Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Hello, Newbie here,

I am deciding what kind of garden to put in. I like the idea of Aquaponics for veggies AND fish. As most folks know, we get 100 plus days quiet often in Central Texas. Can anyone tell me what fish, if any will work in an Aquaponics system in my area. Thanks for any and all information and comments to help me make the decision on which way to go.

Hugh S.
Elgin, Texas

Probably catfish (channel catfish, bullhead, and others), sunfish (including bluegill and redear), and Tilapia (provided they're legal there and you can keep the temp above roughly 55 degrees all year). There are others but these come to mind immediately.

Thanks for your reply Scotty,
Catfish would be great - I love catfish and as far as I know Tilapia are legal to raise in Texas. Will check farther into that... Anyone else have experience with raising Catfish with an Aquaponics setup in Central and/or South Texas area? Thanks again for the info.

Mozambique tilapia are legal to keep in Texas as long as you keep the receipt from the person you got them from, or have a permit. I did not have any luck with catfish, but might try again in the future. It can be hard to get tilapia through the winter, but it can be done.

Thanks for the info - now wondering if Catfish is the way to go... would probably consider shutting down the fish in the late fall with the garden....

There are actually 3 types of Tilapia that are legal in Texas, 2 requiring special permits, and the Mozambique type that only require the paperwork from the place that provided them. From what I hear, Mozambique Tilapia are extremely hardy and taste pretty decent. I am planning on starting an aquaponics set-up in Texas in about 6 months, as I will be relocating there due to my work. I am going to do a mix of Tilapia and catfish if I can find somewhere to buy the fingerlings. I have read that putting the two of them together provides a better ecosystem, and helps them grow better as well as providing a small amount of population control if they start to over-produce. Both of them like similar temperatures of water and the slight differences in diet make it so that they use more of what is available, reducing costs in fishfood. Although I will be buying fishfood as well, I plan on trying to raise at least 60-75% of their foods to try to make a more self sufficient system.