Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hi all, Ive just got my AP system running reliably and want to get about 25 silver perch fingerlings to get started. Anyone have some for sale?
Prefer Perth NOR

Golden ponds (Baldavis) may do the biz for you ... I think around 2 or 3 bucks a fish depending on size and species...

I have yet to visit .. and will be buying early next year for school,

I have heard all positive and no bad vibes as yet!

Might be worth a visit?

http://www.goldenponds.com.au/

Regards

Johnnie

Last I heard Brett, you were having trouble with pumps and siphons.

Sounds like you've got that sorted. Have you filled your growbeds and started cycling yet???

Post some more pics of your progress in your system thread Brett.

Don't be in too much of a rush to get any fish.... make sure you've got a test kit and at least 600ltr of rain (or de-chlorinated) water handy if you're going to rush into buying fish before you've cycled your system

Water has been in grow beds for over a week and siphons have been working for 2.5 days (replied under members systems thread, pics soon)
Ive adjusted the pH from pH8.25 yesterday to around pH7.5 today.
I dont have any rainwater but I do have some sodium thiosulphate on hand which Im hoping will allow me to remove chlorine from tap water in case of emergency. (will that work?)
Finally, I thought I needed fish to start cycling because the right bacteria wont grow until there is ammonia in the water.

Should I:

a) buy goldfish for now (will they harrass/eat the perch I get later?)
b) buy a few extra perch now (will 25 small fish in 600L be able to ride the NH3 bump?)

or C) just had a thought! Would the bacteria establish faster if I superdosed with ammonia to levels that would kill a fish (say 20ppm) and measured until it hit zero? Anyone done that before?

Appreciate your help, Brett

it can be done. Most Aquarists advise against it, but can never give a reason.
Try it...
possibly best if you don't introduce chemicals, just dump a heap of fish food in there, and monitor.

Problem is, bacteria grow and maintain their numbers to support the ammonia produced, you'll need to ensure your population is large enough to adapt to the number of fish you're adding. How you do this is beyond me.

I think that adding fish food without fish might encourage the wrong types of bacteria so I dont want to do that.

As for "idea C" I could use either pure ammonium chloride or a mixture such as "thrive" fertilizer to get the ammonium levels up and get some happy plants but as far as N conversion goes the time it takes to convert all the NH4 to NO3 would really depend on how many nitrobacter cells there are at the start so a meaningfull trial would have to be a single system that could split into 2 with half becomimg fish and the other superdosed NH4 which I cant do ATM.

Unless someone can suggest a meaningfull test or tell of previous reasearch that worked by thursday night I'll heed "most aquarists" advice and buy some goldies to get the system started.

and thanks J7 that place looks good, I havnt even tasted silver perch yet, although I meant north of the river, not a river

WARNING..... don't use thrive it'll kill your fish...

Use "Seasol" or "Maxicrop" liquid seaweed extracts if you must.....

Don't go near any chemical fertilisers in an AP system.



Got me there Brett.... what do you mean....

And I asked in your other thread (all this might be better there )... what are you using for your growbed media?

i have heard (read) some technical data, and heard that some one tested it out, that HIGH ammonia actually inhibits nitrifying bacteria..............

sort of how how VERY high sugar levels can inhibit sugar feeding bacteria.

wouldn't do it, even if it didn't inhibit the bacteria i cant see it speeding the progress up.

given a regular source of ammonia (even small) the time it take is going to be goverened by three things, the temp the ph and the starting population of bacteria (and ofcourse the reproduction time of the bacs which is about 32 hrs from memory but dependant on temp and ph))

hey brett,

if you want some silvers genetically bred for fast growth rate i'll hook you up. price is $2 for 10-15cm. well worth the price imo. its the same guy i got my barra off and he's a class act. if you go with this guy i guarantee you will be happy at the end of it. and no i don't work for the guy but will be starting work expirience with him in the near future, so impressed with his work i am. i will be ordering some silvers soon so you may like to double up.

i would be happy to hook you up if your interested. just pm me.

Hi Rupert, just checking you saw my second post on this thread. The thrive idea was intended to get the cycle started without using fish because your first post on this thread made it sound like I was going to butcher any fish I got with my uncycled system!



I mean Id rather just use fish but if anyones interested or if there is some point to doing so, I would not get fish yet and try adding ammonium instead as per my second post on this thread. Since everyone agrees it was a bad idea Ill go with the fish.

Sorry my members system post was out of date, I made a special trip to get batteries for my camera today and have updated.
Will PM BF

PS my members system thread is here

http://backyardaquaponics.com/forum/vie ... 9863#89863

Some confusion jumping from thread to thread Brett.... to clarify...



The bacteria will colonise whatever "bio-filter" you provide.... ie gravel, bio-balls etc in response to ammonia regardless of the source....

So you can start cycling by providing ammonia from fish, hummonia, micro-bial type bottled extracts or using some old gunk from an existing aquarium filter etc.

Suggested not rushing into getting fish before you're cycled, because (one) it will take you at least 2-3 weeks minimum to cycle depending on pH and temperature.... (see you do have a test kit, at least for pH anyway)..... and what if anything you might kick start the process with.

As the cycling process exhibits some "wild" and rapid swings and spikes in pH or nitrites... and with only a small 600ltr capcity tank.... you need to be right on top of measuring your parameters and have the knowledge and capacity to react quickly.... or any fish will die.

Goldies are a cheap and tough alternative... tough enough to handle extremes that the perch wouldn't.... and if worse comes to worse...

Expendable and readily replaced

BF - does this mob send fish interstate (the smaller ones I mean).

Here's one for the venture capitalists. Saw a 10cm silver in an aquarium shop today. It was a nice, healthy looking male. Had it's own tank and the tiny price tag of $49. At that rate, I am sitting on 20 grands worth of fingerlings!!

- and they probably sell 1 per year.