites to flourish in my experience. Knock on wood I haven't had a sick fish in my ornamental tanks or my aquaponic tanks yet.

I have not had the opportunity to eat a fish harvest yet. I do look forward to it. I hope to have some early sacrifices in Spring haha.

Wojtek

[aquahealth]

Thx much all, appreciate it as I'm in an all out planning stage.

[reitenger]

Urbanfarmer-

I am interested in how you "purge" your fish.

[bcotton]

put the fish in clean clear water for a few days to a week. Dont feed them.

ref: Maximum Safe Nitrate levels for fish? (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?1071-Maximum-Safe-Nitrate-levels-for-fish/page2) and Eating Fish (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?972-Eating-fish)

[urbanfarmer]

Urbanfarmer-

I am interested in how you "purge" your fish.
8-)

put the fish in clean clear water for a few days to a week. Dont feed them.

ref: Maximum Safe Nitrate levels for fish? (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?1071-Maximum-Safe-Nitrate-levels-for-fish/page2) and Eating Fish (http://www.diyaquaponics.com/forum/showthread.php?972-Eating-fish)

Bcotton nailed it. I just want to add 1 thing. If you plan to purge your fish, at least 4 days offers the most improvement in flavor in the least amount of time. 14 days or 2 weeks will give you the cleanest flavor always. Please note, not ALL fish need to be purged because some will not have any off flavor associated with their meat.

[moe]

for telapia do you need purging ? this purging business is new to me always get my fish from the sea ( spear fish them ) so just clean and gut then into the cooking place ( that what my old man taught me)

and what funky taste you guys are talking about ?
do you need to change the clean water every day / once in a while / if they go dark or polluted ?

[keith_r]

i don't purge before harvesting, and haven't had any off flavors,, some "pond" fish can taste muddy, and some off tastes are associated with bacteria in the water that the fish were in..not usually an issue with AP

you shouldn't have to do any water changes if you keep your system in balance - that is, stock to your filtration capacity, and feed accordingly.. if you are getting a buildup of solids, you are either feeding too much, overstocked, or underfiltered