Who doesn’t love salmon? It’s tasty and it’s good for you! It’s also a relatively easy fish to raise yourself. All you need is a well-constructed pond and you can keep a steady supply of fresh salmon right in your own backyard. To help you do it, we’ve answered some of your most common questions about what it takes to raise salmon in a pond.

Question 1 of 9:

Can you raise your own salmon?

Question 2 of 9:

Can salmon be farmed in freshwater?

  1. Yes, you can raise salmon in freshwater with a closed containment system. Salmon in the wild mostly live in saltwater and swim to freshwater once a year to spawn and create the next generation of fish. However, salmon can be farmed in freshwater tanks or systems that are designed to prevent escapes and problems with sea lice, which commonly infest salmon that are farmed in open-water, netted systems.[2]
    • There have been many advancements in freshwater salmon farming, including the development of feed that reduces the amount of wild feed fish needed to sustain the salmon.
    • Selective breeding has also helped to create salmon that thrive in freshwater environments.
Question 3 of 9:

How do you build a fish pond in your backyard?

  1. 1
    Dig out the pond in a low area that naturally collects water. Take a look around your backyard to choose a spot where rainwater collects after a storm to figure out where the low spots are. Sketch out the size and shape of the pond to use as a guide. Use a shovel, hire a contractor, or rent heavy machinery such as a bobcat or back-hoe to dig out the pond and be sure to include an area of the pond that’s between 8–10 feet (2.4–3.0 m) deep so the salmon have a cooler area if they need it.[3]
    • No matter how large your pond is, a basic rule of thumb is it needs to be at least 8 feet (2.4 m) deep in 5-10% of the pond area to make sure your fish have enough room and oxygen.
    • If you aren’t very experienced with earthworks, hire a contractor who will have all of the necessary tools and machinery.
    • Before you dig, contact your local utility company to make sure there aren’t any buried power lines in your yard. If you’re in the US, you can call 811 to find out.[4]
  2. 2
    Add mason’s sand, geo textile fabric, and a pond liner. Mason’s sand is ultra-fine concrete sand that will create a soft bottom layer for your pond liner. Lay an even layer over the entire bottom surface of the pond. Then, lay a geo textile fabric flat on top of the sand. Finally, lay a pond liner, which is rubber sheet that will help your pond hold in the water, on top of the geo textile fabric. The pond liner, geo textile fabric, and sand will help prevent water loss and create a smooth surface at the bottom for your fish.[5]
    • The geo textile fabric will also help protect the rubber liner.
    • Press and smooth out the pond liner as best as you can. The water will help hold it in place.
  3. 3
    Fill the pond with water flowing down a plastic sheet. If you start filling the pond with a hose in 1 location, it can cause erosion and carve out a hole in the soil and sand beneath the liner. Instead, place plastic sheet in the pond and place your hose on top of it so the water flows more gently into the pond. Once the pond is full, you can remove the sheet and hose.[6]
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Question 4 of 9:

Do I need to test the quality of my pond water?

  1. Yes, it’s important that the pH level is balanced. Testing water quality is also super easy to do. Pickup a simple home testing kit, take a sample of the water, and use the color code to interpret the results. The ideal pH level is close to 7. If you need to raise or lower the pH of your water, there are a variety of commercial products you can add to your water to balance it.[7]
    • Your salmon may not survive if the water in the pond has too high or too low of a pH.
    • If you want to use natural products, crushed coral can raise the pH and bogwood or limestone can lower it.
Question 5 of 9:

Do you need to oxygenate a backyard fish pond?

Question 6 of 9:

How do you add salmon to a fish pond?

  1. Introduce the salmon into the pond with the water they came in. You can buy young and adult salmon from a local hatchery, or you can order them online. When you purchase or order salmon, they’ll arrive in plastic bags or containers full of water. Place the containers into your pond to bring the water to the same temperature and then release the fish into your pond along with the water in the container so the fish can more easily adjust to the surrounding water.[9]

Warnings

  • Your local government may have laws or regulations about raising fish in a backyard pond. Double-check with them to make sure you aren’t breaking any rules.
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About This Article

Craig Morton
Co-authored by:
Aquarium Specialist, Aquarium Doctor Inc.
This article was co-authored by Craig Morton. Craig Morton is the CEO of Aquarium Doctor Inc. based in Huntington Beach California and servicing Orange County, Los Angeles County, and the Inland Empire. With over 30 years of aquarium experience, Craig specializes in creating custom aquarium designs along with aquarium installation, service, and maintenance. This article has been viewed 32,046 times.
27 votes - 93%
Co-authors: 6
Updated: August 25, 2021
Views: 32,046
Categories: Fish
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