# Fish in water troughs



## GoatMama123 (Sep 9, 2015)

I am considering doing fish in water troughs to keep them clean because the smaller buckets scatter about it kind of annoying and easily tipped over.

Do any of you use fish? Pros cons? What type? 

I would love to also do this for my pigs but they will probably eat them and tip it over as soon as possible, right?


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## Suzanne_Tyler (Jul 19, 2014)

Following


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

I know someone on here used fish but can't remember who.


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## Goats Rock (Jun 20, 2011)

Isn't the poop bad? Just wondered.


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## Dayna (Aug 16, 2012)

Well I figure in the wild the goats, horses, etc drink from freshwater ponds and such, and there is fish poop in there. lol

My neighbor uses fish in her big horse drinking things. She has a 12 inch long pleco for the algae and some smaller fish for the mosquito larva.


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## PippasCubby (May 13, 2015)

I have goldfish in my water troughs. They keep the bug litter down very well. They also eat the algae a little bit. Their poop is annoying, but we just siphon in out every couple days when we fill the troughs...so really not much added work at all.

Pros: Clean trough less often; Fish entertain human kids during chores.
Cons: Have to catch fish when doing a deep clean; Have to siphon poop out now and then; Human kids fall in chasing fish.


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## lottsagoats1 (Apr 12, 2014)

A lot of the dairy farmers put fish in the huge water troughs for their cattle. I haven't tried it, mostly because my troughs are small and I'd end up with dehydrated or par-boiled fish.


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## JK_Farms (Nov 12, 2016)

Following!


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## NyGoatMom (Jan 26, 2013)

I use smaller water "troughs" ...I bought the galvanized square ones from TSC. I fill them daily and it works well. I thought about getting bigger troughs but with only 3-5 goats at a time drinking from it, I can just give fresh, clean water daily. I think it's a cool idea for larger operations though!


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

It's very important to keep fish in any still water because otherwise you'll have a thriving mosquito hatchery in your back yard. So many diseases are spread by mosquitoes. I have goldfish in my larger ones & mosquito fish (gambusia) in anything less than 20 gallons or so. I also have water snails in there, not sure if they help or not! I buy feeder fish so if the raccoons get a few, at least they got to live a little longer. Putting a cinder block in the tank gives the fish a safe place to escape raccoons or cats (or pigs!) if they're fast enough. 

I never worry about fish poop--otherwise it would be rotting dead bugs, right? & you only need a couple small fish.


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## GoatMama123 (Sep 9, 2015)

Thanks everyone! Maybe I will give it a go in one to try it out. I also worry about them boiling during the summer as they are not HUGE troughs I am talking about more like the galvanized chick brooder tanks they use at the tractor supply stores.


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## catharina (Mar 17, 2016)

About how many gallons are the tanks? The pet store can tell you how many fish can live in the size containers you have. They can also advise you on what kind of fish. Some shade would really help keep the fish happy & discourage the algae a bit. If you don't have a roofed area to move the tanks to, is there a wall facing away from the sun, where it gets afternoon shade? Or put the tank against a fence & slide an old piece of plywood between the tank & fence to block the afternoon sun? The animals might like the water to be a little cooler too. I think you'll enjoy watching the fish! Oh, don't forget to get some water conditioner to remove the chlorine if you don't have a well. For just topping off the tanks you probably won't need it, but for larger water changes you will. Fish also do better with a little plain sea salt in the water--about a tablespoon per 5 gallons I think, but the pet store will know.


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## KW Farms (Jun 21, 2008)

I'm not a fan of keeping fish in stock tanks. What works fantastic for us is having a hose hooked up to a float valve auto waterer in a small rubber tub. Fresh water flows off and on all day, never runs out, easy to clean.


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## BrokenArrowRanch (Jun 6, 2013)

You should put a cinder block in the tank. It gives the fish some shade and a place to hide.


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